Cellulitis?

[med_student_patient]

Hello everyone. Roughly 1 month ago I had athlete's foot. Unfortunately, as a complication of the athlete's foot, I also developed several small sores on my toes (right foot only, left foot completely unaffected) in the area of the athlete's foot. At first they developed quickly, were tender or painful to touch, oozing pus and the area around them was slightly inflamed. I cleaned the sores with tissues and applied salt to it so as to disinfect it (I suspected the sores were infected). 4 weeks later (or today), the sores are smaller, not tender or painful to touch, without scab, still oozing pus and they won't heal for some reason. Another problem that occurred was I developed several more sores on the back of my left thigh and one solitary sore slightly medially to my right knee(patella) approximately 2 weeks after the initial sores on my toes . The newer sores on my left thigh and right knee showed very similar characteristics to the sores that preceded them(the sores on my toes) in that they developed quickly, were tender and painful to touch, the area around them was inflamed, oozing pus. They also showed a similar pattern of progression as the sores on my toes when I treated them with the same method of tissues and salt.Another thing I should mention is I'm finding it slightly more difficult to breath, but noticeably or worryingly more difficult.  Now I'm fairly confident that I have a case of Cellulitits which developed as a complication of the athlete's foot. The reason why i suspected Cellulitits is because the sores developed rapidly, the area around them was inflamed, and cellulitis is common complication of athlete's foot. I'm thinking about buying some antibiotics and anti fungal cream (even though the athlete's foot is practically all cleared now). If anyone has more information, or a different opinion on what this might be, your help will be greatly appreciated because to be honest I'm getting progressively more scared each day/week these sores don't heal and should I seek immediate medical attention or should I take some antibiotics for a week and wait for it to improve. And which antibiotics should i used in particular to treat cellulitis.

[med_student_patient]

Hello, thanks for the reply and I appreciate your advice. I think you're right in that I need to visit a physician as soon as possible. One more question, answering it will somewhat give me more peace of mind. I know that Diabetes type 2 can cause slow wound healing, but what other underlying conditions can also cause slow wound healing. Could it be that the sores that developed on my thigh and knee developed as a result of cross contamination and are simply just infected with the microbes from the previous Athlete's foot, I think that wouldn't be far fetched because even though when I was treating the sores I washed my hands thoroughly afterwards but then again I have a tendency to scratch myself a lot especially at night so maybe that could explain the cross contamination. I'm freaking out at the thought of having Diabetes because I have a family history of Diabetes and possibly a genetic predisposition for it. So to clear things up, what other underlying condition can cause sores/wounds to heal slowly.
Thanks again for the help.

[Tuckamore]

Hi and Welcome.

Oh my! I think you should see a physician. Your screen name (and good descriptive information) tells me you are a med student. I suggest you stop treating yourself and consult a dermatologist or your PCP. This could be a secondary infection and not a Cellulitis.

Cellulitis is usually very defined. Once you see it - it becomes obvious. The skin become red, inflamed, hot to touch, painful and is normally edematous, usually pitting edema. However as the condition advances the skin may feel firm to touch and look like an orange peel. Cellulitis normally begins at or near the point of the affected area, (meaning your toe or feet). The inflammation then extends into the surrounding tissue. As an example if it began in the foot it may engulf the entire lower extremity. I haven't seen it jump from a toe to a knee without including the tissue in between. I'm not saying it's not possible. I am not a physician or expert.  Are you inadvertently cross contaminating?

I certainly wouldn't suggest a specific ATB, This needs to be your physicians decision based on the infection that is present. Is it Staphylococcus aureus? Streptococcus? - Or is it something else? Only your physician can determine the best route to treat your skin condition.

I wish you well and hope you'll let us know what your discover. Please don't let this become worse. There are some really nasty skin infections out there.

Take Care,
~Tuck