BajaNomad

Sting Ray stings.

Bajame - 4-1-2013 at 10:37 AM

During a camping trip to beautiful Campo Renee over the Easter Weekend I was wading up to my waist in the sea when I stepped on a sting ray. Wow! It got me in a vain and I never felt such pain in my life and I am not the sissy type. After trying all I could we went over to the restaurant and ask them what they do when they get stung. They told me get to the clinic in the next town as I needed Some injections. There they soaked my foot and then gave me a shot for pain and then they had this other stuff that they injected into the wound to neutralize the venom and Presto in 5 minutes there was no pain! Never heard of going to the clinic for that. We tried hot water packs but the whole foot needs to be in the water. After two benadryl and the pain shot, the world was much brighter. In spite of that we had a great time.

Alan - 4-1-2013 at 10:46 AM

Lo siento. With everyone doing the Harlem shake let us not forget the stingray shuffle.

Skipjack Joe - 4-1-2013 at 10:47 AM

I know exactly what you're talking about as the same thing occured to me 20 miles to the north, at La Bocana.

http://forums.bajanomad.com/viewthread.php?tid=27925#pid4943...

DianaT - 4-1-2013 at 11:12 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by Skipjack Joe
I know exactly what you're talking about as the same thing occured to me 20 miles to the north, at La Bocana.

http://forums.bajanomad.com/viewthread.php?tid=27925#pid4943...


Igor,
First stingray story I thought about when reading what happened to Bajame was your story. I remember thinking about you, but also thinking poor Alex, he was trying to be so brave and help while so worried about you and he ends up with burns!

You both have convinced me totally that if one of us ever has the misfortune of being stung, there will be no heroics or home remedies. It will be off to the nearest clinic!

Bajame --- OUCH, glad you were able to enjoy the rest of your camping trip at Campo Rene --- also one of our favorite spots.

[Edited on 4-1-2013 by DianaT]

bajajudy - 4-1-2013 at 11:58 AM

The best immediate thing to do is to soak your foot in the hottest water you can stand. Do not take it out until when you lift it from the water it doesnt hurt anymore....keep replenishing the hot water to keep it REALLY hot. Once it doesnt hurt to remove it from the water, all the poison should be gone.

danaeb - 4-1-2013 at 12:10 PM

The next best thing, if you're on the beach and not close to a hot water source, is to bury your foot in hot sand. I stepped on a sting ray a couple of years ago in La Paz and it was one of the most painful experiences ever. I still have a numb spot on my foot at the site of the puncture.

Bajame - 4-1-2013 at 12:12 PM

Yes, thats the best. we didn't have a bucket and were putting hot packs on the wound but that doesn't work as the nerve ending in the toes need to submerged . A hard lesson, but will be much wiser next time. Thanks for your regards .

Skipjack Joe - 4-1-2013 at 01:07 PM

Bajame,

The lady who owns that small motel at abreojos has been stung repeatedly by them at Coyote lagoon. Whistler, who lives(ed) in that area recommends Marlwalkers to protect your feet. They're tough wading boots made by Patagonia.

You have my total sympathy. I don't intend to ever go through that again.

DianaT - 4-1-2013 at 01:14 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Skipjack Joe
Bajame,

The lady who owns that small motel at abreojos has been stung repeatedly by them at Coyote lagoon. Whistler, who lives(ed) in that area recommends Marlwalkers to protect your feet. They're tough wading boots made by Patagonia.

You have my total sympathy. I don't intend to ever go through that again.


The lady who owns the small hotel in Abreojos is Chelo. She is great and is also the head of the woman's club in Abreojos that is involved in so many good environmental projects. The hotel was closed for a while, but last time we were there they were working on it and hopefully it is open again?

OK, that was off topic, sorry. I just hope I NEVER have to share the experience of being stung --- wading boots seem like a good idea in stingray territory.

Terry28 - 4-1-2013 at 08:05 PM

I would like to know just what they injected into the wound...It would be nice to have some around....

watizname - 4-1-2013 at 08:51 PM

Scorpion Bay about 18 years ago. A surfer on the point saw me get stung, and came by camp with a bag of epsom salts and told my wife to get the water boiling. HOT HOT HOT, as hot as you can stand it and don't take your foot out, just keep adding hot water. If you can't get to medical, this is all you can do. It takes a long time, but eventually, it turns off like a light switch. Get medical attention if you can but if not, immerse your foot in HOT water, and keep it there until the pain goes away.
After you get stung, you ALWAYS do the shuffle.
It's very painful. :coolup:

Skipjack Joe - 4-1-2013 at 09:33 PM

Does the hot water really break down the toxins or is the pain from the scalding water just overpower your sense of the other pain? Does anyone know?

Maybe the sting pain just naturally wears off and the hot water is just masking that.

Since the body maintains a constant temperature does the temperature of the limb really go up. Wouldn't the cellular biochemistry break down if their temperature went to such high levels?

Just wondering.

---------

That's really poor writing: ^^^

I'll try harder next time, osprey. Really I will.

