Is cellulitis painful?

allison~I'm so sorry to be telling you this but you MUST get to emergency right away.  You really need to have this seen to ASAP.  Please go.  Let us know how you make out.

Allison, I hope you're in the ER now. We all hate going to the hospital, I know, but this is very serious.

Please let us know how you're doing.

Kira

What relief to see your post.  Lets hope the oral does the trick for you.  I'm sure you'll keep a very close eye on things.  Try to check your arm throughout the night.  Stay well hydrated and take it easy. 

Were/are you running a temp? If you took anything for the pain (acetaminophen=Tylenol, ibuprofen, etc.), it may have knocked it down a bit so wait until it wears off & find your thermometer. The antibiotic, as it goes to work, should also help relieve the body's infection-fighting response but you may want to have those pieces of information as you recover.

I also agree with the hydration advice. If you drink enough tonight to get up and visit the bathroom, that's a good time to assess everything! 

Allison~  When I had cellulites the dr said it was ok to do these LE therapies:  Neck excercises to open lymphatic drainage (yes, no, maybe, and I don't know), Deep breathing, Opening and closing hand above the head.  Absolutely no MLD or massage.  She told me to keep my heart rate and temperature down to prevent it from spreading.  Oral Bactrim worked for me...noticable difference in 2-3 days, but took 3 weeks to completely go away.  Good luck and stay on top of it! 

Allison, your last post worries me.  If this is getting any worse at all in any way call your onc again.  There are a lot of resistant skin bugs out there these days.  Also, it's hard to get good levels of antibiotics in places where fluids aren't moving well, like edema.  Sometimes you just need IV antibiotics to get those bacteria-killing levels.  

My hope is that you are on the mend, but if you are not don't hesitate to bug your doc.  

Yes, it's Bactrim DS--it's a mixture of a sulfa and trimethoprim--and it's always twice a day.

This is from epocates: I'll translate it--they listed the trimethoprim dosage, and q12hours=twice a day.

Adult Dosing .

Dosage forms:  160/800

infections, bacterial

[160 mg TMP PO q12h]

Info: duration varies w/ infection type, severity

Allison... I came down with cellulitis on Saturday.. I had a fever, nausea, pain but thought I had the flu... But Sunday morning my lower back ( where the redness was) was very red and painful.... So I went to the ER... I have been on IV antibiotics ever since. My concern is that I will now have lymphadema. I never had it before, and the problem is my lower back... Any input? By the way, I can leave the hospital tomorrow. Sucks

Thanks Binney. Yes, I really did not delay, and it was a rapid progression so good decision to get to the ER... I have been here since yesterday morning and supposed to be released sometime tomorrow.... It is definitely my intention to see a LE specialist once I am cleared... I understand massage is a no no while the infection is still active..

Betsy, generally lymphedema affects just one quadrant of the body (divide from neck to center of groin, and then from side to side along the waistline; front and back within those four regions = a quadrant). Since you had cellulitis on your lower back, it seems possible that nodes lost during your reconstruction are causing you trouble now. Your SNB arm is distant, so hopefully you'll luck out and LE will not trouble you in the upper body, but you'll want to make sure that the LE therapist you consult understands the nature of your recon surgeries. Typically flap recons remove some lymph nodes, and your flaps came from a few spots.  I'd especially want someone who either understands gap and diep, or is willing to learn, and who can help you do what's possible to minimize risk of lymphedema migrating to your legs.  I think it's not a 100% given that a cellulitis bout means you definitely have LE, but cellulitis is known to be a trigger for it.  Get the best therapist you can find, and consult a specialist MD if you're not sure you're getting the help you need.  In Princeton, you are within shooting distance of Dr. Kathleen Francis, who is an MD specializing in LE and who is on the National Lymphedema Network medical advisory board.  She's in greater NYC, as is Bonnie Lasinski, a very well regarded PT/ LE therapist who is also affiliated with NLN.

Sucks.  Totally.

Carol

bdavis, yes, scar tissue can add to the problem, and the LE PT won't have trouble spotting the incision lines, but still node loss can factor into LE after flap reconstruction.  I had only sentinel node biopsy and got LE of the arm, so I'm walking testimony that it doesn't take many nodes removed to set the stage for LE. Sounds like you have a great care team - plenty of us have had breast and plastic surgeons scoff at LE risk and even deny that swelling could possibly be from it. Hopefully your LE PT will be as knowledgeable as the rest of your team!

Betsy, I don't know much about her either, but I do know she's LANA certified (which means she's fully trained) and she was one of the therapists who assisted in the PAL trials, a research study a few years back about exercise and LE. All good! Let us know how it goes.

Allison, I'm sure thinking about you today! Hope you're watching that rotten infection retreat--and from the comfort of your own home. Rest up!

Be well,
Binney

I am also doing well... My pain is gone. No fever since Sunday. Much less red and less swollen. Antibiotics rule.