P
Pugilistic
Guest
A couple weeks ago I went snorkeling in Cebu, Philippines. It was a great experience where I saw a lot of fish and wildlife. I saw a sea turtle which was a big deal for me because it was my first time seeing one in real life, especially a wild one in it's natural habitat. Then I thought I would stand in the coral reef because the water seemed too shallow to swim in and I am an idiot. I stepped on something that was painful.
It was a sea urchin but I didn't know that at the time. I panicked and went back to my airbnb because I was afraid it might've been something venomous. There were black splinters sticking out of my foot so I thought I'd go back and pull them out with my tweezers. My airbnb host took a look at it and said they were urchin spines. After two hours of trying to dig out the spines with no real luck, I gave up.
The internet said I needed to soak them in vinegar or hot water, which would dissolve the spines or push them back out. But I had no vinegar at the time. I got used to the pain at that point and didn't feel anything so I decided I would wait until I came back home to soak them in vinegar. My friend said she had a similar experience while traveling and after weeks, the spines just came out by themselves. A Korean girl who lives and works in Cebu as a scuba instructor gave me some ointment and said the spines go away on their after some time as well. So even after returning home, I have been leaving them in and soaking my foot in vinegar or hot water on a daily basis.
But the spines are still there. I'm keeping an eye on it in case there is an infection but so far so good. The pain is very mild and I have no issues with daily activities except for working out (pivoting on the foot while boxing is painful).
But it's still there. At this point I'm wondering if I should go to a doctor. Anybody have experience with being impaled by urchins? Should I go to a doctor to have them pulled out or should I just wait and would it solve itself on it's own?
It was a sea urchin but I didn't know that at the time. I panicked and went back to my airbnb because I was afraid it might've been something venomous. There were black splinters sticking out of my foot so I thought I'd go back and pull them out with my tweezers. My airbnb host took a look at it and said they were urchin spines. After two hours of trying to dig out the spines with no real luck, I gave up.
The internet said I needed to soak them in vinegar or hot water, which would dissolve the spines or push them back out. But I had no vinegar at the time. I got used to the pain at that point and didn't feel anything so I decided I would wait until I came back home to soak them in vinegar. My friend said she had a similar experience while traveling and after weeks, the spines just came out by themselves. A Korean girl who lives and works in Cebu as a scuba instructor gave me some ointment and said the spines go away on their after some time as well. So even after returning home, I have been leaving them in and soaking my foot in vinegar or hot water on a daily basis.
But the spines are still there. I'm keeping an eye on it in case there is an infection but so far so good. The pain is very mild and I have no issues with daily activities except for working out (pivoting on the foot while boxing is painful).
But it's still there. At this point I'm wondering if I should go to a doctor. Anybody have experience with being impaled by urchins? Should I go to a doctor to have them pulled out or should I just wait and would it solve itself on it's own?
<Lmaoo>
