I Got Stung by What Killed Steve Irwin
Thankfully it was a little baby one, it happens all the time, and it's no big deal. :)
I've been surfing since I was five years old and yesterday was the first time I've ever been stung by a stingray. They are everywhere in Huntington Beach. The lifeguards dealt with 78 stingray cases last Friday alone!
The surprising thing is, it got me through the booty I was wearing! Right in the middle of the ball of my left foot. I was standing out in the water, trying to shuffle my feet constantly (that's usually how you avoid them). I could see the little baby stingrays darting away from my feet. I think I got a little too excited helping my son surf and catch some more waves:
(photo credit: @corinnestokes)
That's me in the background celebrating as Devon stood up. You can read about his first surf session here.
I must have stepped right on a tail. I didn't let it cut my surf session short or take the smile off my face though. :)
(photo credit: @corinnestokes)
We also found a few live sand dollars which are pretty cool looking:
After I came in, my brother Tod flagged down a lifeguard passing by and they put some hot water in a special "stingray first aid" bag they have at the ready. For treatment, just soak your foot in really hot water which breaks down the proteins in the venom. After I got back to my brother's house, I soaked it some more while enjoying some drinks and the wonderful Southern California weather. The lifeguard said to put it in water as hot as you can stand.
Getting stung hurt quite a bit, and right after it happened I had to limp around slightly, walking mostly on the side of my foot. I'm really glad I had the booty on or it probably would have gone much deeper. I kept everything hot by occasionally pouring in some freshly heated water from the stove. It swelled up a bit, but there was no infection or additional concerns.
It feels much better today (January 2nd).
Speaking of January 2nd, today's my birthday! We had a relaxing time today hanging out back in Oxnard with Corinne's family and just got back from a really nice dinner with the family.
I hope you're having a great day and enjoying this birthday present of very high STEEM price :)
Let's hope it sticks around longer than my birthday.
Turns out the stingrays were so bad, they are reporting on it in the news. This local article mentioned 73 on the Friday I mentioned (maybe the lifeguard I talked to knew of 5 that didn't get reported).
@lukestokes so it was not a coincidence that they got you. They are spread all over some costs in California?
I was wondering is you read my message, that is just a few messages below this one.
Regards, @gold84
Glad you're ok. Better to get stung in the balls of the foot than the other balls , i always say. lol
On another note, stingrays are delicious when cooked in coconut milk and chilies.
I actually first read it as the other balls, huge relief when i saw foot
Hahah!
@lukestokes Happy Birthday! You were lucky this time, and good a life guard could aid you fast too. Evcen Stingrays don't attack if we don't step on them, they are poisonous animals and it hurts too much when that happens. Good everything is fine afterall. It was in your birthday when that happened, right?
Speaking about the 11 Chapters full steemit guide, today I posted Chapter 4 of 11: Understanding How to Keep our Steemit and Steem Cryptocurrency Account Safe - How to Use the 5 Different Passwords - This is part 4 of the 11 Chapters (Full Guide) to help new people make their way on the platform.
Here is the link to this new Chapter/post:
https://steemit.com/steem/@gold84/chapter-4-of-11-understanding-how-to-keep-our-steemit-and-steem-cryptocurrency-account-safe-how-to-use-the-5-different-passwords
Again, special thanks to you for inspiring me to continue doing this chapters, and for all your support!
Looking forward to hear from you with your additions, knowledge and experience in any of the Chapters!
Regards, @gold84
Keep up the great work.
Thanks for your support @lukestokes !
you are an ultimate winner you have conquered death
Better a stingray than a Portuguese man o' war!
@lukestokes Happy Birthday and heal UP well. Birthday and AllTime STEEM High, Maybe we can make that an annual Birthday Gift. Fun in Surf City I lived there for 10 years. Huntington Beach was Fun.................
Happy B-day Luke and I'm glad you're allgood! Gettin' hit by one is no joke especially the bigger one's. I used to do lots of surf fishing back in the day and I can't tell you how strange it feels to step on one as it skirts out from under you. I remember hooking into a large one and fighting it for a while before cutting the line as it just got to be pointless. It had to be a large one and felt like I was fighting and reeling in Poseidon's biggest ocean soaked towel of all time. After a half hour or so it felt suctioned to the bottom and was barely movable hence cutting the line. Get better brother and Happy New Year to you and yours!
Thank you. Feeling way better today. I'm glad I was able to get it into hot water quickly. Also very glad it was a small one. :)
Glad you’re ok!
may be i reasteam your post because i liked in your photo
Ouuuch man!! Other than the painful foot the surf looks totally gnarly & I hope you've enjoyed your birthday!
The waves were small, but we had fun anyway. :)
Aww! Happy birthday mentor