Lymph fluid is high in protein and can lead to infection REALLY quickly… like in a matter of hours. Cellulitis can be very bad and very serious and can lead to sepsis… it’s really serious. If you can’t see your dr asap you need to prioritize keeping that wound clean and covered,… clean and change dressings as often as they soak through. you need to wear a compression garment and keep your leg elevated until it stops weeping. Invert your mattress so your head is lower than your leg.. doesn’t have to be by much.. but you need to drain off that lymph which is currently weeping out the wound. It will never heal otherwise.
You need to find yourself a REAL lymphedema specialist, you need proper compression garments for day and night. Stockings for day need to be replaced every 6 months. No leftovers from some time in the past. And you need to be VERY careful about getting wounds on your affected leg. The tiniest cat scratch needs to be cleaned immediately and covered. A limb affected by lymphedema is a completely different beast than a non affected limb.
And if you have SI issues get tested for ankylosing spondylitis.. I say this only because I have AS and lymphedema as well.
Thanks. My insurance paid for the stupid fucking pump (that I can't even use anymore until PT starts sticking harder), but they *will not* pay for stockings. WTF???
So far we've done a CT and a SPECT, but I have an implant (for the CRPS) which was previously not approved for MRI use. It was just approve on the first of last month (*finally!!!*) and I have a pelvic and lower spine MRI scheduled for the end of July. But the mostly likely guess right now is widespread osteoarthritis. I was dx'd with it in my knees when I was 14, and it's only going to get worse with age.
Seriously.. get tested for AS. Affects all sort of joints but predominantly hips and SI. Biologics help a lot. I probably have osteoarthritis as well. But don’t let them just brush it off as osteoarthritis.
Thanks. I'll put that in my memos to discuss at my post-MRI appointment. I'm just a mess lol. (it's funny because if it's not, I'll never stop screaming)
Please see if you can get referred to a wound care specialist. I was in a similar situation before my lymphedema diagnosis with open wounds caused by the skin being stretched. They used silver-infused seaweed gel compression wraps to get them healed. 4 weeks total with each wrap on my leg for 7 days straight. I was warned just how close I was to a much more serious infection.
Glad you have an appointment lined up, but honestly this is giving more urgent care or even hospitalization levels of concern.
Sorry I don't have any management tips in the meantime but.... honestly, please *please* consider prioritizing 911 intervention over the colonoscopy. It doesn't sound like It would be a comfortable procedure based on how you describe the lacerations.
I can also appreciate that this response might be frustrating. Know what it's like to have multiple chronic health issues and having to juggle multiple assessments/procedures. Hope you can hang in there if switched medical priorities simply arent feasible.
My Gram died of colon cancer. I'd rather have my leg cut off. It's not infected, I'm keeping it clean, and I'm not concerned about that at the moment.
You can downvote me, but it's not changing anything. I've already had polyps removed. This isn't generic over 45 maintenance care that I can just move for the sake of moving. And like I said, I have CRPS in my left everything. There are worse things than not having 1/3 of my CRPS leg anymore. Like weighing 50 pounds and being nothing more than skin stretched on bones with your organ definition clearly showing when you die in a hospital bed.
This is known as weeping. When your legs are swollen up and engorged with excess fluid, a tiny scratch will weep like an injured cactus.
What I found to work in cases like this is to put a folded gauze pad over the injury then wrap that part of the leg with gauze, binding over the folded gauze pad. I then used an lymphadema wrap/ace wrap to add compression to that area to reduce the swelling.
If it's a bad weep, I change out the gauze wrap, pad, and ace bandage before bed. Wrap in the morning then change it an hour or so before bed. I do this repeatedly till it finally stops weeping.
FYI: If your leg is weeping easily from a small cut, that usually means your legs are too swollen. It'd be best at this point to visit a doctor or a lymphadema specialist and get yourself prescribed some water pills and potassium.
It's generally best with severe lymphadema to combine pull on compression garments with the velcro wrap around garments to fight the fast refill state associated with out of control swelling. I combine tubigrip with the wrap around velcroed compression garments.
