Cellulitis and Sepsis just released from the hospital

Dearest @cindylb, I apologize for not getting back with you sooner! We were on the road Saturday but I was still able to get a lengthy reply to your posting...until I edited it. The entire message disappeared. I was so frustrated.

I figure it was some glitch with my phone. Grrr.

I just want to say thank you once again for sharing your concerns here in this place.

Even when you don't think anyone is reading your posts, trust me, they are.

Not everyone is at that point where they feel comfortable posting. Or "liking."

I am not done researching what I can find. We had an extended family member to pass away. And another relative ended up in the hospital due to the stress of the funeral. Another family member is failing. Due to mental health issues. So I have a lot going on. Doing what I can. Time for self care.

I look forward to sharing with each other once,again on this very important subject. Take good care of you, and Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays, whichever applies!

Love and light,
Mamacita

@cindylb, how are you and your family getting along? Since the last tine we have talked. I developed several tender spots on the places where your fingernails go deep into the nail bed. Exactly where I have had staph infections before, which requires medical attention. It requires a certain amount of diligence to treat each individual spot. Making sure that I clean the area thoroughly, and putting antibiotic cream on it. Multiple times during the day.

I can only imagine the degree of difficulty that you face every day. Add to that the thought that you might have to switch to another antibiotic, then another, then another.

Life can be so hard! But still, life is good! A friend of ours is a doctor in another county. His mother and I were great friends. So I may be able to pick his brain and get some ideas from him. Also, my husband is retired from the health department. He still has good friends there. I have yet to make it to the University libraries. But I will continue to research and try to find updates that might be helpful for you.

There is strength in numbers, for sure. That's the good thing about Mayo Connect. There are real people here who will listen and do whatever they can to help.

As you have the opportunity, we would love to hear from you again.

We are better together.

Love and light,

Mamacita Jane

@mamacita Thank you for following up with me! I've been recovering from the sepsis (made me so tired and anxiety riddled). I am on the mend they say and I'm off antibiotics for a week. Those were so strong and so many I developed oral thrush and yeast infection and I have one more dose of those meds and then I'm clear on that I hope. I've been to several follow ups on my hand, which is slow to heal and Infectious Disease (with one more follow up there) and tomorrow i go for an allergy consult (due to the antibiotic allergy). Finally, I am seeing physical therapy and lymphedema therapy because that made the swelling and infection worse. I thought I had that under control but I guess not.
I got a tiny scratch on my other arm a couple days ago and I've never washed, bandaged or put more antibiotic cream on anything in my life. Tomorrow I'm buying some thin gloves to wear when I'm doing anything like cleaning that might cause a cut or start this up again.
I think the worst part (other than the almost dying) is thinking it might come back at any time. It all just seemed so random
Again, thanks for your support, anything you might turn up in research etc. It is very much appreciated!!!!!

@cindylb , Aaaugh! We need a coffee date! It must be so frustrating for these infections to pop up randomly. For me, my cellulitis has been limited to small areas on my fingers and legs. I have begun using gloves to wash dishes as a precaution. The more my hands get wet, the more my nail beds develop infections.

Such is life. We had Tornadoes earlier this evening. We were in the bathroom for awhile. Some folks in surrounding counties were injured severely. Some didn't make it. I sat there wondering if we were going to lose our home. I worry so much about keeping it clean and organized. (Which it isnt...organized that is.)

It occurred to me that we could lose it all in an instant. At that moment all that mattered was that we were safe and together.

So that's what I think we need to do. Stay safe. Take care of one another. And work together.

Love and peace, my friend,
Mamacita Jane

@cindylb @mamacita
Hi Cindy - I sure do hope you start feeling better soon. I had some lymphedema of the arm which the physical therapist worked on. It was crazy, looked like a solid large vein from my armpit down to my wrist and made it feel like the whole arm was splitting. That's gone now but I have it in my breast so the PT will start working on that. I wanted to share with you and mamcita about gardening sleeves. I purchased one that looked somewhat like the site I'm showing. I didn't choose the type with the thumb hole because I didn't want any rubbing on my thumb. So when I work in the garden, I put the sleeve on and then my gardening glove. Works out fine. Gets a bit warm but keeps me from getting nicked. KTAG1T18T TenActivTM Grey Stay-Cool Cut-Resistant Sleeve 18" Length (Large, Without Thumbhole)

@mamacita What state are you in with the tornadoes? Hoping they are long gone for you by now. As if we don't have enough with our health to worry about, right? Hoping your cellulitis and clears up soon.

@cindylb - I am another mentor here on Connect. I usually don’t check skin diseases, but I did now and read about your scary ordeal with cellulitis and sepsis. I understand that your lymphedema complicates matters. I had a right mastectomy years ago and my oncologist and internist were always warning me of injury to the right arm and risk of lymphedema. I’m still paranoid about it. Do you have any other health issues that would make you more prone to infections? It seems that the warmer months are often associated with cellulitis.
My granddaughter- 6 years old then -suddenly developed cellulitis from an insect bite and overnight developed fever, redness and malaise. I think she may have been immunosconpromized at the time because of being diagnosed with Lyme disease a week earlier.
I hope you get some answers from the allergy evaluation. I have seen a lot of cellulitis through the years of working in the healthcare field and I would be happy to offer an opinion on any concern you may have.

Thank you !!

Thank you @astaingegerdm I knew was at risk for infection and had done quite a bit of research. I developed lymphedema in my left hand and arm (with only one lymph node removed) but during surgery there was an issue that created a huge hematoma on the left and the result was lots of problems (ironically that side never had breast cancer, I just opted for a bi lateral with my invasive cancer on the right side)....sigh. I had a revision surgery which made the lymphedema seem to disappear and then this. I actually look really healthy on paper. I have no underlying conditions, take no meds, etc. I don't know what caused the cut that made this whole ordeal happen. It's so random and scary....that's why I need input so I can make a plan to stop this from happening again and wrap my head around the randomness of it all. I may be run down because I'm also the caretaker for my husband who is dying of........Cancer of Unknown Primary....in other words my husband has Stage 4 cancer but they can't figure out what type it is. Yup, it's a mess of a situation. I'm off to physical therapy today to discuss my current sleeve and how I should proceed with PT and massage now that I've had this infection. If I learn anything helpful I will share that here as well. I appreciate your support!!!! (Sorry about your granddaughter, ouch..nothing worse than little kids dealing with illness or pain).

@trixie1313 , we live in North Alabama, fairly close to the Tennessee border. When Nashville gets snow, we know a little bit of the white stuff is coming out way . We are home to the first wave pool in the United States. We have a beautiful, brand new Science Museum, loads of local talent in music and the arts. The Space and Rocket Center (Space Camp) is just up the road.

And we have tornadoes.

Love and light,
Mamacita Jane