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Core Topics => Health Issues and Medical => Topic started by: Chip on August 30, 2016, 07:26:35 AM

Title: Oh Shit ! I think I have cellulitis in both feet
Post by: Chip on August 30, 2016, 07:26:35 AM
Silly me started injecting into my feet and i knew i missed on at least two occasions.

It hurts like hell and is red and puffy - i don't want to rush off to the hospital tonight so i will go in the morning.

I have no usable surface veins so this is going to be ugly.

Is anybody an expert on cellulitis ?
Title: Re: Oh Shit ! I think I have cellulitis in both feet
Post by: LoneRanger7 on August 30, 2016, 09:14:25 AM
Hi Chipper,

No expert,  per se , but I've definitely had it several times!  Two words: HOT COMPRESS.

It hurts like hell but for me is the best solution,  worked better even than antibiotics.

Wet a towel and microwave it.  Get it as hot as you can possibly stand and PRESS.

Yeeouch!! I don't envy you!

LR7
Title: Re: Oh Shit ! I think I have cellulitis in both feet
Post by: Chip on August 30, 2016, 09:38:53 AM
really ? i can't see how that stops the infections, though ?

i have some ClindamycinWiki spare so i am taking them and hoping that the swelling and redness goes away.

this is the last thing i need right now.

thanks for the suggestion but it sounds TOO painful !
Title: Re: Oh Shit ! I think I have cellulitis in both feet
Post by: dizzle on August 30, 2016, 10:46:36 AM
chipper.


I know you seem to be agaisnt the idea, but I'm telling you, you don't have it right this time. Antibiotics are helpful, but warm compresses are the way to go (both are ideal though!!) You don't see how it would be helpful? well, let me explain it to you:


When you inject and miss in the interstitial space between veins and bones and etc. the body sees that foreign substance as a threat, and immediately attacks it, hence the swelling, warmth and redness, At this point, the body has not walled it off and contained it, so it's not considered an abscess, but just cellulitis (note it may not actually be cellulitis yet, could just be localized edema and redness, they have a word for it before it's cellulitis but I can't remember it ATM). What you need to do is get the material absorbed, and into your blood where the body can fight anything that may or may not be there (like nasties like strep or staph). When you don't have good blood flow to the area, and there are those forgein bodies in there, one of three things will happen:


- your body will be able to beat it, body killing the nasties and absorbing the rest, this is the best case scenario, helped along by antibiotics and warm compresses.

- Your body will wall them off and it'll be a fight to the death, and it'll feel like there is a war going on in that appendage, ask anyone that has had an abscess go full term, it's nasty.

- you go lucky and either the body killed the badness or there was none in there and you'll end up wioth what is known as a sterile abscess, which basically is a hard lump iunder the skin that essentially turns into scar tissue. which can be broken up and got rid of much later by vigorous massaging and pushing essentially breaking up the cartilage and diffusing it into the body.





but the most common, by and large is the 1st and second. you can determine which of those happens to you. If you go to the hospital they CANNOT drain it until it's formed a head (ie the body has walled it off) and therefore they will admit you and put you on vancomyacin (full spectrum antibiotic) IV and watch it for a few days. They'll probably draw a circle around it or take measurements of the red inflammed area, and then check it the foillowing day or two, if the IV vanco is helping they'll discharge you with a clindamycin script and possibly bactrim if they think MRSA is involved. I don't think they'll be able to culture it yet as it's not an actual abscess, if it forms a head though, the can culture it and give you specific antibiotics for whatever pops in the testing for the culture. Until then all they can do is give full spectrum and monitor. Warm compresses and light massaging works wonders here, I know it hurts, but if yo ucan get the body to absorb that shit, you'll win the battle and not end up with holes in your feet.

Let me finish with the most importnat piece of advice I can give you: DO FUCKING NOT ICE IT
 
Title: Re: Oh Shit ! I think I have cellulitis in both feet
Post by: Chip on August 30, 2016, 11:01:17 AM
thanks dizzle.

i have been to the hospital with cellulitis in my hand and have also developed it in hospital for another ailment.

but as of right now, i'm thinking that it's best to get to the hospital ASAP but you don't agree ?

i'm freaking out because it's not looking pretty but the redness hasn't spread that much but both feet are puffy and HOT around the injection sites.

i have taken 2 Clindamycin so should i wait another day or what ?

sorry if i am repeating myself but it's doing my head in because i know that they will poke me for ages trying to find a vein, not to mention the rest of the whole hospital trip.