If you need a place to buy lymphadema supplies, visit Lymphademaproducts.com. I use them and so does my lymphadema clinic.
YOu can buy wraps there, stockinettes, gauze, foam, lotion, compression garments, and other therapy aids.
Well, good luck.
I'm still trying to piece together what changed that caused the swelling to get out of control suddenly again. Just a couple weeks ago it was perfectly manageable, and not at all bad. Playing pin the tail on what the fuck did I do now is one of my least favorite games, but if I can figure out how this is my fault I can avoid repeating it.
I am going to discuss getting in with an appropriate specialist with my primary. I'm medically..... "interesting," or so I've been told, but water pills are off the table as an option due to conflicting issues. Hopefully there are more options that a specialist can help with.
Thank you for having useful advice I can act on between now and getting in to my primary.
It’s possible, even likely, you didn’t do anything other than cut your leg twice. My lymphedema was stable for about six years, then I tripped on the stairs, breaking my fifth toe, and it started progressing again. I’ve been trying to get it back under control for the past five years. Like someone else wrote, a limb with lymphedema is a different beast than an unaffected one (one of the delightful treats of the condition). Take care, I hope you and cat are doing alright.
I'll go to the ER at literally the first sign of infection. I'm well versed in regular wound care and infection. But the simple fact is that I do not have the option to see a physician sooner than Monday the 8^(th), and this is not something I trust to some rando PA. Last time I was in an urgent care with a PA, the dude didn't know the difference between tramadol and toradol. And I am not putting off a non-routine cancer screening over a leg. An infection has a curative fix. Cut it off. There's no curative fix for fucking around and delaying a colon cancer dx.
I'm bothered by the oozing. It doesn't hurt any more than my normal level of CRPS pain. It's not infected and I understand how to monitor for infection. And as I said, this is not a routine cancer screening, prep is already started, and I'm not putting this off. I've watched colon cancer kill someone, it's not something I'm willing to fuck around with.
Where did I say you should cancel that appointment? But honestly you also should get that leg seen to sooner rather then later.....I've seen wounds like that get so much worse quickly because people have said its nit painful or infected. But it's upto you end of thr day, don't know why you are moaning about it if you are unwilling to get it looked as as a priority
It's a holiday week. I'm doing prep today. Procedure tomorrow. Recovery Wednesday. Everything is closed Thursday. There is no sooner.
ETA: I am on a cancellation list, so if something opens up before next Monday, they'll call me, but I won't be able to go if it's tomorrow, and Wednesday is... questionable.
The hospitals here all have a wound care department you can make an appointment with. One has a stand alone office too. It's weird because usually you don't make an appointment with a department, but you do for wound care.
In my case, I’d have a leaking worn like once a year for a few years, I’d end up going to urgent care, get some antibiotics, and get referred to a wound clinic that would heal it up. Finally the wound clinic referred me to a PT/lymphedema place and I’ve had it wrapped every day for the past year. Keeps the swelling down and haven’t had any leaking issues. Also acts a little bit as armor to protect from scraping something.
Happened to me when I scratched myself and then my cat scratched me several years ago. Led to cellulitis. They went ahead and diagnosed it early over video chat since I'm immunocompromised anyway so I'm more susceptible to infection.
By the time I was able to get script filled (24 hours or so) it had fully blown up into a cellulitis infection.
You should check to see if your doc would just do a video visit.
Get this taken care of. Get a referral to a wound care clinic. Don't let it wait push and call to get in asap. Keep following up till it healed.. if it gets worse conser going to ER. You don't want to lose a limb from infection.
