Danestress Posted August 1, 2013 Share Posted August 1, 2013 .. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrs.m Posted August 1, 2013 Share Posted August 1, 2013 Maybe just ice instead of icy hot? The medicine should do the trick. Prednisone is often prescribed along side antibiotic for infections that have a great amount of inflammation. If you feel progress is slowing, then you do need to get her back to the doctor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danestress Posted August 1, 2013 Author Share Posted August 1, 2013 Maybe just ice instead of icy hot? The medicine should do the trick. Prednisone is often prescribed along side antibiotic for infections that have a great amount of inflammation. If you feel progress is slowing, then you do need to get her back to the doctor. Thanks, this is helpful. If it doesn't look better tomorrow, I will try to get her to let me take her to Urgent Care, just to get someone to take a look at it. She does ice regularly, and I didn't feel good about using that "icy hot" product, but she can be kind of stubborn, so I hate to say much. DH is going over there after work, so I will get a second opinion from him on whether it looks too scary to wait until Monday. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laurie4b Posted August 1, 2013 Share Posted August 1, 2013 . I have had cellulitis . It can become life threatening. This is not something you want to get advice off the internet for. My thought is ice could reduce blood flow to the area which might aid the infection. Perhaps it's all right but this is something to ask a physician. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danestress Posted August 1, 2013 Author Share Posted August 1, 2013 . I have had cellulitis . It can become life threatening. This is not something you want to get advice off the internet for. My thought is ice could reduce blood flow to the area which might aid the infection. Perhaps it's all right but this is something to ask a physician. Well, I do wish that she had let us know what was happening so that I could have been at the doctor's appointment with her. She says that he told her to ice it for the swelling and keep it elevated. When you had cellutitis, how long did it take for the antibiotics to really make a difference in how the affected area looked? She has noticed a little decrease in pain, and I do think it looks a little better, but I wanted to see more improvement in how it looks by now - the third day of antibiotic treatment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktgrok Posted August 1, 2013 Share Posted August 1, 2013 . I have had cellulitis . It can become life threatening. This is not something you want to get advice off the internet for. My thought is ice could reduce blood flow to the area which might aid the infection. Perhaps it's all right but this is something to ask a physician. My thought too. For infection you want to increase blood flow usually, to get the medicine to the infection. Warm soaks were my thought. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoughCollie Posted August 1, 2013 Share Posted August 1, 2013 Cellulitis treatment usually is a prescription oral antibiotic. Within three days of starting an antibiotic, let your doctor know whether the infection is responding to treatment. You'll need to take the antibiotic for up to 14 days. In most cases, signs and symptoms of cellulitis disappear after a few days. If they don't clear up, if they're extensive or if you have a high fever, you may need to be hospitalized and receive antibiotics through your veins (intravenously). http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/cellulitis/DS00450/DSECTION=treatments-and-drugs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donna Posted August 2, 2013 Share Posted August 2, 2013 My ds had cellulitis back in May. It looked much better after one night on antibiotics. He was prescribed an oral and a topical antibiotic plus something for itching. Cellulitis can be life threatening. The doctor pressed on the area to make sure the skin wasn't "mushy" underneath which would have meant IV antibiotics in the hospital. Ds also is not 79 years old so healing could be slower in an elderly patient. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PrincessMommy Posted August 2, 2013 Share Posted August 2, 2013 I've had orbital cellulitis... it's not something to mess with. Agreeing that you should get her to the doctors asap. I understand how elder parents can be. :grouphug: My mom died in Mar. She hated going to the doctors and/or hospital. For her it was just one hassle and/or torture experience after another - sometimes escalating to a hospital stay (often because she waited too long to go in the first place :banghead: ). Your mom was probably hoping it would just go away on it's own and she could avoid another trip. My doctor told me warm compresses several times a day along with the antibiotics (it took more than one trip to the doctors for it to clear up - just so you know). I think soaking her foot in warm water - maybe with some Epsom salts too (if you have it). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandragood1 Posted August 2, 2013 Share Posted August 2, 2013 I've had cellulitis before. The urgent care doc gave me IV antibiotics in the office and sent me home with an Rx. It looked and felt improved within hours. Take your MIL to urgent care and try for IV antibx of a different kind and a new Rx too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laurie4b Posted August 2, 2013 Share Posted August 2, 2013 The right antibiotics work pretty quickly. Draw a line with a Sharpee around where the infection is. It should be receding noticeably every day. But really, the doctor should have done that. If it spreads beyond the line, she needs a different antibiotic. It's nothing to mess around with. Cellulitis is an infection of the underlayer of the skin. It's not a localized skin infection like a cut. The danger is that it can go to the blood stream, you develop sepsis, and then there is a good chance of death. They let me out of the hospital when it started receding. It had spread from a patch on my forearm one day to full arm the next. Went to urgent care, got an antibiotic, woke up next day with it halfway around my torso. Had to go to the ER. They let me out of the hospital when it started to recede. A friend was hospitalized for 6 days until they got it under control. No one told me to ice or heat anything. Really, I would check with a doctor that you know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laurie4b Posted August 2, 2013 Share Posted August 2, 2013 The right antibiotics work pretty quickly. Draw a line with a Sharpee around where the infection is. It should be receding noticeably every day. But really, the doctor should have done that. If it spreads beyond the line, she needs a different antibiotic ASAP. It's nothing to mess around with. Cellulitis is an infection of the underlayer of the skin. It's not a localized skin infection like a cut. The danger is that it can go to the blood stream, you develop sepsis, and then there is a good chance of death. They let me out of the hospital when it started receding. It had spread from a patch on my forearm one day to full arm the next. Went to urgent care, got an antibiotic, woke up next day with it halfway around my torso. Had to go to the ER. They let me out of the hospital when it started to recede. A friend was hospitalized for 6 days until they got it under control. No one told me to ice or heat anything. Really, I would check with a doctor that you know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danestress Posted August 2, 2013 Author Share Posted August 2, 2013 Thanks so much ladies. I am going to go in the morning and if it doesn't look significantly better, I will beg her to go either to see her regular doctor who gave her the antibiotics or to the urgent care. It's really hard deciding when to be a pushy DIL and when to mind my own business! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
magnificent_baby Posted August 2, 2013 Share Posted August 2, 2013 Glad to hear you are serious about following up. Like the others mentioned, it can turn systemic very quickly. If she will let you, I would take her temperature (orally is best). If any sign of elevated temp, I'd skip the urgent care and head to the ER. Watch for any other odd signs, such as confusion or weakness, which would be another sign to go to the ER. The elderly react to infections much differently than adults. As far as preventing blood clots from resting more than usual, try to get her to do simple arm and leg exercises, even if she's sitting in her chair. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MicheleinMN Posted August 2, 2013 Share Posted August 2, 2013 Warm to hot compresses are my suggestion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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