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Posted By: Rzab ?stinging ? - 06/13/07 10:26 PM
Can someone tell me: what is that stuff that 'stings' your skin AFTER you get out of the water? I remember coming into contact with some brownish moss-like stuff on rocks (slipped and sat on it, actually) and when I got out of the water, my butt got red welts: burned and stung for a couple days. Everyone vastly amused (except me) and recommended that I place a cold bottle of Beliken on the welts, while drinking another bottle of same with other hand. But seriously, what was it that stung? Is there a better remedy for stopping the stings? Cynth
Posted By: Amanda Syme Re: ?stinging ? - 06/13/07 11:10 PM
sounds like a hydroid of some sort - usually located on pier pilings, rocks etc.

A similar stinger is the pica pica which you can search on this board and find oodles of info on.

In any case, I would suggest exposing the afflicated area at all times!!! Ohhh your bum - maybe you shouldn't flash too much.

Ammonia or windex can relieve the stinging. Then you can use an oral anti-histamine to help relieve the itching and help you sleep at night.

You can use an insect bite topical ointment too.

Depending on your reaction it could clear within a few days or it could be miserable for up to a month or so. If it doesn't clear in a few days you might need to take a course of prednisone (bad spelling perhaps.)

If you have a severe reaction that is causing difficulty in breathing you might need an antihistamine and steroid shot.

The belikin consumption should help with the itching too!
Posted By: skubakat Re: ?stinging ? - 06/14/07 01:02 AM
For stinging coral and jellyfish, I use vinegar. You might want to try that. Follow up with hydrocortisone cream. Works for me.
Posted By: SimonB Re: ?stinging ? - 06/14/07 03:54 AM
Sounds bad (and stupid) but I'm serious, put on a full wet suit, pee in it and then do cartwheels!
Posted By: bywarren Re: ?stinging ? - 06/14/07 01:33 PM
Or just use ammonia out of a bottle instead of out of your bladder.
Posted By: KC Jayhawk Re: ?stinging ? - 06/14/07 02:15 PM
Do it Simon's way and you're likely to end up on You-tube for the entertainment of the masses!! eek
Posted By: SimonB Re: ?stinging ? - 06/14/07 02:58 PM
wink
Posted By: button pusher Re: ?stinging ? - 06/14/07 03:07 PM
While on vacation in Mexico, the "hotel beach boys" intruduced us to a can of WD40, and told us that ammonia would work too. Sounds strange, but WD40 worked.
When we were in Cancun my daughter was stung by something? she was only six, we gave her a Strawberry "smoothie" to help her relax and we used a topical the pharmacy sold......Ok I had a strawberry "smoothie" to help me relax too : )
So try the WD40 and some rum punch!
Posted By: Cooper Re: ?stinging ? - 06/14/07 03:09 PM
could also be fire coral, which dosnt seem like a coral at all, it grows on other things, like the cement pillars that are underwater at the split and the walls etc. To be safe stay away from anything that has a rust color to it.
Posted By: Rzab Re: ?stinging ? - 06/14/07 03:55 PM
Thanks, everyone! You guys are wonderful. Cooper (aren't you the artist?) I think you're right:it is the stuff they call 'fire coral' which isn't a real coral at all, just like you said. Looked it up and I think it's a hydroid. ANYWAY, it hurt. But is was a brownish rust color, and soft like a moss or plant.

So I'm trying really hard to come back to CC for a vacation -- it's been a long time. But if I do accidently sit on that fire coral again,I certainly will:

Expose my butt, spray on windex, ammonia, vinegar and WD40 while doing cartwheels, pee into a wetsuit and drink strawberry smoothies loaded with rum punch, topping it off with Belikins. By that time I won't care about a few stings!

Seriously though, you did give good advice, and I thank you for it! Cynth

Posted By: Bing Crosby Re: ?stinging ? - 06/15/07 04:25 AM
I know put on a diaper and crap in it. You will still have the itch but that will be the least of your worries.
Posted By: SimonB Re: ?stinging ? - 06/15/07 05:43 AM
grin
Posted By: travelqueen Re: ?stinging ? - 06/25/07 07:13 PM
This pica pica is insane... or at least for me. I'm headed to the doctor in a few mins... is there anything you can put on your skin to AVOID getting stung by this? I hear it's really "jellyfish larva"... the devil is what I call it.
Posted By: Marty Re: ?stinging ? - 06/25/07 07:39 PM
//ambergriscaye.com/pages/town/picapica.html
//ambergriscaye.com/reefbriefs/briefs62.html
http://www.fau.edu/safe/sea-lice.html
Posted By: travelqueen Re: ?stinging ? - 06/25/07 08:10 PM
Marty, thank you for these articles. It's interesting to read what they discuss and then to be experiencing it. Like most things, this is affecting me differently then probably most people. I'm going on day 10 of this stuff and it's not going away any time soon. I think that the amonia products and vinegar might help from the start but when they start looking like pimples (sorry to gross you out) that stuff just hurts more than it helps. At this point I think only topical creams will work.

