Cellulitis-I feel so ill

[IamEarthymama]

I had cellulitis in my ankle, spreading up my leg last year.the infection got in through psoriasis on my foot. I walked around on it with no treatment for 3 months as doctor thought it was a sprain.

I had about 5 courses of antibiotics and looked after psoriasis really well and it cleared though the red line on my ankle did not disappear.

It's back with a vengeance, 5 weeks now. I am on my second course of doxycycline, which I have to take with an anti-emetic as I am allergic to lots of ABs. My leg is painful and hot, swollen and numb. I feel as though I have the flu with no sneezing. Not a cold the flu.

I can't stay off work, people depend on me, (this is true, I am not exaggerating) I work at home so that helps but I have to be up and about.

I am trying to make an appointment at my GPs, but struggling to get through.
What shall I say to her?

I would prefer an intense intravenous course of ABs to get to the root of the infection. Would that work with my reaction, could I also have an anti-emetic?

[AttilaTheMeerkat]

You need to look after your own self first in terms of health concerns, other people reliant on you will have to wait.

I would bypass the GP altogether and go immediately to A & E; you may well now need treatment on a hospital ward.

[IamEarthymama]

I know you are right, I am often told his
Mother was a Martyr and it’s a hard role model to get out of one’s head.
I have an appointment at 11.30am s will report back

I am always trying to be stoic and not take advantage of the NHS.
Bloody hell, I am depressing myself

[MrsJayy]

Go to A&E you knowhow quickly it can spread and you are feeling rank and sepsis could hit you.

[MrsJayy]

Ah appointment yes let us know

[endofthelinefinally]

It sounds as if you need IV antibiotics.
If you can't get through to GP, is there a walk in service anywhere near you?
Work will have to cope without you if you end up with sepsis.
Cellulitis can be very dangerous.

[endofthelinefinally]

Actually if the GP can't tell the difference between a sprain and cellulitis, I think I would be going straight to hospital.

[mushroom3]

A and E, I had this in my arm following an infected insect bite. I was admitted via A&E immediately and was there 5 days with an IV antibiotic cocktail. Can escalate very fast.

[Anothertempusername]

I'm sorry you're feeling so unwell OP; however I promise you can stay off work. I'm sure people do depend on you but you need to be well for them to do so!

[TheHorseYouRodeInOn]

When I had cellulitis in my arm , I was in hospital on a drip with three different antibiotics. That's what worked in the end 😊

[CoffeeRunner]

A&E for sure.

I work on an acute medical ward and have seen many patients with cellulitis. It needs treating properly and can become very serious if not.

From my personal experience also, DS2 managed to get cellulitis when he was just 3. He had fallen and scrazed his elbow badly at a tin mine in Cornwall, 24 hours later his arm was hot & swollen and he was clearly very unwell. Cellulitis was diagnosed and he spent 24 hours in hospital with IV antibiotics, being sent home with further strong antibiotics.

I know you don't always need hospital treatment with it, but from how you describe yourself as feeling, I would definitely recommend an A&E visit to check.

Hope you feel better soon.

[Flatwhite32]

@IamEarthymama hope you get the help you need. I would definitely recommend A&E. In 2014, I was on antibiotics for cellulitis stemming from an infected insect bite. They didn't work, and I went to out of hours who said 'you'll be fine, here are more antibiotics'. I started vomiting and feeling even worse after a couple of days, and went to A&E. I was put on IV antibiotics straight away, and was taken to theatre that night to have the infection cut open and drained. After that, I had to get the wound packed for something like 4 weeks, which was agony! I wished I had gone to A&E sooner!

[GetOffTheRoof]

A&E. My biggest worry is that you may be developing sepsis from the infection. Please get seen ASAP.

Work can wait. If your work relates to people's lives, and they depend on you for their life support methods, that's a bit different. Other than that, they'll be fine. What would otherwise happen if you were hit by a bus and fell into a coma?

[IamEarthymama]

I’ve just come out seeing my doctor and actually I’m sat here in the park in tears. It’s the same Doctor who misdiagnosed as a sprain last year. She said to me that she didn’t think it was cellulitis so I asked her why I felt so ill. She shrugged his shoulders.
She said my leg wasn’t swollen and measured it with a tape measure to show it was no bigger than the other one. It’s a totally different shape to my other leg it goes in narrow at the bottom and comes out swollen from mid calf to my knee
Everybody else I’ve showed it to thinks that it’s swollen and okay it’s not intensely hot but my ankle is hot,
I honestly feel really ill, I fall asleep if I stop doing things
Maybe she is right, what else could it be?
I just sat there looking at her with tears running down my face and my hair in strings as I was sweating so profusely
So she agreed to double the dose of aantibiotics
Wgy would she do that if she didn’t believe me?

