**Over 4 years ago on September 9, 2013 while at the beach on vacation, I stepped on a stingray and it stung me. It was one of the worst pains I’ve ever experienced and at the time, I swore up and down that I wouldn’t even wish that on my worst enemy. Online searching yielded very minimal information, so I wrote this blog entry and it has been significant for those looking for information and sharing their own experiences to help others understand what they’re going through and what to expect. Because that was on my personal blog, I felt compelled over the years to move it somewhere else, and, here we are. Thank you for understanding. I’ve compiled all of the entries I have on the subject together in one place, and the experiences I’ll post as well for further reference.**
**Please continue to share your experiences here on this entry! Thank you for your contributions!**
How to manage a stingray sting: a quick overview (from personal experience and per reader testimony)
- Don’t:
- Use cold therapy (i.e. ice)
- Elevate above the heart
- Do:
- Place affected area in very hot water (as hot as you can stand but not scalding that you burn yourself) until pain dissipates. Has a secondary effect of muscle relaxation to allow any remaining barbs to work its way out.
- Visit a medical facility to get it checked out out for foreign bodies and some antibiotics just in case, whatever they recommend.
- Expect:
- Pain.
- Possible crying
- A delayed reaction at the sting site at around the 1 week mark, with pain, itchiness and swelling that lasts a few days and then goes away.
- Intermittent annoying pain, twinging, tingling, itchiness for about a year or until the wound fully heals.
Be sure to check out the existing contributions from fellow sting-recipients at the bottom and feel free to add your own experiences in the comments!
I stepped on a stingray’s tail
September 9, 2013 – 64 Comments
What happened: I was out in the waves with my mom, and brother. It was a partly cloudy day. Initially, I thought I’d been pinched by a crab, or stepped on a broken shell. It hurt and I was bleeding, so I limped ashore and sat down on the sand to inspect it. There was a growing realization that it couldn’t possibly be either one of those because it became increasingly painful, and wholly unlike anything I’d ever experienced: dull and sharp at the same time, and coursed throughout my entire leg with every heartbeat. I hobbled inside and tried to find information on the internet, but couldn’t find much, except, not to use cold therapy (ice) as it is described as “disastrous.” Same with elevating above the heart. Unfortunately for me, I’d read that after I had done exactly both of those things, and believe me: DON’T DO IT. I was trying to be brave and strong, but it got so bad and 30 minutes later it was worse and not disappearing in the least. I cried so hard as my mom tried to look at it, the neighboring vacationers were extremely concerned. My family rushed me to the nearest physician’s office we could find. Let me tell you: the drive was absolutely unbearable. Every heartbeat was excruciating as the venom circulated steadily through my leg. My pain-addled brain kept thinking I would have to amputate, it felt like the tissues were necrotizing in my leg with every wave!! The medical office treated me with warm water and gave me antibiotics (they also gave me insight into the fact that locals there don’t get in the water past July). Then I had to go to the nearest imaging facility (1 hour away) for an x-ray to make sure there was no foreign bodies still embedded.
Treatment includes placing the area in water as hot you can stand for 30-90 minutes… for me the pain relief was almost instantaneous. The hot water also works to relax the muscles and hopefully allow any piece of the stinger to drift out. There is no antivenin for stingrays. It is speculated that maybe hot water denatures the proteins that make up the venom, but others disagree with that hypothesis. What’s really important is making sure that there are no barbs from the stinger or other foreign bodies left within the wound. Most doctors will prescribe oral antibiotics in case of infection, given the nature of the environment that stingray stings occur in (ie saltwater, sand). The physician’s assistant down at the beach cut into the area (with local anesthesia) to make sure the barb was gone.
The days following and up until a week after the incident, the area felt 100% fine. It looked and felt like a papercut on the bottom of my foot, and I expected maybe some bruising as I tend to bruise easily. I kept bandaids on the site to prevent random opportunistic pathogens in, but it had already scabbed up after 2 days. After we arrived back home, I went to work as normal. The first day was more painful than I’d anticipated, but it was long before I forgot about it altogether.
Then, exactly 7 days later the area started itching. A couple things ran through my mind, like maybe the bandage was latex-based and my skin had had enough of it (I’m latex sensitive), and that this was a sting like a bee sting and would be bound to itch, so I didn’t think much about it. But. The next day after work, I grew increasingly alarmed. The area was very inflamed again and there was a sudden surge of little red dots all around the sting area, one of which looked like a double pustule. I put a bunch of hydrocortisone on it, worried about it and went to sleep. The next morning, I was 100% concerned. It looked BAD. The wound seemed cyanotic, the inflammation was a 4x4inch circle surrounding the puncture site, the little red dots were extremely pronounced, and it was hella itchy.
As soon as I could, I called the office down where I had been seen and talked with the PA who finally gave me the radiology report (nothing radiopaque evident in the tissues, but they did find an old evulsion fracture at the base of the 2nd toe). I told him about the condition of my foot and he wanted to see it, but I was long gone from the area. He then told me to go see my primary care physician and said that he would order an ultrasound at this point. I called my PCP and got in right away. Called work and they found a temp. Ran off the to doctor’s. The NP was like, yeah that’s not normal. No one knew what to do about stingray stings, so I volunteered what the PA told me. Sent me over to the radiology office to get an ultrasound and gave me a second round of the Augmentin I was on.
After waiting in radiology for about an hour, they let me go only to call me while I was waiting for my Augmentin to be filled at the pharmacy. The radiologist spoke with me, telling me that there was a LOT of fluid in the area and they couldn’t see anything. She had conversed with the NP and they want me back next Thursday for a re-evaluation, possibly a new ultrasound, and possibly a drainage of the area. I’m like, OK, so I schedule the appointment. Then the PCP calls me too, to say that the ultrasound was inconclusive and that I need to come back. The last time I had my ankle x-rayed it took forever for them to get back to me…then again they hadn’t been worried about anything.
So now it’s almost 2 weeks later. It feels and looks a ton better even though I spent the entirety of Saturday walking. The red dots all ended up melding together into a large rash on the inside of my ankle, but the inflammation has gone down and the area looks less cyanotic. I couldn’t take it anymore, though, and scratched the HELL out of it last night, opening up the scab and making myself just miserable (well, satisfied and miserable at the same time) because now it itches, burns AND hurts. The rash is not red anymore and now looks sort of dull gray, although the itchiness has spread to the back of my ankle. I’m hoping that by Thursday it’ll look good enough not to have to drain. It definitely hurts when I work, though. Such a pain to deal with while trying to work with patients.
Aaaand there you have it.
