[Closed] Is there a Dr in the house ? Bacterial infected leg advice please.

Why wait to go to A&E?
Is there a walk-in/Minor Injuries Clinic you can get to?

Does it move around like there is larvae growing under the surface?

Go to a and e now if I were you. Anti biotics do not work instantly so its only going to get worse before it gets better. try to get it sorted asap

If your legs swelled by 25% i'd be inclined to go to A&E.

Medical attention NOW! A&E would be my choice. Queues should not be too bad at this time of day. Could be other things apart from infection and it needs treatment.

Get to the hospital, I ended up with cellulitis and they wanted me to be admitted for a course of IV antibiotics.

Best get it checked out, I reckon.

Sounds like you've been sensitised/ made hypersensitive, get something to combat the infection then keep leg raised to let swelling go down.

Sounds like you've been sensitised/ made hypersensitive

No, sounds like cellulitis to me (though obviously I haven't seen it and therefore cannot give a proper clinical assessment etc. etc.). Get thaself to A&E forthwith.

Andy MB ChB

A&E. Really. Or walk in. Today. James (doc)

A&E sooner rather than later. I had a cut that got infected last summer and the redness started moving up my shin. I got ordered to A&E by the wife (it was a Sunday after doing the cut on a Wednesday). Doctor said good job I came in as another 24 hours and it could have necessitated antibiotics through a drip. Your case sounds much worse than mine...

So, if you haven't already left after reading the replies from others above, get to A&E.

I went to the dr last year with something similar to my forearm - sensitive, popeye-style swelling, hot. Diagnosed as a bacterial infection, likely from a tiny, tiny cut got from god knows where. Course of antibiotics.

yup, had a nice week in hospital fro cellulitis a few years ago, small cut, got infected arm like a balloon, went downhill quickly feeling really flu like. A few days on intravenous anti-b's sorted me out though.

Start up gopro, stab it with a sharp knife, squeeze goo out, post on youtube*

*Best course of action for the internets. For you; go to a&e/walk in centre whichever you have near you, asap, before you get systemic symptoms.

Singletrackmind, thats obviously not right...(have you been out windsurfing since being bitten?)

Regardless please go to A&E or see a Doctor now (and stop using the Internet for self diagnosis or NHS direct for useless advice....)

Or try the GoPro and scalpel option 😯

Have you tried the out of hours GP? Seems a reasonable first call given you appear "systemically well". But you certainly sound like you need antibiotics and a review in a few days into make sure it's not getting worse,

Tbh, I don't really think this is the sort of thing that should go to A&E.....

DrP

well I went .
and then came home again .
2 1/2 hr wait according to the sign in the waiting room, 'maybe longer ' said the lady on reception.
So its back to plan A . Go early tomorrow morning and hope my leg doesnt fall off in the night .
Rode Sat am , windsurfed Sat pm . Windsurfed Sun pm . Rode mon . Worked mon /tue am, but its hard as i have to wear wellies and my foot only just goes in.

QA as well DrP .

GP here. I'd want to get that sorted today - out of hours GP, walk in clinic or A+E. Might wait until tomorrow but cellulitis can be nasty. Where do you live?

I had a large swollen leg after cutting my knee on about day 5 of a 10 day diving trip in the Pacific. It was pretty red & sore by the time I got off the boat but I didn't fancy the local tin shack medical centre so thought I'd leave it until I got back, by which time it was swelling nicely & tender to the touch.

I went straight to the GP but was told it'd be an age before I could get an appointment with a doctor, but that the nurse could see me that afternoon. Hobbled in to see the nurse, exposed my knee and she said "stay there, I'll get a doctor" 😀 . He just gave me a course of antibiotics & told me to rest it, with a short term follow up appointment... and the cheery news that if it wasn't improving on my return they'd need to inject into it.

who sais there isn't going to be a 2 1/2 hour queue tomorrow morning FFS! Take a book and get it done if it's a week old you shouldn't just be sitting back and waiting and if you are now at home you can ring NHS Direct and wait for their 4-5 hours call back!

Good Lord!

Waiting is good. It means you’re not going to die. The person you need to feel sorry for is the one who gets rushed into the ER and treated first.