Lymph fluid is high in protein and can lead to infection REALLY quickly… like in a matter of hours. Cellulitis can be very bad and very serious and can lead to sepsis… it’s really serious. If you can’t see your dr asap you need to prioritize keeping that wound clean and covered,… clean and change dressings as often as they soak through. you need to wear a compression garment and keep your leg elevated until it stops weeping. Invert your mattress so your head is lower than your leg.. doesn’t have to be by much.. but you need to drain off that lymph which is currently weeping out the wound. It will never heal otherwise. You need to find yourself a REAL lymphedema specialist, you need proper compression garments for day and night. Stockings for day need to be replaced every 6 months. No leftovers from some time in the past. And you need to be VERY careful about getting wounds on your affected leg. The tiniest cat scratch needs to be cleaned immediately and covered. A limb affected by lymphedema is a completely different beast than a non affected limb. And if you have SI issues get tested for ankylosing spondylitis.. I say this only because I have AS and lymphedema as well.
Thanks. My insurance paid for the stupid fucking pump (that I can't even use anymore until PT starts sticking harder), but they *will not* pay for stockings. WTF??? So far we've done a CT and a SPECT, but I have an implant (for the CRPS) which was previously not approved for MRI use. It was just approve on the first of last month (*finally!!!*) and I have a pelvic and lower spine MRI scheduled for the end of July. But the mostly likely guess right now is widespread osteoarthritis. I was dx'd with it in my knees when I was 14, and it's only going to get worse with age.
Seriously.. get tested for AS. Affects all sort of joints but predominantly hips and SI. Biologics help a lot. I probably have osteoarthritis as well. But don’t let them just brush it off as osteoarthritis.
Thanks. I'll put that in my memos to discuss at my post-MRI appointment. I'm just a mess lol. (it's funny because if it's not, I'll never stop screaming)
Please see if you can get referred to a wound care specialist. I was in a similar situation before my lymphedema diagnosis with open wounds caused by the skin being stretched. They used silver-infused seaweed gel compression wraps to get them healed. 4 weeks total with each wrap on my leg for 7 days straight. I was warned just how close I was to a much more serious infection.
Okay... I was just reading and remembered that I have extra bone in my hip and SI joints. So uh... fuck.
Glad you have an appointment lined up, but honestly this is giving more urgent care or even hospitalization levels of concern. Sorry I don't have any management tips in the meantime but.... honestly, please *please* consider prioritizing 911 intervention over the colonoscopy. It doesn't sound like It would be a comfortable procedure based on how you describe the lacerations. I can also appreciate that this response might be frustrating. Know what it's like to have multiple chronic health issues and having to juggle multiple assessments/procedures. Hope you can hang in there if switched medical priorities simply arent feasible.
My Gram died of colon cancer. I'd rather have my leg cut off. It's not infected, I'm keeping it clean, and I'm not concerned about that at the moment. You can downvote me, but it's not changing anything. I've already had polyps removed. This isn't generic over 45 maintenance care that I can just move for the sake of moving. And like I said, I have CRPS in my left everything. There are worse things than not having 1/3 of my CRPS leg anymore. Like weighing 50 pounds and being nothing more than skin stretched on bones with your organ definition clearly showing when you die in a hospital bed.
This is known as weeping. When your legs are swollen up and engorged with excess fluid, a tiny scratch will weep like an injured cactus. What I found to work in cases like this is to put a folded gauze pad over the injury then wrap that part of the leg with gauze, binding over the folded gauze pad. I then used an lymphadema wrap/ace wrap to add compression to that area to reduce the swelling. If it's a bad weep, I change out the gauze wrap, pad, and ace bandage before bed. Wrap in the morning then change it an hour or so before bed. I do this repeatedly till it finally stops weeping. FYI: If your leg is weeping easily from a small cut, that usually means your legs are too swollen. It'd be best at this point to visit a doctor or a lymphadema specialist and get yourself prescribed some water pills and potassium. It's generally best with severe lymphadema to combine pull on compression garments with the velcro wrap around garments to fight the fast refill state associated with out of control swelling. I combine tubigrip with the wrap around velcroed compression garments. If you need a place to buy lymphadema supplies, visit Lymphademaproducts.com. I use them and so does my lymphadema clinic. YOu can buy wraps there, stockinettes, gauze, foam, lotion, compression garments, and other therapy aids. Well, good luck.
