Cellulitis

I got to learn a new word not long after the Labor Day weekend. It was Cellulitis. Cellulitis is a skin infection -- considered a serious condition. Seems you can pick it up from a bug bad, a shaving nick, a small cut, just about anything. And boy you will notice it when you have it! After I got back from DragonCon, I was having a lot of problems with my right leg, but just assumed it was due to all the walking. Then I actually looked at it and noticed that it was swollen from the knee to my toes! The back of my leg felt like a concrete block.

Tried to make a doctor's appointment (by this point I am thinking I might have a blood clot) and the soonest they can see me is Friday. Well by Friday morning my leg is hurting so bad, and I am getting so paranoid, that after one last attempt to see if I can get an earlier appointment, I drag myself off to the emergency room.

The doc instantly have them do a full sonogram of my leg to look for blood clots. They also take some blood. The doc, when he makes it back to me, tells me I am clear on the blood clots, then shows me a section of my leg that looks irritated. This is where he tells me about the Cellulitis. Then I get a double whammy antibiotic IV put on my arm for the next hour. I get two antibiotic prescriptions and told to get off my feet. If by a couple of days the rash seems to be spreading, I am to come back and admit myself into the hospital! Eeek!

Luckily for me, the prescriptions kicked in well enough. Not that you could rightly tell. Seems the symptoms will stay with you through most of the antibiotic attack. Only on the 6th day have I seen a decent amount of the swelling go away. Though my leg still hurts like the dickens to walk around on.

Kinda scary the number of simple things that can just totally kick you out of regular life. :-)