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Aug 10, 2013

Cellulitis what?!?!


A yucky post follows: 

So mosquitoes love me. Always have, always will. I say it's because I'm so sweet.....my mom laughs at that one. I can be outside with my entire family, get bitten no less than 6 times and no one else in my family gets one. I'm used to it. I know they will welp, itch like the dickens for about 4 hours, then in the morning it will be gone. 

So Thursday night when I got 4 mosquito bites while helping my dear hubby work on his dirtbike in the garage, I thought nothing of it. 

Friday morning, I woke up to pain in my leg. I had plans to take the girls shopping and to have a nail day, so I toughened up and went on about my day. As the day went on, my leg grew redder and well, just grew! It swelled so bad. I was glad I had the stroller to lean on because it was very painful. 

What did I do? I went home and said....I'll just see how it is in the morning. ha! I am not one to go to the doctor for anything! So, today (Saturday) morning, this is what it looked like....



The dark purple spots are where the original bites were (of course MUCH smaller) the red from the ankle to the knee is infection. YUCKY!




So off to urgent care I went......

Cellulitis is the culprit. Why? Because I scratch the dickens out of them and they got infected. So I have learned my lesson, no more scratching! :) So 14 days of antibiotic (I will definitely be taking my probiotics) and elevation of my leg. I expect to make a full recovery. :) PS. Cellulitis, although a bacterial infection, is not contagious, believe you me...I asked 

See below for more information. 


What is cellulitis?

Cellulitis is a skin infection caused by bacteria. Normally, your skin helps protect you from infection. But if you have a cut, sore, or insect bite, bacteria can get into the skin and spread to deeper tissues. If it is not treated with antibiotics, the infection can spread to the blood or lymph nodes. This can be deadly.
Some people can get cellulitis without having a break in the skin. These include older adults and people who have diabetes or a weak immune system. These people are also more likely to develop dangerous problems from cellulitis. And they are more likely to get cellulitis again.

What causes cellulitis?

Cellulitis is caused by bacteria (usually strep or staph). Some people are at risk for infection by other types of bacteria. They include people with weak immune systems and those who handle fish, meat, poultry, or soil without using gloves.

What are the symptoms?

At first, the infected area will be warm, red, swollen, and tender. As the infection spreads, you may have a fever, chills, and swollen glands.
Cellulitis can occur anywhere on the body. In adults, it often occurs on the legs, face, or arms. In children, it is most common on the face or around the anus. An infection on the face could lead to a dangerous eye infection.
See a doctor right away if you have an infected area of skin and:
  • The infected area is getting redder, more painful, or larger, or it has red streaks extending from it.
  • You have a fever or chills.
  • The infected area is on your face or your groin.




1 comment:

  1. Eek!! I got that one summer when I was a camper. Something (not a mosquito though) bit my wrist and within like two days my lower arm looked like your leg. Scary how much damage a little bite can cause. Glad you are ok!

    ReplyDelete