I felt much better about the whole thing that day heading into the PCP. They saw me quickly this time, the assistant faked doing a BP, and the nurse bursts in happy that it’s looking so much better. I am given an appointment for a follow-up ultrasound. Once again, it was a quick turnaround, and before I know it the imaging is being done. This time as I follow on the screen, I can actually see and make out what’s going on. Clear as day I see the cavity in my foot. I wait again as the radiologist takes a look. He, himself, actually comes in this time to take a look at the foot himself. I describe to him what it used to look like and how now I don’t have to limp when I walk. He looked at it and I could see him juggling decisions in his mind before telling me that having drainage and surgery in the area is risky, so he would not recommend having it drained. Given the significant reduction in inflammation, I was advised to keep taking the rest of the antibiotics.
A few days later the PCP called to give me the official report. She said, “There is no evidence of a drainable abscess in the area.” Hopefully the antibiotics and my body will continue to fight the fight and naturally dispel the infection. No word on foreign bodies, so I’m assuming that there is not. The area on my foot is still purple, but for the most part it feels normal. Every so often it twinges and throbs a little (complaining heavily after I come home from work), but I’m of the mind that it’s better…? I guess only time will tell.
Stingray wound 5 months later
January 17, 2014 – 4 Comments
That’s what it looks like. 4mm x 6mm oval, pink, smooth, lightly raised lesion. I would have completely forgotten about it except that more recently it has been bothering me. In the past few months it would occasionally twinge, but in the last 2 weeks it twinges much more often to the point that it becomes a sharp pain. It never lasts long, but it’s enough for me to notice it and wonder what it going on.
My foot doctor patient a few months ago told me that the occasional twinge is normal. I wonder what he meant by that.
Stingray Sting: 7 months later
March 5, 2014 – 2 Comments
Another stingray update! It has been over half a year now since I stepped on the stingray’s tail. It certainly hasn’t gone away…in fact it is raised and hurts when pressure is put on it. It looks kinda creepy too, but it’s not uncomfortable enough for me to get it addressed again. No doubt everyone will just ponder over it, take some ultrasounds, and then send me on my way again. If I step on my foot the wrong way, it hurts, so it makes me thankful that it didn’t sting closer to the middle of my foot. If it had, then I most likely would need it addressed. My guess is that my body is trying to push the rest of the injury out, slowly. Either that or scar tissue has overgrown the area. I feel like it’s not getting worse…potentially even a little better.
I’ll keep monitoring it. In the meantime, here are some pics:
Reader Comments
- Anonymous
Holy moly! That is strange so many days after it doing that. I am assuming they checked for parasites? I got barbed today in exactly the same spot. I have had two children and surgery on my neck and the pain wasn’t as bad as what I felt today. I was in ankle deep water on the coast in Port Aransas, Tx and was treading very carefully, after last year, having a 3 ft shark swimming right by my husband’s leg in water barely at our calves, when I stepped on a ray. It must’ve been buried because I was looking right at the water and never seen it (maybe time for new glasses). My husband saw it when it swam away, said it was about nine inches around. I can’t imagine even living through a sting if the thing would have been bigger. I sure hope your foot continues to get better and you haven’t any more pain. (-:
aowam
September 26, 2013 at 7:02 am Edit
When I was reading around on the internet, having the area inflame after a week was not unheard of. I’d be curious to know if yours does that too. Not to say that I’m glad you got stung because omg the pain!! I will also take the moment to say that I don’t think the one that got me was as big as yours (not that I saw anything). Now a month later, the area still has a scab, it still looks blackish, but it only tingle-hurts occasionally. Hopefully it’s just healing and I didn’t suffer too much nerve damage. I wish you the best while it heals and that you don’t get an abscess like I did. 🙂 - Anonymous
Hi. This is the lady from 09/25 that got slapped by the stingray. My foot has been perfectly fine other than around right around the sting area felt hard, but only about the diameter of a quarter and my foot looked bruised. Not too bad, considering the substantial amount of pain I had. Now, 9 days out, this morning I woke up with it itching like crazy and the hard place diameter is now red. My husband said quit reading the internet, you’re going to end up with a club foot!! Yes, he is quite compassionate (-:. Anyway, hopefully this won’t elevate beyond the insane itching part. I wanted to ask you though, if you put anything on it to help with the itching? I tried Benedryl cream and that didn’t help any so just wondering (and hoping) what/if you tried anything that did? By the way, thank you for sharing story and pics. It’s interesting to see how this affected someone else. I mean if it unfortunately happened to someone else. Okay, well, anyway, thanks for the info..
aowam
October 4, 2013 at 1:33 pm
I tried using otc hydrocortisone but it seemed to make it worse!! So to answer your question, all I did was take a benedryl. The nurse recommended also using claritin or zyrtec while it was inflamed. Really, besides the antibiotic I was on it was the test of time. Using an ACE wrap seemed to help keep me from scratching it, but I wouldn’t recommend an actual adhesive bandaid because that also seemed to irritate it.
Hopefully you’ll get better!! Day 10 was the peak for me! Thanks for sharing your experience too because it’s nice to know that I wasn’t the only one!Christopher
Hi, I know your post is about 2 years old, but I am where you were. Its been 9 days and it is just now starting to itch and become a tad swollen. I am not too concerned and I have not seen a doctor, as the initial sting was painful, but bearable.
Now, reading these posts I wonder what/how your outcome was and what you recommend?
Thanks
Chris - Lisa
April 16, 2014 at 4:28 pm Edit
I was stung by a stingray and 7 days after mine started itching like crazy! I was lucky that the Dr in my Instacare use to work in Hawaii! He said that there is a small percentage of people who are allergic to tiny barbs inside. He said it would take months to heal on its own or he could give me a steroid shot and it should be healed in a week. I went for the shot and the itching and pain was gone in a hour. The entire sting was healed within a week or so but there was no more pain or stinging. Just wanted to pass it on for others that might be looking for answers.- aowam
April 24, 2014 at 10:20 pm
Now I kind of wish I’d gotten a shot like that. Would’ve been a heckuvalot easier to deal with. - Christie
I was stung 7 days ago and the itching is unbearable. Do you know what type of steroid it was?
- aowam
- Ian
April 24, 2014 at 6:18 pm Edit
I was stung last week at Pass A Grille Beach in St. Petersburg, Florida. The ray got the top of my foot, so all the bones up there prevented deep penetration. I did not seek medical attention, as the pain went away quickly and a doctor friend of mine said that if you don’t feel any more pain, then there is unlikely to be any barbs under the skin. It scabbed over, then the scab came off after a day of walking in dress shoes. I put on Polysporin and a Band-Aid, and now the wound is is unbearably itchy…- aowam
See! It seems that after about a week is when the itchiness comes about!! I hope everything clears up quickly for you.
