Cellulitis?

[patti]

Hi,

Has anyone had cellulitis? What are the early early symptoms?

Mom has popped up with dry spots on her hands and face that she says sometimes crack and bleed if she doesn’t stay on top of them. It has just started recently but I noticed it today on her face. It doesn’t appear to be cellulitis from the symptoms in my mayo book but I want to make sure it’s not the beginning.

The other thing is her temp. is different today for the first time in a year. Her temperature is ALWAYS 97.1. Has been for the last year going to the doctors. Today it was 98.1, which I realize is still normal but I’m hoping it’s not going to climb on us. I’m going to stay on top of this one, but the skin thing I’m not sure about.

Anyway, any info. on the beginnings of cellulitis would be helpful. I’ll have the doctor check it but we don’t see her for 3 more weeks (unless an emergency).

Thanks

patti

[gemloyear]

Patti, my husband is in the Hosp. now with cellulitis and blood clots in his legs. usually there is redness and hotness in the skin also some small red ulcer looking sores. It’s very painful also, but hard to tell if it’s the clots, cellulitis or both.His temp. was only 98.7 so can’t tell by that. He doesn’t generally have a very high temp, his is normally 97.5 . His leg is triple the normal size. The Doc has him on I.V. antibiotics, blood thinners, 2 pain meds. and nebulized meds for breathing.
Things to watch for swelling,redness and heat. I hope your MIL doesn’t have it. It seems to come back, this is the 3rd time for him.
Don’t wait too long to have it checked.
Take care Ellie

[g-masews]

My husband was diagnosed with MDS because he had 2 bouts of celulitis. The first time was in his leg and he thought he pulled a muscle. The same day he bagan having fever, chills, and typical flu-like symptoms. Within a few hours the knee was all red, hot and swollen. I took him to the dr. that afternoon and by then he needed a wheelchair; too painful to walk on. It spread from toes to hip before starting to heal and his treatment was oral antibiotics and an I.V. everyday for a week. Dr. said it is a strep or staff virus that gets into the cellular (third) layer of the skin and is not unusual (although no one we knew of had ever had it). He healed and was fine for 4 mos. and got another bout of it in his arm. He knew immediately what it was when his arm starting “feeling funny”. This time it went from fingertips to upper arm and treatment was same. He then asked dr. to run a blood test to see if there was a blood problem, and, lo and behold, they had him into hemotologist immediately. And here we are. It will come on fast, and feel like the flu. It is generally in extremities or face, and needs immediate care for an MDS patient or can go into sepsis, or so the dr. warned my husband. Some people are more susceptible to it than others. Hope this is not your situation, but have it checked.

[patti]

Thank you ladies for the information. I will watch mom very carefully. It is hard to tell right now. She has some dry patches of skin on her hands that are red underneath. She said when it’s bothering her they feel a little warm. But right now it almost just looks like it might be dry skin. Not sure why she’d have dry skin after all these years but that’s what it looks like right now. I will keep this information handy for reference. Thank you again, ladies.

Ellie, I pray a speedy recovery for your husband. This doesn’t sound pleasant at all.

All the best,

patti

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