Tonight I have a date... figures! lol

Thanks again for posting.
Posted By: Cooper Re: ?stinging ? - 06/25/07 09:11 PM
This absulutly works, as I have been pico pico"d too many times but the last few years I have used this method and will now even swim right with the tiny monsters.but are you sure this is your ailment as it is not really season for them?
Pico pico will only sting you under your suit, sometimes under your arms if you trap them. With females very common under the breast. Before you put your suit on apply generous amounts of oil,baby oil, suntan oil,all over under where you suit covers and under the arms. I have even used cooking oil, this prevents them from being able to sting, also make sure you wear a tight suit, that the elastic on your bottoms is good and snug so they cant get it. I hate the little S.O.Bs
Posted By: travelqueen Re: ?stinging ? - 06/25/07 09:23 PM
Cooper, ironically, they are on my belly (no swimsuit coverage there) and a little on my hip. Maybe it's not pica (or pico) but in one article marty provided someone explains their experience with it that is similar to mine...

"I experienced a bout with what we decided was pica pica. I wore a wetsuit skin and never got in the sea otherwise. What I first thought was a sunburn on my neck and chest, I realized was more puffy and red, like poison oak. I also had little bumps on my arms and legs, like goosebumps..."

I canceled my doctor appt. because I figure just to use the cream (like cortesone or similar) until it heals. At this point, the vinegar, benedryl spray and windex are just extremly harmful (which is what I'm dealing with now).

Thanks for the reply.
Posted By: Cooper Re: ?stinging ? - 06/26/07 11:59 PM
if you wore a wetsuit its common to get them around the neckline of the wetsuit where they can enter and get trapped. Sounds like pico as you got the rash on skin that was covered right. My symptons were that I did not notice anything at all after a few hours just a very lite itching, the welts did not show up tell the next day and seemed to spread for the next few days, especially if I scratched, this lasted for what seemed like weeks, extremly itchy not stinging pain, and worse at nite. Its a month or two now pass the season for them but the world and seasons are changing, I have never heard of anyone getting stung by them on exposed skin.
Posted By: OESGwynedd Re: ?stinging ? - 06/27/07 12:16 AM
i've had this. Last time i was down in fact. The only thing that really helped me eventually was prednisone. Rx by the Dr.

I tried the hemp oil, amonia, you name it. Nothing helped the rash to go away until the pred.

sorry your itching so.........
Posted By: SP Daily Re: ?stinging ? - 06/27/07 03:57 AM
No Rx needed for Prednisone
Posted By: travelqueen Re: ?stinging ? - 06/27/07 04:12 PM
Ah well, I guess a little b*tching is the answer to the healing process! I'm doing MUCH better today! Looks like it will be another week or so before it's healed though.

Guess it affects everyone differently. My friend who grew up on the island described my experience perfectly. First, a bit of itching and redness, sort of like poison oak or ivy. Then after a few days, developed into pimple or ant bite-like blisters. So I tried the Windex/Benadryl spray/Vinegar at that point and I've learned that that was the worst time to use it (perhaps better at the begining stages). Those little buggers popped and it was just a discusting mess. I took my friends advice which was to use the cortesone and/or calamine lotion and so now they're just tiny scabs but clearing up so life is good!! smile

Sorry for the bad visual!!

I'm thinking Prednisone is similar to cortesone...?
Posted By: KC Jayhawk Re: ?stinging ? - 06/27/07 04:15 PM
Geez, TQ!! Post some pix!! sick
Posted By: travelqueen Re: ?stinging ? - 06/27/07 04:18 PM
Ya, I thought about taking some pics but didn't want the reminder... :P

It's clearing up now. I think just one of those things that has to "run it's course".

By Nov. I'm sure it'll be cleared up! lol
Posted By: Anonymous Re: ?stinging ? - 06/27/07 07:28 PM
My divemasters always use baby oil around necks & cuffs of suits and don't seem to suffer much. I've only once had it badly - really badly - and I found that standing under a shower as hot as I could bear totally removed the itching. Perhaps the hydroids were killed or washed off or whatever, but for me it worked. Don't do it straight after a dive though, as you can provoke DCS - leave it 3 or 4 hours.

Otherwise anything with ammonia in it works, including pee. I did use WD40 once when I had bad itching from midge bites in Scotland and had nothing else. It worked, but oh! was it messy.
Posted By: travelqueen Re: ?stinging ? - 06/27/07 07:32 PM
You know, the weird thing is it never really itched that badly. And, I didn't get it where the area was covered but rather where I was exposed... perhaps I got it's cousin or something.

Thanks.
Posted By: Cooper Re: ?stinging ? - 06/28/07 02:32 AM
You all have to keep in mind their are all kinds of unfreindly little guys in the water. Those who are new in the water are so busy looking at the reef and fish etc they dont scan the water for the many other small jellyfish in it. They are small 1/2 inch with stringers that will sting you. Not to get alarmed I would say I see them of some sort about 1 time in 20 I go in the water and I am in the water alot.But the pica pica are tiny larva that only sting you when they are caught under your suit. Others may have the same effect.So will the fire coral if you are slipping over underwater cement walls etc, like at the split.
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