I think at this point, anyone who doesn’t personally know me is clueless about the epic 5 month adventure I’ve been on.
Let’s back track. I was just officially promoted to GM of my resturant and decided to have a girls weekended with my mom in hilton head the weekend after labor day. So after a hellish 70 something hours packed into 6 days straight of work, and a very detailed list of instructions for my team, off we went, car jam packed with beach chairs, umbrellas, towels, and enough booze to knock a sailors hat off [you know I needed my craft beer stash]. I had just come off a 4 month Keto diet with zero drinking and felt my best ever. New birth control for PCOS, on my way down off my other mental health medication, and a signed contract for a new apartment to move into the day I got back.
Then Hurricane Florence began its decent on the east coast, bringing ahead of it a flurry of dark murky waters, and rain threats, none of which would down my tiny bit of end of summer sunshine. The skies cleared, the sun shone, and off we went for a very breezy beach day. Add into that I was just starting off my online classes.
“Look a fish jumped behind you” She said to me and I turned around to face the oncoming water away from her. Then it struck. I felt a sudden burning sensations like hot electricity and razors all at once around left hip. Instinctively I punched wth my right arm and pulled my teres minor [small little muscle but it hurts] and started yelling. Frst my arm hurt worse but the moment I started to move out of the water I knew I had been stung. Little kids had baby stings all day, but this one was huge. My mom came running out of the water with me and we headed straight to the lifeguard stand, who of course wasn’t there. So down the beach we hustled, me cursing all the way [small children were present but let me tell you this was horrible] until we got half a mile to the next stand and I yelled I was stung and needed vinegar. AS I started using the spray bottle to squeeze onto the giant swollen welt that was engulfing my left side and bikini bottom, I had clearly interrupted this lifeguards random conversation with an old man and he simply told me, “stop using vinegar it wont help, go put sand and water on it, it looks pretty bad.” QUICK NOTE. any well trained beach lifeguard should know the signs of a dangerous sting.Normal jellies have rd marks and cool water and sand can soothe and THEY DO NOT SWELL OUT LIKE AN EXTRA LIMB. Mine was so swollen and red you could barely see the bathing suit bottom. ALSO my chest was flushing red. This is important because with Man O War stings, you need to evacuate the water, but vinegar and VERY hot water on it to kill the stingers and send for an ambulance. ALWAYS. but apparently not. So I put sand and water and screamed it hurt so bad and we hobbled back down the beach to our chairs and exit towards the apartment where I ran FRESH COLD WATER ON IT [do not do this, this makes it worse, it activates stinging cells] and then urine. Luckily my mom had liquid benadryl for sleep, so i popped some in, chewed them up and chugged water. This probably avoid the anaphylactic reaction that could have occurred.
According to the local pharmacist, “as long as you don’t have trouble breathing you’re fine”. This is not true. Up to 2 weeks post sting you can have a throat closing reaction and should be closely monitored. So how did I finish my day with some of the worst pain in my life screaming down my left side? Naturally we put me in a T shirt, I insisted we went back to beach [where another lifeguard saw sting but also didn’t recommend ER, which we did debate but having been trapped in the waiting room for 13 hours a few years prior, I am not too keen on them], and proceeded to drink a crowler of beer.
So there is what actually happened. Now the events that follow, and will eventually come to light, relate more to the side effects of nerve damage and CRPS. But if nothing else, let me say for the record, ALWAYS GO TO THE ER WHEN IN DOUBT.
Below are a few PHOTOS of what happened that I managed to save. Be aware, it’s not pretty.
6 hours in after benadryl
48 hours later
12 hours in
Life On Fire 