To ask if you have any experience with cellulitis? Help needed

[FooFighter99]

Ok so I know this is an annoying post and I apologise in advance but:

I got bitten on my ankles and elbow by mosquitoes last weekend (Saturday) and by Sunday night/Monday morning the bites were starting to become red, swollen and unbearably itchy! They got steadily worse and on Wednesday I took myself to the GP who diagnosed cellulitis and prescribed a 5 day course of antibiotics.

I have been taking the antibiotics, along with the strong antihistamines that make you drowsy, as well as paracetamol and ibuprofen and using either an antihistamine cream or coconut oil to help relieve the itch.

They seemed to be getting better but today (so over a week since the bites and 4 days on antibiotics) they are horrific and the redness, swelling and itchiness is slowly spreading up my leg. This is made more complicated due to the fact that I also have NLD (a chronic skin condition) on the same leg (FML!). The bite on my elbow has also decided to swell up and I just don’t know what to do!!??

Will it get better on its own or will I have to go back to the GP? “Dr Google” says a trip to A&E May be needed if there is redness, heat and swelling - which there is... but I just don’t know?

Has anybody had any experience of cellulitis that got worse before it got better?

Thanks for reading if you got this far

You probably need different a/b’s. Mine was so painful. It got worse before it got better.

Dr reckons it’s fungal and has prescribed hydrocortisone cream...

Oh, I would still go back tomorrow if it is still spreading. And if you start to feel sick or get the runs

Yes I'm serious-seen many people get septic from cellulitis and some without a fever spike prior

I woke up with it a few months ago. I'd cut my foot the day before, woke up the next morning feeling rough, looked at my foot and though eek that's cellulitis (have seen it several times before on other people). Fell back to sleep, woke up 3 hours later feeling absolutely dreadful and ended up in A+E. Took over a week to clear up with antibiotics.

If you feel worse, or it looks worse, go back to A+E. I went from feeling rough to really being very ill in hours.

It's worse again this morning, the redness has spread further, my leg is on fire and it's swollen.

I've got an appointment with my GP this afternoon as I'm sure it's not fungal and is actually the cellulitis spreading

Sounds like you might have been misdiagnosed yesterday. Sounds like the infection is raging and needs a different anti b to kill it.

I’m sure when you get the antibiotics it will recover swiftly.

That's my thought too Dobby, hopefully my own GP will prescribe some stronger antibiotics

You probably need the right ones to fight the infection. Can be hit and miss with them to get the right strain. Maybe they can swab.

I remember the pain of cellulitis. It was awful, lasted weeks. Skin infections are quite scary, because they see so minor and get scary quickly.

Do hope the GP this afternoon is on the ball.

Mines also got worse as the antibiotics weren’t strong enough. The doctor gave me stronger ones and said if I’d left it any longer I would have been sent to the hospital to get it drained. Please go back to the GP or A&E.

another nurse here....A and E asap

You might not need IV antibiotics though you might need the correct antibiotic for the bacteria you are infected. You could ask to see the GP/ANP if your GP surgery is able to see you immediately (unlikely but possible to avoid a trip to A and E) or have a walk-in centre, otherwise A and E.

Defo a and e. Dont wait to see gp. You arent responding to the meds theyve tried so they need to be putting you on a drip asap. Hope you get sorted