Christie
Thank you for this information. I am one week out from a sting ray bite and woke up in the middle of the night with unbearable itching to find that it happened to others. I will call my doctor in the am. Any other tips?
I found rubbing an ice cube on the area soothed it a bit. It was pretty bad for a couple days, and then went away.
Ian
I took Claritin for a few days, and it did the trick.
- aowam
- aowam
Keep the comments coming everyone! And thanks for reading. I never knew this post would get so many hits! Maybe after enough testimonials we can come up with a working what-to-expect schedule, since there’s not much else out there in regards to the mysteries of stingray stings! 🙂
Mana
Hi I was stung 7 days ago on the bottom of my foot, amd yes, the pain was excrutiating, but the barb did not stay in my foot (checked by a local doctor). The swelling went down after day 3 but just yesterday (day 6) it started to itch horrificly. The doc perscribed antibiotics but I have not taken them. What to do now? Also, I want to go to the beach in a few days, is it too soon?
aowam
I’m no doctor, but I would strongly recommend doing what the doctor says…the antibiotics are a precaution because who know what stingrays carry and seawater isn’t the most sterile liquid on earth. And take a prescribed! All of it! Never take just 2 tabs…always the full course. My wound was wrapped up with gauze and I went out into the water anyways by day 2. As long as it’s covered (once again, sand/water…germ factories) I don’t see a problem. Just don’t push it. I hope it gets better!
Ian
Yes, do what the doctor says — and be sure to see a doctor! About 10 days after being stung, cellulitis of my foot and ankle developed. A 10-day course of antibiotics did the trick, and I am now symptom-free, with just a dime sized, short lump remaining at the wound site.
I was stung a couple weeks ago in the bottom of my heel, and was watching carefully to make sure the wound was kept clean and would heal without infection. I thought I was getting back to normal and then on the 7th day, the bottom of my foot – about 2 inch radius around the puncture- got red, hot, and incredibly itchy. I used ice to give me some relief which worked for a while. The next day the redness moved up my ankle – which is the direction I think the barb went – and started to swell so I had some antibiotics prescribed. By the time I got the antibiotics, the part of my foot that initially started itching started to look better, so I think it was just part of the healing process, as it seems like a lot of people have experienced. Now I’m almost to the end of the 2nd week and the redness and swelling is gone, and itches only occasionally.
aowam
It’s pretty cool that the same chain of events happen to people!
- Barb
Stung on top of foot below big toe last week while surfing. Soaked for 1.5 hours in really hot water at Lifeguard stand – helped. Seemed to “heal” and then on day 6, got red, swollen, tender and itchy. What?!?!? Went to Urgent Care – took X-rays and found no stinger in would. Said “delayed histamine reaction” / allergic reaction, and possibly infected. Put on antibiotics. This was my 3rd stingray sting — all have been different locations, with different initial pains, and different healing time afterwards. 🙂
aowam
I guess it’s just the stingray!!! It would have been interesting to see if size made a difference or maybe species? Too bad no one gets a look at the attacker!
Ray
Stung 3 times? Name checks out…
- strewnherenthere
Oh the itch. Got stung and it hurt! Healed and pain went away after 24 hours. At day 8 the itching is intense. No pain and a little swollen area. Strange poison they give you. I’ll wait to see if it gets better tomorrow. If not I’ll get some ab’s at the doc. Good to hear I’m not alone here. I’ll keep an eye on it. Not sure if it’s fungal or a immune response to the venom. Good luck my fellow victims!
- Anonymous
Hi, I received a sting on my ankle 8 days ago, I did have swelling and a decent bruise but all seemed ok. Then the itching started, I have left it for 2 days, however my ankle has swollen and is extremely inflamed and sore. I went to the dr today and he asked if I had a tetanus injection (which i hadn’t), he said that I have an infection and has put me on antibiotics and steroid cream. I have to go back in 3 days.
- Chesca
Thank you for posting this!! I know my comment is two years later but it really helps reading this.
It has been 9 days since I got stung in Coronado San Diego. The itching and swelling just started. It has been bothering me all day and is making me worried! I have yet to see a doctor… Which is probably bad but I am out of the country and have to wait another ten days to go back home! Hopefully it is still just in the process of self healing. Do you think submerging the are in hot water again will help it or boost it to drain on its own? I haven’t tried anything to help relieve the itching and swelling, any tips?
Thanks!!!!
Ice helped me. The itching was intense but went away after a day or two. It wasn’t infected, just seems to be part of the process of the sting ray poison.
aowam
I agree with VBROERSMA. To me it seemed to be the process considering it clears itself up in a few days. Since it’s not venom anymore, ice should be ok along with OTC hydrocortisones or allergy meds if it gets really bad. Good luck! Also, it’s been 2 years, but I continue to encourage posts! 🙂 Thanks for reading.
Chesca
April 21, 2015 at 12:18 am Edit
So would you still recommend going to the doctor or just wait it out? It just itches, swells and stings sometimes.aowam
If it gets really bad and worries you, sure, visit a your PCP. Trust your gut here.
Christopher
@Chesca
I was also in Coronado San Diego and was stung 10 days ago. The initial sting wasn’t too painful, so I just let it be. Today, back in NYC, it itches like crazy and is a little swollen, but no pain. What was your final outcome? Did you end up getting it checked out. I am not sure how versed NY doctors will be on the subject - Chesca
Also, how long would you say it took for the symptoms completely go away? Like swelling and tenderness? I feel this tension sometimes at my Achilles when I flex my feet. Does it all go away after time?
aowam
For me the itching/burning/obnoxiousness lasted at least 3 days, spreading to the back of my ankle…somewhat similar to a mosquito bite, but as you say it felt moreso because it did tend to want to affect deeper anatomy. The itching and rash couldn’t have been longer than a week, but for a complete full heal from the sting site, it was almost a year before the scab went away. Every so often even now (though farther and farther apart) the area will twinge, reminding me of the incident. It feels like forever as you wait but soon it’ll just be a memory and a cool story to tell 🙂
Ian
I was stung on the top of my left foot. I took plain old Claritin to relieve the itch, which might have lasted for a few days. Developed cellulitis after one week, and was treated for that. It took about 6-8 months for the soreness to go away — a mild ache that I’d feel only upon waking up in the morning; something similar to muscle soreness after you work out muscles you haven’t used in a long time. I still have a dime-sized discolouration around the wound point, and it has now been a full year since the injury/
- Jan
I’m so glad I came across this as it’s eased my mind . I was stung 7 days ago and today it’s so itchy red and hot to touch . Also inflamed . The night it happened i felt pretty unwell – sickly and headache . Do you think I need to go to Doctor or does that sound normal . I’m from Scotland ( was on holiday in Florida ! ) and we don’t get stingrays around here ! Thanks for any advice .
