PDA

View Full Version : So here I sit......



KA9MOT
09-05-2010, 12:58 AM
I was going to take the family down to Spring Lake and set up our old tent and put my old Jon boat in the lake today.....Instead, I woke up with Cellulitis on/in my right lower leg.
2 trips to the hospital and spend the day on the couch, and my lower leg is as big as a basketball and hurts like blue blazes.......from my ankle to my knee.

Perfect weekend for a couple of slow easy days at the lake......bummer.

NQ6U
09-05-2010, 01:02 AM
I was going to take the family down to Spring Lake and set up our old tent and put my old Jon boat in the lake today.....Instead, I woke up with Cellulitis on/in my right lower leg.

Man, sorry to hear that, Steven. Take care of yourself.

Getting old is a bitch, ain't it?

KG4CGC
09-05-2010, 01:07 AM
Inflammatory Cellulitis? subcutaneous?
Have you been exposed to drying conditions?
Just asking.

kc7jty
09-05-2010, 03:07 AM
Hope you're feeling better soon.

N2CHX
09-05-2010, 05:44 AM
Ugh, that sucks. D has had that. It usually means a week or more with the leg elevated. Hope you're better soon!

N8YX
09-05-2010, 07:31 AM
Brown recluses - how do they work?

ki4itv
09-05-2010, 09:59 AM
whoa, bummer. Kick back and go for that speedy recovery.

n2ize
09-05-2010, 10:54 AM
I had cellulitis twice, in my lower left leg. The first time I had it (in 2007) I didn't know what it was. The first sign is a tingling pain in the skin for a few seconds when you stand on it. Then I started getting a low grade fever and noticed it was red and swollen and hot. The first thing they do when I went to the hospital is check for a blood clot. Then the IV antibiotics,, then I was on oral antibiotics for about a month afterwards.

I most recently got it again this past April. It came on without warning. I woke up with a high fever that intensified through the day. At peak intensity the fever was quite high a bit over 104, I was delirious, I couldn't think, and I couldn't care if I lived or died. Soon after the fever went down I noticed that pain in the leg and saw it was turning red. Went to the hospital the next morning and they put me through the same routine, check for clot, IV antibiotics, take home antibiotics + pain killers. However, this time round the infection did some damage to the leg and left me with mild edema (swelling) in the lower leg. As a result I have to wear a compression sock on that leg. Doctors say it may gradually go away or, it may stay with me for the rest of my life.

That cellulitis is nasty stuff. Once it gets a foothold it spreads fast. And potentially dangerous if not treated quickly.

WØTKX
09-05-2010, 10:55 AM
Glad you are not ignoring it.

A local ham buddy got that when I was in the hospital from the accident. He was there for about a week because it was hard to get under control.
Thought he was going in for skin cream and a prescription, and ended up staying. Some folks are more susceptible, but it's very common.

That can be a life threatening infection, if untreated... some strains of bacteria have become "super bugs" and are more difficult to treat.

KA9MOT
09-05-2010, 11:02 AM
With my other problems, this comes as no surprise but it is the first time I have experienced it. Day 2 and it doesn't hurt as bad and the swelling has gone down some. In March I had a DVT in this leg and spent more then a month on my couch and 4 days in the hospital. This leg has been junk ever since. I developed sores that leak on it and I think that is where the bacteria got in.
Thanks for all the kind words...........I sure wish I was fishing right now.

I'm headed back to my couch now........

n2ize
09-05-2010, 11:22 AM
With my other problems, this comes as no surprise but it is the first time I have experienced it. Day 2 and it doesn't hurt as bad and the swelling has gone down some.

I presume you are taking an antibiotic...probably Keflex ? Well at least you know the treatment is working. I noticed that with me there is usually a lag time between when the antibiotic is administered and when it starts working. During that lag time the infection , pain, etc actually intensifies and always makes me worry the antibiotic may not be working. In my case I always noticed improvement by Day 3.



In March I had a DVT in this leg and spent more then a month on my couch and 4 days in the hospital. This leg has been junk ever since. I developed sores that leak on it and I think that is where the bacteria got in.