Picture attached:
Title: Re: Oh Shit ! I think I have cellulitis in both feet
Post by: candy on August 30, 2016, 12:51:55 PM
Andrew... We already were in contact. Take care of that!
Title: Re: Oh Shit ! I think I have cellulitis in both feet
Post by: dizzle on August 30, 2016, 02:35:20 PM
that's def on it's way to become a full on abscess, in the left foot for sure.



you need IV vanco, like, NOW. you're past the warm compresses/oral clindamycin stage, that was several days ago (1-2 at least) by the looks of it. You're body is losing that fight, more than likely it's too late to get this shit absorbed into your body, and NOT get an abscess, even with a vanco drip. Sorry man, but it looks like you let this one go too long. You will likely get a full abscess in the left foot, the right may not get one if you get on IV vanco asap.



sorry to be the bearer of bad news bud. You need to get on IV antibiotics, no way around it. If you had adressed this a day or two ago, you may have been able to stop it but it's unlikely you can handle it at home now.
Title: Re: Oh Shit ! I think I have cellulitis in both feet
Post by: Dopeless Hopefiend on August 30, 2016, 03:43:00 PM
@chipper, please listen to Candy & Dizzle. They know what they are talking about. You need to be on some kind of heavy antibiotics like Vanco. I'm speaking from experience when I tell you that this really isn't anything to fuck around with. I had cellulitis in my thigh and tried to ignore it a number of years ago and it turned into a 2 year battle with MRSA, multiple hospitalizations and I came very close to losing my leg. It was only by some miracle that the infection was not into the bone. It almost killed me. I don't have any veins either, so I totally get your fear of going to the hospital and needing an IV. They don't usually even bother trying to dig around looking for a peripheral line on me, but have always been able to place a picc line in my arm, or an ij central line in my neck. Those would likely be good options for you as well.  Please don't let this go any longer. Just go get the care you need!
Title: Re: Oh Shit ! I think I have cellulitis in both feet
Post by: Opi-ette on August 30, 2016, 03:59:19 PM
Chipper, I see you are offline now so I hope that means you went to the hospital.

I've had cellulitis multiple times (one bout just recently) and learned the hard way
not to wait. The one time I did wait too long, the cellulitis ended up eating away at
the muscle tissue on my arm and now I have a big dent in it and can never regain that
muscle.

Yours looks serious and I hope and pray you are at the hospital. I know it sucks going, but
it sucks more the longer you wait.

Everyone here including myself are very worried about you so please keep us posted when
you can.
Title: Re: Oh Shit ! I think I have cellulitis in both feet
Post by: Chip on August 30, 2016, 04:03:05 PM
Yes, I am in hospital waiting for a doctor to see me.

It hurts and I couldn't wait any longer.

I appreciate your support ... here endth my injecting lifestyle.
Title: Re: Oh Shit ! I think I have cellulitis in both feet
Post by: Opi-ette on August 30, 2016, 05:04:20 PM
I'm glad to hear it, and thanks for the update.

Sending you good healing vibes ~~~~~~~
Title: Re: Oh Shit ! I think I have cellulitis in both feet
Post by: Fleas Bass on August 30, 2016, 07:26:07 PM
Good call going to the hospital, let us know how you are.

The others are spot on about warm compresses. Two days ago I noticed what seemed to be an abscess forming; puffy, warm, red, painful forearm.

I used warm comps throughout the day and it cleared up by the next morning.

Im sure we all know this last bit but the earlier you use warm comps on missed shot the better. It aids the histamine reaction and healing process.
Title: Re: Oh Shit ! I think I have cellulitis in both feet
Post by: Chip on August 30, 2016, 08:04:08 PM
Just had 2 grams of flucloxacillinWikiand they got a cannula in first time. Getting another dose in 4 hours then I can go home on the oral prep.

It's cool because it stopped spreading.

Thanks for all the support guys.
Title: Re: Oh Shit ! I think I have cellulitis in both feet
Post by: Dopeless Hopefiend on August 30, 2016, 10:17:11 PM
Glad to hear it! I'm really glad you went & got checked out by the doctor. It's great that you won't have to be admitted & can switch over to oral antibiotics. Sucks having to stay in the hospital.
When I got the infection in my leg I spent close to 4 months in the hospital over about a 2 year period & six months on home infusion/nursing care. I still don't know how I convinced them to send me home with a picc line. They really should not have done that. Of course, at the time it was great for me. Poor nurses couldn't understand why my line kept getting clogged. God, the damage we do to our bodies sometimes huh? I really hope that you get to feeling better soon.
Title: Re: Oh Shit ! I think I have cellulitis in both feet
Post by: Chip on August 30, 2016, 10:42:19 PM
4 months is an eternity -- how did you get the infection in the first place, if you don't mind me asking ?
Title: Re: Oh Shit ! I think I have cellulitis in both feet
Post by: Chip on August 31, 2016, 04:27:57 AM
Now home and feeling much better.

