to go to A and E with this

[saladsandwich]

i have 4 insect bites, 2 on my head 1 on my arm and 1 on my finger, the one on my finger as really swelled up, tried getting in the drs yesterday but they where full and getting to the out of hours doctor where i live is ridiculous.


woke up this morning and its worse, i think it's infected i get infections alot maybe 1 every 6weeks or so, its really painful, just feel an idiot going to A and E with something so small but they do have a minor injuries clinic

aibu to go with something so small (but sweled and painful)i think it probably only needs antibiotics at this stage

[AuntieMonica]

oooowwwchh!

glad you've got sorted OP, and hope it heals quickly and easily

[GloriaVanderbilt]

a-ha. I think I should be a doctor

Thanks for letting us know how you got on and I hope the a-b's do the trick

[ragged]

Good to hear you've been treated, hope it gets better soon :).

[saladsandwich]

well i have anti biotics now :) i have cellulitis on my finger thats what the drs said, just got to see how it goes now, just hoping they kick in quickly before it gets any worse...

thanks for the help, it's hard to know what to do with things like this, people around you just see a big red spot but i know how serious they can be i had one that got into the bone once and i've had one lanced.

i wish i knew that nhs24 did that!

[RunnerHasbeen]

I have phoned NHS24 before for an infection and they faxed me a prescription script to the nearest pharmacy. In my case was recurrent, so knew which ABs but if you explain situation they will probably give you a general one, it doesn't sound like you should wait for swab results.

[Crosshair]

Hope things are improving for you.

[ragged]

Hoping things are okay for you today, Salad. oXo

[AuntieMonica]

sorry, and Fellatio said it too but i took ages to type and didn't see her post

[FellatioNelson]

Incidentally, my DH once went to the GP after suffering for weeks with a swollen lump right on the end of his elbow tip. It had been irritating him for ages, but suddenly became very painful and hot and seemed infected. Coincidentally (he thought) he was feeling fluey, but didn't connect the two.

The GP told him that it was a relatively common condition caused by people in desk jobs, who rest their elbows on the desk a lot when on the phone! She also said it was a bloody good job he'd come along and should have gone sooner, because the resulting infection could turn to very serious septecaemia, (sp?) which could have made him very ill, very quickly indeed. She gave him such massively strong antibiotics that he actually had to have three days off work because the ABs themselves made him ill with gastric problems! She did warn him they might be tough to stomach but said it was imperative he took them as the infection was potentially very dangerous. All for a swollen elbow.

[AuntieMonica]

hope you're better today salad, but if you're not, please do go and get some medical attention today, wherever it has to be from.

ZhenXiang is right, there are many complications that can occur after an insect bite, the sooner you it treated the better.

[FellatioNelson]

You see? Your gut reaction was to not cause too much fuss over an insect bite, when actually it wasn't about the bite any longer, but about the subsequent infection and possible complications. Now the infection has given you a fever by the sounds of things if you are feeling generally unwell, so you really MUST go along this morning please.

[ZhenXiang]

I think to be sure you should go back to A&E as it could be cellulitis (more common in people with compromised immune systems and diabetes) and can develop into a secondary infection by the same bacteria travelling elsewhere in the body, such as septicaemia which is very serious and usually requires hospital admission.

[saladsandwich]

well, i think i made the wrong decision today, after being outside in the cold it looked and felt better so just ended up just going to the pharmacy, bought some epsom salts to soak it in, the swellings gone down but im feeling rather poorly now and all my arm hurts so going to ring nhs 24 if its same in the morning see what they suggest...

my area is appaling for getting appointments

[sausagesandmarmelade]

I had to go to A&E a couple of weeks ago with a bad insect bite on my leg that had caused my leg to swell significantly...and go red.

They gave me antihistamines and anti biotics (that really did the trick) but I had to wait a good 3 hours to be seen.

[piratecat]

op hope you are ok?

also, not everyone has walk in centers, nearby on call doctors places to go to.

my nearest a+E is 25 miles, out of hours docs is 12 miles away. and no walk in places!!!

[unfitmother]

Pippi you are very wrong.

[Crosshair]

How did it go?

[giraffesCantChaChaCha]

By this stage a&e sounds like only option left - aside from nhs direct. But if you are prone to this then would next time try to insist on seeing a Dr, I often get told all appointments are full but when explain its for asthma and having breathing difficulties then fit me in.

[meditrina]

If a bite is showing signs of infection (hot, red, swollen) AND the redness if definitely tracking up the body (typically shows up 48-72 hours after the bite) then you will probably need antibiotics immediately and should go to wherever you can see a doctor straightaway - easily treated, but very serious if not.

[banana87]

I'd ring out of hours GP, not an a&e job.

[stabbystabbykillkill]

Pippi - if I get bitten or stung the area swells massively, becomes red and hot to the touch, and the redness spreads

If I got bitten and stung depending on how bad it looked I would definitely go to A&E especially if they had a minor injuries unit.

Surely that's what it's there for?

[ledkr]

pippi an insect bite isnt serious but an infected finger of a diabetic is.It can lead to cellulitis or scepticemia so dont make sweeping statements like that.
Defo get it checked op.

[GloriaVanderbilt]

Pippi I don't think you need to be so patronising, of course she isn't going to ring an ambulance.

Her A&E has a minor injuries unit. She has been injured by some pesky insect and it sounds as thought she is developing cellulitis so I think in the circumstances it was the only sensible option.

[Crosshair]

Hope you get it sorted!

[pippilongsmurfing]

I don't know where you live but in my area if you have something that is serious but not A&E serrious then call NHS direct who will tell you the best place to go.

I would NOT go to A&E with an insect bite, the fact you have to ask whether to go or not should tell you that you do not need to.

Please don't tell us you were going to ring an ambulance to get there.

It's Saturday morning FFS, not the middle of a long bank holiday, nearly everywhere has walk in centre's these days.