I recently read a question posted with a similar question heading. Like that person, I too was diagnosed with cellulitis Wednesday before last. The weird thing is I cannot think of any bite, cut, abrassion, etc., and that moments before I went to bed, I felt fine. Almost immediately, I began running fever and it felt like my legs were being shocked. I managed through the night on aspirin and water (Had a severe thirst). The next morning, I noticed my leg above the ankle and below the knee was bright red. I immediately went to my doctor where I had a 102.7 degree fever. He admitted me to the hospital, and I was given iv cipro for 1 day, and by the second day, it spread, and I was given iv vanco with cipro. I stayed in the hospital 11 days, and was released Monday. I'm still taking oral cipro and zywok (sp?). When I was released, my Doctor said he had been treating it as MRSA. My leg still itches like crazy, have I been misdiagnosed? What should I do? So he gave you two drugs all along, and you went home on linezolid (Zyvox) AND a fluoriquinolone (Cipro). He told you he was treating it aggressively as if it were MRSA.
Why do you think you were misdiagnosed? If he treated it less aggressively and waited for a culture to come back, you could conceivably be dead. You are here, and no longer in the hospital. Dead bacteria release inflammatory mediators called kinins that cause itch.
There is a treatment algorithm for the empiric treatment of infectious disease. He followed the algorithm. If you don't believe him, ask to see it.
Here's what you should do; send your doc a fruit basket and thank your lucky stars. Cellulitis is an infection of the skin and underlying tissues that can affect any area of the body. It often begins in an area of broken skin, like a cut or scratch, when bacteria invade and spread, causing inflammation, pain, swelling, warmth, and redness.
Causes
Conditions that create breaks in the skin and allow bacteria to enter, such as eczema and severe acne, will put a child at risk for cellulitis. Chickenpox, scratched insect bites, animal bites, and puncture wounds are other causes.
Cellulitis also can form in areas of intact skin, especially in people who have diabetes or who are taking medicines that suppress the immune system.
Cellulitis requires particularly close monitoring when it infects the eyelid and tissues surrounding the eye. It can be the result of minor trauma to the area around the eye (such as an insect bite or a scratch), or it may be an extension of another infection, such as sinusitis. This kind of cellulitis is treated with antibiotics and close follow-up. If untreated, it can progress to a more serious infection that affects vision.
Symptoms
cellulitis_illustrationCellulitis typically begins as a small, inflamed area of pain, swelling, warmth, and redness on a child's skin. As this red area begins to spread, the child may begin to feel sick and develop a fever, sometimes with chills and sweats. Swollen lymph nodes (commonly called swollen glands) are sometimes found near the area of infected skin. Cellulitis is not contagious.
Prevention
You can prevent cellulitis by protecting your child's skin from cuts, bruises, and scrapes. This may not be easy, especially if you have an active child who loves to explore or play sports. Protective equipment worn to prevent other injuries during active play can also protect skin: elbow and knee pads while skating, a bike helmet during bike riding, shin guards during soccer, long pants and long-sleeved shirts while hiking in the woods, sandals (not bare feet) on the beach, and seatbelts while riding in a motor vehicle.
If your child does get a scrape, wash the wound well with soap and water. Apply an antibiotic ointment and cover the wound with an adhesive bandage or gauze. Check in with your doctor if your child has a large cut, deep puncture wound, or bite (animal or human).
Diagnosis
The incubation period for cellulitis varies, depending on the type of bacteria causing it. Your doctor can diagnose cellulitis by asking a few questions and examining the area of affected skin. Sometimes, especially in younger kids, a blood culture may be done to check for bacteria growth. A positive blood culture means that bacteria from the skin infection have spread into the bloodstream, a condition known as bacteremia. This can potentially lead to septicemia, an infection affecting many systems of the body.
Treatment
A child with severe cellulitis may be treated in the hospital using intravenous (IV) antibiotics. Kids with milder cellulitis can be treated at home with antibiotics. The doctor may also suggest that the affected part of the body be immobilized and elevated to reduce swelling and pain. Pain relievers such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen can help reduce discomfort.
After 1 or 2 days on antibiotics at home, a child may return to see the doctor, who'll check that the area of cellulitis has improved and that the antibiotics are working to heal the infection.
When to Call the Doctor
Call the doctor whenever any area of your child's skin becomes red, warm, and painful 鈥?with or without fever and chills. This is especially important if the affected skin is on the face or if your child has a chronic illness (like diabetes) or a condition that suppresses the immune system.
Because cellulitis can happen very quickly after an animal bite, call the doctor whenever your child is bitten by an animal, especially if the puncture wound is deep. Human bites also can cause skin infections and should be seen by a doctor. If red streaks develop from the infected area or symptoms worsen despite antibiotic treatment, your child should be reexamined. Hi there,
I am a Registered Nurse and I see Cellulitis in the hospital all the time. Its a very frequent occurence. Typically the infection will result from anything that opens the skin to bacteria, such as a cut, bite, sting, scratch, etc. You are not aware of any open wounds... but perhaps there was a pinpoint size wound that you did not even notice. Now you didn't mention any of your medical history... But I am curious if you are a Diabetic? Diabetics are prone to infection because their body can not respond as well due to high sugar which bacteria love to feed on. Cellulitis is a simple generic term for an infection of the skin and tissues. Fever, pain, redness, and swelling are your body's immune reaction to the infection. You were treated with two antibiotics because they work together better than just one alone... Your very high fever is an indication that the infection is spreading. Cellulitis can quickly become sepsis which is blood poisoning and it is fatal. That is why you were admitted to the hospital. Your skin will itch because of the swelling and immune response. As the infection clears the itch will ease up and improve. You should start to notice the swelling going down and redness decreasing. MRSA is very common in the communities now adays... you may be hearing about it on the news as the "super bug". More aggressive treatment is usually recommended.
Hope you are feeling better,
Nurse Angie, RN |
