Cellulitis Treatment At Home
What Are The Common Cellulitis Treatments?
Cellulitis is a skin infection brought about by bacteria. Bacteria like Staphylococcus aureus and Group A Streptococcus are naturally part of our body and are found everywhere. Streptococci and Staphylococci bacteria may enter the skin through cuts, wounds, insect bites, surgery wounds and other skin openings. Once they enter the skin, they release enzymes that break down cellular components and may go deeper to cause infection. The lymph nodes and the bloodstream are also infected and are used by the invading bacteria to spread infection to the entire body.
Cellulitis is diagnosed by observing and analyzing blood samples and getting samples from the sites affected. Cellulitis treatment is usually determined after being diagnosed and is dependent on the severity of the infection. Treatment is intended to ease the pain and discomfort of symptoms, to heal the skin, decrease severity of infection and ultimately to eradicate infection.
Home treatment for cellulitis is only recommended to patients who do not manifest secondary symptoms of infection and do not have a compromised immune system. Medical treatment in a hospital or medical facility is usually obligatory for those who experience chills and vomiting to be able to receive intravenous antibiotics. Those who are too old, too young or those with delicate parts infected such as the eyes need cellulitis treatment in a hospital.
Frequently Asked Questions
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QUESTION:
Cellulitis question-Help!!?
First, I know what cellulitis is. It’s a infection of the fatty layer of your skin. No, I’m not fat. I’m 5 foot 3 and weigh 120 pounds.The cellulitis is affecting my stomach and upper thighs.
Second, yes I went to the ER. I went to the ER today.
Third, yes the gave me drugs. Amoxicillin and cortisone to reduce the swelling and fight the bacteria that is causing the celluitis.
Fourth, yes I am taking those drugs. I started taking the drugs as soon as I got home from the pharmacy who filled it.
Now my question is-
Is there any at home treatments for this I can do in addition to the drugs I’m taking? I’ve already taken a hot bath, which helped some.
I just want to know what else I can at home to make the cellulitis go away faster. What can I do? Thanks!!!
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ANSWER:
Im 20 and weight 110 and am 5’2. I have it on my upper thighs and i hate to tell you this but there is no cure. Just learn to love yourself!
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QUESTION:
General Health question help!!!?
Cellulitis question-First, I know what cellulitis is. It’s a infection of the fatty layer of your skin. No, I’m not fat. I’m 5 foot 3 and weigh 120 pounds.
The cellulitis is affecting my stomach and upper thighs.
Second, yes I went to the ER. I went to the ER today.
Third, yes the gave me drugs. Amoxicillin and cortisone to reduce the swelling and fight the bacteria that is causing the celluitis.
Fourth, yes I am taking those drugs. I started taking the drugs as soon as I got home from the pharmacy who filled it.
Now my question is-
Is there any at home treatments for this I can do in addition to the drugs I’m taking? I’ve already taken a hot bath, which helped some.
I just want to know what else I can at home to make the cellulitis go away faster. What can I do? Thanks!!!
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ANSWER:
hot bath isn’t too wise cuz you can be just adding to the swell;; better off with a shower & if you can, let that area air-dry;; you want to limit abrasiveness to the area;; I would wear skirts right now if I were you;; “itis” means infection, so NO heat;; & the area of concern should not be treated with cold, too sensitive;; movement will help & keeping it as dry as you can.. other than that, ya gotta wait for the antibiotics & healing to occur.. good luck!!
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QUESTION:
Cellulitis diagnosis with no testing………?
My daughter had an infection on her finger that was starting to look strange to me, I took her to the ER and the doc said it was cellulitis but did no testing, even though I told him that previously my daughter had very swollen tonsils but no other symptoms. Her tonsils are still swollen and he wouldn’t even look at them. Now that I have come home and read about cellulitis I know that it can come from strep. He prescribed her some augmentin and said that 2X a day I should clean it with peroxide and then put triple antibiotic on it and wrap it up. The doctor had very poor bedside manner and was not remotely thorough. I am scared of her getting poor treatment because we have no insurance and ending up with necrotizing disgust. Someone please tell me that I am worrying too much and that what the doc did was appropriate. My beautiful 7 year old girl does not need to end up with a scar over this or worse. Will someone please tell me also, what’s chance of the area ending up with a scar.
