Jean in Newcastle Posted January 6, 2011 Share Posted January 6, 2011 I think I have cellulitis on my legs. Since yesterday, my legs have had a slightly raised red "sunburn" on then. It's a fairly big area - basically covering my entire calves. Do you think it's cellulitis? In the past, I've always had cellulitis after a sting or an injury of some kind. This time it's just out of the blue. I don't know if it is coincidence or not but since yesterday my actual feet have been in tons of pain. I'm walking but it is a painful hobble. (For those who haven't picked up on my health posts ad nauseum - I have a history of fibromyalgia, and a compromised immune system) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sahamamama Posted January 6, 2011 Share Posted January 6, 2011 (edited) Jean, 1. Did you cut or nick your skin? 2. Is this in the same area where you've had previous infections? 3. Is the skin red and shiny/stretched? 4. Is the area hot/feverish? 5. Is it on both legs? 6. Did you walk through weeds, change lotions/soaps/detergents, or eat something unusual? 7. Is the pain mostly in your feet? or your calves? 8. Could it be plantar fasciitis? Do you have shoe inserts? If it is cellulitis, you need an ANTIBIOTIC NOW! My husband had cellulitis last summer and the doctor said it will NOT go away without an antibiotic. We think it was because he was removing a fence post from the ground and when he swung it up, the concrete part on the bottom nicked his shin. Just a tiny scratch. We washed it, I put triple antibiotic ointment on it... but Dave still got cellulitis. It was hot, red, swollen, tight (skin), and painful. Poor Dave. :grouphug: The antibiotic cleared him up almost immediately, but of course he finished out the script. HTH. GO SEE A DOCTOR. (Is your husband a doctor? I can't keep it straight here sometimes?) Edited January 6, 2011 by Sahamamama Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted January 6, 2011 Author Share Posted January 6, 2011 (Is your husband a doctor? I can't keep it straight here sometimes?) He's an RN - he can give me advice but no medicine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sahamamama Posted January 6, 2011 Share Posted January 6, 2011 He's an RN - he can give me advice but no medicine. Well? What does he think it is? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sparrow Posted January 6, 2011 Share Posted January 6, 2011 A friend's daughter got cellulitis twice from shaving her legs. She had no noticeable cuts or nicks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
datgh Posted January 6, 2011 Share Posted January 6, 2011 It could also be blood clots. You should get it checked out right away because they are nothing to mess with. Cellulitis and blood clots can both present very similarly especially in the lower leg. I have had superficial phlibitis in both legs at the same time. I hope whatever it is it clears up quickly! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paintedlady Posted January 6, 2011 Share Posted January 6, 2011 I had a horrible case of it a few years back from shaving my legs. It was a new razor, I got a bit of razor burn and then it started. Wow, it was horrible. I had it for over 6 months. I went to the derm and got antibiotics, which began to clear it up but as soon as I finished them it came raging back. I ended taking 3 different doses of antibiotics but they never did clear it up completely. I finally gave in and decided to give my body a chance to fight it off on it's own. It took a few more months but it did finally clear up. I wouldn't wish that on anyone. :sad: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kalanamak Posted January 6, 2011 Share Posted January 6, 2011 Yes, and you can get fever and nausea before it gets roaring. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carol in Cal. Posted January 6, 2011 Share Posted January 6, 2011 When I had this the nurse told me to mark the boundaries of it with a sharpie and keep an eye on it to make sure that it didn't advance. This was WHILE taking antibiotics, since some of these germs are now resistant and this can get bad fairly quickly if you get that kind. I'd mark it now, and probably call the doctor as a back up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted January 6, 2011 Author Share Posted January 6, 2011 Well? What does he think it is? He says that it is probably an opportunistic infection because I'm on anti-fungals for a systemic yeast problem. My feet and legs are definitely swollen. I'm slathering tea tree oil and MSM cream on them now. I do not have a fever. If it is worse in the morning, then I will go in to the Dr. