Vinegar is OUT for Jellyfish Stings!

[nwscubamom]

I have been noticing a trend while doing some online research, that vinegar is NO LONGER RECOMMENDED, except for certain species of jellies. The Lion's Mane jelly is NOT one of these.

In my recent copy of the DAN Oxygen Window, DAN issued an official statement against the use of Vinegar for all jellyfish stings except the Australian Box Jelly (Chironex fleckeri).

"Vinegar and other treatments are no longer recommended for use with common jellyfish stings. All other processes are the same though: You still need to remove the diver from the water and remove the tentacles from the skin without triggering the release of more nematocysts."

"Freshwater irrigation or an alcohol wash are still discouraged because they may cause the nematocysts to discharge, causing more pain to the injured diver."

"For all minor jellyfish stings, it's advisable to immerse the injured area in hot water (113degrees) or a hot shower for 30-90 min or until pain subsides. Do not rub the area, and get prompt medical attention."

In some of my other research I found that vinegar did indeed cause the nematocysts of our local Lion's Mane jelly to fire. So, guess I'll be removing the vinegar from my First Aid Kit! I never did get the impression that it helped at all, and did feel that it made things worse whenever I used it. Guess I wasn't the only one!!

- Janna

[Burntchef]

from what i saw on a documentary about theAustralian Box Jelly , if you are stung the e.r is your only safe route and even they are pretty helpless to help you.

[spatman]

"For all minor jellyfish stings, it's advisable to immerse the injured area in hot water (113degrees) or a hot shower for 30-90 min or until pain subsides..."

do you think one of those instant hot packs might help, at least until the injured diver could be immersed in hot water?

[gomi_otaku]

I thought you were supposed to find somebody to pee on you? at least, that's the impression I got when I read "The Deep" when I was oh, about 12 years old...
gomi_

[Sounder]

Hmmm... that's really interesting. I read an article about jelly stings and they recommended vinegar or talc/corn starch first. Since vinegar is now out, I'll go with the powder. The powder dries the area (without toweling/touching which fire the little buggas) which should deactivate the nematocysts. Then the application of ammonia helped to neutralize the toxins.

The real treat comes in a little tube called Lanacane (benzocaine). It works wonders for relief of the stung area. Since vinegar is no longer advised... Lynne - is there any reason this shouldn't be applied to a jelly sting?

I really hope they don't dispatch the "urine treatment." It's just too much fun to go there when someone gets hit.

[Aquanautchuck]

How about meat tenderizer? I have always used it on bee stings. Would it not also break down the venom? Just wondering.

Charles

[jeff98208]

how about the stuff, after sting? i have used it on stings from my e.m.t. days.

[Sounder]

I'm heard meat tenderizer works too, but again we're lucky to have Valerie and Lynne here to provide a more expert opinion!

(Sounder sits down quietly and waits for the pros to weigh in)

[Aquanautchuck]

As I understand, the enzyme's in the meat tenderizer break down the proteins in the toxin.

I guess I need to make a big salad with all the vinegar I have.

Charles

[jeff98208]

you make the salad, & i'll make the vinagerette.

[Tangfish]

I've definitely had vinegar help with jelly stings, but have only used it in warm water. In our recent DAN DEMP class we were taught to use hot water rather than vinegar, but some places still say vinegar. I say: use hot vinegar, you can't go wrong!

[Zen Diver]

the current DAN recommendation is hot water for common jelly stings, not meat tenderizer, vinegar or urine. Since getting hot water is pretty difficult around here, at least for 30-90 minutes, the best advice is steer clear!

I'll contact DAN to see what they say about using hot packs in the interim.

-Valerie

[diver-dad]

how about the stuff, after sting? i have used it on stings from my e.m.t. days.

That's just ammonia in a convenient package.

[diver-dad]

.... the enzyme's in the meat tenderizer break down the proteins in the toxin. ...

Cool! ... stung into submission then half digested!

[Sea of Green]

I have been noticing a trend while doing some online research, that vinegar is NO LONGER RECOMMENDED, except for certain species of jellies. The Lion's Mane jelly is NOT one of these.

In my recent copy of the DAN Oxygen Window, DAN issued an official statement against the use of Vinegar for all jellyfish stings except the Australian Box Jelly (Chironex fleckeri).

"Vinegar and other treatments are no longer recommended for use with common jellyfish stings. All other processes are the same though: You still need to remove the diver from the water and remove the tentacles from the skin without triggering the release of more nematocysts."

"Freshwater irrigation or an alcohol wash are still discouraged because they may cause the nematocysts to discharge, causing more pain to the injured diver."

"For all minor jellyfish stings, it's advisable to immerse the injured area in hot water (113degrees) or a hot shower for 30-90 min or until pain subsides. Do not rub the area, and get prompt medical attention."

In some of my other research I found that vinegar did indeed cause the nematocysts of our local Lion's Mane jelly to fire. So, guess I'll be removing the vinegar from my First Aid Kit! I never did get the impression that it helped at all, and did feel that it made things worse whenever I used it. Guess I wasn't the only one!!

- Janna

So what does DAN recommend as the CORRECT first aid to use for jelly stings? Dan's info seems contradictory, in that they say not to use fresh water irrigation, but then say to immerse or shower in hot water. Hot sea water?

[lamont]

a tip that i recently received was to take a razor blade and shave the stung area in order to remove the nematocysts...

[pogiguy05]

HMMMMM a shower that last 30-90 minutes. Cant we just fill the tub with hot water, set a full tank of air and regulator next to tub and just immerse yourself for that period. Kinda like a recovery dive in the tub.

[nwscubamom]

So what does DAN recommend as the CORRECT first aid to use for jelly stings? Dan's info seems contradictory, in that they say not to use fresh water irrigation, but then say to immerse or shower in hot water. Hot sea water?

Yeah, I picked up on that one too. I wound up interpreting it like this: RINSE and irrigate vigorously with SALT water - and THEN immerse in hot fresh water. My other thought how to handle this is to put a hot pack on it, or a hot washcloth applied to the face (since we can't exactly immerse our heads in hot water easily)

- Janna

[lamont]

So what does DAN recommend as the CORRECT first aid to use for jelly stings? Dan's info seems contradictory, in that they say not to use fresh water irrigation, but then say to immerse or shower in hot water. Hot sea water?

Yeah, I picked up on that one too. I wound up interpreting it like this: RINSE and irrigate vigorously with SALT water - and THEN immerse in hot fresh water. My other thought how to handle this is to put a hot pack on it, or a hot washcloth applied to the face (since we can't exactly immerse our heads in hot water easily)

- Janna

or take a hot shower with it falling right on your face. in order to breathe a little more comfortably you can shield your mouth with a hand. works.

i think the idea with the salt water rinse is to get the nematocysts off via irrigation with something that won't trigger them (and next i think you would do the shaving suggestion that i got), then you use hot water to try to break down the chemicals that are causing the stinging..