I also have to vent so excuse me. This excuse for a doctor would not change her medicine when we found out that it was 0. That isn’t the part I can’t excuse though, it’s his attitude and the attitude he had again with the pharmacist when they called and asked the doc if he would change it to a pill instead of a chewable so it would be a bit cheaper. He just had the worst attitude. He did no test, no thorough exam, he left without fully explaining how to tend to my daughters wound, I had to make the nurse look to see what the diagnosis even was because no one bothered to even tell me. Even after all that I saw him as I left and said thank you and he didn’t even respond. He wasn’t worried when he got the phone call from the pharmacist that the beautiful little girl he saw earlier might not get her medicine because it couldn’t be afforded. He was more worried about being an ***. Without doubt I will still get the medicine, too bad I had to pay for the attitude too!-
ANSWER:
I’ve had cellulitis, as has one of my kids.It is mostly a visual diagnosis, without any tests.
Starting an oral antibiotic is the right approach.
Since you don’t trust your doctor to monitor it closely, you can do it.
Have your daughter choose a magic marker and circle the area of inflamation.Tomorrow look at it — if the inflamation is getting smaller than the circle, it’s starting to heal.
If it’s getting bigger than the circle, call your doctor. If there’s anyway you can go to a clinic and avoid the ER, you’ll likely get better care. (My life experiences have taught me that ERs are great places to be if your body is ripped apart by a car crash or bullet. But not so great if you’re sick.)
If the inflamation goes away with antibiotics, it should not leave a scar.
It’s likely the antibiotics will also work on her tonsils. If they don’t, make a clinic appointment for that.
Good luck.
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QUESTION:
For a western medicine dr please?
Patient admitted 8 weeks ago for wheezing and sob,
Myocardial unit x 3 days ruled out congestion from chf and pneumonia and called it allergy related congestion
dc’d with xopenx 1.25 mgs q 4-6 atc / guafeninsin bid wheezing resolved with regular treatments
Nursing home dr lowered xopenex to .63 prn
Wheezing returned for a few weeks but within last week of few weeks, became labored breathing with little effects from xopenex Instead of starting prednisone as the xopenex website reccommends, she lowered tube feedings to 65 ml per hour to reduce fluids in the body and gave 1 day of lasix 40mg(even though patient was ruled out of chf congestion at hospital) A week later 10 days of prednisone started which relieved labored breathing and wheezing and need for regular xopenex treatments. TOday 16 days after reduced calories(1600 a day to 1300 a day) and 3 days post predisone patient is wheezing heavily 4 hrs post xopenex and has developed her reoccuring cellulitis which was resolved with the 80 ml per hr diet. Argggh Please help family with advice.-
ANSWER:
a few ideas:
For wheezing not responding to typical asthma Rx, consider allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis.Also consider strongyloides hyperinfection syndrome.
As you’ve already hinted, tube feedings may be causing recurrent aspiration as the source of her wheezing. If all else fails, stop tube feeds, use TPN for a week and see if the wheezing goes away.
you don’t specify where you have observed the cellulitis, but if the lady developed a large amount of edema and venous stasis on the legs during prednisone therapy, and if the “cellulitis” is on BOTH legs, then this is not cellulitis at all – just venous stasis dermatitis. Treatment is to relieve the edema with elevation, furosemide, and local compression. As the edema resolves, the redness and warmth will resolve.
It’s a good rule that you’ll never ever have cellulitis on both legs at once – if that is the current situation, you can bet your house there is no infection, just too much edema, causing venous stasis dermatitis.
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QUESTION:
I have my third bout of crippling cellulitis and need some advice.?
This is the third time and now it is in both legs. I am currently being treated by IV antibiotics (4 grams of keflex) and also I have developed a small clot in my right calf (treated by heparin injections at home. I am not improving after 5 days of treatment and do not wish to go into hospital. Can anyone offer any help? Can I take anything else, eat certain foods or take supplements to help me get better? I want to get on with my life and am feeling very despondent about not working and being able to enjoy life. I am not able to walk far now and am too young to have this disability.-
ANSWER:
I had this 4 times in one year and then never again. The first was the worst because I didn’t know what was going on until my entire leg was red and burning.(doesn’t take long for that to happen) I entered the hospital through the ER and they put me on 5000 mg of penicillin(super penicillin as they called it) It went away after 3 days and I went home. The next 3 times I knew so I got antibiotics immediately and stopped it in its tracks. Your stomach cannot take more than 2000mg so when it’s as bad as yours, you have to go to the hospital, get put on an IV with 5000mg. to kill the bacteria. It can kill you. It’s a bacterial infection, so go to the hospital. In the future remember what I said above. You may never get it again. I didn’t and that was 15 years ago. Good luck.
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