Ian
I’m not sure if the itchiness is a sign of infection, but the heat and inflammation definitely are. Seek medical attention, because marine bacteria are not friendly to landlubbers. As for your headache and sickliness, I felt the same way after my last sausage bap in Glasgow!
- Heidi
My husbamd and I were in Fort DeSoto Florida last week when I was stung by a sting ray btwn the toes. Oh my God, the pain!!! But Wednesday….EXACTLY 7 days…it started itching like crazy. I am so glad i came across these posts, bcs i thought i was imagining it. Also the sting area is hard, like a knot, under the skin and it feels like a tender bruise when touched. I am not as concerned now, knowing this is common, but i will def keep an eye on it with my doc on speed dial!! Thanks
Jan
I went to my out of hours service today and have been told there is an infection and am now on a course of antibiotics for 7days . They have drawn around the area with a pen to keep a check on the redness and inflammation to see if it’s spreading . I’m really glad I read this post so that I went to see about it . Hopefully it will sort itself out now . Thanks for the advice !
- Keshia
I’m so glad I read your post, and all the comments! I was stung 10 days ago in Port Aransas, TX. I thought I had been bitten by a small shark, and I just new my toe had been torn away from my foot. With the amount of pain I felt, there was just no other explanation. When I finally got out of the water, all I had to show for my pain was a small puncture, that was bleeding profusly. Within 5 minutes my toe was bruising, so I assumed I has snagged it on something stuck under the water and broke it. After getting back to my room and cleaning it, I tried to elevate it, which caused the pain to intensify. My husband, annoyed by my “dramatic” response to the event, insisted that I elevate it (as we thought it was broken). I tried for a little while longer, only to be jolted out of bed to a standing position because I could no longer tolerate the pain. I then chose to sit in a chair and rest my foot on a chair across from me, keeping it level. I noticed red blotchy spots forming on the top of my foot, below my toe. My whole foot burned like fire when my husband touched the blotchy area. My friend finally suggested I was stung by a stingray, and we went to the fire station to get it checked out. They called the EMS, and I was advised to soak it in hot water and apply meat tenderizer. The hot water took the pain away, and all the bruising was gone the next morning, but I had a clear blister that popped up right below the puncture. It continued to look better, but with each day after about the third day it started to turn colors. I started two antibiotics when we got back, on day 6 of the sting, and I’m on day 5 of antibiotics and my toe is swollen, with dark red/blue marks, and some drainage. The itching is insane at this point, and I was about to go tell my PCP how much he didn’t know (he told me the other day it looked fine). So I am glad to see that this swelling and itching phase seems to be the final little storm before the calm!
Keshia
Oh, and I guess there’s no specific antibiotic that is better than another? I am currently taking Doxycycline and Cephalexin together.
- Christopher
Good to hear I am not alone on this and seems like where I am is the same place and just confirms that it was a stingray
I was on Coronado Beach in San Diego and was stung 10 days ago.
The initial sting wasn’t too painful, so I just let it be.
Today, back in NYC, it itches like crazy and is a little swollen, but no pain.
Wondering if I should ride it out or get it checked out? I am not sure how versed NYC doctors will be on the subjectIan
I was stung in St. Pete’s and a week later I went to the ER in suburban Chicago, and they knew exactly what to do — so I think you’ll get good guidance in NYC.
Christopher
Thanks Ian. How’d the ER work out after being stung a week?
Ian
It was a smart move. See my June 2014 comment above.
Jen
I’m in Tennessee. Haven’t been to the doctor because they have absolutely now clue about stingrays. How did your get ?
- Amber Largent
I was stung about a month ago in Bucerias Mexico on the pacific coast 2 days before Christmas. I was in the water for all of 2 mins when I put my foot down to ride a wave in (I was only waist deep) when all of the sudden there was this pain that felt like a knife piercing into the bottom of my foot. I immediately thought I had stepped on a sharp she’ll or had been stung by a jellyfish, but within seconds I was overcome with some of the most excruciating pain I had ever experienced in my life. In distress and grabbing my foot, my boyfriend scooped me out of the water and carried me to shore. Someone came running down to the beach as I was wailing in pain and informed us that it was a sting Ray that stung me. I was carried to the bar on the beach where the locals knew what to do. They soaked these leaves found on the beach in hot water that apparently have some medicinal properties for such a wound. If I had not had as quick of action or knowledge about what had happened to me as fast as I did, I’m sure my outcome would have been much worse. I was riving in pain for about 90 mins, it had subsided somewhat after the initial 30 mins and a few shots and a pain killer later (I was in Mexico, real medical care was limited). On a side note, I did have some lady trying to push her positive energy into my wound… I had to tell her to move and that it was not working… Someone was talking about cutting me open and I said that was not happening, not here, not on a beach. Instead I had people slapping the venom out of the wound while I laid face down on a chair. I think the guy that got me was a little one, and the puncture wound on the arch of my foot is really small. However it doesn’t matter the size I learned when it comes to venom, I guess they are just as venomous as babies as they are adults, the only thing that differs for these types of injuries is the size of the tail and species, but all in all the pain from the venom is the same. I rated my pain at 9/10 and im glad it subsided quickly. My partners family had to see me in probably the worst states of my life, which was somewhat embarrassing. I also had several people ask me the following days later that had seen me deliriously and incoherently coping with my pain how I was doing. My reaction was omg you actually had to see my like that and I was somewhat mortified. I got a tetanus shot as soon as I had returned to the states 4 days later. A month later and I’m still sore around the puncture site. I can wear shoes fine, went snowboarding just fine, but if I put pressure in one particular spot (usually happens when going up the stairs or stepping on uneven surfaces) it still hurts/is sore. There is what appears to be either still swelling or hardened scar tissue by the puncture site. It’s not red or anything, but I still keep an eye on it. It definitely itched A LOT a week afterwards. I also had a few instances of sharp shooting pain. I still find the itch to return from time to time though, but not as badly. Time will tell if there is More damage. It went through an area where there are a lot of tendons (the arch) so we shall see. Thanks for all that have shared, helps me better understand my injuries as well.
