Something wrapped itself around my leg when I was out there today. It felt just like what I always imagined a man o' war's tentacle must feel like. Stung like hell and I've got a raised, red welt about 8' long across the back of my calf. I got right out of the water and sprayed apple cider vinegar on it, but it didn't really offer me much relief. Now, a few hours later, it's still swollen and red but the stinging isn't too bad. So do you think it was a man o' war?
Keep an eye on your lymphnodes, if they start swelling start payin attention to the stung area. Oh, and if you have trouble breathing go to the hospital pronto. Probably just a jelly fish.
Sounds exactly like the Man-o-war sting I got a few summers ago. Check this stuff out. Its about 15 bucks for the small bottle, but it helps with the swelling, burning and itching. http://www.woundedwarriorointment.com/store.asp
Man-o-wars are the only dangerous ones that I am aware of. They aren't deadly unless they are really big, or you are really small. Don't get me wrong, they are deadly if they sting a child or if they are big enough and sting you near your heart. Don't elevate a sting like you usually would or the poison will flow towards your heart. My girlfriend had a friend who got stung on her foot, elevated it, and the poison ended up spreading further up her leg.
sounds exactly what happened to me and a freind 2 weeks ago spearing at the wrightsville jetty. we still have the scar and its just starting to go away. it bubbled like blisters so after a week and a half of itching we went to get some cream from the doctors and he told us it was a type of box jellyfish. they apparently are not as harmful as the ones in Austrailia, but i thought i was going to die when it hit me.
A Man-of-War can be still be extremely harmful, no matter what the size of the organism. They are all loaded with equally deadly stinging cells. If you do not know what this looks like- if you ever see the characteristic blue-purple gas float on the water, this is a Man-of-War and you should get away ASAP. Man-of-Wars do not come into this area often though, I don't believe. I think it is a wind pattern that blows them in, if it blows for a long enough time to move them very far.
Those guys are no joke. I don't know who in here is from the emerald isle area but last year (I actually think it was October) there were man-o-wars scattered all over the beach. Litterally hundreds up and down the beach. It looked like they got tangled up in the seaweed and grass and just got washed up to shore. Looked like big blue jelly beans everywhere. Once they dried out you could step on them (with shoes) and they would pop like big bubble wrap. Good times.
A larger one is going to have longer tentacles, therefor more stinging cells. You are going to get stung alot worse if 10 feet of tentacle wrap around your leg, than if 2 feet of tentacle wrap around it.
Yeah, I remember during the summer I got stung really bad from something and there's still a discoloring in my skin (scar?). I still don't know what kind of jellyfish it was.
I've read that vinegar is no good for man 'o war stings. Supposed to apply hot water to it which apparently denatures the nematocysts. After that you should just ice it to reduce swelling and pain.
It's the next day now. The pain and burning are gone. I've still got the slightly swollen red welt across the back of my leg. I'm going back out this afternoon, hope there's no more jellies out there. I'll have to look into the wounded warrior stuff, I'm kind of dissappointed in the vinegar. And I'll remember not to elevate the leg if it happens again.
that happened last fall in carolina beach, there were hundreds of little man-o-war scattered down the beach
Ya I was surfing in south Florida last winter when I did a duck dive under a wave came up right under one and got stung on my face neck and chest. They pack a powerfull punch. would not want to get stung again!!!!
