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.

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Luke Stokes is a father, husband, business owner, programmer, STEEM witness, and voluntaryist who wants to help create a world we all want to live in. Visit UnderstandingBlockchainFreedom.com

_{I'm a Witness! Please vote for @lukestokes.mhth}