[GetOffTheRoof]

Go and get a second opinion, please. You deserve one.

This GP has proven they are untrustworthy for you. Is there a walk in clinic or minor injuries clinic you can get to? If not, still go to A&E.

[0DimSumMum0]

As the other posters have said go straight to A&E. I have had cellulitis twice and my first episode sounds very similar to yours. I ended up with such severe flu like symptoms that I ended up hallucinating and had to be rushed into hospital. Not to scare you but it is a very dangerous thing to have and can start to cause your organs to shut down if undiagnosed. Please ignore your Dr and get some help xxx

[MooseBeTimeForSnow]

Go to A&E.
And then file a complaint with the GP practice. Escalate it as necessary.

[Gottalovesummer]

My friend gets cellulitis regularly. She has to get to A&E asap for intravenous antibiotics.

Last time she got it, I took her in and they thought she had sepsis as this can develop very quickly.

Please in to A & E as soon as you can. X

[IamEarthymama]

Thank you all so much, I am listening.
I am looking after a small person as family are at a funeral, they will be home soon.

I don't have that horrible looking cellulitis I have seen in pictures
It is all under the skin, but it's hot, though not all the time.
My toes are freezing, my ankle and leg are really hot and there's prickling under the skin.
It's hellish to walk on and I have NO energy. I usually bound up rocks, hide behind trees, spend most of my time outdoors as I live in a semi-rural location. I have had osteoarthritis for 25 years, have suffered with appendicitis, pleurisy and pneumonia and I feel as ill now as when I was diagnosed with the last three.
I have double dose of antibiotics, do you think that will work or do I bite the bullet and go to A&E or ring NHSDirect?

[Mamimawr]

I've had cellulitis and as you say it makes you feel ill. Only you can decide to go to A&E or not but if you decide not to go now I wouldn't leave it any longer than three days on the new antibiotics. You should be able tol tell if they're working by then.

[TapasForTwo]

If you feel ill in yourself then it is definitely time to go to A and E. It sounds like you need IV antibiotics before sepsis sets in.

[Karigan195]

I’ve had cellulitis and it is bloody horrible. If you do not relax it’s harder for your immune system to fight it and it can end up with organ failure. It is something to be taken very very seriously!

I rang nhs direct and got told to go to a&e leading to a 5 day hospital stop with iv antibiotics.

Don’t hesitate. Go in if it’s hot and there’s any sign of spreading. Don’t pussy foot around with it as it can kill.

[Hadalifeonce]

Please go to A & E, cellulitis can kill. DH has had it, he was hospitalised with it once, has always been prescribed Flucloxacillin.

[swimrunfun]

My teenage son has just had this and my daughter had it a decade ago when she was a toddler.

My daughter was treated in hospital with an IV drip. We had called the NHS helpline and they told me to take her to A&E immediately and they admitted her there and then.

I took my son to a private GP a few days ago and he is currently on a course of oral antibiotics. There is NO WAY, I would arse around waiting for a week or more for a GP appointment. It can turn nasty very quickly (eg sepsis; bone infection which my son has also had and it involved a 3 week hospital stay but this wasn't due to cellulitis). I don't want to scare you. I'd recommend going to an A&E or to a walk in clinic ASAP or worst case scenario, back you your GP.

Good luck and lots of hugs.

[Picassopilot]

Another vote for a visit to A&E

My father had cellulitis in his foot from a cut and got fobbed off by the gp, telling him to wait longer for the antibiotics to work
Mum sent me this photo and I insisted they went straight to A&E. He was admitted there and then. Within hours he started to hallucinate and was very sick. He spent a week in hospital on IV antibiotics and had to have physio to get him walking again.

[Punxsutawney]

Many years ago my baby Ds was sent away by a GP and I was told that I had to wait 48hrs for oral antibiotics to work. My son had orbital cellulitis. An hour after the gp appointment I took him to a and e. He was admitted and spent 5 days in hospital on iv antibiotics. I don't like to think what would have happened if I had waited the 48hrs. At the time I had no idea how dangerous cellulitis could be I just knew he was very poorly so I ignored the gp and went to the hospital.