How to Treat a Jellyfish Sting

    First off, you must get the person out of the water. If you are in non-tropical waters, wash the area with seawater to deactivate the stinging cells. If you are in tropical waters, rinse the area with vinegar, but do not use fresh or tap water or it will reactivate the stinging cells. Next, you need to wash the sting out with vinegar for at least 30 seconds. If you do not have vinegar, you can try a baking soda solution. The vinegar or baking soda will deactivate the stinging cells. After, you should soak the stung area for 20 minutes in hot water. If hot water is not available, you can use a cold pack against the sting. To reduse the discomfort, you can use a mild hydrocortisone cream or an oral antihistamine. 

    In some places, putting vinegar can make the sting worse. Make sure to try to research what type of jellyfish you think it was, and where you were at when you were stung. If you try the steps above and it feels worse or not getting better, you should go see a doctor. Some jellyfish stings are much more serious than others and may need immediate medical attention.

    To my surprise, urine on the wound could make the sting worse. It can upset the stinging cells more and make more venom be released. This goes to say that the belief of urine on a jellyfish sting, can sometimes hurt you more than help you.

Websites: 

"Jellyfish Stings Treatment: First Aid Information for Jellyfish Stings."WebMD. WebMD, n.d. Web. 05 May 2014. <http://www.webmd.com/first-aid/jellyfish-stings-treatment>.

"Fact or Fiction?: Urinating on a Jellyfish Sting Is an Effective Treatment."Scientific American Global RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 May 2014. <http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/fact-or-fiction-urinating/>.