Portuguese Man of War
I've been diving for over 20 years, and until this incident, haven't had a sea creature problem.
So here is the story. I was kayaking in a salt water creek in North Carolina. Kayak tipped, I go into the water- no big deal. When I got out, I noticed a big red welt on my thigh. Within minutes it started to burn like hell. The island I was on had no MD, but did have a paramedic. He took one look at it and declared a Portuguese Man of War sting. Said that they wash up with storm activity and get pulled into the creeks with tidal flow. Had me rinse it in vinegar and "shave" it with a knife to remove remaining nemocysts. By that night I had a 103deg fever. Trip to ER, antibiotics, antihistamines, and a miserable three days of unbelievable itching and burning of extremities followed.
Four months later, and the welt is starting to dissipate, and the burning is dieing down.
The moral of the story-
Even dead jellyfish can sting
You don't have to be diving in the ocean to get stung
The sooner you properly treat a suspected sting, the less toxin enters your body. If you suspect that you've been stung, don't be a hero, get treatment
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