Like many people, you may already be making plans to go to the beach sometime this summer. You can just imagine it — the sun, the sand and … jellyfish?
If you get stung by one, try not to panic and don’t give in to a myth that medical experts say just makes matters worse.
Amanda Joy, certified physician assistant and associate medical director at MedStar Health Urgent Care, told WTOP the ‘peeing theory’ is a myth.
“Do not let your friends urinate on you. … We don’t need to be doing that,” she said.
Joy said instead, the recommendation is to remove the jellyfish’s tentacles and irrigate or clean the area with seawater — not with tap or bottled water. Then, you’ll want to soak the skin in hot water to help dull the pain.
If anything, Joy said urine can trigger the release of more venom.
The Mayo Clinic recommends plucking tentacles with a fine tweezer and keeping the affected skin immersed in a hot shower for around 20 to 45 minutes. It cautioned against scraping out stingers, applying alcohol, using pressure bandages or rubbing the area with a towel.
Joy said that while stings hurt, are irritating and can be scary to many people, “rarely does it create any major symptoms except for local discomfort.”
In rare cases, a sting can cause a severe reaction that requires medical attention.
The Bay Nettle, or the Chrysaora chesapeakei, is the most common jellyfish in Maryland’s Chesapeake Bay during the summer, according to the Virginia Institute of Marine Science. It said they are typically present from May to October.
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