This happened to my mate who's a farrier. Left the bite and refused to go to docs. It got a bit worse and his arm had swelled right up and had blue/black lines now. Found it difficult to nail shoes on so he showed it to the vet. The Vet sent him to hospital and he spent a week on a drip.

So if it goes back, see a vet

Or don't leave it longer and longer

Make an "emergency" appointment with your GP tomorrow morning, you'll be seen the same day and get sorted.
At least you don't stink of Langstone mud and get laughed at.

Or out hours GP........!!!!!!!!

You need 500mg flucloxacillin four times a day for 7-10 days.....
Print this out - it might act as a prescription?!!!!

DrP

Out of hours gp service. Don't wait.

singletrackmind - Member
well I went .
and then came home again .
2 1/2 hr wait according to the sign in the waiting room, 'maybe longer ' said the lady on reception.
So its back to plan A . Go early tomorrow morning and hope my leg doesnt fall off in the night .

2 and a half hour wait, you will be assed first and if thought serious will be seen sooner.

Spent 2 hours in nhs drop in centre on saturday,very intresting watching the other patients, and wondering what the hell they where for, some seemingly made a total recovery and walked out before being seen, or walked in saw the queue, swore and walked out.

If its serious enough you will be seen faster, you just need to wait, the Nhs is not Asda, where they open another checkout when busy.

Actually, I'm surprised they didn't direct you to the ooh GP "check in" at qa reception...?

DrP

I like STW on days like this

OP: Any doctors here?
TJ: I'm not a doctor but here's my advice anyway
DR: Yes, go see GP not A&E (opposite to TJ advice)
OP: Thanks for that Doc, I'll do what TJ says

Tiger. He said GP unavailable. My guess its potentially serious with tht amount of swelling.

I have a history on here of telling people not to waste A&E time when its not needed but in this case I felt it was from the meagre info I had

another GP agreed with me. its a judgement call

Op doesn't make it clear exactly where it is on the leg, if its on or near a joint could also be a septic arthritis which is doubly bad. 2.5 hour wait or no I'd get it seen soon. Ben (dr)

Agree with Dr P that the OOH GP, or your own GP first thing tomorrow morning is the way forward.

If, however, you start to feel unwell (sweaty/clammy/muscle aches/anything at all) then I strongly recommend going back to [s]A&E[/s] the Emergency Dept.

Dr Andy.

I like STW on days like this

OP: Any doctors here?
TJ: I'm not a doctor but here's my advice anyway
DR: Yes, go see GP not A&E (opposite to TJ advice)
OP: Thanks for that Doc, I'll do what TJ says

Or alternatively read the whole thread and see that 3 medics, none of whom have seen the patient, have commented: one who said no to A+E and has already diagnosed and prescribed treatment; one who said possibly A+E if you exhaust other options; and another who said [i]' No, sounds like cellulitis to me (though obviously I haven't seen it and therefore cannot give a proper clinical assessment etc. etc.). Get thaself to A&E forthwith.'[/i]

Oh.

Change of heart from one doc whilst I was typing and another medic saying to give consideration to A and E.

Hospital, take a book and some patience. I've read some very nasty stories of spongers getting cuts and nearly dying from infection as they failed to get it treated promptly enough. At least you won't get hit with a £15K medical bill using the NHS.

ummm . Mostly the whole leg.
Well . Not exactly, Red itchy area starts above knee and extends to arch of foot .
Swelling is from 2" below knee cap to below ankle ball joint / instep of foot.
left leg only .Looks like those old ladies legs who have swollen ankles .

Hospitals and I dont get on . Dad died in Royal Surrey with post op complications. QA delivered me to the wrong op theatre .

I feel fine. Just itchy and sensitive leg. Might go back later as most of the queue seemed to be child based . I did ring the walk in center . Same wait 2 1/2 to 3 hrs .

TJ: I'm not a doctor but here's my advice anyway

What a stupid comment. He clearly didn't say that.

He gave his opinion, just like over 20 other people also did.

TJ bashing, is all.

I've had another think about this, consulted the the text books, and revise my diagnosis.
It's cat AIDS.....

DrP
😉

2 hours ago the OP posted it would be 2.5 hr wait. Odds are he would have been looked at by now and found out exactly what the issue and subsequent treatment is. Yet he's still on here being impotent. FFS it's just a short wait in a hospital.

