1. Community
  2. Infections
  3. Cellulitis

could it be Cellulitis

Posted , 5 users are following.

sheltielife
sheltielife

Hi All, For ages I have had problems with swollen, burning and painful feet and legs which have gradually gone worse over time. Now they are really bad I can barely walk. I had been told I had poor circulation of blood in my feet and legs and thick blood and thought this was the cause.  Yesterday I suspected I had  DVT as my left leg was even more swollen and hard. I had a home visit from the GP and she agreed and I was given a Fragmin injection by the district nurse yesterday. Today the district nurse came again to take some blood for testing to see if it was a DVT. She phoned back later and said that it was negative, which is great news, except it doesn't get me anywhere. I asked what it could be and she said Lymphoedema and so I did my usual looking up and found that one of the causes could be Cellulitis. Then I looked up that and it seemed exactly like my legs and feet. The strange thing is that the man next door and another one next door but one have had it in the last year, but were diagnosed quickly and received antibiotics. So, I am wondering if it could be.

0 likes, 26 replies

26 Replies

Prev
  • sheltielife
    sheltielife

    Posted

    The lastest is that now I can barely walk, but it's my foot. One side of it is really broken up skin and I can see what looks like a bit of blood under my skin. The problem is that I can't see it very well due to the position and having RA it's difficult. I have rung the docs they wouldn't send a doctor asked me if someone could take me, but I wouldn't be able to get from the car to the surgery so they are sending a district nurse out. I have this morning used the wheelchair that my husband had otherwise I wouldn't have got about my bungalow! I was tempted to ring the emergency services 999 might have been a better option. I am really worried about this. The way it's going if they don't do something better I can see myself having to have at least my foot and possibly my leg amputated. If so there will be a complaint go in of negligence! Anybod have any ideas??
    • ladyjack51
      ladyjack51 sheltielife

      Posted

      Omg sheltielife,

      I wasn't on here yesterday and I just now saw this posting. Tell me what's happening with you today...I'm worried.

      Ladyjack51

    • sheltielife
      sheltielife ladyjack51

      Posted

      Don't panic! If you notice it was 4 days ago and whilst things are far from satisfactory it's partly sorted out.  When I wrote the above it was before I did ring 999 and you know what happened then. Been onto the doctor today and got another course of antibiotics as I will have finished the first ones after tomorrow morning and it's Easter this week so I was worried in case things went worse again. However, still not good in that the doctor on the phone said that due to the fact that I have seemingly had this for 9 years going worse it's a case of put up with it!  So, I asked if that meant that I would be like this for the rest of my life and he answered that I would! As you can imagine I came off the phone in tears. There are various things that can cause it and up to now apart from my rheumatoid arthritis and the fact that I have thick blood and poor circulation not confirmed why and no further checks being done it seems that I am being told to just manage and without any help from anyone other than friends, who have their own health problems. I don't know why in the UK we have been paying our National Insurance contributions all our working life! You don't do bad until you reach retirement age, but if things go wrong after that over and over again I am being told I will have to pay for things myself!
  • CallieG
    CallieG sheltielife

    Posted

    It could be this condition

    Erythromelalgia is a condition characterised by intense burning pain, erythema (marked redness), and increased skin temperature, primarily of the feet and hands. The condition is classified into primary and secondary erythromelalgia. It has also been classified into early-onset and late-onset forms. Symptoms of the disease vary markedly between individuals; in some patients there is a continual burning pain while others experience “flare-ups” or bouts of the condition lasting from minutes to days.

    Erythromelalgia is also known as ‘erythermalgia’. It may be considered a type of neuropathic pain syndrome (pain related to conditions affecting the nerves themselves), where there is dilation of the small blood vessels that become congested with blood.

    • sheltielife
      sheltielife CallieG

      Posted

      Of course, it's 2 months since I put this on this forum and a lot has happened since then! Actually, I am pretty sure it is what you said EM is often used for short as it's a horrible word to say! It's many year since I thought I had this, but  nobody had ever heard of it as it's supposed to be very rare! As I said earlier I have had this for a long time gradually going worse. In the end frustrated as to who to send me to my GP thought a dermatologist was a good starting point. I paid to see one private rather than wait for the NHS and he was brilliant. He had heard of EM and agreed it was probably the cause of my symptoms. However, it's knowing which one of the things I have that is causing it or all of them! If the cause can be treated I might get some relief. What he is doing is inviting me to a meeting that they hold at the hospital abour rare complex diseases where lots of different specialists attend. He is hoping that one of them will have some ideas as to how to treat it. I am pretty sure mine is secondary. However, the one thing he said that is a disappointment is that if it was EM I wouldn't have it all the time as it would just flare up sometimes. He is wrong about that, as I have joined the EM association and on there they have told me that sometimes it can be there all the time. I assume that due to the fact that I have had it for such a long time that is why it's there all the time. Initially, it only happened in the evening and overnight, but as I said it's all the time now, unless I sit with my feet in a bowl of coldish water inside freezer bags! The reason for the freezer bags is that I now have 4 ulcers on my feet, which just aren't healing. The incident at the start of this discussion actually turned into an ulcer on my foot, where there was originally just blood under the surface of my skin on my left foot, the same side as the calf problem. 
    • ladyjack51
      ladyjack51 CallieG

      Posted

      As we speak....the side and back of my leg is on fire. I took your posting to my wound care clinic today and they also have the zinc bandages etc but can't give me 7 days worth and I would need help dressing it, cleaning it off etc..they say it's messy. But they are going to speak to the Lymphoedema therapist and see if there is something they can do for me instead of the treatment that I would have to go there every day and have the leg rubbed until it gets smaller and to be able to get a compression sock on. I also have an appt with the Infection and disease control clinic..well, she has to call me back with a day, and they do OutPt antibiotic therapy. So...I left crying too but I did get a custom made sandal that I can put on this fat, ugly foot instead of wearing a size 10 just to make it fit in width...I wear a 7 1/2 normally. So now I can wear 1 regular shoe, and then this sandal and people will know I have a foot issue instead of just really bad taste!! Lolol. Gotta laugh to keep from cryin.
    • sheltielife
      sheltielife ladyjack51

      Posted

      Sorry to hear about your latest situation. There are some horrible illnesses that you don't often hear about and unless you have experience things yourself people don't seem to understand how bad things can be. Well done getting that sandal. I waited 3 weeks to get something to wear on my feet instead of having to wear just socks making it impossible for me to go outside. Finally they arrived but they are no good! If podiatry had only asked me I would have told them that I can't wear shoes with fronts in, I haven't been able to for many years. Plus, my feet would be really hot if I wore them the worst thing for me as it's EM that's wrong. I think I am going to have to completely ignore them and wear the sandals that I bought from Cosyfeet. As for the meeting I was going to be invited to I still haven't heard when it will be. On the day I saw the dermatologist he said about 2 weeks off and it's now 4 weeks! I rang up the dermatology department yesterday to ask for an approximate time. I was told someone would ring me back, but up to now they haven't.
    • ladyjack51
      ladyjack51 sheltielife

      Posted

      Hey Sheltielife...

      How v are you doing? How is your leg and foot? Talk to me...

      Gina aka ladyjack51

Back to top
Prev

Report or request deletion

Thanks for your help!

We want the community to be a useful resource for our users but it is important to remember that the community are not moderated or reviewed by doctors and so you should not rely on opinions or advice given by other users in respect of any healthcare matters. Always speak to your doctor before acting and in cases of emergency seek appropriate medical assistance immediately. Use of the community is subject to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and steps will be taken to remove posts identified as being in breach of those terms.