Cellulitis and all the bad vibes that go with it

maureenkhilde

If you have never had a bout with cellulitis, be so, so happy. It does not only happen to Obese people that is true. But it is also true to say that many obese people do get it over and over, and are much more likely to have more issues getting rid of it.

For whatever reason, my entire life all 61 plus years, my body has always gone overboard when I get stung or bit by about anything. It started when I was 4 years old and got multiple stings from a bumblebee in the front yard. I literally have an epi pen in case a hornet decides I look like I need stung.

Well one of the things I have found from years living in Central Florida in the USA, is that all sorts of things bite, sting, and can fang one.
Last week somehow I managed to pick up spider bite 2 and 3 about the same time. Likely spiders were a brown recluse spider, as they like the area we live in. Or possibly a black wolf spider. Wolf spiders are not known to be poisonous and to most they are not. However to those super sensitive, they can cause almost the same amount of issues as the brown recluse. With both you may feel a bit of a sting but the fun really starts about 6 to 8 hours later.

Which it did, so as I managed to be allergic to the antibiotic for the shot, they went to a different one. Same one they give to people to treat Malaria. And for extra fun, they are taking scrapings to make sure that no other bacteria has decided to join up like MRSA. Because what many do not really realize and I admit I was not really clear on this either, until they really stressed the importance this time. Is the issue with the spider bites, is the infection they bring on, and specifically bring on cellulitis. Which is a bacterial skin infection, that can take months to totally clear up. And I am going to need the skin scrapings done 3 times to make sure it totally clears up and does not lead to anything worse.

Because cellulitis not treated properly can lead to sepsis, and that I have seen in action with my mom some years ago.

So please heed a word of caution, looking up the information on cellulitis and making sure you never have or if you do seek medical attention. Because it can go from a small issue to a major issue in a small increment of time.

bmeadows380

Back when I was younger, the organization I worked for had softball leagues, and I signed up, even though I'd never played before. Our team was not very good, but we had fun. I ended up being the pitcher because, even though I'd had no training, there was something about the way I threw the ball that kept it from spinning much and seemed to lead to a lot of pop ups or shortening the distance the ball went when it, or something like that is what they tried to explain to me. I didn't understand; I just threw the ball lol

Anyway, I got hit in the leg one day when a batter sent the ball right back at the pitcher's mound. It tore up the skin some and left a nice hefty bruise, but I lived with it, cleaned it real good, put anti-bacterial cream on it, and bandaged it. Except it wouldn't heal. At the same time, I had a sedentary job and being obese, I was having a real hard time with my legs and feet swelling. This hampered the wound from healing, and I was dealing with the fluid from the swelling leaking out of that wound. I tried to keep it clean, but it kept getting worse. The doctor dried a couple of things that didn't help at first, until finally, they started treating it like MRSA, I think it was - some kind of serious infection, anyway - and it finally healed up. And left me with this spectacular scar, too, that took a very long time to fade to the point where it's not as noticeable.

That and I was sent to get fitted for constriction stockings to help with the swelling (until my insurance decided they weren't going to pay for those unless one was diabetic or diagnosed with pleurisy, neither of which I had, so I had to switch to over-the-counter). Thankfully, with my weight off that I've gotten off so far, the swelling problems aren't nearly as bad; if I go a day or two without the stockings, I get some swelling - can be noticed when I take my socks off, but not nearly as bad. Which is funny, because one doctor I was going to tried all kinds of tests to try to figure out why I was swelling, when all along, I chalked it up to my sedentary job and being obese. She never could find a health reason for the swelling and finally just went along with the constriction stockings (until the insurance quit paying for them); now that I've lost weight, the swelling isn't as bad which seems to fall in line with my original theory.....but I digress......

So anyway, the moral of the story is, be careful with wounds, even ones that seem small and insignificant. Keep them clean and keep an eye on them; if they don't seem to be healing well, or if they don't have any change for the better in a couple of days, definitely go get them checked out as there are some really nasty bugs out there that over the counter treatments don't help! Don't be like my mother who takes self-sufficiency way too far sometimes and thinks she can take care of just about anything with a band-aid and a tube of anti-bacterial cream....

And of course, if you are diabetic or have other health problems that can hamper your ability to heal well, don't play around with any kind of wound period!