DEAR DR. GOTT:
I am a 91-year-old female who would like to find out all I can about cellulitis. I’m hoping you can help me with whatever you know about this very painful, distressing condition.
It has reared its ugly head several times during the past few years. Once I ended up spending several days in the hospital. This was preceded by a high fever and chills. Many times I’d awaken with my clothes wet from the fever having broken. Another time a lump started forming on my right thumb knuckle. The area got red, sore, and looked like a big boil.
Still another time my right hand and fingers swelled up, only to subside with antibiotics. At times my eye swells and my lips are affected. In fact, my lower lip is now covered with thick, heavy crusted scabs that burn and itch.
I can’t see a doctor for almost a month and am at my wits’ end.
DEAR READER:
Cellulitis is a bacterial skin infection that appears as a swollen red area, hot and tender to the touch. It occurs when there is a break or crack in the skin, as can occur with puncture wounds, cuts, ulcers, dermatitis, athlete’s foot and other conditions that allow bacteria to enter. Certain types of insect and spider bites can also transmit cellulitis. It most commonly appears on the lower legs or ankles, but can present anywhere on the body. Children and the elderly commonly have the condition on the face.
Complications arise when the tissue under the skin is affected, allowing bacteria to spread to lymph nodes and the blood stream. Those with diabetes, compromised immune systems and senior citizens are particularly susceptible.
Prescription antibiotics that treat both staphylococci and streptococci are most often prescribed. Positive results are generally seen within a few days following ingestion of the drugs. Because it will be quite some time before you can see your physician, I would speak with him or her about keeping a prescription in your medicine cabinet for unexpected outbreaks. Antibiotics are not to be taken unnecessarily, yet you appear to know what to look for and could nip the condition in the bud between visits to the office. Do your best to keep your hands away from the lesions to prevent further skin contamination.
Prevention includes washing the area(s) daily with soap and water, applying antibiotic cream, keeping your fingernails trimmed, and covering the lesions with dry dressings to avoid further contamination. When the condition occurs, it should be brought to your physician’s attention promptly so it can be identified and treated.
The lesions on your lower lip are of concern to me. Make it a point to visit the doctor’s office during an outbreak to determine you are dealing with cellulitis in this case and not an unrelated condition.
To give you related information, I am sending you a copy of my Health Report “Consumer Tips on Medicine”. Other readers who would like a copy should send a self-addressed, stamped, number 10 envelope and $2 to Newsletter, PO Box 167, Wickliffe, OH 44092. Be sure to mention the title.
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