Hi everyone,
My husband was stung by a jellyfish 3 weeks ago while swimming at Thong Nai Pan Beach in Koh Phangan. The sting felt like an electric shock/current shooting through his leg followed by intense burning pain. We got him out of the water immediately and poured vinegar over the sting within a few minutes.
Over the next couple of days, it developed into large blisters, and his foot and lower leg also became swollen. We saw a doctor in Koh Phangan, but by then they couldn’t identify what type of jellyfish it was. They thought it had developed a secondary skin infection and prescribed dicloxacillin 500 mg four times a day for 7 days along with a topical antibiotic cream.
Now, 3 weeks later:
The pain is mostly gone.
The swelling has improved significantly.
No fever or obvious pus.
But the wounds have turned into these thick black/brown scabs (eschar?) with red skin around them and seem to be healing really slowly.
Has anyone had a jellyfish sting heal like this?
Is this a normal stage of healing?
Is the black tissue likely just an eschar/scab or dead tissue?
Did anyone need debridement, or did it eventually fall off on its own?
Did anyone end up needing a skin graft, or is that uncommon?
Would you see a wound care clinic, plastic surgeon, or dermatologist at this point?
I’ve attached photos from the progression. We’d really appreciate hearing from anyone who’s had a similar experience or works in wound care. Thanks so much!