# Jelly fish question! **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 18, 2013, 7:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jelly-fish-question/676632 "2013-12-18T07:40:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2013, 7:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jelly-fish-question/676632/1 "2013-12-18T07:40:02Z")
Let’s say you were stung by a jelly fish, (don’t ask), and not maimed so much as have a nasty welt/ sting, that over a day or two stops swelling and stinging. You’re left with three welts that take on the look of a blood blister. Good news is you’re fine. Very little likelihood of anything permanent. (If it matters, Andaman sea, clear jelly, not sure of the size. Mostly sting, not so much burn.) So the swelling is mostly gone, wearing clothes is no longer an issue, and the general opinion among the locals is there’s nothing to worry about! Great! But there is some, well not residual swelling, so much as a hardness to the spots, just beneath the flesh. Largish hard lumps. That do stick up like swellings though. I couldn’t even begin to know how to google this. Any clues? What’s it called? Conjecture is, it will somehow magically resolve in some unknown time period. (On the other hand that conjecture comes from a guy who’s still offering to pee on me, so consider the source.) Any tips pointing me in the right direction would be enormously appreciated. I am not alarmed so much as curious. Thanks heaps, in advance! ---
**Author:** ![Isilder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/cc9497/32.png) [@Isilder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isilder)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2013, 8:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jelly-fish-question/676632/2 "2013-12-18T08:11:53Z")
Its just an inflamed vein or lymph. Probably the lymph has puffed up trying to clear the jelly fish toxin… its the last to get better. Have feel of your arm pit on that side, there will be swollen lymph there too … ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2013, 12:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jelly-fish-question/676632/3 "2013-12-18T12:19:33Z")
So…time line to disappear? Off to google, thanks for the tip. (Though I do not honestly feel a swollen lymph, under my arm, to be honest. ) ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2013, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jelly-fish-question/676632/4 "2013-12-18T16:27:54Z")
**Moderator Action** This is more of a medical question than a factual question about jellyfish. Moving from General Questions to In My Humble Opinion. ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2013, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jelly-fish-question/676632/5 "2013-12-30T03:43:20Z")
Hmmm, an oddish development: After a couple if weeks of no real irritation, still a big hard lump, and obvious healing, things seem to suddenly have changed. Out of the clear blue it began to itch again, and while the big hard lump is mostly reduced to a small, pea size lump, it suddenly hurts like a wicked bruise. It seems clear it will leave a scar, no biggie. And it pealed a little like a sunburn might, the scabby part slipped off without notice, of it’s own accord several days back. And while it looked raw and red, like an open wound it didn’t feel like one. And swimming in the salt water seems to have it closing up well, looking not too bad, really. Then the wicked itch and bruise effect. I’ve been applying polysporin thinking maybe it’s something from the coral seas we are currently snorkelling in. But it’s not really helping much, it seems to me. Unlikely life affecting, I’m just curious is all. Why the sudden change? (I’ll be home by 14 Jan and can always see my Doc if it’s still an issue.) Any and all wild ass conjecture welcome! What’s going on here? Anyone have any similar experiences? ---
**Author:** ![Diver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/858c86/32.png) [@Diver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diver)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2013, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jelly-fish-question/676632/6 "2013-12-30T22:52:11Z")
You might want to take a look at [Vibrio vulnifcus](http://www.cdc.gov/vibrio/vibriov.html) and see a doctor if you have any of the symptoms described. ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2013, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jelly-fish-question/676632/7 "2013-12-31T00:56:37Z")
