I am just out of the hospital from my second bout with celllulitis in less than two years. Was on the left leg in summer 2015, treated for two weeks with IV antibiotics in hospital. This time, right leg, one week in hospital with IV antibiotics. Both times, I’m sent home with ProFore dressings on the leg, which home health comes to change twice a week. Also sent home on oral antibiotics. There was talk of me going home on IV antibiotics this past time, but thankfully, leg cleared up enough to go home on oral and dressings. Since my last bout, I have been careful not to walk around barefoot, wash my feet with Hibiclens and put on cream every morning, and wear compression stockings to work. I’m active, go birdwatching and do water exercises. Anyone have any suggestions for preventing this coming back again, or have any experience with catching it before it gets to a hospital stay requirement? Thanks for any advice.
"go birdwatching and do water exercises. " maybe skip those things?
Are you sure the pool you are using is being properly maintained?
Timely thread for me. What are your symptoms. I have what the walk in clinic thought was an allergic reaction to neosporin. Had a couple of small cuts on my leg that were slow to heal and was using neosporin when suddenly the area developed a red itchy rash. 2 1/2 weeks later the original rash has cleared up but has spread to the surrounding skin which is very red and inflamed (probably now a 5-6 inch by 4-5 inch area that is bright red and sore and itchy with the middle 3 x 2" area looking somewhat normal. Very hard and rough to the touch. Looks awful. A lady at work said it looks like when she had cellulitis. But it is NOT hot or warm which I thought was a prime symptom of cellulitis. (Don’t mean to hijack your thread but I’d just been googling cellulitis when I saw your thread)
I would get that looked at. Tomorrow
You’re probably right. I keep putting it off because it’s tax season and I’m working 12 hr days and weekends and am swamped. FWIW, I just measured it and it’s hit 7" by about 5". I may need to try and wash off the permanent marker I put round it to see if it is still spreading before I go to the doctor! Or maybe tell him it is a magic circle to stop it spreading.
If you haven’t already GO NOW!
Agree, go now.
My mom just got out of the hospital because of cellulitis. She startled her cat, and it bit her, which it had never done in 7 years. And no, she’s not getting rid of the cat. She’s had cats for most of her 91 years and isn’t about to change because of one bite.
But she insisted that I warn my family that if the area around a small wound starts turning red, to get to the emergency room, immediately. You are allowed to go to the bathroom first, and maybe lock the door behind you, but other than that no delays accepted. Get it treated.
Montegut - I can’t offer any suggestions on how to prevent, but I do offer my sympathy on your struggles. I had cellulitis once about 15 years ago and it was SO painful! I do wonder about the pool but have no real basis for thinking that. Staying active is important and I hope you continue to do so and continue with your birdwatching. Wishing you the best in your recovery and really hoping that you don’t have any further recurrences.
swimcatsmom - I echo everyone else urging you to go get it looked at. I had the classic symptom of the area being hot to the touch, but not every person always exhibits every symptom. Cellulitis is not something you want to mess around with or leave untreated.
I should have added that I’ve had cellulitis also, way back in 1993 or so. My first symptom was an itchiness, quickly followed by a fever spike and chills. That went away, but the redness expanded until the doctor put me on some mega antibiotic. He told me that a few years earlier, he would have immediately sent me to the hospital for IV antibiotics. I was luckier than you, Montegut, in that the oral antibiotic worked. If it didn’t, he was sending me to the hospital stat.
People used to die of this. Don’t fool around.
Are you diabetic ? I would maybe ask about the pool. But exercise in general should help. (good circulation) I don’t understand how birdwatching could have any effect. Unless you stand still for long periods of time?
Some people recommend probiotics but I am not sure how much proof there is of that helping.
