My cousin has weeping leg edema, very painful, and his internist diagnosed it as cellulitis - He is 79 yrs old with emphysema - and not improving on an antibiotic - Is there a specialist he can see for this condition
What kind of specialist to see for weeping leg edema and cellulitis?
Question posted by marymack1938 on 9 Sep 2013
Last updated on 18 March 2018
3 Answers
DzooBaby
9 Sep 2013
I agree with Kaismama, I would recommend a vascular specialist and if he has open ulcers that have been there six months or more, he could also see a wound specialist.
DzooBaby
9 Sep 2013
Oh, I wanted to add, he should sit for long periods of time and when he IS sitting, he needs to keep his feet elevated. If he can sit in a recliner and kick it back so his feet are either on level with his heart or above his heart, this would be optimal. If he doesnt have a recliner he should lay on the bed every few hours, for an hour or two, with his lower legs on a pillow (to get those feet above the heart. The heart isnt pumping well and the valves in his blood vessels are not working correctly to bring that fluid against gravity so that the body can process it and get rid of it via the kidneys. He needs to drink plenty of water too unless his doc has him on fluid restrictions.
marymack1938
9 Sep 2013
thanks to all who commented
kaismama
9 Sep 2013
He has venous stasis, meaning the blood is pooling unable to get back up to the heart. Its not really cellulitis, but a dark bluish red that is caused by blood pooling. Its not going to get better on an antibiotic its not an infection. I have seen so much of this and he must see a vascular specialist. Without treatment it will only get worse and his skin will start breaking down into ulcers. They can be a real problem to treat. I am amazed that a dr could look at that and not know exactly what it was.
Factfinder411
9 Sep 2013
cellulitis isn't a infection? I had it in boot camp and the told me it was an infection. I know I couldnt be around the other Marines
DzooBaby
9 Sep 2013
Cellulitis is infection but we dont think this guy has cellulitis. It sounds more live venous stasis. He may have had cellulitis, too, at some point but antibiotics wont get rid of the underlying problem of venous stasis. When I used to work in a wound healing center, we used to get people with weepy legs and open ulcers and we had a special 3 or 4 layer compression bandage/wrap we used to put them in and leave it on for seven days then have them come in so we could change it. They need compression to keep the fluid from pooling. After the wounds healed, they were usually put into compression hose like TED hose or JOBST stockings.
Virchow
18 March 2018
I'm having problem with my legs being raped and the weeping it burns the skin and makes it worse the wet raping on the skin I change the rap a hour later its soaking wet what can I do ???
Factfinder411
9 Sep 2013
Infectious disease . Someone who deals with infections of the body or a wound center.
kaismama
9 Sep 2013
No its not an infection. Its a circulation problem
Related topics
bacterial skin infection, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, edema, antibiotics
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