THR Had THR 29th November 2012 - Thought It Was Going Too Well

[Maeve]

Fingers crossed I will tag Josephine who is a fount of knowledge and will give you very sage advice!

 

[casey]

Thank you so much.

 

[Poppet]

Hi casey,

Cellulitis is a bacterial infection of the dermis - the deep layer of skin - as well as the subcutaneous tissues (fat and soft tissue layer) that are under the skin and to the best of my knowledge treatment for cellulitis responds well with antibiotics, albeit possibly several courses.

Drink plenty of water and keep the affected area elevated, this helps reduce swelling and pain.

But lets get Jo's advice

 

[sharonslp]

Casey, so sorry to hear this. Infections always sound so scary. But it sounds like it's been diagnosed quickly, and that can only be helpful. I think we'll all keep you company till Jo gets here and can give you solid information. I know what you mean about google....I always look things up, get totally horrified, decide that can't be me, and quit! I'd be a terrible med student....I would think I had every disease we studied.

Sharon

 

[casey]

I have spoken to my daughter who is a doctor and she told me to draw round to see if it spreads. My temperature has now gone up to 38.1 so have taken 2 paracetamol and will take it again in an hour.

 

[alohalady]

Are you still on antibiotics? Yes drawing around it to watch if it spreads is a good idea. Paracetamol may bring the temp down but won't work against infection. Sounds like you still need antibiotics. Keeping you in my thoughts across the miles.

 

[casey]

Yes I only started the antibiotics this morning.

 

[Jamie]

casey It will take a bit of time, but you should start to see result after a few days on the antibiotics.

I merged your latest thread with your old recovery thread. We need to keep all your recovery updates, questions and concerns in this single post. It makes it so much easier tho look back and see what has gone on. Please continue to post here!

 

[casey]

Thank you for merging my thread.

 

[Josephine]

I woke up this morning with a high temperature and redness across my incision. Been to out of hours surgery and I have Cellulitis. Been given a double dose of antibiotics and have to go back tomorrow if it gets worse. I don't know much about this infection and do not wish to scare myself with Google so thought I would post here instead. Anyone more knowledgeable who could reassure me would be great.

How extensive is it? Can you post a picture?

You've got the right start and with any luck it should start to diminish though that depends upon the extent of it. It's an infection of the skin and superficial fat layer so unlikely to have any impact on your hip.

You may have a stomach reaction to the antibiotics in which case you should get some Actimel probiotic yoghurt drinks which help a lot. They were my saviour when I had cellulitus.

As for coping with the infection, you need to rest lots - and I do mean lots. Ice the area gently and apply some basic emolument cream like E45 to keep it in good nick. The aftermath of this infection can be skin peeling, just like after sunburn. And you will need pain killers. I had an absolute gallery of meds using codeine, paracetamol and ibuprofen for weeks (don't forget the the stool softeners!!) and needed them. However, my cellulitis was massive, extending from the mid foot right up to the groin.

Feel free to ask more if you want or need do. I'll watch this thread.

 

[casey]

How do I upload an image please

 

[casey]

Looks like I did it.

 

[Jamie]

Ohhhh owie!!!! That made me hurt just to look at the photo!!! Please take care of yourself and get lots of rest as Jo suggested. And let us know how you're doing!!!

 

[Poppet]

Hi Casey, wow honey! I am going to be keeping an eye on your thread.. Take care, hugs from 'down under'

 

[RestAssured]

Hi Casie!

Popping over from the knee side to let you know that I have had cellulitis in the past, and we put a magic marker line around the ankle to see if it continued to progress. It did up my calf, but they switched antibiotics, and cleared it up! I will be watching for good reports from you!

 

[Nannyannie]

Josephine would hopefully be able to tell you more, my late Mum suffered from this a couple of times but antibiotics did the trick, not like a colleague who ignored it hoping it would go away (a man!) and ended up in hospital. You have done the right thing in getting it looked at straight away, hooray for the NHS!
Google is OK but they always bring up the worst-case scenario so best not look at this stage. Take care of yourself!
Regards Anne

 

[casey]

i am in hospital having iv antibiotics. Will update when I am home shall

 

[Maeve]

Oh casey,
So sorry to hear that but you are in the right place and the IV antibiotics should work quickly.
Good luck for a very speedy recovery.

 

[Cookie42]

We're all rooting for you and your immune system. Did the doctor say what could have caused this after a few months and all was healed?

 

[RestAssured]

Did they tell you if this was MRSA cellulitis? Going into the hospital for iv antibotics was the first time I found out that I had MRSA. One thing you didn't mention, unless I missed it was feeling very ill. I felt like "death warmed over" cried at the slightest little thing and had a horrible headache. MRSA is horrible to deal with, but it can be eradicated from your body! I will be praying that this is just cellulitis and not anything more complicated!