torso lymph infection?

tomatojuice

Have a pink blotch about 3 inches wide on my right lower stomach area. Have this since the beginning of March. Since it on the same side as masectomy and lymphodema arm, I immediaitely thought it was a lymph infection, and still do. I was in Hawaii at the time, and had been in a lot of different hospital situations. My daughter lives there and had become quite ill. So for a time I had actually been sleeping in hospital. In any case I took a antibiotic cepholosporin for 14 days, and it did not go away. I am back in NY and just saw my Oncologist. She also had another onc look at it. They both determined it was a rash and gave me lotrisole cream to put on it for a week. It did not help. It is still there. I just know it is a lymph infection. When I wake up in the morning there are indentations across it, like pitting, that fade as the day lingers. My next stop is my regular doctor on Monday, then possibly a dermotologist. I know this is a lymph infection. Why is it so difficult to get doctors to see it. Does anyone know what I can have done to actually deteremine what this is? Like a blood test, or sonogram? I cannot afford to see an actual lymphadema specialist, and do not even think one exist here in NY. I guess I sound a bit freaked out about this, thats because I am. Please help! Thank you

mrsnjband

It sounds like either a lymph infection or cellulitus. My LE issue don't get red but the cellulitus does.  I have now had 3 rounds of cellulitus. The first 2 were very light pink.

The 2nd round was light pink for months treated with antibiotics & cortizone for months until I woke up one morning with a fever. It was bright red, hot, & huge! I ended up in the hospital for 3 days with 4 rounds of iv antibiotics.  It wasn't until I was in the hopspital that anyone said anything about it being it being cellulitus.  I had seen at least 3 different doctors.

About 3 weeks ago it happened again.  Went & saw my PCP got a script along with a topical antibiotic and it cleared up in about a week.  And I also did my manual lymph drainage.  I was just learning how to do it when the 2nd time went acute. 

All three times were along my chest & back on my bc side.  I believe I get it because my scar won't heal.  So I am looking at having a scar revision.

Have you had any type of scatch, or bug bite or anything that might be allowing the infection to set in?  I think the lymphedema is related to my cellulitus as well.  It is difficult for doctors to understand the lymphdema & related issues of cellulitus.  They just don't have a clue.

Hoping you can figure it out.  Sending love & support. NJ

kira66715

Tomato Juice: the lymph system works in quadrants: so your quadrant at risk is your arm/chest/back to the waist on your mastectomy side. It sounds like this is below that area.

But, the lymphatic system can get compromised in other areas due to other surgeries or trauma.

Lotrisone is kind a "cheater" drug: it's a steroid and an anti-fungal and most dermatologists don't like to use it, because the steroid can compromise the anti-fungal.

A dermatologist should be able to help you. 

The fact that a full course of antibiotics didn't change it, makes the cellulitis aspect less clear--and that it's not spreading.

But, you can never diagnose a rash over the internet, so see your primary and a dermatologist and there is a lymphedema doctor in NJ: Kathleen Francis

Let us know what information you get. Sometimes dermatologists will do a punch biopy of a rash that isn't clear cut.

Here's a picture of a breast/arm/chest cellulitis from NE Journal of Medicine:

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Kira

kcshreve

This is a scary picture.  And it breaks my heart.  And it makes me mad. Can it travel this easily that is got this far without her getting help sooner?

kcshreve

I think it is interesting that her white spots at the top of her arms did not get cellulitis.  That's the area where I have quite a bit of pooling.

kira66715

KC, it's a free link to the NEJM article

http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMicm065836

A 54-year-old woman presented with a sudden onset of fever (temperature, 39.3°C) and erythema on the right breast and right arm (Panel A) and on the right side of the back (Panel . There was no history of trauma. Eleven months earlier, she had undergone a wide local excision with axillary lymph-node dissection for an invasive ductal carcinoma (T2N0, 2.5 cm in diameter) of the ipsilateral breast. The postoperative course was uneventful, and she did not receive perioperative antibiotics. Surgery was followed by six courses of chemotherapy and 50 Gy of radiotherapy on the right breast. Examination of the breast revealed erythema, tenderness, and warmth, none of which crossed the midline, but no masses or lymphedema was palpable. The white-cell count was 13,300 per cubic millimeter. Ultrasonography showed no evidence of a soft-tissue abscess. The diagnosis of cellulitis was made, and the patient received oral antibiotics, with complete resolution of symptoms. A follow-up mammogram 6 weeks later showed no evidence of recurrent cancer.

Gheorghe Peltecu, M.D., Ph.D.
Carol Davila University of Medicine, 010455 Bucharest, Romania
peltecu@dnt.ro