Marine Life injury
PHOTO: STEPHEN FRINK/ALERT DIVER MAGAZINE
I arrived home from a dive trip five days ago. The palms of my hands are itchy and red, and the right hand is worse than the left. I was careful about where I placed my hands while diving and always used the mooring line to perform my safety stops. During the week I briefly felt some itching on my right hand, but it resolved. I have no idea what is wrong. Someone suggested skin bends — is that possible?
Based on the description of your symptoms and their location, a marine life injury is more likely than DCS. You are to be commended for being conscious of your hand placement when diving. The mooring lines are likely the source of the injury. Organisms in the hydroid family colonize mooring lines and give stings similar to those from jellyfish or other organisms that have nematocysts.
It is not unusual to experience delayed symptom onset. Some divers have obvious initial
symptoms that resolve and then manifest again days later. Dermatologists refer to this as a
delayed hypersensitivity reaction.
Topical hydrocortisone cream is a reasonable first treatment. If the symptoms do not improve
within 48 hours of treatment or if they continue to worsen, see a medical professional. A more
definitive treatment is a course of oral steroids (e.g., prednisone), which requires a prescription.
You or your doctor can contact DAN with any questions. — Marty McCafferty, EMT-P, DMT
I arrived home from a dive trip five days ago. The palms of my hands are itchy and red, and the right hand is worse than the left. I was careful about where I placed my hands while diving and always used the mooring line to perform my safety stops. During the week I briefly felt some itching on my right hand, but it resolved. I have no idea what is wrong. Someone suggested skin bends — is that possible?
Based on the description of your symptoms and their location, a marine life injury is more likely than DCS. You are to be commended for being conscious of your hand placement when diving. The mooring lines are likely the source of the injury. Organisms in the hydroid family colonize mooring lines and give stings similar to those from jellyfish or other organisms that have nematocysts.
It is not unusual to experience delayed symptom onset. Some divers have obvious initial
symptoms that resolve and then manifest again days later. Dermatologists refer to this as a
delayed hypersensitivity reaction.
Topical hydrocortisone cream is a reasonable first treatment. If the symptoms do not improve
within 48 hours of treatment or if they continue to worsen, see a medical professional. A more
definitive treatment is a course of oral steroids (e.g., prednisone), which requires a prescription.
You or your doctor can contact DAN with any questions. — Marty McCafferty, EMT-P, DMT
Posted in Alert Diver Summer Editions, Dive Safety FAQ
Posted in Hazardous Marine life, Hydroids, stings, nematocysts, Mooring lines, safety stops, Fire Coral
Posted in Hazardous Marine life, Hydroids, stings, nematocysts, Mooring lines, safety stops, Fire Coral
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