I stepped on a stingray and my foot looks like a red grapefruit

[Piggity]

Yeah, Hawaiian word for urchins is wana. I don't think Schalphs sting sounds all that rare if 41 people a day are getting stung at one beach.
Unless you meant in terms of severity.

Sounds like it's time for a good old-fashioned poultice to pull the rest of that shit out and close 'er up, Schralph.

Rare in terms of severity/duration and what he's having to deal with. Stings are non-stop here in SD once the water gets warm, the guy directly in front of me yesterday walking up the bluff had just been stung. It's pretty safe to say that if it's summer time and sunny in SD, someone is getting stung that day.

[SchralphMacchio]

thanks for the concern, ortho and old goat.

Had a (hopefully) final meeting with the doctor today. Talked to her about the little bits of grit, which in retrospect seem more likely to have been small bits of blood-covered sand, than broken pieces of barb teeth. Either way I made it a point to tell her about the grit, what it could have been, and possibility of foreign bodies. I asked about concern for abcess and she didn't think there was an abcess present, or enough evidence to justify an xray. The appearance, swelling and sensitivity/tenderness of the area have improved dramatically over the last few days. I would figure that if there were still foreign bodies in there, that it would still be pretty sensitive/tender and swollen with pus?

[old goat]

As long as you keep getting better no harm in waiting, but at the first sign of getting worse after the antibiotics are stopped reread orthoski's and my advice. And sand in the wound isn't so great either, but as long as it comes out on it's own it's ok. Fishing around in a foot for small foreign bodies is painful, difficult, and frustrating. Hard on the patient too.

[SchralphMacchio]

Are all foot docs like dermatologists? Next appt. with the local podiatry specialist is 8/16!

I survived 18 miles of backpacking this weekend with no color changes, swelling, or pain, but there are still some long term sensitivity effects 3.5 weeks out. I'm worried about nerve or muscle damage.

[Piggity]

Good luck man, I hope it turns out for the best. I thought about your situation the other day. I caught a wave to the inside and jumped off my board feet first onto the sand bar, I didn't do it again after remembering your situation and thinking how lucky I was

[SchralphMacchio]

thanks piggity.

I did end up seeing foot doc. Nothing showed up in x-rays (my fucking body has been xrayed about 25+ times in the last 3 years). I've been backpacking, climbing, and singletrack riding on my toe the last 2 weeks with no resumed swelling, and my foot is finally fitting back into my climbing shoes.

My toe is finally nearing "normal" sensation 5 weeks out, but still isn't completely back to normal. The scar tissue from the puncture wound has been irritating my nerve, which, thankfully wasn't actually severed by the barb.

What a wonky kind of thing, considering how many people get stung with no real complications. Seems like it isn't all that hard for all kinds of complications, based on my experience. I mean, you have a bacteria laden stingray skin that contacts the cut, pieces of stingray bone that can break off, and razor sharp tissue/muscle/nerve cutting teeth.

[cab720]

Thanks tons for this thread! I was sweatin life and this helped me a lot. I got stung by a stingray at Doheney 11 days ago. It bled for 20-30 minutes but the pain wasn't too bad for the first 30 mins. Crazy amounts of pain after that for 3-4 hours. I went to the local urgent care and got a shot in the ass to prevent infection and they painted the wound with iodine. I figured I was fine and everything seemed fine, until day 10 after the sting and I noticed my foot was swelling like crazy grapefruit style. I went to urgent care and they numbed me up and cut into the wound trying to find any remaining barb remnants but found nothing other than maybe a tiny bit on the surface. It's been 24 hours since they removed that bit and even more swollen now than yesterday. They put me on an oral antibiotic which doesn't seem to be helping, at least not yet. These repeated Dr. visits are breaking me. I assume I just wait this out?

[old goat]

Thanks tons for this thread! I was sweatin life and this helped me a lot. I got stung by a stingray at Doheney 11 days ago. It bled for 20-30 minutes but the pain wasn't too bad for the first 30 mins. Crazy amounts of pain after that for 3-4 hours. I went to the local urgent care and got a shot in the ass to prevent infection and they painted the wound with iodine. I figured I was fine and everything seemed fine, until day 10 after the sting and I noticed my foot was swelling like crazy grapefruit style. I went to urgent care and they numbed me up and cut into the wound trying to find any remaining barb remnants but found nothing other than maybe a tiny bit on the surface. It's been 24 hours since they removed that bit and even more swollen now than yesterday. They put me on an oral antibiotic which doesn't seem to be helping, at least not yet. These repeated Dr. visits are breaking me. I assume I just wait this out?

Wait out as long as it starts getting better in a couple of days and is not worse again tomorrow. If it's clearly not getting better or if it keeps getting worse then you have to go back. Was the sting on the sole of the foot. I assume they used local when they cut into the foot--the local really hurt, didn't it, and I bet the surgery still hurt as well. It's really tough to numb the sole.

[SchralphMacchio]

interesting bump. My big toe never recovered 100% sensation on the side and bottom due to irritation of the nerve. It is still partially numb and my scar area is still extra sensitive to the touch. Fucking stingrays!

[old goat]

interesting bump. My big toe never recovered 100% sensation on the side and bottom due to irritation of the nerve. It is still partially numb and my scar area is still extra sensitive to the touch. Fucking stingrays!

the nerve may yet come back. I cut a nerve in my thumb with a chisel at least five years ago and it's still getting better, about 90% back.

[cyborg]

I got some granite rash getting a little too cocky jumping ledges on a rock face while riding in spandex. Managed to keep my face out of it but the brunt of the impact and slide was taken by my left thigh. That was in August. I am about 85% back to normal feeling on the front of my leg.

For awhile I thought I was going to have permanent feeling loss where the wound was, but it slowly came back. The trauma of my injury was surely less than yours; no venom, not past the skin and more brushing than laceration. You might still get that toe close to normal