Also massage. You want to keep your lymph system working
@MomofJandL - DS had a cat bite that turned red and infected pretty quickly. I took him to the doctor. She told us that ANY time someone gets a cat bite that breaks the skin they need to go on antibiotics. It seems cats carry a lot of germs and the odds are it will get infected. I had never heard of such a thing and have been bit a number of times over the years. But about a year later my other son got bit and I took him to different doctor and she said the same thing… So if your mom get bit again have her go right away.
I wonder if the OP gets pedicures. I have heard of someone getting a terrible infection from soaking in the foot baths after shaving her legs.
My mom was hospitalized twice on IV antibiotics from cellulitis that started in an ear lobe and moved onto the side of her head. She stopped wearing pierced earrings and hasn’t had a problem since. Her ears had been pierced decades before and it was odd that could have been a problem.
Swimcats, another explanation could be allergy to your antibiotic ointment-oh, re reading, that is what they were thinking. Physicians have mentioned recently that they are recommending antibiotic ointment less due to allergic reactions being more common that infections sometimes. Regardless, get it looked at. And don’t erase that line around the redness. Health care folks draw lines around areas of inflammation all the time. We even have special pens to do so.
For those with edema, whether of legs or arms, lymphedema management is a specialty within occupational therapy these days. They have more effective compression garments than previously, and can train you in lymphatic massage to draw fluid up and out. Keeping the skin non stretched out and healthy keeps it less injury prone. In my experience, physicans sometimes forget about ordering OT as a consult, so you may need to ask.
I had cellulitis about 15 years ago as a result of a blackfly bite on my ankle. I had never heard of it before. My health insurance has a phone feature called “Ask a Nurse”, and I finally called late one night because the red line seemed to be spreading upwards on my leg. The nurse who took my call asked me a lot of detailed questions, and then told me to go to the ER (“right now, not tomorrow”). I wasn’t admitted, but they did give me IV antibiotics there.
As cellulitis is an infection that starts with a break in the skin barrier first protection would be protecting the skin. So maybe bird watching could be related if you are hiking through areas with vegetation that scratches your legs and provides an opportunity for bacteria to enter. Do you know how the cellulitis started? What was the original insult that broke through the skin barrier? That would be a good place to start for prevention.
The pool is something to look at also, I think you would still need a compromise in the skin barrier for the bacteria to get in.
Circulation is another issue that should be looked at, do have any reason to have poor circulation?
Are you at all prone to other recurrent infections? You might want to ask your doctor if it is warranted to test for any underlying immune dysfunction that would make you more prone to infections.
I have also had the red line from cellulite near the elbow, Very scary to watch the line lengthen. It was 2000 and they only gave me the z pack type of antibiotics…which now I read can be dangerous to people with A Fib or certain heart related issues.
Let us know how you are doing.
You may want to ask you doctor about cannabis oil (topically used). My niece who had BC a few years ago and had lymph nodes removed from one arm, wound up in the ER five times in two years with blood sepsis. Any small skin scrape or abrasion would spiral out of control. At first they thought it was skin allergies to soap, lotions etc. and then it was eczema, finally after a couple of years one of the doctors suggested she try cannabis oil on her skin. I think she is still very conscious of any skin abrasions but no problems with blood infections since using the oil. She lives in a state with medical use approval.
“I don’t understand how birdwatching could have any effect.”
it is not watching the birds… it is the exposure to all kinds of stuff in the forest, shrubs etc…the dirt (mold,fungal spores,bacteria etc) tics, mosquito etc etc …all while sweating. even if those things cause non related problems, they could aggravate the area where the cellulitis is/was on the body or cause other issues by weakening the immune system. for most people this would probably be a non issue unless they get exposed to some nasty “bug” threw an open wound but op maybe in a much more weakened state.
Pool decks are some of the filthiest environments, people with shoes on walking in warm dampness. My wife says the best preventative is wash, wash, wash.
We used to have something called Defense Soap when the kids were wrestling. All types of skin crud are common among wrestlers. I don’t know if it would be any more effective than normal soap but the boys made it 8 years without any infections.