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I noticed a scar on my friend’s arm the other day and asked him about it. He said it had come from a jelly fish sting when he was very young. I immediately asked, jokingly, if someone had peed on the sting to make it better (we have all watched friends) he laughed, but then very seriously asked…. Does it really work?
Let’s find out…
The Jelly Fish
There are way too many types of Jelly fish. Some sting, some don’t, some are lethal, and most are not. Their size, shape, and colour differ depending on the ocean and their habitat.
However, most jelly fish sting in the same way. Their body is shaped like an umbrella, followed by long tentacles. Each tentacle has millions of cells on the surface called cnidocytes. The cnidocytes contain organelles called Nematocysts which harbour the venom that is injected into the skin leading to the stinging pain.
Here is a diagram of a jelly fish taken from Jellyfish Anatomy:
Mechanical stimuli such as rubbing against a jelly fish or pulling on their long arms leads to the discharge of nematocysts. Nematocysts latch onto the skin of the victim and discharge the venom. This happens within a fraction of a second of the jelly fish touching the skin! The nematocysts are even able to discharge the venom when the jelly fish itself has gotten detached.
What happens once a nematocyst discharges?
The symptoms of a jelly fish sting can differ based on the type of jelly fish. However, for most, the venom causes local skin reactions. Systemic effects (which means changes in the vital signs of a person) can occur with some dangerous species.
Locally, the area becomes red, irritated, swollen, and very painful. The pain resembles a sharp pricking sensation and can worsen to a burning irritation. In some very severe cases it can lead to skin necrosis!
Here’s a cool picture of a sting:
Treatment of a jelly fish sting
First Aid
If you start to feel a stinging prickling feeling and you spot a jellyfish near you, it’s safe to assume you got stung. Don’t take it personally. These sea creatures don’t really have brains, so they probably stung you because you touched them by accident.
First things first, ensure the person who is stung is safe. Get them out of the water, and ensure they are vitally stable. If they have collapsed, are in such severe pain that they are almost unconscious or are just not oriented to their surroundings- call emergency services- they need a hospital!
Otherwise, if all you or your friend is doing is swearing and waving the stung limb in the air, here are a few things you can do:
1. Hot water: PubMed articles say 45 degrees Celsius and above helps to dislodge the nematocysts from the skin surface and denature the venom. I thought to myself, “Hold on, it’s not like taps have signs on them that state the temperature of the water. How will I know?” A very helpful article written by someone who has probably gotten stung before said “hold the stung skin under the warmest temperature you can bear, then inch up the temperature as you get used to it, until it is at the hottest level possible”.
2. Tentacle removal: If the tentacles are still in place, remove them using tweezers, and try not to touch them with your bare hands (for obvious reasons).
3. You may try applying vinegar if it is available (vinegar works in a similar way to the hot water)
4. Ice packs: For cooling and symptom improvement.
5. Dousing in sea/ salt water also helps to improve the symptoms and pain.
Prevention
The logical preventive method is PPEs. Most divers and those who snorkel wear diving suits in jelly fish prone areas that cover their skin and prevent the effects of the sting.
Some interesting randomised controlled trials are ongoing that are testing some creams that act as sunscreens + preventive jelly fish cover. One such skin inhibitor cream is called Safe Sea manufactured by Nidaria Technology. They have passed some trials wherein they tested this cream on the forearm of some volunteers.
These volunteers were healthy adults who applied the Safe Sea cream on one hand, and a normal sunscreen on the other. They then exposed their arms to a jelly fish sting to see if the Safe Sea would protect them. Although the Safe Sea did not prevent the sting from happening, it did significantly reduce the effects like pain and redness, thus appeared to work well.
Its available on Amazon in case you wanted to purchase one for a planned trip to the beach! (They have not paid me any promotions, although that would have been quite nice).
To pee, or not to pee?
As you may have noticed, I did not mention urination as an appropriate treatment anywhere… I wonder why?
In case it isn’t clear already, please do not pee on someone once they have acquired a jelly fish sting. Especially if there are children around……
The main constituent of urine is Ammonia. While preparing for this article, I read a literature review on this very topic titled “Jellyfish Stings and Their Management: A Review” by Luca Cegolon et. al.
It’s a very well written and comprehensive article about jelly fish stings and the treatment, which has divided the treatment modalities based on the type of jelly fish. You see, even the jelly fish sting treatment isn’t as straightforward as it seems. Treatment alters slightly depending on the species of jelly fish.
In the review, they have looked at all the research they could find on jelly fish stings and have noted that for most, ammonia (or urine), seemed to worsen the symptoms of pain in the experiments conducted!
To conclude
Use appropriate first aid methods, and try not to pee or get peed on when you’re stung ;)
Here is the friends episode from YouTube in case you’d like to watch it :D
Happy reading! (and, in this case, watching).
Yes