Home » Health & Wellness » Lymph Circulation Disorders » Symptoms of an Infection and how to Treat it.

Symptoms of an Infection and how to Treat it.

© Keith Smiley

For the first 20 years that I had lymphedema, I had virtually no problems. Sure, I had to wear shoes a few sizes bigger than normal, but I experienced no pain. That changed in September of 1997.

I experienced a few weeks of Murphy's Law (whatever could go wrong did). First, while mowing the lawn I was stung by a bee. This was the second straight time I was stung while cutting my grass. A few days later I began to get the chills. Even though the temperature was in the 70's, my body was freezing and my teeth were chattering like I was in sub zero weather.

A few days later the chills went away but I began to develop some pain in my right leg and foot which caused me to walk with a limp. The pain became so intense that one night while I was asleep I had to get up to use the bathroom. When I planted my right foot on the floor and tried to walk, a severe pain shot through my leg and I stumbled to the floor. I tried to get back up, but I could not put any pressure on my leg. I ended up crawling to the bathroom and sat on the toilet to relieve myself. Then I crawled back to bed. I knew something was terribly wrong.

The next morning I noticed that my foot and leg was beet red, and swollen a little more than normal. The swelling went right from my foot to just below my knee. I immediately called my doctor's office to see if I could see my doctor that day. I couldn't get an appointment to see him until the next day. However, I couldn't wait until the next day so I went to the emergency room at the hospital. My foot hurt everytime I stood up and walked, I had to use a cane which belonged to my grandmother that was still in the house.

When I got to the hospital the doctor examined me, told me I had an infection and admitted me to the hospital.

This was the first time since I was born that I had to stay in the hospital. To reduce the swelling and the redness, I had an IV filled with antibiotics running through my veins. After a week in the hospital, the redness and swelling went down. However, I still had some pain but I was released from the hospital.

The copyright of the article Symptoms of an Infection and how to Treat it. in Lymph Circulation Disorders is owned by Linda Bily. Permission to republish Symptoms of an Infection and how to Treat it. in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.