How serious is cellulitis?

[elliejjtiny]

I know any infection can turn into sepsis, but is cellulitis one of the big ones like pneumonia and sepsis or does it just sound scary because people who are really old or really ill can die from it but it's a mild illness for fit and healthy people.

Just wondering as my 17 year old has got it at the moment, where he had surgery in November last year. He's had it before, when he was 5 but that was in a different place. Should I be doing anything to try and prevent it happening again?

Is he on antibiotics for it? It can be very serious if not treated promptly.

Draw around the redness and see if it's spreading. If he's not on antibiotics, I would definitely be getting him seen ASAP.

Can lead to blood poisoning if left untreated. My FIL and my mother have both had it.

Mine turned to sepsis and had me in hospital for a week, but I am neutropenic so that probably had a lot to do with it

Presumably your Ds is being treated for the current outbreak?

It does tend to re-occur once you have had it before.

My DH got it at the site of a graze that was then rubbed by his rucksac strap, and then got it again around a bite. Both cases he got anti biotics immediately and it responded fast.

Another relative had it quite badly a couple of years ago and then this year spent 2 weeks in hospital on IV ABs fighting organ failure. Suspected to have been picked up wild swimming with a small cut.

Immediate treatment seems important.

Cellulitis can be mild or it can be serious. It's how long is a peice of string. Presumably he's on antibiotics?

My fil had it he gave ex a lift to a&e with ds then got so sick his wife had to drive everyone home it was only an hour or so they were there he went downhill fast

Thank you. Yes, he's on antibiotics. I thought it was a serious thing but the GP didn't even want to see him in person though. Just diagnosed him from the photo I sent and prescribed antibiotics. Mind you, our dr surgery is so busy at the moment. It's the only dr surgery in our town and more houses are being built.

Def take it seriously. All good if he is feeling ok and the the antibiotics appear to be working. But if there is any sign of worsening or if the anti biotics don’t appear to be working then go to A&E

I’m very surprised the doc didn’t advise you of this. The nurse I saw was very insistent on this point and I had a very mild case

I've been taking photos of it every day so I can see if it's getting better or worse.

My DH had it and he was also allergic to many antibiotics so it was hard to treat. His recurrences put him in the hospital most of the time. It was awful. He died if a heart attack at 51 while he had it.

DH contracted it, and within less than a week was in hospital on IV antibiotics, he was in for nearly 2 weeks. It can be life threatening, so beware.

I’ve had cellulitis loads, I’ve got a dodgy skin condition that can trigger it.

Starts tiny and it grows, that’s the ishoo.

Nip it in the bud and it’s nothing - leave it a few days and you’re in peril cos you get blood poisoning, but you’ll feel so grotty you won’t leave it.

I get it quite a lot as I am highly allergic to insect bites and they often go to cellulitis. I also get diagnosed by a photo by my GP and the antibiotics do the trick.
Just keep an eye on it as the antibiotics should kick in fairly quick. Mark the size of the redness or take photo and ensure it does not get any worse/larger.

I get this really easily from insect bites. Always draw a circle around it each day in biro, particularly if it’s still getting worse even though he is taking antibiotics. Take warm baths with epsom salts, it will draw the infection out. I also take antihistamine, as part of the reason I get cellulitis is a reaction to insect bites, which then gets infected.

Snap! Just said the same thing. ‘Cellulitis following unexplained spider bite’ was my favourite diagnosis.

Such a pain ! I take massive amount of antihistamine and am very careful to put anti mozzie spray etc but still happens at least once or twice a year .. sigh

Dh developed the rash rapidly over a few hours and he was put on iv antibiotics for two weeks(5 days in hospital) and oral abs for a week. Also had a ultrasound scan to check for clots. Previous history of sepsis. Hope your ds recovers soon.

DH has had it three times. He'd have time in hospital, get discharged and then a few months later it was back. It covered a big area of his body. In the end they actually found out what bacteria was causing it and it was a rare one. He had a line into his chest and a nurse came to our house every day to administer the antibiotics through the line. Since he was treated with the correct antibiotic for the correct bug, he's stayed well. The important thing is to find out the bacteria causing it as he could be on one that barely touches it.

'Unexplained' spider bite? Do spiders ever explain? 😂

My DH often gets it. Sometimes it's fairly mild, treated with antibiotics at home. Sometimes he starts rigoring, vomiting, hot/cold etc. That's A and E and he is usually triaged straight in for intravenous antibiotics. So needs monitoring I guess is the answer.

When should I expect to see an improvement? It looks the same at the moment which I was expecting but I was hoping it would start to look better on monday or Tuesday. Would that be about right?

Thank you so much for all the advice. All I got from the GP was a text saying it was cellulitis and antibiotics would be sent to the pharmacy, oh and no running because I specifically asked about that (cellulitis is on his foot).

Dh last one got worse before it got better. Took a good three days on iv abs. Previous milder bouts seemed to resolve in a few days on oral abs. He still has discoloured skin which reddens from time to time, sox months on.

Tbh a Gp will see cellulitis frequently, they’re not going to get excited over it.

@elliejjtiny
Draw the edge of the area with a marker pen.
That'll tell you if it is getting worse.