Doctors told me that any trauma or problem with the leg can make you more prone to cellulitis. Edema, dry, chapped, or cracking skin, insect bites, blood clots, diabetes, surgery, etc...



Thanks for all the kind words...........I sure wish I was fishing right now.

I'm headed back to my couch now........

You'll be fishing soon enough. I'm sure you'll be good as new soon.

KC2UGV
09-05-2010, 05:03 PM
I had cellulitis in my index finger. Two of my ratties were fighting, so I intervened. One of them mistook my finger for the other guy. Right in the knuckle.

Waited about 1 1/2 weeks before seeing a Doc. And that was only in happenstance. Talking to a doc friend, I said,"Should I have a Dr. see this?" Her reply,"YES!"

KA9MOT
09-06-2010, 12:27 PM
And things are improving.... A little better today, but I think it is moving into my knee. It is getting very stiff and painful. The swelling is donw to about half of what it was, as is the pain. I might get the boat in the water before the snow flies after all. It hasn't been in the water yet this year. One more year like this, and I'll sell the thing.....problem is, it isn't worth much......

KA9MOT
09-06-2010, 12:33 PM
I presume you are taking an antibiotic...probably Keflex ? Well at least you know the treatment is working. I noticed that with me there is usually a lag time between when the antibiotic is administered and when it starts working. During that lag time the infection , pain, etc actually intensifies and always makes me worry the antibiotic may not be working. In my case I always noticed improvement by Day 3.

Yes! Keflex! This leg has been junk ever since the DVT. Just not right. It swells and developes sores that leak and don't want to heal up. The doc wants me to wear Tet Hose but I just won't do it. Tet hose are for little old ladies.

n2ize
09-06-2010, 02:45 PM
Yes! Keflex! This leg has been junk ever since the DVT. Just not right. It swells and developes sores that leak and don't want to heal up. The doc wants me to wear Tet Hose but I just won't do it. Tet hose are for little old ladies.

Do yourself a favour...Get the compression socks and WEAR THEM !!! The sores sound like leg ulcers. They can easily become infected. It sounds like the DVT caused circulation problems and you're getting a buildup of lymph fluid. At least that is how my doctor described it.

I didn't like the idea of wearing the sock either. But I was getting chronic edema from whatever damage the infection did and the lower leg and foot were swelling regularly. As a result the skin was getting mottled and very dry and cracking. Wearing the sock helped a lot. I get virtually no more swelling of the foot, even if I don't wear the sock for a day. And the swelling of the lower leg is not nearly as bad, even when I don't wear the sock.

Better to wear the sock and avoid future problems. If the doc recommended them give it a try.

W4RLR
09-06-2010, 04:28 PM
From the title of this thread, I thought it was going to be a treatise on the art of defecation in a public restroom... sorry to hear you are under the weather. Best wishes for a speedy recovery.

kf0rt
09-06-2010, 05:24 PM
From the title of this thread, I thought it was going to be a treatise on the art of defecation in a public restroom... sorry to hear you are under the weather. Best wishes for a speedy recovery.

Does the treatise involve a broken heart and a nickle?

NQ6U
09-06-2010, 06:37 PM
Does the treatise involve a broken heart and a nickle?

No, it has something to do with a "wide stance."

kc7jty
09-06-2010, 06:42 PM
No, it has something to do with a "wide stance."

http://www.qrz.com/hampages/y/t/kc7jty/Larry_Craig_says_hi_.jpg
Idaho's 15 minutes of fame.

NQ6U
09-06-2010, 06:49 PM
Idaho's 15 minutes of fame.

I thought that your potatoes made you famous. That's what it says on your license plates.

kf0rt
09-06-2010, 06:56 PM
Doh! <facepalm>

BTW, got behind an Idaho car at a fast-food drive-thru yesterday. Figured they wanted their potatoes back.

ki4itv
09-06-2010, 10:08 PM
Doh! <facepalm>

BTW, got behind an Idaho car at a fast-food drive-thru yesterday. Figured they wanted their potatoes back.

:lol:
People from Idaho should get free fries. It's just not right making them pay a ransom.