Come 3am, the trial began for Jack Rabbit as the irritation exploded into an angry looking hive like rash. This went on for a day and a half. Today it finally began to subside but there is likely a day or two yet to come until it is completely gone.
The reaction was most likely not due to Jelly Fish but to another jelly like creature, Cnidarians. They are quite beautiful actually... just don't let them into the neck of your swim shirt.
We are now approaching two full days of intensive stoic training for this 10 year old. The itching sensation is intense and only a lot of diphenhydramine (Benadryl) has helped - primarily because it allows Jack Rabbit to sleep. We are all in a bit of sleep deficit, but none more than he is.
He has learned the Peterson family trick of squeezing a friendly thumb (offered by a parent or older brother) and trying to squeeze away the pain as a distraction. As Poppy would say- he has been a tough soldier! It has been a real trial for him. We are all proud of how well he has stood up to it all overall. Tolerance for adversity is a learned behavior and Jack Rabbit just learned a lot about tolerating adversity. He noted with a smile that after this experience, he won't even notice regular old bug bites anymore! - Christopher & Molly
This is what his neck looked like when we still thought it was a jellyfish sting. Soon after this photo was taken, he felt much better.
But then the rash flared up and looked like this. We put a paste of baking soda on one strip of it to see if it would help. Unfortunately, it didn't do much. Time and benedryl seem to be more effective.
Christopher, a couple of Sila questions:
ReplyDelete1) Was the boat painted with anti fouling paint before you left a year ago? Is one year a normal life span (warmer waters?)
2) You had stated that you use the iPad for navigation and have been using printed charts, great for teaching! Are you relying on the iPad as your only electronic charting?
3) Can you describe in more detail your 12volt power system and how well it has kept up with demand? What are you using for hot water? Hot water is the only item we miss without an A/C source on our boat. We have a diesel hot air furnace, but no way to make hot water other than shore power.
We are having a great time in the Pacific Northwest... If you make it North in your travels we would love to meet up on the water. Howard & Chris Tucker