About to start the oral prep (500 mg every 6 hours on an empty stomach) for 10 days.

Apparently it may take 2-3 days before an improvement is seen.

It is a milestone for me because I am committed to staying off the needle forever. I had a good run, 2 years short of 40 years and i survived.

A wise man must recognise his limitations.
Title: Re: Oh Shit ! I think I have cellulitis in both feet
Post by: DeadCat on August 31, 2016, 04:56:02 AM
I know I am coming in alte so apologies for that. These past 2 weeks have been insane.

Before I saw the pics and before you said you went to the ER (Urent Care) I would have told you to start taking KEFLEX, 500 mg 4 times a day. However once the abscess poket has formed it needs surgical draining, IV antibiotics follwed then by Keflesx. (There are other oral antibiotics but they always gave me Keflex and it always worked.

The idfference is blood flow. Id the pocket forms and revents natural circulation the antibiotics are too late.Also DO NOT try to drain them youself with syringes . Repeated puctures can spread the inection and compound your problem. It takes sterile scalpels and irrigation under at least local aneshesia to allow return of regualr blood flow.

The firt time I had it, I had skin poppd in my tricep and I could not even use the arm until I had a fat shot of H in me. I finlly went to my MD and he immediatey called me a cab and told the emerrgencey room I wa coming in for an immediate drainage. Fortunately, they were kind enough to give me morphne every 4 hours for the entre week I was there, just to maintain my habit. Also, the nurse had pack and repack the ow emptied abcess with a surgical wick at least twice a day and that fucking hurt. They started with over 3 feet of the 3/4 inch wide wick and after a week it was down to abut a foot and they sent me home where a visiting nurse came by once a day to re-pack it for an additional week.

And that's how I first learned about cellulitus and abcesses.
Title: Re: Oh Shit ! I think I have cellulitis in both feet
Post by: Dopeless Hopefiend on August 31, 2016, 12:16:09 PM
@chipper
From shooting dope. Speedballs specifically. I had no more veins in my arms or hands so I started using my legs. I am 100% convinced that the coke is what started it. I was doing way too much, cut with who knows what. Missed shots turned into abcesses, then one got infected and it just snowballed. The 4 months I spent in the hospital wasn't all at once. It was spread out over about a 2 year period of time. They'd patch me up, get me on iv antibiotics for a week or two, then discharge me & send me to wound care, etc. Every time I'd get out & go right back to doing the same thing. I was in and out of various hospitals at least 5 times before I finally got lucky & met a surgeon in the ER who was actually willing to take a chance on trying to fix it once and for all. I think every other time the doctors just saw me as some junkie who wasn't gonna do anything different. They didn't want to invest their time & energy in helping someone they saw as beyond help, so it was easier for them to just do the bare minimum and send me on my way. But I finally ended up with a doctor who knew what he was doing and he admitted me. I stayed there a little over a month & had 2 surgeries/skin grafts. That finally took care of it. Well, I also got clean & went on MMT, so that probably helped lol.
Title: Re: Oh Shit ! I think I have cellulitis in both feet
Post by: makita on September 04, 2016, 09:33:36 PM
I have probably had over 30 abscesses and god knows how many bouts of cellulitis in my shooting lifetime.  Many of them were during my 6 month IV speedball run (which also ended in two massive, MRSA like necrotic infections in my forearms that were a whole dif beast).   

What I finally learned is to do a 5-10 min hot compress on EVERY FUCKING SHOT, no matter whether you think you missed or not.  When your veins are crappy this is what you have to do.  This helped me avoid many infections once I started doing it every time.  It brings more blood flow to the area (which is essential when all your veins are shit) which carries away the bad shit like strep, staph, etc. 

Just make it part of your routine.  I would finish the shot, wet a few paper towels under scalding hot water, squeeze out the excess water then hold them on the spot until it got cold.  As a preventative measure this is usually enough.  Might do it a 2nd time later in the night if it is still red or swollen after 4-8hrs.

I've heard varying things about massaging the compress.  I never did because I was told not to by needle exch. that it could spread the infection.  I think it works just as well without massage. 

I finally got able to tell very early on when an infection was forming and what kind it was likely to be, so I avoided a lot of hospital trips that way.  I do have scars all over my body from this: arms, legs, belly, chest, sternum, feet.  I should count them sometime. 

Also if you're shooting anywhere below the waist this is essential because blood flow is slower there and infection much much more likely.  Throw in used up veins and its like a bacteria's paradise. 

Also, hi.  Been busy with school.  Miss you guys.  Glad you're ok, chipper. 



