Cellulitis

GENERAL INFORMATION:

What is it? Cellulitis is also called a soft tissue infection. It is an infection of the skin. Skin anywhere on the body may become infected. Cellulitis happens most often on the arms or lower legs. You can also get it in your face and around your eye. It does not spread from person to person. But you can get cellulitis more than once. With medicine, cellulitis should be gone in 7 to 10 days. Without treatment, the infection can get into your blood and cause a blood infection.

Causes: Cellulitis is caused by a germ called bacteria (bak-teer-e-uh). The bacteria can get into the skin through a small cut or sore. You can also get cellulitis from animal bites, swimming in either fresh water or salt water, from burns or after surgery. Injury to an eye or a sinus infection can cause cellulitis of the skin around the eye.

Signs and Symptoms:

• General cellulitis: The infected skin usually feels tender, and looks red and swollen. You may also have a fever, chills, and sweats. Lymph nodes near the infected skin may also be swollen. These may be felt as hard bumps under the skin.
  
  
• Cellulitis near an eye: The eyelid will be swollen and red, and feel tender. You may have a runny nose or a headache.
  
  
• Cellulitis of the face: Adults who have cellulitis in their face, may not want to eat and may vomit (throw-up). They may feel very tired. The skin may itch or burn. The front of the neck may be swollen. Children with facial cellulitis may be irritable and also look like they have a cold.
  
  
• Cellulitis around the anus: The anus is the opening where you have a BM. The infected skin may be red, swollen, and itchy. It may hurt to have a BM.

Care: You will need to take antibiotic (an-ti-bi-ah-tik) medicine to kill the bacteria. Raise the infected arm/leg above the level of the heart to help lessen swelling and pain. Your caregiver may have you put warm or cool, wet dressings on the area to help lessen pain. Mild infections can be treated outside the hospital. You may need to be treated in the hospital with really bad cellulitis.

CARE AGREEMENT:

You have the right to help plan your care. To help with this plan, you must learn about your health condition and how it may be treated. You can then discuss treatment options with your caregivers. Work with them to decide what care may be used to treat you. You always have the right to refuse treatment.

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