- Tom
Its crazy to see so many people with similar symptoms as what I have. I was stung on the inside of my right heel in Puerto Penasco, Mexico, 9 days ago. When it happened, at first I thought I was being bitten by a small crab, and a second later it felt like someone dropped a cinder block on my foot. I said some choice words, picked my foot up out of the water, and noticed that I was bleeding pretty bad from a spot on the heel of my foot. I got out of the water, at which point some friends suggested it was from a sting ray. They checked for a barb, and luckily nothing was embedded in my foot. The pain got really intense immediately, and I couldn’t move off the cooler that I chose as an initial resting place for at least an hour. The pain varied minute to minute, but at some points I had a dull pain all the way up to my hip. I rested my feet in the hot sand, and may have inadvertently broken down the venom through doing so, because it became less intense about 2 hours later. My foot was a bit swollen, and had a dark blue/purple line heading about 2 inches up towards my ankle, but I was able to walk home 3 hours after it happened, and hobble around that night.
Fast forward 3 full days later; I’m home and went to the gym for the first time since the incident. I did some moderate cardio and think I might have flushed what poison was remaining in my leg out into my system, because I got really sick later that night. For the next two days I had no energy, chills, a mild headache, was nauseous and experienced vertigo if I moved my head or eyes around too fast. It was weird, and not like other times I’ve had a normal cold or flu… Am I wrong to assume it had something to do with the sting a few days prior?
Last night was 8 days since it happened, and it started itching considerably. Today it looks a little red, is a bit swollen, and is tender above the scab. I’m a bit concerned, and am going to watch it tonight and tomorrow, and head to the doctor if it doesn’t improve.
Anyway, I thought I’d quickly share as well to add my experience, as it was interesting reading all of yours! I’ll update this if anything else changes!
- Jill
My daughter was stung and was put on Bactrim. Nine days later, her wound became quite inflamed and she developed a rash all over her body. I gave her 10 mg of Zyrtex, but hives began to appear. I took her to the allergist who added another dose of Zytec 10 mg plus a stronger antihistime at night called Hydroxyzine HCL 25 mg 1 to 2 tab Even on that dose her rash got worse. By the second night, she is starting to get some relief and it might be starting to calm down. The dr also added a new antibiotic, Cipro as my daughter has other sensitivities and the dr was concerned about potential infection at the site because it was so inflamed and warm.
Thank you for your comments.It helps to know others had delayed reactions too.
- Christy
Did you ever soak it in hot water? I don’t know how you managed the pain without it! I also stepped ON a stingray’s tail. You are the only other person I have come across who has also done this. We must be pretty lucky. 😉 The stingray must have dragged it’s tail across the bottom of my foot because I had an inch long and inch deep gash along the bottom of my foot. I was gushing blood all over the beach and wanted to die from the pain. This was over 2 years ago and I still get those little red itchy bumps all around the scar. I feel like there was a barb the doctor must have missed. Now whenever my friends get pricked on their ankle or top of their foot and complain about the pain, I’m like… Don’t even talk to me about it. Try having a huge gash on the bottom of your foot. Haha. I am SO careful now at the beach!
- Jen
I’m on day 9 and experiencing the same things as the original poster. My sting is in exactly the same spot. The itching is unbearable at times. The doctor called me in 500 mg of Kaflex to be taken 3 times a day for 10 days. As for now with the way it is I’m not sure it’s helping.
- Jen
Day 9 (yesterday) I end up going to a walk in emergency clinic. The swelling was so bad and painful I could hardly walk. I requested a steroid shot because of previous post. The swelling was down quite a bit by day 10 and no pain. My foot is more of a deep purple now but no itching or pain and I’m thankful for that. He did prescribe me a second antibiotic to take along with the first one.
- Penny
Very thankful for the post and comments. Being stung by a sting ray is a unique situation! I’m at day 9 and yes the itching is awful and the puncture spot is inflamed. I think it will be like several of these people and will settle down soon.
Jen
I went Friday evening (day 9) and got a steroid shot. At day 11 is still swollen but not as bad. Claritin helped me with itching
Penny
Thank you!!
- Mariya
Thank you so much for all your posts. It was very helpful. I would like to share my experience. I got stung by stingray 8 days ago at Clearwater Beach, FL. I was walking in the shallow water as I was exiting the water. I felt sharp pain in my feet. The pain was unbelievable. Only people who experienced it could understand it. I also experienced some shock and I couldn’t move my foot. Luckily my husband was nearby and cared me to the shore. I am so grateful there was a lifeguard on duty. He gave me a bucket with hot water, so I could soak my foot in to relieve the pain. The pain went away in about 3 hours, but I couldn’t walk that day. Overnight my foot felt better and I even was able to attend my friend Birthday. The next few days I didn’t feel any pain and I was able to return to my normal routine. Until today (8th day) my foot got worse. It is itchy, hot, red and swollen. I am so glad I found this blog. It is big relief to know that these symptoms are common. Will keep you posted with my healing process. Thank you.
ian
You’ve been to the hospital, right?
Mariya
No, I haven’t seen a doctor. Will go to Urgent care tomorrow, if the symptoms remain, or get worse.
Ian
Hot, red and swollen = infected. Best of luck!
- Kayla
I stepped on one a 5 years ago and it still hasn’t healed correctly. Most of the time it has a callus over it, but from time to time it softens and the little bit of tissue that did grow back is stringy (only way I can think to describe it) and boy does it hurt. Hopefully your’s won’t do this. To add to my wonderful first trip to Florida, I was stung by a jellyfish 2 days later and found out I’m allergic to benadryl. Fyi I didn’t go to the doctor for any of it
- Jen
Thank goodness for this blog!! I was stung by *something* on 5/16. we had no idea what it was that had gotten me, but we knew that i bled like mad and had a decent v shaped cut on top of my foot and it hurt like a B, like someone ran my foot over with a car, for about 6 hours. We were at a semi remote beach so no life guards, no one around to ask their opinion. since the pain and bleeding finally stopped we skipped an ER trip. 8 days later my foot swelled up and turned red and itched, so further research led me to here, which confirmed, i was stingrayed. a round of antibiotics and prednisone has helped. I’ll keep monitoring as some comments above have me worried about long term effects.
- KeBron
Got stung 8 days ago in SD. Itching like hell and whole foot swollen today. Thanks for blog i know itll be ok. On antibiotics now. If i dont post again, they worked!
- jane
wow — amazing to have found this blog that has obviously been going for years. I’m sitting here at 3.30am in Sydney, having been stung 16 days ago, trying to work out why the wound has suddenly become so painful at night that it wakes me up. Initial pain at the beach was appalling, hot water soaking at hospital was magical, I was checked that no barb remained, healed well and quickly with just a bit of red swelling left after 2 weeks, and then suddenly 2 nights ago in the middle of the night I had an hour’s pain that was similar to the initial pain (although nowhere near as excruciating). Now I’ve got it again tonight. But once I get up it goes away. Something to do with lying down and having my foot elevated? It seems others have commented on that initially — but after this amount of time? Any ideas? I don’t think it’s infected. And I had a bit of the itching people have talked about, but not any more.
aowam
For me at least (it has been a couple years) I had that off and on for an entire year, gradually decreasing. Never could find a repeatable source or reason.