Thanks for that info, **Diver** , it made for very interesting reading indeed. I am not immuno depressed, nor have I eaten any raw seafood. Nor am I in America. (I apologize for failing to mention this in my OP) I got myself a jellyfish sting, off the coast of Thailand. And, as I mentioned, after a couple of days, things became quite livable, the stinging ceased, didn’t hurt, just a large hard lump I was assured would clear in time. And it has, I’m now on another Thai island, it’s been a couple of weeks, the large hard lump has reduced to something pea sized. Some sunburn like peeling occurred and the scabby bit slid off, of it’s own accord, one day in the ocean. Now it’s itchy and sore like a bad bruise. Being now far from where I received the sting there’s no one to ask if this is normal. I’ve been using polysporin on the wound (now much smaller, from swimming in the sea I expect), and occasionally topical antihistamine to deal with the sudden increase in itchiness. I’m not really terribly worried, it’s not hot, just suddenly quite sore. Besides I’ll be home in the land of snow in another three weeks and could see my Doc if I still have issues. Just thought someone might have some reassurance for me, that it’s just normal healing perhaps? Or they lived through it and I shouldn’t be concerned. Thanks for your input though, I very much enjoyed reading about something I had never even heard of before! (bonus: you may be interested to know the island I am currently on, small though it is, is crawling with divers! Myself, I’m a snorkeler, and it’s pretty awesome. Ko Mook [Muk] Thailand) ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2014, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jelly-fish-question/676632/8 "2014-01-01T03:50:35Z")
I know this is not the same thing, but I’ve had skin ailments that festered here, and my dermatologist, knowing I had a trip to someplace like the mainland US planned, told me it would probably clear up on its own once I left the tropics, which it always did. Could the tropical climate be exacerbating this? ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2014, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jelly-fish-question/676632/9 "2014-01-01T04:08:12Z")
Good point Sam. I have a wait and see attitude, definitely. My Chinese friends in S’pore may be a tad more alarmist, I was hoping to offer some reassurance that it’s perfectly normal. They have, more than once insisted I see their Doctor, for some minor thing or other. The reasoning is pretty much always the same, “Your Dr back home will no nothing of such things!” Kinda hard to push back! It’s surely going to leave a scar, no biggie for me. (About the size of a quarter, a little divot removed!) But I know they won’t feel so casual about it. Oh well, I’ll just follow along and see what happens, I guess. But I honestly thought, being in the sea several times every day, it would have been all healed by now, at least the surface injury, if not the under skin, hard lump, action. (Still embellishing the story for friends back home! And realizing having a scar will kinda work for me!) ---
**Author:** ![Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a88e4f/32.png) [@Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Digital_is_the_new_Analog)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2014, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jelly-fish-question/676632/10 "2014-01-01T17:32:15Z")
Have you considered contacting the [Divers Alert Network medical helpline](http://www.diversalertnetwork.org/medical/)? They don’t practice medicine over the phone/internet, but certainly give good advice. I’ve used them a few times. I don’t recall them ever asking for my membership number. I checked the e-mail form, and the field for a DAN membership number is not marked as required. > [@](#): > > DAN Medical Information Line (+1-919-684-2948) > If you have a question that isn’t an emergency, you can call our Medical Information Line during regular business hours and speak directly to one of our medical information specialists. You can also email your question by clicking on the Ask a Medic link and filling out the form. They also have a decent FAQ sheet, which includes a section on [jelly fish stings](http://www.diversalertnetwork.org/medical/faq/Jellyfish_Stings). I didn’t notice anything relevant to the current question there, but thought I’d mention it. ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2014, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jelly-fish-question/676632/11 "2014-01-03T13:12:38Z")
Hey, hey, things have improved! I’m very happy. Not inflamed anymore, definitely moving back in the right direction again. I think it may be that I got a couple of other bites, a few inches from the sting wound, could be mosquitoes, or maybe sand fleas, or some other thing even. (I’m about 30% bites currently, I believe!) and now that they’ve passed their, ‘itch like the dickens’ stage, things seem to have stabilized again! Yay! Thank you so much for your sage advice and level heads, definitely helped. Bonus question, for anyone still following along, how interested will my Dr be in seeing my wound? I’ll be home in a couple more weeks, it’s now healing nicely. It will leave a scar, plus a few tiny side ones, and probably a divot like dent. Don’t think seeing a Dr will change any of that, to be honest. Think she cares? ---
**Author:** ![Virgil\_Tibbs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/c4cdca/32.png) [@Virgil\_Tibbs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Virgil_Tibbs)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2014, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jelly-fish-question/676632/12 "2014-01-03T15:29:21Z")
Probably not. I don’t. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2014, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jelly-fish-question/676632/13 "2014-01-03T15:31:26Z")
Couldn’t hurt to show her if you’re there anyway.