Cellulitis - I shouldn't have googled!! Talk to me about your experiences.

[Ewe]

My 2 yr old DD has cellulitis on her chest, a patch about 2 inches by 2 inches, went to see GP this morning and he has prescribed anti-b's but he scared the bejesus out of me with stern words about going to A&E if anything spread.

He also thinks she has shingles, which starts just to the right of the cellulitis, hard to tell what symptoms (pain, tiredness, slight fever) are from which.

I then googled and read all sorts of nasty things about cellulitis and septicaemia. I just want to take her to A&E now for IV anti-biotics but I know that with my sensible head on that's not the best plan.

So please, calm me with your experiences of cellulitis turning out just fine with a course of oral abs.

bump?

She has got antibiotics so has at least started on treatment. If it spreads contact your dr but hopefully she has the right antibiotics and that won't happen.

It's really painful and makes people who have it feel really rotten, your poor dd having shingles too.

Thanks going, she seems in pretty good spirits but does keep saying she's sore, she's due some more calpol in a bit and I've had to put a pop up vest on it to stop her keep touching it. Poor little mite

She keeps asking for nap time too, think she feels totally wiped out!

Oral antibiotics will usually do the job just fine, especially if started quickly and the reason for the cellulitis eg breaks in the skin, bites, wounds etc are dealt with also.

The need to be alert to spreading cellulitis remains (we usually draw round the area with black marker pen!) as it can spread quickly and track up joints, limbs etc. If it is spreading despite abx then see someone asap.

Hope she's better soon.

If you are really worried, you can, as Sidge suggests, draw round the area with a pen to see if it's still spreading. If it does spread beyond the marker, then take her to A&E. DS1 had a particularly aggressive cellulitis when he was only a few days old (and of course had a very immature immune system) and it does take much longer to go down than it takes to come up.

You can alternate Calpol (paracetamol) with children's ibuprofen to up the levels of pain relief.

Thanks ladies, I have drawn markers around the area, how much spreading does there need to be? GP said it might spread a little in first 24hrs.

Have been giving Calpol but will get someone to drop me in some ibuprofen too, she does keep saying she's "really sore mummy" but she often says that about a tiny little graze she has on her toe! Hard to know how painful it is without having had either of the things myself.

She's just had a 3 hour nap and seems a little better now, and seems to be quite enjoying the sweets she gets in exchange for taking her medicine!

Your poor DS1 singers, must be even more worrying in a newborn. My GP was saying the big concern with it is the speed at which it can spread on little bodies - scary really!

Hope your DD is doing well. It was v. worrying in DS1 but I'm sure your DD will be fine with the oral antibiotics, and, if you're worried at all, you know what to do.

If it is spreading fast and DD becomes feverish and unwell, even before the 24 hours is up I would take her to A&E, it is very nasty. A fever is def not a good sign. The infection may have got into her skin via a shingle rash. Poor thing!