- Melody
I got stung this summer, not knowing what it was until I did some research and deduced that it was a stingray sting- due to the symptoms I had. It felt like a crab pinch when I got stung and my toe was immediately bleeding when I got out of the water. After about 30 minutes, I felt an unbearable amount of pain that would not subside. My friends thought I hit my foot on a rock and didn’t believe that it hurt so much. I literally layed on the beach and cried for an hour while they went to rite aid to get me bandaids because there was no lifeguard on this beach. I remember just not being able to move my foot because I didn’t want the pain to increase. Getting to the car was difficult and I had to hop on one foot. When I got in the car, my friends proceeded to wash the wound with water but I don’t know if it was the fact that it was an open wound or if the air was cool but I could feel the air hitting the wound and it was such an unbelievable pain I couldn’t keep still and just kept crying. After the incident I would wrap my foot and slowly walk because it hurt to walk for about a week. Towards the end of the week it started getting better, however it didn’t start to itch. I was able to walk but as the days went by my foot and toe, where the sting was, was swollen, hot, itchy and red. The skin felt hard and half of my foot was completely red. I ended up having to go to the Emergency room and got an x-ray done, an antibiotic shot and was prescribed antibiotics to take for 10 days. They told me if the redness spread any further I would have to be hospitalized and be given IV antibiotics. Thankfully, it got better and I was able to return to normal function. It’s been almost 6 months now and the only thing I have to say is that I still have a brown mark from where the stingray stung, wondering how long it will take for that to go away. Also I can’t tell if it looks like my toe is the slightest bit more swollen than my other one? But idk how that would be if it’s been so long. All in all, that was the greatest pain I’ve ever felt in my life and I wish we would’ve known what it was so I could have gotten immediate medical attention. Hopefully this helped anyone out there and feel free to ask any questions! 🙂
Daveo
It is crazy pain for a few hours. Good news it does go away quickly. Keep an eye out for infections, neosporin and keep it clean. This is not the end though, the itch gets crazy crazy intense for 2-5 days. After that it is over. Hot water is the immediate treatment. Not too hot to burn you though. It helped me a lot. This is the initial treatment that lifeguards use. It actually breaks down the toxin proteins. Hang with it. You will be fine!
Hi Guys, from New Zealand here, stood on a sting ray in Fiji and a wound across the achilles. , initially treated with IV hydrocortisone, morphine and antibiotics- oral plus neomycin ointment – no mention of hot water but we saw it online and did it anyway with great effect. Its been healing well but now 9 days later sounds like the dreaded itch and swelling . I see some of you had Xrays – were these normal X rays or ultrasound or other? Popping to Dr tomorrow but unsure how much they will know.
I had an x-ray and ultrasound. The x-ray was completely normal (they were using it to see if any foreign objects like the stinger were embedded). The ultrasound was NOT normal at all about 8 days after the initial sting but became normal after another week of just doing antihistamines, so it just naturally resolved.
I think if you read all the comments you will see that the swelling and sting resolves on its own. No need for antibiotics, pain meds, X-rays, etc. I wish doctors were more aware of the natural course of a sting ray sting. Cheers!
Hi all – I had a bit of a different experience with my incident with a stingray in Mexico. I was given antibiotics to avoid infection and silly me, I ended them a bit early. Without thinking, I went in a hot tub and that is likely where I got an infection and was back in the hospital once home on IV due to a bad case of cellulitis! My ankle was so swollen and moving up my leg – wasn’t good. I have a small scar now which reminds me / I was thinking of getting a stingray tattoo 😃
Hi again – we are 10 days post sting , the area has become more itchy and sore and seems to follow the path that others have described and there’s usually settles soon after . Dr sent for USS today and there is a fair amount of ?? organic matter present including a filament of approx 1cm – looks like a splinter . Now waiting for potential plan if any – anyone else ?
Wow! It almost sounds like a portion of the stinger! Keep us posted. In my case, the PA cut into my foot just to be sure (funstuff) but found nothing. I hope it resolves soon. Glad you’re on antibiotics.
I’m so happy I found this post!
I was stung in between my toes near San Diego (one of three people stung at the same time on that beach). Bleeding and pain. Thankfully, the person next to me had been stung just an hour before, so I saw what the lifeguards did (buried the foot in hot sand then soaked it in hot water) and was able to immediately bury my foot until assistance arrived.
Everything recovered quickly until 8 days after when it suddenly began to itch and swell. For two days the itching was intense and little red bumps formed across my toe. The sting wound also swelled.
Benadryl cream didn’t do anything, but Claritin helped. After three days, the itching has stopped and the swelling is going down.
Wish this info was more widely known so I would have known what to expect!
I’m from Florida, so I knew to shuffle my feet, but it didn’t matter bc I shuffled right into the little bugger.
Hello this just happened to me recently… i am thinking that the barb is stuck inside the foot and everytime you walk or put pressure on it, it creates an irritation? i dont know, i tried walking on my toes to avoid hitting that spot, it does feel a little weird, i have the exact same sting at the exact same locations…after day 10 my foot looks exactly like yours with the itching…but after day 12 the swelling went down…after day 16 it feels still kind of hard around that area…not the same as the other side of my foot…strange stuff… im wondering if the body held the venom in that spot as well, neutralized it and slowly released it? just a weird thing to find out what is going on…try massaging around that area… i am still trying not to put pressure on that area because i feel like a barb might be in there still…does the barb dissolve over time? i dont know..seems like it might able to break down from heat, salts, etc.
Mine ended up painful to put pressure on for a while, with a weird hard yellow thing that stayed around for months afterwards, along with random ghost pains that eventually quit. I also thought that perhaps whatever irritant was still in there was being concentrated by my body?
So after reading this, got an idea of what to expect for the next few weeks, hope that is it.
I stepped on a ray at Bolivar Island, TX and felt it wiggle under my foot and jumped quick but not quick enough. It was in the last few feet from the beach and about to wrap up fishing for the week, better than the first day.
By the way, no real hospital there so be aware so if anything happens you can at least know what to do while you take ferry to Galveston. Same goes for any place away from medical care, at least know some basic stuff to prepare. I know now.
Pain hit quick and Wow. No big cut but think it hit couple small spots. One on bottom of foot below middle toe and I think one in between middle toe and next toe. Pain stayed in lower part of the foot.
I did go to doctor, did the hot water there and it stopped the pain. (tried warm water at beach house first, that does not work. Needs to be hot as you can take). Wash that foot off as fast as you can and get it in the water. While in the water, check for any barbs. Then look for where to go.