Title: Re: Oh Shit ! I think I have cellulitis in both feet
Post by: Dopeless Hopefiend on September 04, 2016, 09:52:23 PM
@makita that's exactly what mine was too. A massive fucking MRSA infection in my thigh. God it was awful, and I'm positive it was because I was doing speedballs every time. I shot heroin for years before that & had plenty of abcesses, but that's all they were and I treated most of them myself at home. This shit was nothing like a regular abcess. Not only did it almost kill me because I waited so long to go to the hospital, but even once they were able to get me stable they still thought they were going to have to cut my leg off for the first 5 days I was there. It was pretty horrific. I'm glad we both lived through it.
Title: Re: Oh Shit ! I think I have cellulitis in both feet
Post by: makita on September 04, 2016, 10:40:23 PM

* 43710018.jpg (93.82 kB . 797x520 - viewed 462 times)

Me too, Dopeless Hopefiend

These are the scars I still have from mine.  Mine wasn't actually MRSA specifically (it was before MRSA became common); it wasnt necrotizing fasciitis either.  It was a weird thing: it was very slow moving.  I never got a full workup or had the bacteria typed--I saw the wound clinic people at needle exchange and they actually told me that because it wasn't either of those things I could treat it at home, which I did.  The thinking was that if I went to the ER they would want to do surgery that might make me lose more of my arms than just letting it heal itself.  They gave me all the stuff I would need to debride it, do bandage changes, gave me dif creams etc to help w debriding and healing (this papain stuff that would dissolve the dead tissue, it smelled like bananas...and then silvadene to kill bacteria and help it heal). 

It was a necrotic infection, but it seemed to be more from the coke eating the flesh than bacteria: it wasn't spreading at all, and once I stopped shooting coke it stopped happening and then it was just a long debriding/healing process. 

I think now it might have been a levamisole reaction, but this was before anyone knew about levo in coke (like very early 2000s).

This was a crazy time in my life and the idea now of doing basically surgery on myself every day seems fucking nuts, but there you have it.
Title: Re: Oh Shit ! I think I have cellulitis in both feet
Post by: Chip on September 04, 2016, 11:16:50 PM
Wow. I wonder how you took that photo.

You guys are hardcore, I've got nothing to complain about.

This thread has turned into both one of great advice and scar porn.

You guys are bloody tough, no doubt about it.

Mine are healing nicely and the spare needles are staged for destruction.

I appreciate all the good advice too so thank you for the support.
Title: Re: Oh Shit ! I think I have cellulitis in both feet
Post by: Griffin on September 05, 2016, 04:31:11 PM
I have had nasal cellulitis a few times, it all started when I pierced my nose with a safety pin and went to hard and when it went through the nostril and I pushed into the inside of my nose(in the septum), it became infected and almost ate through to the other side, but luckily I don't have a deviated septum. Since then every single time I snorted coke my nose got infected and I had to go to the doc to get a topical antibiotic and he said some people just have to much or not enough bacteria in their nose and even the slightest scratch can turn into it.

I didn't realize cellulitis was such a serious thing and was different then what I had, glad yours is healing chipper, I have luckily never had an abscess can't imagine trying to deal with that, especially if you have a habit, on top of getting treated like a murderer at hospitals for being a drug user. Hopefully healthcare in America will someday be about health care and there won't be so much judgement preventing that.
Title: Re: Oh Shit ! I think I have cellulitis in both feet
Post by: Dopeless Hopefiend on September 05, 2016, 05:56:12 PM
Wow @makita. I sure can relate. Luckily mine was in one of my thighs so it's pretty easy to hide. It's pretty heinous though. Especially because I was severely underweight (go figure😉) both when I got the infection and when it finally healed enough to have a skin graft. Then I got on MMT and gained a million pounds, so that made it look way worse. It had gone through the muscle & everything so when I put on weight, I just gained it around the scar. Sucks, but I guess it's just part of the game.
Title: Re: Oh Shit ! I think I have cellulitis in both feet
Post by: Thoms on September 05, 2016, 08:29:36 PM
@chipper I wish you the best of luck at dropping the needle man. We been off the pins for just over 3 months:)
Title: Re: Oh Shit ! I think I have cellulitis in both feet
Post by: Chip on September 05, 2016, 10:14:53 PM
@Thoms, thank you for the supportive words bro' and i am not going back to the needle, I've done so much of it, my time is over and as I can still get my thrills from a pipe so it's not a total cessation of indulgence.

I can then stop worrying about sending myself to ER. The 4th. and final time has made me appreciate better health consequences from such decisions.

As long as I stick to my tweak weekly, I feel that I'm in control and not the drug.

Do i miss the instant gratification of the needle ? you damn bet i do but the price is now too high and i also still envy those who enjoy good health in their IV practices, but i'm done. You can hold me to that.

Thanks again !
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