Elevated liver enzymes and cellulitis? - ThinnerTimes

ladytonya · 04-21-2007, 03:46 AM

Okay, I am going crazy here! I have been itching like crazy for over a month now. I went to my PCP and he gave me a cream to use. It helped symptomatically but I still itch. The only thing that seems to work is Benedryl but that knocks me out so I can only take it at night. So, this past Monday night I had a red spot on my ankle. By Tuesday morning it was extremely red and inflamed and by Tuesday night my whole shin and calf area was bright red, splotchy, and extremely painful. I went to the doc Thursday. She did some blood tests and gave me an antibiotic for my leg and tells me to go home and keep it elevated. Doc calls back the next day and says that I have extremely elevated liver enzymes. Well, I have been keeping my leg elevated and taking my antibiotics but my leg still hurts like hell. When I have it elevated, it actually feels the best as long as I keep it on the one side that it not red and hurting. But when I got to get up, holy you-know-what! It hurts like the dickens to the point that I usually cry. The redness seems to be getting better, not going away at all but getting less bight red I guess you'd call it. Anyway, went in for followup appointment on Friday and she re-tested my liver enzymes. They have gone down slightly. Now on Wednesday, they were like 202 and 299. I don't have yesterday's results so I don't know what they went down to, but she said they did not go down much. She was just looking to make sure they didn't go up. She seemed to think this could be an indication of why I am itching, but my bilirubin was normal so she said she didn't know why I am itching. Don't ya just love when a doc says I don't know? Anyway, I have another followup on Tuesday morning. In the mean time, I am supposed to stay off my leg and keep it elevated. That is all well and good, but all she gave me was an antibiotic. Nothing for my itchiness and NOTHING FOR THIS PAIN!!!!!!!!!!! Ugh! I got in the bed last night to watch the Yankee - Red Sox game at 7:00. I had not finished taking my meds for the night and I still needed another snack to get me anywhere close to where I need to be on my protein for the day. I fell asleep way before the game was over and just woke up about 30 minutes ago now. Getting up was excrutiating after being down for that long. I took my antibiotic, Nexium, BCP, and Benedryl and got on here to post this. My MIL says that I should go to the ER if it still hurts this bad, but I've been to my doc twice and have another appointment on Tuesday. I have a co-pay every time I go in and our health savings account is about wiped out. I can't afford all these co-pays and there is no money in checking to pay with. Any suggestions out there? I am miserable! I am going back to bed now. Will check back in later.

kittens4 · 04-21-2007, 08:16 AM

Yikes! I hope they can give you something to make you feel better. Sounds like you are miserable. I'm sorry you are having such a hard time. Hang in there..and keep us posted!

ladytonya · 04-21-2007, 10:36 AM

At this point, I am beyond the point of being miserable and basically just really frustrated. The itching has been going on for so long that I had kind of just gotten used to it, but this cellulitis is killing me! When my leg is up, it feels fine. When it's down, it hurts but not too bad. But when I go from having it up to putting it down, it hurts like I don't know what! Because of that, the doctor sent me yesterday for a doppler ultrasound to make sure I didn't have a DVT. Luckily, I don't, but it's still frustrating to not know why I have this.

To make things worse, this week I have an important meeting on Tuesday that I can't miss, I am driving 3 hours on Thursday for a continuing education seminar so I can get my North Carolina Certified Paralegal designation and my boss has already paid a lot of money for me to go, and next weekend I have a convention and I am a voting delegate for my organization. I don't have time to deal with this right now! The antibiotic is 7 days worth and I am taking 4 a day. It will be finished Wednesday morning and my followup with my doc is Tuesday morning. If it is still as painful as it is now, I am going to tell her that I have to have some relief and get rid of this thing! I have these things coming up, plus our church is getting ready to move to a new location and I have a lot to do with that. Ugh! It is just so frustrating to have this thing going on with my body and not know why!

CeeCee · 04-21-2007, 01:14 PM

I'm sorry you're feeling bad, chick-let! Things like this never seem to happen at a convenient time, do they? Remember something though: the world still spins no matter what! You come first! Yes, I understand the job thing- don't we all! Is there someone you can get to drive? Maybe they can drive, drop you off, go shopping, then pick you up? At least you can ride in the back seat with your leg up, if you absolutely have to go. The church- will the move grind to a halt if you're not there? Really? Take care of yourself!
<<<<<<Hugs>>>>>

rivercanyon · 04-21-2007, 10:22 PM

Tonya wish I had some great advice for you but I can let you know that I'm thinking about you and wishing you luck at finding out what is wrong. Like CeeCee said you take care of you. These things never happen at a convenient time but you need to do what you have to to get feeling better. Don't over do it and ask for help!!!!!!!!

Dyann · 04-22-2007, 07:38 AM

I am so sorry you are feeling this way.

There are a couple of things...are you diabetic?

Could you have a dvt??

Did they ultrasound your leg? Could you have an abscess??

LFT's can go up for so many reasons including sepsis (bad bacterial infection).

You need to be seen by an MD. It is too complicated to be able to give sound advice over the internet. If the antibiotics are not working well, you may have a resistant bacteria. Or....you are not absorbing the antibiotics well. I can take pills just fine, but I take antibiotics in suspension form to ensure proper absorption as they are too important to be left to a variable absorption.

Let me know what you and your doctors think.

ladytonya · 04-22-2007, 10:23 AM

Thank you, Dyann! I am not diabetic. They did an ultrasound to rule out a DVT. I'm not sure about an abscess. Is that something they would have found with the ultrasound?

I am taking the antibiotics in capsule form. I didn't not even think about asking for liquids. The leg does look and feel a little better, but if it's not better by the time I go to the doc on Tuesday I will ask for a liquid. I will stay on the docs until they get to the bottom of the elevated enzymes, especially as long as this itchiness keeps up. It is driving me crazy!

TX DEB · 04-24-2007, 04:43 PM

Tonya~

Are you feeling any better? I'd call the doc and ask for something for pain, they can call it in. Also, they can give other antihisamines that are stronger than benadryl for the itching. I hope it gets better soon!

DEB
LAP RNY 4/12/07

AlabamaChick · 04-24-2007, 05:06 PM

Tonya, are you doing better???? I am anxious to hear how you are! If you are worried about having to pay so many copays, call your docs office and if they tell you that you have to come in, then tell them no you cant because you were just in and you did not get what you needed to help....(i.e. pain med). It's always routine to make the patient come back and frankly a lot of times it's about the money, (I can say this because I have been in the medical field for years and seen it happen) but in reality if your doc knows you can't keep paying a copay each time and you were just in a few days ago and they didn't give you pain med, but you need it, 9 times outta 10 they will call you something in without an office visit. If you continue to get worse or need your antibiotic changed, now that is when an office visit is in order. They need to actually see with their eyes and examine if you are not progressively getting better. I hope you are better by now though! Keep us posted hon.

Dyann · 04-25-2007, 05:33 AM

Inquiring minds want to know how you are doing!!!