Some do not go but with bacteria in the water and an open wound, why wait to see if it gets infected. I do not want to have to heal twice.
Did x-ray, no barb. Got tetanus shot and antibiotics. I can walk but foot swollen and on the middle toe is red/purple welp, like a burn. Swelled and oozing. Toe is tight, guessing from swelling and when I step just right, sharp stinging.
Thanks for each ones explanation. At least now not real worried if losing toe or just process. So guess I just wait it out and watch if healing or starts looking worse.
Wow!! I hope you feel better soon!! Thank you for sharing
Two month update.
Toe that had the cut and oozing, healed. After the cut healed up, the skin seemed to shed around the area but all better. The toe itself is still somewhat swollen (not like infected swollen as there is no infection) and has that bluish bruised color on one side where cut was. It does not hurt anymore and can do what I want but if I pull on the toe it tingles at the top.
Podiatrist said that the venom causes the cells to be hardened or swollen and that puts pressure on the nerves that are in the foot or toe, depending on where the sting was.
That seems to make sense.
For me, in the toe. I asked will this stop and she said “over time the swelling should go down as the cells heal”. Now not sure how long that is but when swelling goes down, pressure will be relieved off nerves and that tingle feeling should stop, will see.
So for some that had no lasting pain before, could just be the location of the sting versus the nerves in that area.
Been snorkeling for five days and then shopping for five days and toe still OK.
So, if the toe ends up falling off, I will update but looks like on the road to recovery.
Just take your time with it.
Carlsbad Ca. Was stung 9-11 2023. As a long time surfer, I’ve been stung before at least 7 times. (I know about shuffling. It happens while coming in and the first contact with the bottom in waste deep water)
Usually I do the hot water and it hurts a couple of weeks. Sometimes antibiotics and antibiotic shots.
This time has been awful. Small wound on the bottom of my foot in the middle near the base of my toes. Usually the tail whips up and over. I went to urgent care two days in a row. It kept getting worse. Finally had to go to ER. They admitted me and quickly put me on an antibiotic IV drip for 30 hours. They did a bunch of tests and an MRI. No barb. Since then it feels like I’m walking with a golfball in my shoe. Barefoot on hard floors is the worst (feels like a golfball stuck under my foot) . Ice seems to give some relief. I finally went back to urgent care and the looked for a bone infection. They couldn’t confirm or rule it out so they referred me to a podiatrist. Three weeks ago I was feeling better than now.
This by far is the worst one ever. I’m in Kauai now visiting and walking still sucks. Walking after long periods of sitting or first thing in the morning is brutal too. This one is a head scratcher. Anyone else have a similar experience?
I was barbed by a stingray in Florida 3 weeks ago. The pain at first was like childbirth. After the initial pain slowed it was swollen and i could walk slowly with a limp. Did go to the doctor after a week to make sure it was not infected. 8 Day swelling, itching and a dull achy pain, like a sprained ankle. No infection. So day 18 and there are days when i can not put pressure on foot. Not fuctioning in a normal daily way yet at all. Spending alot of time with foot elevated to keep swelling down. the pain is very achy. Anyone else have this? Who knew thin wound would take so long to heal. Doc says you have to work with your body until its healed…
I’m so glad somebody actually wrote up the whole experience. For as common as stingray injuries are, there isn’t a lot of information about the trajectory of the injury online. Like someone else in one of the comments, I was stung in Puerto Peñasco, Mexico in November.
Here’s how it went for me:
*I was standing still, minding my own business, in water that wasn’t even knee-deep, when I felt a sudden sharp pain on the top of one of my toes. I first thought a broken bottle had washed over my foot, but I could see the bottom and… nothing. Then I thought it was a jellyfish, but I’ve been stung before and this hurt SO much worse. It took me a few minutes to realize what happened because I thought you had to step directly on the barb. I did not know they can whip their tails around like scorpions.
*It would not stop bleeding. I left the elevator of the hotel looking, in my friend’s words, like a crime scene. I could not believe how much it bled and for how long. I thought I was going to need stitches. It took at least two hours to stop bleeding, and even then it broke open several more times over the next few hours and days.
*The PAIN. OMG. I don’t know what I was expecting, but I’ve had three babies and if childbirth is 10/10, this was in the range of a 9-9.5. In fact, each time a wave of pain would hit, it might have actually been comparable to childbirth. I thought I was going to throw up or pass out, or throw up and then pass out.
*The hot water thing does work. I could barely breathe from the pain and the LAST thing I wanted to do was put my foot into near-scalding water, but once I made myself do it, the pain was cut in half or more almost instantly. I was able to think again. After an hour or so of soaking (adding more hot water every time it started to cool), the pain was almost gone.
*From there, it looked like it was healing quite well for several days. It scabbed over and the swelling went way down. But then, at about the 9-day mark, it turned red again and started itching like crazy. Now I’m at the 12-day mark and it’s still itching like a MF.
So, that’s how it went for me. I’m going to hold off on getting medical treatment for the itching now that I’ve read enough stories here to know mine is on the same path. Thanks for sharing!
I hope it clears up soon! Thanks for sharing your experience! When I read your account of the pain, it transported me back to years ago (about a decade now!!!) when I felt it. I don’t think my family truly ever understood how much pain each wave would bring. Hoping for a speedy recovery for you!
Thank you for making this post, I got stung a week ago and now into itching phase. So many comments help me to understand the whole experience to heal. Just to share a bit not mentioned in comments. I went straight to ER after hotwater treatment and did xray and tenous shots. They prescribed me two antibiotics. Even near beaches in Sydney, most nurses dont know how to treat stingray stung so u definitely need to spend time on this article. U still get super itchy hot and swollen after around 7 days. Will see how it goes. I don’t plan to go to hospital and wait it out unless things get worse. If I dont update my status which means u only need to wait for the itch end if u hv taken antibiotics and shots already.
It’s been 4 months, the itch went away on its own after 2 wks of initial stung without any medication. But the wound is not healed. It feels like there is a lump beneath. I hv scaling after scaling but the wound is still there. It gets itchy from time to time but there are no red rashes. Very bizarre.
Wow! That is a strange presentation! I hope it goes away soon… Let us know if anything changes!
Hi, I originally posted back in March, 2022 about my experience getting stung in the Dominican Republic, and wanted to provide an update.
Today in Iowa we are in a blizzard warning, getting nearly a foot of snow, very strong winds, and bitter cold. I woke up last night to a pain in my foot like I had a stress fracture or something. Severe ache that kept me awake. As I laid there, it dawned on me to check my stingray string site, and sure enough it was extremely tender to the touch, and had swollen. There’s always been a small bump of what seems like dead tissue, but last night it was red, swollen, and painful to press. I don’t plan to take any action at this point, but just curious if others have had ongoing recurrence of swelling and pain years after the incident?
