![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
cephalexin
2013-Jun-21, Friday 05:59 pmWell, that didn't last long. I got one reprieve just in time for the next crisis.
I woke up Thursday morning with what what I hesitantly guessed was an ingrown hair on my left leg, high up on the inner thigh. I thought it was strange that it showed up so suddenly and already so swollen, but I went off to work without worrying about it. I noticed mild pain several times during the day as my denim jeans rubbed against the sensitive skin.
When I got home Thursday evening, I took another look. It definitely did not look normal. Whatever it was just looked "wrong" somehow. Wrong color, wrong density, just wrong. I pulled out the prescription information for my warfarin medication to see if it listed anything relevant. Yes, it did. In the "Serious side effects" section, the first thing it listed was (emphasis also in the original text):
Wow. I'm really sure that nobody mentioned necrotizing flesh as a side effect of my therapy. Moreover, this blob of whatever-it-is just happened to be located where I would expect the vein to flow if the clot beneath my knee had moved and got stuck higher up in my leg. I was beginning to worry at this point. I rushed to my healthcare clinic for a walk-in visit at 6pm. If they suggested it, I would immediately drive myself to the hospital for an emergency examination. The attending physician, though, soothed my worry by pointing out that the whatever-it-is seemed contained at the surface. The vein leading from my blood clot would be located much deeper in the flesh. Whew! I was relieved.
The whatever-it-is, though, was infected. She wanted me on medication to clear it up right away. Unfortunately, antibiotics will also wreak havoc on my blood clotting, so I have to come in more often to test my clotting speed. She put me on Cephalexin (500 mg capsules) for a week. I've never heard of this medication before, but she said it was especially good for skin infections.
So, necrotizing flesh incident averted. Yay!
I have such low standards now for what constitutes a good day.
I woke up Thursday morning with what what I hesitantly guessed was an ingrown hair on my left leg, high up on the inner thigh. I thought it was strange that it showed up so suddenly and already so swollen, but I went off to work without worrying about it. I noticed mild pain several times during the day as my denim jeans rubbed against the sensitive skin.
When I got home Thursday evening, I took another look. It definitely did not look normal. Whatever it was just looked "wrong" somehow. Wrong color, wrong density, just wrong. I pulled out the prescription information for my warfarin medication to see if it listed anything relevant. Yes, it did. In the "Serious side effects" section, the first thing it listed was (emphasis also in the original text):
"* death of skin tissue (skin necrosis or gangrene). This can happen soon after starting warfarin. It happens because blood clots form and block blood flow to an area of your body. Call your healthcare provider right away if you have pain, color, or temperature change to any area of your body. You may need medical care right away to prevent death or loss (amputation) of your affected body part."
Wow. I'm really sure that nobody mentioned necrotizing flesh as a side effect of my therapy. Moreover, this blob of whatever-it-is just happened to be located where I would expect the vein to flow if the clot beneath my knee had moved and got stuck higher up in my leg. I was beginning to worry at this point. I rushed to my healthcare clinic for a walk-in visit at 6pm. If they suggested it, I would immediately drive myself to the hospital for an emergency examination. The attending physician, though, soothed my worry by pointing out that the whatever-it-is seemed contained at the surface. The vein leading from my blood clot would be located much deeper in the flesh. Whew! I was relieved.
The whatever-it-is, though, was infected. She wanted me on medication to clear it up right away. Unfortunately, antibiotics will also wreak havoc on my blood clotting, so I have to come in more often to test my clotting speed. She put me on Cephalexin (500 mg capsules) for a week. I've never heard of this medication before, but she said it was especially good for skin infections.
So, necrotizing flesh incident averted. Yay!
I have such low standards now for what constitutes a good day.