Anyone a doctor/nurse/have any medical knowledge?

foodpoison

foodpoison

Suspended / Banned
Messages
6,253
Name
Sean
Edit My Images
Yes
I've tried calling the local doctor's surgery, but they're busy, and I don't want to be admitted to hospital on Christmas bloody eve.

Basically, about a week ago, I was admitted to hospital to have 2 boils/abscesses on my leg drained. They had gotten gradually worse over a week period (all fine and healed now).

A couple of days ago, I got an insect bite on my left leg on the outer calf.
It hurt straight away and was itchy straight away (unlike the ones I was admitted to hospital for). Now, it's quite painful and hurts to put pressure on my leg.

The skin around it in about a 1 inch diameter is hard, and the skin is warm to touch. There is a tiny red dot in the centre of it, assuming that's where the bite is.
Now, it's not as painful as it was yesterday, but I just need to know if it's anything serious or whether it's just a bad insect bite that will go away.

As far as I know, I'm not allergic to any insects or materials.

Can provide pictures and more information if needed. Any help is really, really appreciated.
 
Last edited:
NHS Direct..... can't believe I just typed that!
 
You might have had a reaction to the bite so maybe you could try some Piriton and you could apply some bite cream (like Anthisan) to the affected area. If you think it might be getting like a boil try some Magnesium Sulphate powder, you can get it at the chemist and you will need to mix it to a paste with water and apply it with a clean gauze/pad.

Hope this helps.

Dr Death.
 
Yes, an antihistamine cream to stop the itching and if it feels like it might be infected a poultice of some kind to draw it out.
 
You could (like me) end up with cellulitis. Get it seen to!
 
Hot needle, squeeze infected area and insert needle until it bleeds. Finish off with a dab of salt mixed in vinegar :thumbs:
 
maddog.mark said:
NHS Direct..... can't believe I just typed that!
Click to expand...

I've used them before for my boils and while there was a bit of a cock-up in communications they were actually pretty good!

Hacker said:
You might have had a reaction to the bite so maybe you could try some Piriton and you could apply some bite cream (like Anthisan) to the affected area. If you think it might be getting like a boil try some Magnesium Sulphate powder, you can get it at the chemist and you will need to mix it to a paste with water and apply it with a clean gauze/pad.

Hope this helps.

Dr Death.
Click to expand...

I've had a clarityn (piriton makes me drowsy) and off down to the chemist to get some bite cream and some Magnesium Sulphate powder. If it doesn't get better in by the 27th (which seems unlikely as it's better than yesterday) then I'll be down to the out of hours clinic to have it looked at.

Tazmaniandevil said:
Yes, an antihistamine cream to stop the itching and if it feels like it might be infected a poultice of some kind to draw it out.
Click to expand...

Thanks :)

photon said:
You could (like me) end up with cellulitis. Get it seen to!
Click to expand...

I will do if it doesn't get any better :)

u8myufo said:
Hot needle, squeeze infected area and insert needle until it bleeds. Finish off with a dab of salt mixed in vinegar :thumbs:
Click to expand...

I think I'll leave that fairly savage sounding method to the docs :p
 
Last edited:
Can you find a pharmacist. Many operate minor ailments services. If they cannot recognise the problem as minor they'll tell you to get to a doctor.
 
do not use the hot needle... get piriton or simlar..but get to the doc's .. in your neck of the woods i do believe there are ticks and it sound very like the reaction to a tick bite so you must get it looked at.
 
FFS, don't ask for medical advice on a photography forum :cuckoo:

If you can't get ahold of your doctor, or get advice through to NHS Direct then do what Arclight suggests and find a pharmacist...:shake:
 
I went to a pharmacist and she said that it just looks like a bad insect bite, and to see if it goes down through use of allergy stuff such as piriton and bite cream. If it doesn't then go to the docs.

And photography for most people is a hobby meaning they have a day job. I think asking for medical advice on a photography forum is perfectly viable considering it's likely someone has medical knowledge from their day job :)
 
Stupidly I asked for medical advice on Xbox live ;)

It's a lot better than yesterday, yesterday I could barely stand on it, and it's definitely not a tick bite (I haven't been anywhere where ticks could be hanging around, plus I remove loads of ticks from my dog so I know what they look like).