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoughCollie Posted January 6, 2011 Share Posted January 6, 2011 (edited) One time, I had this red streak that ran from the tip of my forefinger to my shoulder, by the time I got to the ER. It traveled from my wrist to my elbow in 10 minutes, and to my shoulder in 20 minutes (while traveling to the ER). There was no visible wound or cut. The doc said I had cellulitis and would have been dead within 2 hours if I had not gone to the ER right then. He said it was cellulitis. There was no cut on my finger. I only went to the ER because DH insisted I call my doctor, who insisted I go to the ER at once. I was too tired, and I wanted to wait until the next day. Good thing I didn't wait, or there would not have been a next day for me. DH saved my life, literally, by insisting I call the doctor when I wouldn't go to the ER. A year later, the exact same thing happened again. This time, there was a tiny cut (maybe 1/8" long) on my finger where it started, and I left for the ER when I saw the streak which had traveled to slightly above my wrist bone. I had to go to the ER every day by 5 a.m. (maybe twice a day, don't recall) for IV antibiotics. I couldn't agree to hospitalization the first time because DH had to go out of town on a business trip the next day. The second time, hospitalization wasn't mentioned. Both times, I didn't have a fever and I felt fine (except for being very tired -- which was an ordinary, every night occurrence). Both times, all I had was the red streak, no big area of redness. This is what the Mayo Clinic has to say: Left untreated, the spreading infection may rapidly turn life-threatening. That's why it's important to seek immediate medical attention if cellulitis symptoms occur. http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/cellulitis/DS00450 Edited January 6, 2011 by RoughCollie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TravelingChris Posted January 6, 2011 Share Posted January 6, 2011 Cellulitis is absolutely no joke. I got it on my face under my eye and I didn't remember any insect bite or anything. I guess it happened but there was no obvious hole or anything like that. I first thougth it was an allergy but it got worse. Went to the doctor in the morning, he prescribed antibiotics and it still got worse even after three doses. Went to the ER and was hospitalized. I ended up having antibiotic resistant peri-orbital cellulitis and was on IV antibiotics (they kept changing them until one worked) for four days. It doesn't matter that it is an opportunistic infection. I am sure mine was caused by the immunosuppressant I was on and after the antibiotic, I got the opportunistic very serious infection of C. difficile. How you got it is immaterial. THat fact that you are on medications already that can be causing changes and potentially making things worse is even more a reason to go to a doctor. Oh, and insist it is serious. THe intern who first saw me in the hospital was already to release me because he thought it was an allergy, even though I told him that allergy medicine did nothing and another doctor had already determined it was cellulitis. He got his supervisor and the supervisory physician was alarmed that he had almost released me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plansrme Posted January 6, 2011 Share Posted January 6, 2011 My 10 yo got it several months ago with no apparent break in her skin, and believe me, I looked, with a flashlight even, between her toes and all over her foot. It reacted very quickly to antibiotics. Terri Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted January 6, 2011 Author Share Posted January 6, 2011 I am going to try the very strong antibiotic cream that my Dr. gave us for my dd's MRSA. I understand that cellulitis is serious. I'm monitoring it very carefully. There are no red streaks. I want to avoid IV or oral antibiotics because my yeast infection is systemic and it will explode into a much more serious problem if given a chance too. This puts me (as usual, it seems) in a bind where I'm trying to juggle two different serious problems. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catherine Posted January 6, 2011 Share Posted January 6, 2011 Yes, but it's be pretty unusual to get it in both legs simultaneously. I'd think first of other skin issues like stasis dermatitis, contact dermatitis, or a reaction to another medication you are already taking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plain jane Posted January 6, 2011 Share Posted January 6, 2011 I am going to try the very strong antibiotic cream that my Dr. gave us for my dd's MRSA. I understand that cellulitis is serious. I'm monitoring it very carefully. There are no red streaks. I want to avoid IV or oral antibiotics because my yeast infection is systemic and it will explode into a much more serious problem if given a chance too. This puts me (as usual, it seems) in a bind where I'm trying to juggle two different serious problems. :grouphug: I'm so sorry, Jean. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tullia Posted January 6, 2011 Share Posted January 6, 2011 Hope you get some relief soon. Just to add my experience; when ds was a preschooler he came to me with a minor insect bite on the back of his hand which I cleaned and watched closely for several days. It seemed to have cleared up completely--the very localized itchiness, swelling, redness and bite mark disappeared. Several weeks later the hand swelled and turned red very quickly. He sat in his high chair for morning snack, and I saw nothing. By lunch he complained that his hand didn't work--the fingers and hand had become puffy and red within a couple of hours. I took him to our dr right away, and by the time we reached the office his wrist had started to swell. The dx was cellulitis, and the antibiotic worked. The dr believed bacteria entered the skin as it was healing, went dormant for awhile and, then took off for whatever reason. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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