What you should never do if stung by a jellyfish (and what you should)

Do you know what to do if you get stung by a jellyfish? If the first thing that comes to mind has to do with peeing, keep reading because this article interests you.

Jellyfish stings are quite common in the sea. They are produced through the long tentacles that extend from the body of the jellyfish. These have thousands of microscopic stingers they can inject the poison.

Types of jellyfish stings

Nevertheless, not all jellyfish stings are the samebut they vary greatly in their severity depending on the size and species of the animal.

In addition, other factors that influence the severity or not of the sting are the age and health status of the affected person, as well as the time of exposure to the poison and the amount of skin affected. People most vulnerable are the people with previous pathologies and children.

1. The slightest thing would be to notice a immediate pain and marks with redness and irritation on the skin. This type of bite is the most common.

– Tingling, stinging pain, burning, itching.

– Red, brown or purple marks on the skin, due to the contact of the tentacles.

– Swelling.

– Throbbing pain that extends upwards.

two. Some jellyfish stings can cause systemic diseases (whole body), according to the MayoClinic. Some signs and symptoms of serious jellyfish stings are:

– Weakness, drowsiness, paleness and disorientation

– Headache, muscle or spasms

– Stomach pain, nausea and vomiting

– Difficulty breathing

– Heart problems

3. And, in exceptional casesjellyfish stings can cause death.

Almost all jellyfish stings improve in a few days with just home treatment, but any warning of a serious reaction should seek immediate medical attention.

I have been stung by jellyfish: what do I do?

1. Lighten the area affected with sea water (avoid doing it with fresh water because it spreads the contamination).

2. Remove the remains of tentacles skin with tweezers or the edge of a bank card. The remains of the tentacles remain attached, so they must be removed so that the wound does not worsen, but do not rub it with sand from the beach or with a towel.

3. Soak the area in very hot water (as much as can be tolerated) for at least 30 minutes. If you can’t soak it, use warm cloths or towels.

4. Take painkillers such as paracetamol or ibuprofen if necessary.

jellyfish stings tend to improve within a few hours, but some cause rashes that last for weeks. Once it disappears, you can leave a permanent scar.

What you should never do if you are stung by a jellyfish

1. You should not use vinegar

two. Do not urinate on the bite

3. Do not put ice or a cold compress

Four. Do not touch the wound or any thorns with your bare hands

5. Do not cover or close the wound

How to know if there are jellyfish on the beach

Do you want to go to the beach, but you don’t know if there will be jellyfish? Don’t worry, now there is a way to find out without leaving home. To find out if jellyfish are hanging around a certain beach, you can consult applications such as MedusApp, which report jellyfish of all species sighted by users in the last five days. Of the same type are iMedJelly, which reports on the presence of jellyfish on the Catalan coast, the Balearic Islands and Tunisia, or Medusas Ibiza. Other applications designed by some Municipalities to provide information on the state of their beaches also include real-time data on the presence of jellyfish in their waters.

By the way, about the legend that pee relieves the symptoms of jellyfish sting because it counteracts the poison: it is false. No scientific study supports this claim. In fact, urinating on a jellyfish sting may make the pain of the sting worse.