I'v user - is this staff or sepsis? Blood poisoning.

[Dclaitor89]

Dear Ask The Doctor: Ok, I'm a hypochondriac but none the less i want to be as safe as possible in my recovery away from drugs. This is what's happening now. Hello. I'm a college student who recently stated shooting up. I don't remember if this is a bruise or if it's a spot where I shot up the other day. I was hospitalized 2 days ago for a few hours due to a severe allergic reaction I had to something unknown. Today I was going to sit down and play on the Internet when I noticed on my leg a black bruise looking thing. About the size of a golf ball. It's pink and black much like a bruise but has darker purple spots in the center of it. It doesn't hurt, but looks odd. Its colored like a bruise. Its an L shape about an inch wide 2 inches wide. On my legs there are some little like sores on my feet like a picked zit, there is no pus and they seem to be going away. Around my crotch area and upper leg there's scratches, anfew kind of look like smeered blood, from where I itched so hard from the reaction the other day. My sinus mucus is a dark yellow, been gettIng a cold it seems. I'm curious, if i was in the hospital 2 days ago from an allergic reaction and they took my blood wouldn't they have seen if i was septic or not?? Or had blood poisoning? I'm done using needles for good, I just hope I don't lose my life or a limb. I don't have a fever right now, don't think I have had one recently. I know I'm an idiot, but at least I'm taking the right step and going to treatment. I don't have much money to see an aftercare doc but I'll go to the hospital if it will save my leg and life. Is there anyway i can tell if i need to?

[Julia M Aharonov, DO]

If you are not running a fever, feeling sick or having a pain in your leg it is probably just what it looks like - a bruise.  But I hope that it does scare the **** out of you and being a hypochondriac, you will never again stick a needle in yourself. This is an exerpt from my website info on heroin abuse for your perusal: "Besides addiction and dependency, intravenous use of heroin (and any other substance) can include:  collapsed and sclerosed veins, risk of contracting blood-borne pathogens such as HIV and hepatitis, sepsis, bacterial or fungal endocarditis (infection of the heart valves), compartment syndrome, pneumonia, decreased liver and kidney function, abscesses, poisoning from contaminants added to “cut” or dilute heroin, severe and chronic constipation."
You are smart person and I commend you for quitting. If you want more info on how to stay clean, read some of my blogs by clicking on my name in blue or go to my website www.MDSDrugDetox.com

[Dclaitor89]

HERE ARE PHOTOS of what I'm talking about.
http://imageshack.us/mobile/gallery.php