[Edited on 4-2-2013 by Skipjack Joe]

Frank - 4-1-2013 at 09:43 PM

Here you go....

http://www.bio.davidson.edu/people/midorcas/animalphysiology...

Treatments

After getting stung by a stingray, one should make sure to wash out the wound with whatever diluents are available, which in many cases is seawater.  Any visible parts of the spine or sheath should also be removed (Evans and Davies, 1996).  Since sharks and stingrays are cartilaginous, spine fragments might not be visible with radiographic technology.  Magnetic resonance imaging is helpful in locating foreign bodies in the wound (Diaz, 2008).  Fortunately, almost half of all stingrays (45%) have damaged integumentary sheaths due to injuries of their own so many stings will result in trauma but no envenomation. It is also very important to soak the wound in hot water – around 40 degrees Celsius in order to inactivate the thermolabile venom (Evans and Davies, 1996). The soaking of the injury in hot water accelerates the denaturing of the toxin (Germain et al., 2000). In areas with stingray populations, lifeguards will sometimes keep rows of warm water in buckets along the beach (Tennesen, 2005). In a clinical review of 119 cases of stings in the California area over an 8-year period, 88% of patients had complete pain relief within 30 minutes of immersing their injuries in hot water. Antibiotics are also essential in preventing secondary infection of the wound, especially by coliform bacteria commonly found in marine environments (Clark et al., 2007). Below is a table listing the clinical treatments used for three separate stingray injury cases.

drzura - 4-2-2013 at 05:30 AM

Your supposed to have all you buddies there pee on the area that is stung. I am bringing some friends with me to San Lucas Cove next month, and if one gets stung, that's what I am going to suggest. After we pee on him, I will bring him to the clinic for the shots. Not sure if the the pee will help, but it will be a funny story in the future while drinking some beers....:tumble:

Damion

[Edited on 4-2-2013 by drzura]

Bomberro - 4-2-2013 at 06:12 AM

40 degrees Celsius works out to 105 degrees F, so perhaps very hot water is not necessary and less chances of burning the skin. I react to Sculpins the same way, the wait for the burning pain to go away seems like a lifetime, its is so great when it sort of just turns off.

Bob and Susan - 4-2-2013 at 06:14 AM

the end of march and april is "breeding month" here on the bay...

last year we speared one and ate it...

the meat is soft and mild...

not much "meat on the bone"
to make a meal but in a pinch...ok

sray.jpg - 48kB

ncampion - 4-2-2013 at 07:23 AM

We were in the ER in Loreto a little while ago getting my wife's hand stitched up and they brought a guy in who was stung. He was white as a sheet. They were getting the hot water ready but the Doc did inject some xylocaine into the wound site on his ankle. That's a local anesthetic which may help releive the pain until the toxin is inactivated. I was stung once and that is enough! It does go away almost like a light switch.

ncampion - 4-2-2013 at 07:25 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by drzura
Your supposed to have all you buddies there pee on the area that is stung. I am bringing some friends with me to San Lucas Cove next month, and if one gets stung, that's what I am going to suggest. After we pee on him, I will bring him to the clinic for the shots. Not sure if the the pee will help, but it will be a funny story in the future while drinking some beers....:tumble:

Damion

[Edited on 4-2-2013 by drzura]



BTW, pee is for jellyfish, doesn't help sting rays. But it would make for a good beer drinking story.

dean miller - 4-2-2013 at 08:05 AM

Sting rays;

Do not inject poison
The sheath of the barb contains contaminates
Parts of the sheath or the entire sheath will be imbedded in the wound
Imbedded portions should be removed ASAP and irrigated with water etc
Most of the contaminates are heat liable - ie destroyed by application of heat.
Modern medications for infection and pain control is suggested but often is not required.

Walk slowly and do the sting ray shuffle when entering the water from shore.

Most of you are in an isolated area and possibly have not been exposed to definitive books on the identification, avoidance and treatment of marine creatures that are poisonous to eat, will bite and will STING. May I suggest you might consider: POISONOUS AND VENOMOUS MARINE ANIMALS OF THE WORLD DR. BRUCE HALSTEAD

Back ground:
I first met Dr. Halstead about 1956 or so at a party at Bob Rutherford's home in Anaheim California. (See www.portagequary.com legends of diving "Sea Sabres signaling system) During that party and later on numerous chance meetings he repeatedly invited me if I would like to accompany him on one of his tropical expeditions being conducted to collect and photograph samples for his future book. I had just purchased my first home and was entering the civilian job market after service during the Korean War as an USAF officer , so graciously declined, besides I would probably have been stung or bitten--or eaten-- ( I now have had enough stings ,bites and acres and acres of scares from diving to last two life times.)

Dr. Halstead and I met socially and professionally periodically over the years. During several of these meetings I had him inscribe his latest works to me--five in total.

He passed on to the big reef in the sky in 2002 and was buried with out fanfare or recognition of the contribution he left the world of recreational diving and the understanding of dangerous marine animals

My last contact with his family was a few years back at the marriage of Bob Rutherford's widow Sheri.