If it's not better by boxing day I'll go to the Out of Hours clinic :)

Thanks for all the advice guys.
 
Last edited:
If you get `flu-like symptoms of headache, extreme tiredness and weakness due to cellulitis you'll need antibiotics and maybe admission to hospital. You'll be so out of your head you won't be able to make decisions for yourself, so let your family or whoever you're in regular contact with know what's happened and what could develop.
 
photon said:
If you get `flu-like symptoms of headache, extreme tiredness and weakness due to cellulitis you'll need antibiotics and maybe admission to hospital. You'll be so out of your head you won't be able to make decisions for yourself, so let your family or whoever you're in regular contact with know what's happened and what could develop.
Click to expand...

I'm at home over christmas so not to worry.

Yeah I've been told that if I get any of those symptoms to go straight to hospital.
 
Just bear in mind you could be argumentative or your family may think you're sleeping off booze or a big meal. They need to realise it could be something more.
 
Red and hard is where the infection is. Antihistamines and cream (even antiseptic with it being infected) should work for a few days anyway.

Wrote on your 365 - could it be insects in your uni room? Remember the numpties with the cider when you first got to uni? If you didn't clean the cider properly, the sugar will attract insects and they sometimes like to feast on human flesh... ants are buggers but it's the wrong time of year for them, however in warm halls of residence, that might not make much difference to their hibernation. Spider bites are bloody awful if they get infected, not sure Boris' (youtube for boris the spider ;) )are attracted to sugar though?
 
No, because I got the insect bite while I've been home for christmas, and I've washed my bed sheets several times since... When I get home I'll check though, and while I know that most of time bugs are there even if you can't see them, I haven't seen a single spider since I've been at uni. There were a few small black flies around, which is what I think might have bitten me in the first place.

And I'm not one for spiders so any videos of spiders on youtube are not the sort of thing I think I'd enjoy watching :p
 
I don't mean on your bedsheets :lol: (didn't think you were trampy and not wash your bedsheets ROFL) I meant like under the bed if it hadn't been washed away properly. If you've been getting them at home and at uni though, that kinda rules out an infestation. :shrug:
 
What's with these insect bites in December? You must live somewhere exotic.
 
I was in st Johns for a while but left....

I'm up for trying the needle thing (thats why they made me move aparently a stanley knife and a lighter aren't valuable first aid tools)
 
foodpoison said:
The stuff I'm using at the moment, the Anthisan cream, is brilliant! The infected area has gone right down and it doesn't even hurt any more!
Click to expand...

Sounds like you are one of those people who react very badly to bites.
I know someone here like that. Got bitten on the arm by a horse fly and his arm went to twice normal size. Most folk would have just had a small itchy swelling for a while.
 
gumbo-67 said:
.. in your neck of the woods i do believe there are ticks and it sound very like the reaction to a tick bite so you must get it looked at.
Click to expand...
Eeeek! Ticks! That can be nasty.
 
You have described exactly what I had in August of this year. Mine was on the inside of my calf. I just assumed it would go after a few days. A month later I decided to go to the doctors.
During that month it almost went away. But then flared up again. I had a red warm tender to touch area around the actual bite. Felt very warm. In the centre it was darkish.
The doctor said that the dark area was where it had bled under the skin. She told me to leave it and it would go down.
It did after about another 3 weeks. ALMOST!
To this day it is still a little red and bruised. Not sore anymore, but sometimes a little warm:

26122009711.jpg


(The things I do for this forum! :cuckoo: If my wife had walked in the room and found me with my jeans around my ankles and phone in hand taking a picture..:eek: )

I am absolutely convinced that it was a spider bite in bed one night. I can remember it waking me up.
No doubt it will eventually go, but until then....:shrug:


Kev.
 
Last edited:
Hey Kev, I had the exact same thing, I think it might be fleas cos my neighbours cat come around mine for a fuss when I am at home.
 
wire brush and some dettol :p
 
henryf4 said:
Hey Kev, I had the exact same thing, I think it might be fleas cos my neighbours cat come around mine for a fuss when I am at home.
Click to expand...


You saying I've got fleas?? :boxer::lol::lol::lol:


I can remember brushing it off my leg when it bit me. If I'd been awake properly I would have dismembered the little b****r. 4 months later and its still left its mark. :eek:


Kev.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top