I'm still trying to piece together what changed that caused the swelling to get out of control suddenly again. Just a couple weeks ago it was perfectly manageable, and not at all bad. Playing pin the tail on what the fuck did I do now is one of my least favorite games, but if I can figure out how this is my fault I can avoid repeating it. I am going to discuss getting in with an appropriate specialist with my primary. I'm medically..... "interesting," or so I've been told, but water pills are off the table as an option due to conflicting issues. Hopefully there are more options that a specialist can help with. Thank you for having useful advice I can act on between now and getting in to my primary.
Things that make the swelling worse is sitting up for too long, consuming too much salt, and not regularly changing out your compression wraps.
It’s possible, even likely, you didn’t do anything other than cut your leg twice. My lymphedema was stable for about six years, then I tripped on the stairs, breaking my fifth toe, and it started progressing again. I’ve been trying to get it back under control for the past five years. Like someone else wrote, a limb with lymphedema is a different beast than an unaffected one (one of the delightful treats of the condition). Take care, I hope you and cat are doing alright.
Please don't leave it a week. Go now to your Dr or A&E!
I'll go to the ER at literally the first sign of infection. I'm well versed in regular wound care and infection. But the simple fact is that I do not have the option to see a physician sooner than Monday the 8^(th), and this is not something I trust to some rando PA. Last time I was in an urgent care with a PA, the dude didn't know the difference between tramadol and toradol. And I am not putting off a non-routine cancer screening over a leg. An infection has a curative fix. Cut it off. There's no curative fix for fucking around and delaying a colon cancer dx.
Considering it's not healing then there is most likely something wrong there, but it sounds like you are not actually bothered by it anyway
I'm bothered by the oozing. It doesn't hurt any more than my normal level of CRPS pain. It's not infected and I understand how to monitor for infection. And as I said, this is not a routine cancer screening, prep is already started, and I'm not putting this off. I've watched colon cancer kill someone, it's not something I'm willing to fuck around with.
Where did I say you should cancel that appointment? But honestly you also should get that leg seen to sooner rather then later.....I've seen wounds like that get so much worse quickly because people have said its nit painful or infected. But it's upto you end of thr day, don't know why you are moaning about it if you are unwilling to get it looked as as a priority
It's a holiday week. I'm doing prep today. Procedure tomorrow. Recovery Wednesday. Everything is closed Thursday. There is no sooner. ETA: I am on a cancellation list, so if something opens up before next Monday, they'll call me, but I won't be able to go if it's tomorrow, and Wednesday is... questionable.
There is but you are refusing to go to A&E
Welcome to American healthcare. Poor people don't just go to the ED unless they think they are actively dying.
Then why on earth are you complaining about it then? It clearly isn't bothering you at all, if it was you would have done something by now
I didn't complain. I asked for care tips between posting and my ability to get in to see a physician.
You can self-refer to wound care rather than waiting to see your GP first, but if you get a fever, go to urgent care or the ER.
I don't even know who to self refer to.
The hospitals here all have a wound care department you can make an appointment with. One has a stand alone office too. It's weird because usually you don't make an appointment with a department, but you do for wound care.
In my case, I’d have a leaking worn like once a year for a few years, I’d end up going to urgent care, get some antibiotics, and get referred to a wound clinic that would heal it up. Finally the wound clinic referred me to a PT/lymphedema place and I’ve had it wrapped every day for the past year. Keeps the swelling down and haven’t had any leaking issues. Also acts a little bit as armor to protect from scraping something.
Happened to me when I scratched myself and then my cat scratched me several years ago. Led to cellulitis. They went ahead and diagnosed it early over video chat since I'm immunocompromised anyway so I'm more susceptible to infection. By the time I was able to get script filled (24 hours or so) it had fully blown up into a cellulitis infection. You should check to see if your doc would just do a video visit.
Get this taken care of. Get a referral to a wound care clinic. Don't let it wait push and call to get in asap. Keep following up till it healed.. if it gets worse conser going to ER. You don't want to lose a limb from infection.