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Stingray Stings
September 18, 2007
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Our gorgeous Gulf waters can be a source of great entertainment. But as John Biffar
tells us in today's Health Matters, some painful dangers can lurk beneath the waves.
While pushing his boat off of a sandbar, Farrell Miller mistakenly stepped on a
stingray. “It was a lot like getting shot in the foot, the pain was immediate and
intense.”
Pediatrician Eric Jones explains that a stingray defends itself by flipping up its
tail up--stinging the person who’s stepped on it or near it. The stinger, which
is full of venom, often breaks off in the victim’s wound. “We get it more in season
because there are more people in the water and the stingrays cluster together from
April to October.”
And Dr. Jones says that if you’re unlucky enough to get stung, the first step in
treating it and relieving the pain can be as simple as h2o. “The main thing you
need to do with stingray stings is sock that foot or leg in really hot water, it
takes the poison and pain away.”
You may have heard
about using urine to cure the stinging pain since it is considered
hot fluid, but Dr. Jones advises against it. “I would not recommend urine. That
is a folk remedy that does have a basis in reality but I would recommend meat tenderizer
or baking soda.”
Farrell says he learned an important lesson from his run in with a stingray. “No
matter where you are or how safe you think the waters are, you’ve got to do the
stingray shuffle.
Stingrays hide by burying themselves in the sand, so you should always shuffle your
feet to scare them off before you become their next victim.
Doctors also say people stung by a stingray should make sure they’re up to date
their tetanus shots.
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