DrP - and I thought it was either galloping dandruff or glandulous withers. are you sure?

Having spent a fortnight in Macc hospital on IV antibiotics with cellulitus then surgery to chop out the infected bits and a month of having the wound packes i would get to A@E, cellulitus spreads fast.

Nick

Stagnation o' t'lungs?

Change of heart from one doc whilst I was typing and another medic saying to give consideration to A and E.

Not quite a change of heart - let me put some context on it. I think he needs to see someone who can a) assess properly, and b) prescribe antibiotics if it [b]is[/b] cellulitis. This would preclude going to the walk in, which would likely send him on to the ED anyway.

As with Stainypants, I have seen the consequences of cellulitis going bad, though I concede the milder cases don't come anywhere near me as they are not sick enough to wind up in ITU or to require me to gas them for surgical debridement.

I would still suggest to the OP that if he feels unwell, going to the ED is the best option. If he is otherwise well, then being seen by a GP would seem reasonable. Doesn't mean he won't end up in hospital though.

Andy

I had something similar after an insect bite, leg below the knee down to around the ankle swelled up but this happened a day or two after the bite so not sure if you're experiencing the same. With mine you could press your fingers into the swelling and see the indentations for a good few minutes afterwards and the swollen leg looked huge next to my other leg.

I saw the doctor as was starting to get a bit worried when it didn't seem to go down after a day or so, they just advised taking an over the counter anti histamine to help with the itching. Seems it was just a reaction to the bite but took around a week for the swelling to go down completly.

I'm not a doctor and don't know if you've got the same as I had so still think it'd be worth getting it checked out.

Right . Action .
Rang the OOH phone line .
Within 20 min Dr called back .
Appt booked for 20.00 at QA OOH Gp .
Should be able to get drugs tonight , or have leg sawed off .
Many Thanks for the helpful replies
Rob

dangerousbeans - Member
TJ bashing, is all.

I do hope this isn't a euphemism 😯

Should be able to get drugs tonight , or have leg sawed off .

Or referral to Dignitas.........

DrP

Good luck, btw! We should arrange another ride sometime soon - it's been too long since the southern factor of STW got together!

Tiger6791 - Member

"dangerousbeans - Member
TJ bashing, is all."

I do hope this isn't a euphemism

I am not a bishop

Good luck Rob. 🙂

Horse flies - nasty little bastards aren't they.

I've had 2 or 3 courses of antibiotics to clear the bites up - that's my main advice, get yourself to the quack ASAP, then get to the pharmacy and start taking the course. And finish it. If you're really desperate, go to A & E or a walk-in centre - it's a bit of time bomb you're dealing with.

Just picture one of those time-lapsed petri dished with ecoli multiplying in it - that's happening in your leg goddamit!

Apparently, the horse flies try to cut out a bit of your skin to take off and eat. In doing so, because they chew rather than 'plug in' like a mosquito, they chew all sorts of crap from themselves and the mud on your legs into the wound - meaning a nasty infection is a near certainty.

They also deliberately land on your clothes before crawling onto your skin so there's less chance of you feeling them - evil, evil, evil.

If your legs are coated in mud from riding, it makes it even easier for the little sods.

Also, elevate your leg when possible to minimise the swelling, the absolute worst part is getting out of bed as the leg has time to settle, then you stand up, and it burns like a poker.

Good luck, and don't worry about feeling silly at the doctors - they will write you a prescription in a flash for this as they recognise it is really nasty.

London School of Tropical Medicine. Mate ended up there after a few misdiagnosis. Lost his leg in the end due to the delay.

I struggle with long sentences

Is the OP legless yet ?

Lost his leg in the end due to the delay.

The OP hasn't been diagnosed yet, so misdiagnosis doesn't appear to be an issue here.

Although it is always nice to think of the worst possible scenario. Not enough people do that.

First dibs on the 575 if the leg goes

First dibs on the 575 if the leg goes

[url= http://www.mtb-amputee.com/ ]Lol harsh![/url]

Yep, there's plenty of one legged cyclists. Of course your luck might change of it spreads to his other leg DezB - legless cyclists need a completely different sort of bike.......fingers crossed eh ?