Also, is there a way to post pictures? I don’t see a way to watch…
Attach…
I dont remember any swelling around that weird residual bump I had, only that it eventually fell off. Did you hit it on anything? I hope it’s not infected or something
As the OP, I’d have to attach the image myself to the post… If you want to attach a link to the picture or you can send me a message through the contact form, I might be able to? I’ve never tried to grab an image from another user
Hi all, been searching the interwebs for more information on Stingray stings the last few days as there is almost nothing about treatment after the initial sting. My experience started on January 13, 2024. I was with a group of people that went to visit the Huntington Beach area from our conference in Anaheim. A guy I was with said he wanted to try surfing and I thought it sounded fun as I’d surfed in Hawaii a couple times when I was much younger. We both rented a board and wetsuit for an hour. The guys at the rental shop were talking a little about the Rays but had said they’d moved out that day, so I didn’t think much of it. After about 5 minutes in the water and catching a few waves while failing to stand all the way up, I got tossed and washed around in the wave. As I stood up I felt like I got bit on both feet. I looked at my right foot and it was bleeding but was on the side of my foot. My left foot, I thought I stepped on a seashell or something. I looked at the sole of my foot and could see it was bleeding from a small cut right in the middle of sole. I knew I’d been stung in my right foot cause it was bleeding like hell and hurt alot. Frustrated and pissed off, I paddled back out and continued to try to catch the waves. After another 20+ minutes of unsuccessful surfing, I started to feel some pain creep up my left calf and decided I’d better head in, mad that I wasn’t able to try to surf anymore. Living a 1000 miles from any beach, I look forward to any time I get to spend in the water and at the beach.
Let me tell you, the walk to the surf shop, right on the beach was terribly painful. It felt like a mile away but was probably only a couple minutes walk. I could see that both of my feet were still bleeding, and knowing I was probably packing my wounds full of sand I continued the walk of shame. I got back to the shop and showed the guy that rented me the equipment, my right foot and the blood and sand stuck to my foot. and continuing to trickle out. He immediately had another guy get two five gallon buckets of HOT water. After that I soaked my feet for 45 minutes or so, with the surf shop guys getting warm water whenever I needed. One of the ladies I was with called the lifeguard and he showed up while I had both my feet in buckets. He just shook his head when he heard I’d walked all the way back up to the shop, told me to continue to soak my feet for a full hour and to get antibiotics when I got home.
I soaked my feet for 45 minutes and then, frustrated that I had to sit there for so long, went to meet the group I had come with. The wounds had quit bleeding but obviously my feet were sore. The group had all gone up a couple blocks to a bar for food and drinks. Not wanting to Uber back to my hotel alone. I proceeded to drink and eat for the next 7 hours and had a great time. Felt no pain after a few drinks obviously. I stuck my feet in the sink at the hotel as soon as I got back and washed the wounds as good as possible. The next morning, I was moving slowly and the wounds were painful but nothing terrible. Took some Ibuprofen and went about my travel day, trying to stay off my feet as much as possible. Walking the long distances in airports with both feet injured was not fun. One of the people in the group I was with is an eye doctor, he said he’d write me a script for an antibiotic. Did not see my PCP or go to urgent care, as I figured there wasn’t much they could do for me at that point.
I’m 10 days since the stings now. Been on the antibiotics for 7 days. Had some radiating nerve pain in my right foot for a couple days, but for the most part the wound on my left foot, right in the center of the sole is the one that’s bothering me the most. The bruising on both feet has mostly gone away. I have been trying to do my normal activities except taking some time off from the gym. Although I did do some light weight training on about day 6. I’ve been able to walk my dogs with discomfort, but nothing that wasn’t just annoying. The biggest issue for me so far has been the feeling of the swelling under the sole of my foot, which makes it quite uncomfortable to walk. It feels like someone wadded up some Kleenex and it right under the middle of my foot. The sting on my right foot, on the side is mildly painful but not too bad. i am hopeful that the swelling with subside soon, but could see the injury to the sole of my left foot as being a potential problem for a while. I’ve started wrapping an ice pack on the sole of my foot. Knocks the swelling down alot, but has been temporary relief.
My friends are calling me Stingray, hope that doesn’t last too long. SMH
Sorry for the rambling story but had to share how unlucky I was…
My daughter suffered a double sting to her toe and shin, 15 years ago in Florida.
She still has no feeling around both areas and still prone to major swelling, especially on her toe.
SO glad I found this article. I was stung in Mexico (Pacific coast) about two weeks ago and my experience has been one of the most dramatic I’ve seen documented here.
The initial sting: I was in shallow water when something struck the lower back of my heel — significant laceration, bleeding heavily immediately. Within minutes my entire leg was in uncontrollable spasm. By the time I reached hospital my whole body was spasming. I was given a full local anaesthetic and two injections (maximum dose they could give me) and kept in for observation. The leg spasms continued on and off for several hours after discharge, only controllable by keeping the foot submerged in very hot water continuously — removing it even briefly brought the spasms straight back.
Days 1-7: Wound slow to close, significant swelling and bruising across the whole foot, but slowly got better and felt I was back to normal life with the occasional tingling and numbness.
Day 7-10 flare: Exactly as described by so many here — redness, spreading rash, intense itching, redness tracking up past the ankle. Paramedics were called one night when it progressed rapidly over a few hours.
Now at two weeks: Swelling and redness almost fully resolved. Pain largely gone, just left with intense numbness across the entire foot. However I have significant loss of movement — my toes cannot flex or extend properly, and I have almost no ankle flexion at all (the motion you’d use to point or flex the foot). I can think about moving and nothing happens which means I can’t really walk.
My question for anyone who has experienced this: did you recover full movement, and over what timeframe? I’m particularly concerned about the ankle flexion loss as it seems more significant than what most people describe.
Thanks in advance.
WOW! Did you get a glimpse at what got you? From your account, it sounds like the ray was BIG and may have hit an actual main nerve in your foot instead of just fleshy bits. I ask about creature size because of your powerful spasming reaction to the venom. Maybe you’re just insanely reactive to the venom altogether on top of things. I do know that nerves generally take quite a long time to heal, so the hope is that it will eventually heal… though it sounds like it won’t be soon enough. I hope it does. I would assume there’s still quite a bit of internal inflammation. I didn’t stop feeling tingling and walking pain for several months, though it DID get better over time, just slowly and not fast enough. I wish and hope for you the speediest recovery!!