Lengthy battle with cellulitis deserves another look

DEAR DR ROACH>> I am having a serious, lengthy battle with cellulitis on my lower leg. For nearly three months, nothing any doctor has recommended or prescribed has worked. The inflammation and skin discoloration have not abated even with three days of intravenous injections of antibiotics and three courses of antibiotic pills. I have soaked my leg in Epsom salt, used antibiotic creams, Vicks rub, aspirin for inflammation, raised my leg when I am sitting — all to no avail. The doctors I have seen seem to have thrown up their hands and offer no resolution. Every medical person who sees my leg immediately diagnoses the problem to be cellulitis. An ultrasound showed no blood clot.

This occurred after a 15-hour plane flight and a subsequent day of walking — about 18,000 steps. I wore support hose on the flight and moved as much as possible. I basically missed a night of sleep, walked for several hours, went to bed and was woken in the night with leg cramps and the swelling and rash. There was no break in the skin nor insect bite that I was aware of. I am female, 75, in fairly good health, not obese, do not have any circulation problems.

I know that an infection lasting so long is very dangerous and can lead to sepsis. I am willing to do whatever is necessary to rid myself of this bacterial menace. Please advise, and soon, as I am desperate! — T.E.

ANSWER>> Cellulitis, infection of the deeper tissues of the skin, is a common infection. It is usually caused by Staphylococcal or Streptococcal bacteria. Not everything that looks like cellulitis is an infection, however, and when several courses of antibiotics have failed, it’s time to reconsider the diagnosis.

Looking for a blood clot was wise; blood clots can cause redness and swelling that looks very much like cellulitis sometimes. A deep tissue abscess can prevent cure with antibiotics, but that should be apparent after a few days, let alone three months.

There are several other less-common chronic skin conditions that can mimic cellulitis.

A wound care nurse colleague of mine with far more experience than me suggested the possibility of acute lipodermatosclerosis, which is a noninfectious inflammation of the deep skin. It happens more commonly in people with poor venous drainage of the legs, which is common in women (but men, too) in middle age. The airplane flight and walking is a setup for exacerbating any venous insufficiency.