Wellness

[AngelPuppy1]

I got this from getting a spider bite!  I get bad reactions to insect bites of any kind.  This bite kept getting worse and worse and I finally went to the ER.  I had heard of cellulitis but had no clue what it was.  Well, sure enough -- that's what this turned in to!  It's no joke I can tell you that!  Massive antibiotics --- yuck!!!  

[wagirl]

Yes I get this often-- mostly on my left arm/elbow if I over use it--had breast cancer 2012 with nodes removed as well as left breast removed. Am not supposed to lift more than 5-8 lbs or do any heavy activity with that arm--went to infectious disease dr and others and no one can tell me why I keep getting this--obviously a break in the skin somehow altho it is not an obvious wound like a bug bite. I have a standing rx for anti b's. Haven't had it for awhile but did get it 10x from the end of 2018 up til the beginning of this year. Now I can recognize the symptoms so can head it off before it gets bad. Usually takes 10 days of meds.

[ripkenfan]

I hope you are feeling better. 

I was surprised when I read it would recur and then this year it did.  I'm going to keep an eye out for any swelling in that leg and get it looked at early.  Make sure if anything is wrong with the affected leg that you tell doctors in the future that you had celluitis in the leg so they can check if you have an infection.

I'm sorry you had to go through this.  The worst part is that most people don't know how they got it.  According to the doctor, you could have the smallest tear in your skin, so small you can't see it, and that's enough to let in bacterial that can cause cellulitis.

[Effie54]

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@Lindsays Grandma wrote:

Unfortunately, recently I was diagnosed with Cellulitis for which I have no idea how it happened.  I don't ever walk barefoot, had no scratches or open wounds and yet I am now in the throes of taking an  anti-biotic to help cure it.

I do have some questions and would be most appreciative if one of my fellow posters has knowledge of this awful impediment.  Can we talk?

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Just a question.....did you get the vaccination recently? I've heard that cellulitis is a side effect. I hope you feel better soon. 

[MoJoV]

I had a bout of cellulitis from a mosquito bite on my leg I scratched to bleeding.  It kept getting worse and worse with little blisters. I was on antibiotics for a week or so.  It's a painful thing to deal with, I sympathize with you.  I hope you feel better soon.

[Toppers3]

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@Lindsays Grandma wrote:

Unfortunately, recently I was diagnosed with Cellulitis for which I have no idea how it happened.  I don't ever walk barefoot, had no scratches or open wounds and yet I am now in the throes of taking an  anti-biotic to help cure it.

I do have some questions and would be most appreciative if one of my fellow posters has knowledge of this awful impediment.  Can we talk?

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Hi @Lindsays Grandma ,

I'm so very sorry that you're dealing with this.

I've also had it several times.

Most recently was in May, on my right foot. I'm not sure what happened either...maybe I stubbed a toe which then caused a break in my skin somewhere?

I'm prone to getting it, too. I especially get it on the skin of my feet--either foot--or on my lower legs.

How do I know when I get it? 

My feet or legs have more active pain or nerve pain than usual, and they swell up more than normal, too.

My skin also turns more pink, like a "sunburn."

I'll call our primary doctor's office and if they have an opening they'll have me come in and see someone there or they'll have me go to the Urgent Care Clinic at our hospital instead to get checked out if they're all booked up there without any open appointments.

For me what type of bacteria that can cause it can be anything.

I've had Pseudomonas in the past, and I've also had just regular Staph too, that can cause it.

I've been treated both in the hospital, and as an outpatient.

In May, I was lucky in enough that the infection was mild and it was caught early enough where oral antibiotics were enough to take care of it.

Once you do have it, you'll have to be careful about regularly checking your feet and legs over to watch for any small cuts, etc.

If you do see anything, you'll need to make sure that you clean it and take care of any small scratches that you do see, so that they don't get infected. 

[Lindsays Grandma]

@Effie54 ...In answer to your question, no I haven't had the vaccine.  Now that you mentioned that Cellulitis is a side effect to the vaccine, I will not even consider getting one.  Thank you for your kind words.

[Lindsays Grandma]

@Toppers3 ... You certainly have had more than your share of this horrible disease.  I still can't believe this has happened to me.  As for healing, it is a very slow process.  I first saw the doctor on July 22 and it looks as though I still have a long way to go.

The first ant-biotic he issued did nothing so that was time wasted.  I now have a new prescription that seems to be working.  Some of the swelling has gone down but the redness still has a way to go.

Thank you so much for your informative post and I hope you never have  "it" again. 

[Toppers3]

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@Lindsays Grandma wrote:

@Toppers3 ... You certainly have had more than your share of this horrible disease.  I still can't believe this has happened to me.  As for healing, it is a very slow process.  I first saw the doctor on July 22 and it looks as though I still have a long way to go.

The first ant-biotic he issued did nothing so that was time wasted.  I now have a new prescription that seems to be working.  Some of the swelling has gone down but the redness still has a way to go.

Thank you so much for your informative post and I hope you never have  "it" again. 

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I'm glad that I could help with the information.

Yeah, it's a bummer, itsn't it?

I was talking to our doctor about having to be so dilligent now when checking my feet and legs, to make sure that its not coming back. She was saying that that's just how it is for me, and some people just have certain things to deal with.

If something still doesn't seem quite "right" to you with your infection, don't hesitate to contact your doctor's office about it.

You also want to make sure that the area of redness is reducing/shrinking in size, and is not spreading out and becoming larger, either. 

Also, you would want to let your doctor's office know if you feel ill/sick in any way that is not usual for you, or if you develop any knd of a fever.

The concerns with these types of infections is that they can become antibiotic-resistant, and that we can also develop sepsis from them, too.

I will be keeping you in my thoughts and prayers that all goes well for you and that you get better soon, too. 

Please let us know how you're doing. 

[Lindsays Grandma]

@Toppers...So far the swelling has gone down quite a bit as well as the redness.  It looks as though it is getting better but I'm keeping my eyes on it.  You can be sure if I notice anything new or different I will contact my doctor.

Thank you so much for everything you have written, It helps when someone shows they care.  You are very kind.