Cellulitis

My husband had it 15 years ago and had an IV plug put in his arm and he had to go to the hospital 7 days in a row to sit for 45 minutes while they gave him a bag of antibiotics. Like the previous poster said: go back and insist on IV meds, this is a serious infection. Get a different doc while you are at it. Wishing you all the best. Cato

Go back to the ER. This is your face!! You most likely need another type of antibiotic - a cephalosporin like Keflex (Ancef is the IV form) is typically the drug of choice for cellulits. The infection you have may be resistant to the antibiotic that you were prescribed. If the infection is severe enough, they will want to admit you for IV therapy. You should have seen some improvement by now. Outline the red borders of the infection so you can tell if it getting worse or getting better (I know this is your face, but it is the best way to tell if an infection is progressing or resolving). You have to be your own advocate. Go back, you have nothing to loose.

I would go see a dermatologist. I had the same thing after a serious sunburn on my upper thigh. My dermatologist was great and it cleared up quickly.

I also had cellulitis in my face after getting my wisdom teeth removed. I ended up needing to have surgery and have drains put in for a few days to drain out the infection. This was after a few rounds of iv antibiotics. Good luck to you!

J.,
Do they know what caused the cellulitis? Do you have a puncture wound like an animal bite? Any drainage? Do you have loss of sensation? Do you have chronic health problems? You really should see improvement within 48 hrs of starting antibiotics, whether it's decreased redness/warmth, less pain, or less swelling. You might need IV antibiotics, and sometimes they will agree to doing it as an outpatient if you're willing to have a new IV started every day for several days rather than be admitted to the hospital. Every day you should carefully inspect the reddened/swollen area. When it occurs on someone's arm or leg they will often outline the red area with a sharpie so they can tell if the redness is increasing (shows up outside the sharpie border) or decreasing. I realize you probably don't want to mark up your face but see if you can figure out some other method of tracking progress, and if it seem to be spreading you really need to be proactive about getting an IV. Having somebody else help you with this would be ideal since you might not be able to see the full extent of the swelling.
Definitely do the warm moist compresses at home, frequently!
If you start to get dizzy/lightheaded (symptoms of low blood pressure), high fever, weakness, then you absolutely need to go back to the ER without delay. One more thing, I'm wondering if the cellulitis is around your eyes or if it's more over your nose and cheeks. Around your eyes can be more serious.

3 days is not long 'tho it feels that way. But they may need to try another kind, whether oral or IV because so many conditions now are resistant. I had a friend who went thru this - 2 rounds of oral and one round of IV. He finally got relief by adding in a nutritional supplement that boosts the immune system - if you want more info I can have you talk to him. )Ou may have to finish the 7 or 10 day course you are on before you know - I'm sorry you are going thru this pain. Be careful it doesns't spread because it can be very serious. Let me know if you want more help.

im so sorry about that last year i had cellulitis really bad on my legs i was in hosptial for almost 2 weeks now i have scar on my leg . i would tell them you feel better if they could give you iv . its alot better then the oral meds they give u . again hang in there i hope u feel better

J.,
CALL ME IF YOU WANT ###-###-#### BUT BETTER TO CALL YOUR DOCTOR OR ANOTHER.
I HATE TO WRITE IN CAPITAL LETTERS BUT THIS IS AN EMERGENCY SITUATION --CALL 911 AND GET THE EMT SO THEY TAKE YOU TO HOSPITAL - YOU SHOULD NOT DRIVE IN YOURSELF -- THEY SHOULD TAKE YOU MORE SERIOUSLY AT THE HOSPITAL - GET IV ANTIBIOTICS IN THE HOSPITAL - THEY AUTOMATICALLY DO IT- DON'T WAIT TO READ THIS ARTICLE, THIS IS NOT A SKIN PROBLEM BUT INSTEAD A DEEP BLOOD INFECTION THAT CAN CAUSE LOSS OF TISSUE AND LIFE. PLEASE GO TO ANOTHER EMERGENCY ROOM AND SHOW THEM THE ARTICLE BELOW BY MAYO CLINIC.

CALL ME IF YOU WANT MORE INFO.

Summertime, and Your Skin is Red, Hot, Tender, and Swollen…Is It Cellulitis?

About six years ago, three friends and I were staying on the Cape at a really nice cottage in South Wellfleet. In the middle of the week, we took a walk along the beach trails. As we walked back, I noticed a red spot about the size of a quarter on the back of Cindy’s right leg just below her knee. I mentioned it, but then we forgot about it during the rest of the afternoon and dinner. After dinner, we sat on the living room floor in preparation for a killer game of scrabble. (Two of my friends, Anne and Cheryl, are nurses, which turned out to be really lucky for Cindy.) Cindy said that the spot on her leg had gotten much larger and that it felt hot, tender, and painful. Cheryl took a look at the rapidly growing area and told Cindy we were taking her to the hospital.

At the hospital, an Emergency Room nurse put Cindy in a room and gave her an IV drip of antibiotics. After a several hours, they released Cindy, and we left, arriving back about 5 AM. Cindy spent the rest of the week lying with her leg up on a pillow on the sofa. She was in a lot of pain; the leg throbbed and was hot to the touch. But by the week’s end, the red area was becoming smaller.

Cellulitis (sel-u-LI-tis) is a common, potentially serious bacterial skin infection. Cellulitis appears as a swollen, red area of skin that feels hot and tender, and cellulitis may expand rapidly. [The] skin on lower legs is most commonly affected, though cellulitis can occur anywhere on a person’s body or face. Infections on the face are more common in children and older adults. Cellulitis may affect only the skin's surface, or cellulitis may also affect tissues underlying the skin and can spread to the lymph nodes and bloodstream.

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. Cellulitis symptoms may mean that your skin is:
• Red
• Swollen
• Tender
• Warm

The changes in skin may be accompanied by a fever. Over time, the area of redness tends to expand. Small red spots may appear on top of the reddened skin, and less commonly, small blisters may form and burst.

If you have these symptoms, try to see your doctor the same day. If a fever or pain accompanies the rash, or the rash is changing rapidly, seek emergency care. It's important to identify and treat cellulitis early because the condition can cause a serious infection by spreading rapidly throughout your body.

Adapted from Mayo Clinic Staff, Cellulitis, http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/cellulitis/ © 1998-2009 Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research. All rights reserved.