And the mystery continues… Doctor found a small puncture under my toe. Probably rules out jellyfish? Swelling now above my ankle. Doctor was afraid of blood clot, but ultrasound was all clear.
So what kind of sea monster is swimming around that can do this? Rock fish?
If you are surfing rincon you know how polluted the water can get , you likely stepped on something that punctured your skin and had some kind of nasty on it and you ended up with an infection , same thing happened to me in waikiki and spent 10 days in hospital knee the size of a watermelon , get well soon .
Rincon creek is pretty nasty. I rinse my ears with alcohol after a surf. But seriously, this thing went from zero to watermelon in half an hour. The doctor said that’s probably too fast for only an infection. But they do have me on antibiotics just in case.
Was you ever bit by a dead bee? Or it coulda been a cordura fish, they are tough. Anyway get well soon!!!
I once got an urchin spine in my foot and thought it was just a small nick/cut, as urchins are not that common in the surf around here. Well, that thing got grossly infected and I had swelling up to my knee. Had to go to the ER and get it cut out.
Mystery over. Just left the doctor’s office for the follow up. He said probably a sting ray. I didn’t know we get them this far north, but he said we do.
Thats wierd, Mark. Wierd you didn’t feel the hit. Everyone I know that has been stung felt instant pain. Immediate hot water plunge. Interesting. Glad the mystery is solved. Shuffle those feet on the sand bottoms. Wasn’t it a wives tell that you are supposed to piss on the stings? Or, was that jellies? Anyway, if you come up to Plaskett this fall I’ll piss on it for you. Just to make sure… Mike
Piss (ammonia) is old wives and works for some jellies depending on the piss involved.
Ray puncture is hot water as hot as you can stand. Same for “sculpin” aka California Scorpionfish and other rockfish spines.
On a Maui trip I stepped on a “varna” or “vana” urchin and got a spike in my foot - the locals told me about the piss treatment, and once I got past thinking it was a practical joke on visiting haoles, I found it actually did stop the pain. Eventually the spike disintegrated on its own.
Don’t see how the piss would work, unless the piss gets inside? So I think I’ll pass on Roosters offer, unless nobody is looking.
Doctor said hot water is the treatment for rays.I asked the Doctor if it could have been a Rockfish, and he said not that shallow.
So the theory is you unknowingly stepped on a stingray in the water while walking out, and it zapped you? Bummer about the swollen foot, kinda scary at first I’m sure, glad its all well and good now. Hope you got some good waves that day!
urine/vana sort of works but best to open up and soak with vinegar eventually your body pushes then out, as for blue bottles benadryl works good they usually leave a welt sometimes long if they wrap. The old time hawaiians read these as a sign not to be in the water as the ocean needed to heal, western man never heed natures warnings. Once got hit by something in the leg surfing ,almost went to the clinic very painful and wanted to puke sweating went to drug store and bought benadryl on the drive home it started to slow my heart rate down pulled over and passed out woke up about 1/2 hour later sting was swollen and hurt never did fiqure out what hit me.The israelis made a sunblock with jellyfish deterent bought some a long time ago put some on the back of my hand and put a blue bottle off the beach on it did not sting but i prefer to heed the signs of nature even if the surf is good ,Had a friend get a blue bottle up his crotch worth the surf you decide.RIP …Richard a true waterman.
believe this is a barrier cream, basically… wont’ help with stingrays of course, or stepping on vana.