To think there should maybe be a little campaign about cellulitis from insect bites

[solidgoldbrass]

I've just sent a batch of squawky messages to and about another Facebook friend to the effect that: You have a nasty, inflamed, swollen, painful insect bite? Get the fuck to the doctor before you die.

Is it that a lot of my friends are a bit too hardarsed? I was, the first time I had it: general attitude of 'meh, it's a bug bite, that's all. I know it's five inches across and spreading, and I feel sick and dizzy and my foot is massively swollen but oh it'll go away...' until an acquaintance said, you really ought to see the GP. And the GP nearly wet himself and pointed out that untreated cellulitis makes people die... Would you go 'meh' at a painful swollen spreading bug bite?

Hi OP, thanks for drawing my attention to this, I've never heard of cellulitis before. Sounds like the kind of thing we should all be aware of... not paranoid about, just to have an awareness of signs and symptoms for ourselves and others, just in case.

Here is what the nhs has to say about it

i have a significant allergic reaction to insect bites, hard swollen lumps up to 20cm in diameter. This is normal for me but well meaning people badger me to get them looked at. a campaign about cellulitus would make it 10 times worse

mamasmission, still swollen 15 years later?! I've been upset that mine is still swollen (and prone to random further swelling) after 12 weeks! Am I never going to have a normal looking foot again?

I do agree with MissRepresentation that if you're not in agonising pain (I felt as though I had hot acid running through my leg) then it's probably not cellulitis, but I also agree with other posters that something which can happen so quickly and develop from something quite inconspicuous (bite, broken skin, cracked skin, graze...) Should be more widely known about.

How weird. I was in hospital for a few days earlier this month because I had cellulitis of the pinna (in my ear).

My ear was swollen closed and incredibly painful. My GP couldn't see me for four days, the emergency GP prescribed antibiotics over the phone for me to collect the following morning.

A trip to A&E when the pain and swelling became too much resulted in me being admitted to the ENT ward and given intravenous antibiotics (as they are quicker and more effective than oral ones apparently), a pope wick tube was inserted down my ear to open it so they could put drops down it three times a day, my ear was covered in steroid cream and I was given twenty painkillers a day. I was in hospital for four days and then sent home with more oral antibiotics and more painkillers and ear drops. Again, twenty pain killers per day and the ear drops for one month and an appointment for the outpatients clinic.

The ENT doctors were not happy that I had described my symptoms to the GP's receptionist and the emergency doctor, telling them both about the swelling and pain, and neither of them had thought it urgent enough to have me seen right away. I actually told the doctor on the phone that I had to hold my ear open to listen to him because it was swollen so badly. They said any future swelling and I must go straight into hospital, either with a letter from my GP or to go to A&E with my discharge notes and ask to be admitted to the ENT ward if my GP couldn't see me immediately.

My ear is still painful at times, I can't get it wet so I have to put vaseline on cotton wool and put that in my ear with a waterproof plaster over it when I have a shower and just try to avoid getting that side too wet.

I was just on another thread telling someone with an ear infection that hadn't responded to a week of treatment with oral antibiotics to go to A&E as her ears were swelling.

So you are not being unreasonable OP. Cellulitis is very serious and I'm actually quite scared about getting it again. I am deaf in one ear already and this happened to my 'good' ear so I was almost completely deaf while my ear was swollen and I don't want to have permanent damage to it. And the infection could have done nerve damage to my face or as someone else said, turned to septicaemia.

I am one of those people who rarely gets bitten, and who heals up very quickly, so it was interesting to read this as it certainly wasnt something I was aware of. My husband always reacts quite badly to bites though, in the same way as you Tyler, is there anything that you take that can help?

I've had cellulitis...but from broken skin where a new pair of shoes had rubbed and not from a bite. Definitely not nice. I had fever and felt unwell before the swelling started and it was extremely painful, didn't realise quite how serious it was though.

Good to make people aware of it I think so YANBU.

We nearly lost our DS to peri orbital cellulitis, if a locum gp hadn't been in the ball and sent us straight to A & E, phoning ahead then things could have been very different

DH has had cellulitis 3 times now, including periorbital, so we are very aware. It is vv nasty when it is acute.