Now you know at least a part of the saga of these books....and each and every book ever published has a saga..

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Poisonous and venomous Marine Animals of the world" by Dr. Bruce Halstead, LCCC 65-60000, is a - a monumental three volume set. Production of the set consumed 23 years of intensive research to produce. There was nothing like it published prior to his research and certainly nothing of this magnitude will probably never published by future researchers any where in the world. Dr Halstead's work is the base line which all present and certainly future research will be based .

A very brief description of these volumes is as follows;

Hard picture cover with out dust jackets published in 1965 by the US Government printing office. Volume 1 is 994 Pages, Volume 11 consists of 1070 pages and volume three consists of 1006 all 3070 8 -1/2 X 11 pages are well illustrated with glossy photographs and/or drawings. Since it's publication almost fifty (50) years ago as the definitive base line work on dangerous marine life the three volumes has been recognized world wide as the fountain head of knowledge for serious researchers.

It's original publication price in 1965 was $160.00 hard earned Yankee dollars. Some years ago a beat up well used research set sold for $750.00 on E bay, currently the set is being sold around the $600.00 price range, so I suspect that most do not have or have never seen or possibly heard of the set. And if you have, do not have the dedication to diving to invest in a set

Yes I have the three volume set -- Inscribed to me by Dr. Halstead


There are several less expensive books also by Dr. Halstead that is addressed to the layman. They are:

"Dangerous marine Animals-that bite, sting -are non-edible" published 1959,Cornell Maritime press, LCCC 58-59799, 146 pages, hard cover with dust jacket

The second edition;

"Dangerous marine Animals-that bite, sting -are non-edible" was revised and enlarged was published in 1980, ISBN 0- 87033-268-6, 208 pages, picture cover, no dust jacket.

Yes I also have both editions inscribed to me by Dr Halstead.


Dr Halstead's last book was published in 1992--"Dangerous Aquatic Animals of the World: A Color Atlas: With Prevention, First Aid, and Emergency Treatment Procedures," Darwin Press, hard cover with dust jacket, 265 pages, ISBN-13: 9780878500451.

This book contains over 470 color photographs, as well as 11 color maps. a glossary, and suggested readings. Included are: sharks, rays, and other wound-producing animals; aquatic animals that sting; invertebrates and vertebrates poisonous to eat; electric fishes and human parasitic catfish as well as sections dealing with their identifying features, biology, and habitat, as well as a section on prevention, first aid, and emergency procedures.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Those of you who are considering books on any type of dangerous marine life should first consider purchasing a book of Dr. Bruce Halstead, they are indeed the fountain head knowledge; they are the source which all authors obtain their knowledge...

The early less expensive Halstead books were very popular when originally published and are still some what common on the shelves of SoCal used book dealers and I would suspect also available from selected on line used book merchants.
SDM

X2 It would be nice to know the name

DavidE - 4-2-2013 at 09:39 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by Terry28
I would like to know just what they injected into the wound...It would be nice to have some around....


But to discuss with a doctor first. Never been jabbed but apparently it is the slime on the barb that does all the awful work. Once while fishing in the Sacramento River I messed up and got jabbed by the spines of a catfish. Lots of pain and nausea.

ncampion - 4-2-2013 at 12:08 PM

An excellent site regarding sting rays including references.

http://www.bio.davidson.edu/people/midorcas/animalphysiology...

JohnMcfrog - 4-2-2013 at 12:12 PM

Well, I have my story to tell. My friends all think that it is a big joke. Not so much for me. Have been surfing over 50 years and the count is now being hit 8 times. The most painful was when I got hit near a place I had in Canta Mar (just below Rosarito) with some sympathetic surf buddies. They thought I was over reacting and told me to suck it up as we made our way through the border mess.

The last one was at the La Jolla Shores two summers ago. Even with the immediate immersion at the guard shack, the pain lessened, but didn't go away until the second immersion hour at a friend's house. I hope I'm not getting sensitive to the poison!

Going to check the clinic (I guess at Abreojos) and find out what they use to neutralize the poison. This sounds really like a breakthrough. I always shuffle, and in the summer get on my board as soon as my arms are not hitting the bottom. In other areas of life have always considered myself quite lucky.

David K - 4-2-2013 at 02:38 PM

Anyone try Tea Tree Oil on it? Surfers in Hawaii use it to treat coral injuries... and it is a listed venom neutralizer of poisonous insects, such as Australia's Funnel Web spider. I have used it on my kids and I for any skin injury or sting over the years.

MMc - 4-2-2013 at 02:41 PM

Mcfrog,
Are you the guy with the foamed up rubber boots at Abreojos? I thought they were a bit over the top, till I herd how many time you had been hit.

JohnMcfrog - 4-2-2013 at 03:00 PM

Nope, but I have looked at boots for surf fishing from the beach when the halibut run. Decided against it because it's too weird. Besides, I like the feel of the sand on my feet.

Juanito