****ers the lot of you.
Back in the room .
DrP wins a prize . 400mg Floxocillin 4 times a day with food.
Bacterial infection in leg prob caused by open sore after fly bite.
Referral after 48hrs at local GP, and a nice pen drawing on my leg [s]of a penis[/s]

That took less than 2hrs!

That's what they gave my mate at first.

DrP wins a prize . [s]4[/s]500mg Fl[s]oxo[/s]ucloxacillin 4 times a day [s]with food[/s] on an empty stomach

Any pics of your, erm, 'swelling'?

Hmm, wonder if he's still alive?

Don't muck about. As soon as you realise its infected go and see your GP.

I had two infected bites that started tracking up my leg. It wiped me out for weeks and I had to take numerous antibiotics!

Don't worry, he'll be up to his eyeballs in hops and stuff by now.

after having just spent the long weekend with someone who was prescribed antibiotics by an out of hours GP on Saturday and spent Monday/ Tuesday admitted into hospital to receive IV antibiotics I would suggest you get this checked out as soon as possible.
infections can kill very quickly.

Do many people post before reading the thread? Just wondering like...
🙂

do you know what I struggle with long sentences means?

after having just spent the long weekend with someone who was prescribed antibiotics by an out of hours GP on Saturday and spent Monday/ Tuesday admitted into hospital to receive IV antibiotics I would suggest you get this checked out as soon as possible.
infections can kill very quickly.

Or they can get better with simple oral medication....?!
TBH, I'd say you'd need a prompt review again in 2-3 days to ensure you're improving and remain well.

DrP

Or they can get better with simple oral medication

unless the Doctor prescribes the wrong type of simple oral medication which doesn't work leaving the patient 3 days further into the infection before the correct drugs were prescribed 💡 👿

Get to...oh wait.

2.5 hour wait at A+E that's bloody good that must have been quiet.

Hope you're on the mend, I got an infection like that from Mozzie bites and was unwell for 2 weeks even with antibiotics.

Wrong type ?

It might be ineffective, but why would it be the "wrong" type ?

Is waiting on a path lab report instead of putting the patient on antibiotics immediately really the best option ? Specially if there is a very high probably that a fairly broad spectrum antibiotic will work ?

I don't know btw, just asking.

Perhaps it needs a 'Big Hitter' antibiotic, one that will keep going on & on at the infection, whatever it is, until it just gives up? 😈

Well there is certainly what you might call a 'Big Hitter' antibiotic when it comes to veterinary issues chessyfeet, Synulox seem to work in at least 90% of cases - whatever the bacterial problem and whatever the species ! I generally keep a supply precisely because of that. And Baytril seems work in most of the remaining cases. 'Big Hitter' antibiotics indeed ! Although I accept that for humans it's probably not that simple.

Wrong type ?

It might be ineffective, but why would it be the "wrong" type ?

you're right in your assertion that it was ineffective, but I say it was the wrong type of antibiotic because the condition was obvious and common (trust me on this one) and an effective antibiotic to treat this condition should have been obvious (Penicillin-based).
the only reason that I can think of that the Doctor would have prescribed the drug they did was because (I think) it was not based on Penicillin and despite the patient having taken Penicillin two weeks before the Doctor did not have the patient's notes and was therefore nervous about prescribing a Penicillin-based antibiotic in case (and despite assurances to the contrary) the patient was allergic.
these thoughts are based on the non-candid opinion of the hospital Doctor (do I need to capitalise Doctor) who was seen latterly.

I see, well let's hope that singletrackmind hasn't seen an incompetent doctor and that he has been given the "correct" antibiotic.

The jury's still out on whether he's going to lose his leg.....these things can happen you know. And it's always worth keeping in mind the worst possible scenario. No one likes surprises.

I doubt anyone was/will be incompetent.....

Not everybody responds "as you expect", so therefore the skill not only lies in making a diagnosis and offering treatment, but managing the unexpected and relaying his o the patient.
Ultimately the Dr takes this responsibility when making/treating the initial diagnosis (which is why I get paid what I do - my job is all about managing and containing risk)

If we were to treat all people as "worst case scenarios" the hospitals and surgeons tables would be unmanageably full!!

DrP

did you get a picture. I'd like to see one if there is!

[img] [/img]

Hmm, no activity from the OP.

What's the form here? Show concern or start calling 'dibs' on his kit?