You can have chronic cellulitis too, that isn't life threatening, can go on for years, but is still very unpleasant. That doesn't usually start from an injury

Would go "meh" at dh having what you describe. He gets 4-5" spreading bites regularly over the summer. Occasionally he puts antihistamine cream on, but never has needed anyting else. He had a ring round his upper arm earlier thie year, I think it was about 3 bites, but they spread to join up.

Otoh it's great for me. I don't ever need insect repellant if he's with me because they always go for him and not me. I obviously taste bad

i am prescribed anti histamines from the doctor, they used to help a lot at first but less so these days.

Tyler I would rather be badgered by well meaning people if it meant that a campaign could save a life.

What's annoying for you becomes another persons life or death situation. My friend died from cellulitis, it could have been prevented.

I understand that it gets on your nerves but please think a bit

I didn't know this. My insect bites occasionally look like that. Must be more careful in future. Thanks for the tip op.

i should clarify, my objection is to a campaign specifically about insect bites when cellulitus is just as likely to have a different cause

Mine was caused by having a tiny patch of dry skin on my ear I think.

DD had periorbital cellulitis at 18 months, and there was no evidence of a bite, so I think any awareness raising should focus on the symptoms (swelling, pain, line of infection towards the heart etc) rather than the specific probable cause.

I had never heard of it until the GP sent us to A&E!

fuck

Tyler: Fair point, and I know that it isn;t just insect bites that can cause it (and it's not that they actually cause it AFAIK, it just seems to follow on sometimes, presumably by the bacteria entering the scratched bite.)

i have a significant allergic reaction to insect bites, hard swollen lumps up to 20cm in diameter. This is normal for me but well meaning people badger me to get them looked at. a campaign about cellulitus would make it 10 times worse

OR tyler, it could save lives.

And so could a campaign about cellulitus from athlete's foot, or being at greater risk if you're very overweight, or if you've got chickenpox or if you've got diabetes or if you've got a little tiny tiny cut.

Far too many causes for a simple campaign focusing on just insect bites.

I contracted cellulitis 10 years ago via an infected blister in my foot and it tracked up to my knee. Antibiotics fixed it.

However. Once you've had one bout you are prone to more and 2 years ago i got bitten on the same foot and landed in hospital on antibiotics. My foot and ankle grew in front of my eyes and people in a+e were commenting on it as it grew and eventually blistered. I was off work for 4 weeks in total.

Yanbu op

I knew absolutely nothing about this. That's so strange considering how common it is and how dangerous it can be. Why don't you get ''how to identify cellulitis'' pamphlets alongside the meningitis ones?

I'm very glad I read this thread.

Far too many causes for a simple campaign focusing on just insect bites.

Any skin puncture can cause cellulitis. A relative of mine nearly lost her leg and hadn't been bitten, just a tiny scratch, barely visible.

Tyler, you could easily have a single campaign/leaflets about cellulitis. I don't know why you're so down on the idea when it can save lives.

My dd had the beginnings of peri-orbital cellulitis. One GP thought it was conjunctivitis (!?) and the other said maybe an allergic reaction- when two doses of piriton had no effect we went staright to A+E and luckily saw a doc who didn't like the general look of DD (she was a bit listless and grizzly, we had put it down to tiredness). She had oral anti-bs and was noticably better within two hours. Doc said if it had been any worse she would have needed i/v anti-bs. I did read that cellulitis is much more common now, Why is that? Resistant strains of bacteria maybe? Scary to think that septicaemia could be far more common in the future.

The title of the OP said little campaign about cellulitis from insect bites

Why focus on insect bites? I just think it's wrong to focus on a cause, or any cause really, far better to focus on symptoms.

Focus on a cause and maybe someone thinks their infected blister can wait, focus on the symptoms which are common to all causes and you help far more people.

CMOTDibbler

You can have chronic cellulitis too, that isn't life threatening, can go on for years, but is still very unpleasant. That doesn't usually start from an injury

Thanks for that, was starting to think I'd missed something in my conversations/visits with her over the years.