Painful skin on my foot, please help

[AdamD]

Hello everyone.

I suffer from mild to medium/severe eczema on occasion, but have got it under control over the years

I am overweight, sadly, I started dieting back at the beginning of march when I tipped the scales at 346lbs (yea..I know, that's terrible, heh)

As of the 27th of April, I was down to 318 (atkins diet)

But, on Sunday of last week I made the mistake of scratching an itchy spot on my left foot, which then overnight, started to get red and painful.

I went to the doctors on Tuesday the 24th and got a prescription of Flucloxacillin (250mg) antibiotics, which I took until Friday, but it hadn't had any affect, so I went back, at which point I got a new, stronger prescription of:

250mg Penicillin VK (Phenoxymethylpenicillin) (1 tablet, 4 times a day)
500mg Flucloxacillin (1 tablet, 4 times a day)
And for the pain! - 50 Co-Codamol (15mg Phosphate/500mg Paracetamol) one/two when required.

It's now Monday and although the pain has decreased SLIGHTLY, as has the swelling, it still hurts like hell, the foot still swells up and hurts to walk on.

The pain seems to emanate from the yellowish main sore spot as you see in the photo, and extends outwards, covering the entire left side of the foot and across the middle/top section to.

I've been putting a small amount of Fucibet cream on it, which is what I normally use in eczema flare ups, to no affect.

Here's a photo of the top of my foot, so please excuse the condition of my skin and chubbiness of my foot (it's part fat and part swelling)

214

[pepsimax]

First of all congrats on losing so much weight. I am not sure if I personally like the Atkins diet but make sure you are being monitored by a health care professional.
I recently had a course of Flucloxacillin after putting a nail through my foot so although I cannot explain what these do they seem a good choice.
Penicillin VK is used for treating mild infections and with antibiotics they seem to work just as the course is finishing.
I am not a professional and hopefully someone here can offer you better advice but I would give the antibiotics more time to work, keep your foot elevated whenever possible and see if this helps reduce swelling. Make sure you finish the course and if no changes on the last day I would see your doctor again. I am guessing from the choice of painkillers that you are in the UK. If so doctors here will use the cheapest and most common form of treatment at first but don't be scared to go back and talk it over with your doctor again. Some chemists have good pharmacists that could offer you better advice on how medicines work so what to expect.
Sorry I've not been a big help.

[vencasand]

were you bitten by a bug? spider? or was it just an itch? you could have cellulitis that is an infection deep in your skin. you are on antibiotics which is good. congrats on you losing weight. i too need to lose weight but haven't been able to commit my brain to doing it. you are doing all the right things. it takes a while to get rid of cellulitis. give the antibiotics a chance. it has only been 4 days. if your therapy of antibiotics is done and you still hurt and have itching and pain, please go back to your doctor. listen to nikki above. try to keep your foot elevated when you are sitting. and send me some will power to lose weight too. sending you blessings. hope you get well soon.

[AdamD]

Thanks all for the reply, much appreciated

Seems a bit better today, although the spot looks identical to the photo posted earlier.

Gonna keep it elevated some more.

[pepsimax]

I'm glad it is a little better. If like Brenda says, its an infection deep within your foot then it may take time to notice a difference on the surface. Even though you are keeping the foot elevated, you need to keep up movement. While sitting, rotate your foot gently to avoid stiffness.
Keep us updated on how things go.

[nessa]

Hi Adam,

This not by any chance an allergic reaction to an insect bite? If so, best to consult a specialist physician asap.

Hope this helps?

Vanessa

[AdamD]

Hiya

I'm honestly not sure, the pain does start on the yellow looking spot, it hasnt' changed at all in appearance from what I can tell

There's still pain, but it's not even 1/10th as bad as it was, but I'm worried that it still hurts and looks red around the spot.

I'm starting to wonder if it is Cellulitis and if so, why it hasn't healed yet

I'm also starting to wonder if I have diabetes and don't know it (I'm very stubborn, so rarely, if ever, go to the doctor)

[pepsimax]

If you're in the UK the chance of it being a spider or insect bite is very slim. I'm not an expert but I know diabetes can be serious if left untreated and foot problems can occur. If this is something you think you have, especially if you have other symptoms, you should get this check immediately. It's better to know of a condition and ways to help it than have mysterious ailments.
Maybe someone else can offer you better advice.

[Dr.Deepak]

Looks like erysipelas to me which is superficial bacterial infection. Yup Penicillin group drugs work good for erysipelas. Take antibiotics as prescribed by your doctor. Keep leg elevated and avoid further scratching. And yea if the lesion doesn't heal in time you may want to check for diabetes.

[AdamD]

I got one of those home test kits (http://www.healthmonthly.co.uk/atlas_home_diabetes_test_kit)
Result was negative, but I don't know how accurate they are

It did show I was DEEP in ketosis (The atkins diet) hehe.

I'm wondering if being on atkins would mess with the test though.

[AdamD]

Ok so this is the foot now, it doesn't look "as" bad as it did, but the main spot is still where the pain originates from, which although isn't as severe as it was, still makes me hobble a bit when I get up in the morning.

Please excuse the grizzly detail, heh

[pepsimax]

I'm not an expert but to me that appears to be healing.
How long have you been on the Atkins diet? Are you seeing a dietitian or some form of health professional in regards to your diet? In my opinion the problem with fast weight loss diets are as soon as you go back to normal eating you tend to gain more weight quicker. Also being on any diet long term, unless it is something balanced and slow weight loss like Weightwatchers, can cause long term problems due to lack of nutrients. The reason you need foods from each category (including carbs) is so you get what nutrients your body needs. I seem to have a problem absorbing iron and often suffer with low iron levels. As Iron tablets cause me side effects I can only take them when levels are very low. Because of this I have to make sure my diet contains enough iron rich foods without missing out on anything else.
It wouldn't hurt to see your GP about your diet and maybe get some blood tests done. I am assuming you're in the UK as this is free.
Good luck with the weight loss though. I do know this can be very challenging. Just don't overdo things and cause problems later in life.

[vencasand]

Adam there are no grizzly details. it is a picture of a foot that looks like it is healing. that is good. if you are finished your antibiotics though i would make another appointment with the doctor because it isn't healed totally yet. there is still redness and you shouldn't have pain. now this test you did to see if you are diabetic, was it a blood test or a urine test? if it was urine, they are not as good as a blood moniter tester. in the us we can get them free at most pharmacies. it it the strips that cost an arm and leg. (that is why the monitor is free) keep us up with your progress. blessings.