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Infection on arm spreading, no insurance. HELP!

CaptainAmerica

CaptainAmerica

Bluelighter
Joined
Oct 27, 2009
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255
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The Open Road
My girlfriend got badly burned by a radiator on her forearm 12 days ago. It was a second degree burn, we cleaned the wound every day mild soap/water and hydrogen peroxide, then applied bactracin, sterile pads, and guage. Changed the dressing and reapplied ointment daily. NOTE: this is not drug related (IV etc.).

She does not have insurance and went to the ER a few times, they gave her penicillin and sent her on her way. The last blood test they took yesterday said it was inconclusive but could either be pneumonia or sepsis. As of today, there are red lines running up her arms (see picture), you can see the uppermost of the three burns just barely on the right side of the photo.

We live in Chicago, she does not have insurance, nor a job, nor any money left. I do not have nor make enough money to cover medical costs/bills. She has not yet applied for medicaid (although I am applying for her right now online at healthcare.gov). If there is a faster way to get signed up for medicaid I am all ears, the sooner the better in this situation.

What are her options? Can she demand treatment by accepting that she will incur debt? Is her best bet at the hospital, urgent care clinic, doctor?

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Here is another picture from a few days before it was clear it got infected. If you guys have any suggestions of other forums that are currently active and more tailored to medical issues please let me know!

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Yeah, she needs medical attention, money, no money, or debt she needs a doctor. Is she taking her penicillin as prescribed? She'll need that.
If she's been taking it for a few days and it's getting worse it's time to go back and calmly tell them everything with all the previous paper work in hand if necessary. Some Urgent Care centers will take anyone and then just bill them, some demand payment up front. Hospital legally has to stabilize her regardless of her ability to pay.
If there is a community health clinic with sliding scale billing like we got here in AR - if you can scrounge up 30$ that's where I'd take her. That's where I went for that sort of thing before I got insurance....still go there now...like those docs.
 
Thanks for the help. She went to an urgent care clinic a week ago and got her first penicillin shot (they will only give her a shot, not a prescription). Should we look up a different urgent care clinic that does sliding scale? Also, we are going to call illinois DHS tomorrow and see what can be done. I'm sure they can get her somewhere??? before she gets her card and everything???
 
Sliding scale, cash up front is deff the way to go if you can.
That clinic sounds odd, 99.9% of the time IM antibiotics are followed by an oral script. Different clinic for sure.
If it gets real bad before tomorrow morning get her to the hospital er. They legally have to see her if she comes in. It's expensive, but You can normally talk the billing department into 25$ a month or something easy, if her credit is already shit...then fuck the bills now and forever. My good buddy who is well respected and loved in this town does it every month or two for his heart....that hospital ain't getting that money unless he hits the power ball, they know that, they still see him.
 
Does the arm feel warmer to the touch in comparison to the rest of the body? If it is get to a hosptial ASAP as veterinarian antibiotics won't offer too much. I definitely wouldn't use a peroixiude in anyway shape or form on a wound of that magnitude. The oxidative properties can cause too much reactivity and slow the healing process, but I wouldn't see it being a make or break if you just did it once for good faith. Use cool water and a mild antibacerial/antimicrobial soap to frequently wash the wound of any unwatned debris etc. isopropyl alcohol isn't necessary either and should not be used on anything except minor abrasions or cuts.

Because it's a burn you should try hydrotherapy for wound care which is the constant alteration between warm and cold compresses when you are doing wound cleaning. Number one thing is just pay attention for a sudden increase in thermal dissipation. Once an infection begins you'd notie abnormally warm skin around the wound. This is a textbook symptom. Just keep it cleaned, keep the surrounding skin hydrated, and when you are not washing it then keep it covered.
 
Can I move from the specific situation to some general advice?

Anytime there is spreading redness on one's skin, especially if its hot to the touch, one should suspect cellulitis. http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/cellulitis/basics/definition/con-20023471

Cellulitis doesn't respond to external treatments like salves, antibiotic ointments, or antiseptics. It requires oral antibiotics or injected antibiotics and discerning the right one takes a physician.

To tell if redness is spreading one might draw a border around the redness before going to bed with magic marker before going to bed. If the redness has moved past the boundary when you wake up you ought get medical attention before going to bed again imo.

Potential cellulitis on the neck, face, or head has more seriousness to it than elsewhere. For suspected cellulitis of face, neck, or head get to an ED, walk in clinic, or other professional who can see you immediately.
 
Why don't you take her to Medicaid physically and tell them the current condition you're going to through. Medicaid have option of free and lower cost treatment service. The way you've sounded in the post, you might get the consideration of free treatment for that girl.
 
Her wound and area is hot to the touch, and started hurting a lot more in the past few days. It is most likely infected.

We are going to call illinois DHS today and see what can be done.

Thanks for the help everyone. I didn't think to call Medicaid before this since she is waiting on getting approved, but since this is potentially life threatening we are hoping they can get her somewhere ASAP.

I will update on this thread when we hear from DHS on what can be done.
 
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I've experienced the very same sort of burn on my leg from a radiator. It looked exceptionally similar to the ones you posted, with the characteristic spacing from the radiator fins, and the blistered skin. As you probably know by now, they swell up with a clearish fluid and then burst. This may occur a few times. Hers actually look rather good insofar as color is concerned, but its difficult to tell. The problem is, once they open up (i.e., once the blisters pop), the risk of infection increases. It is imperative to keep them clean and covered with fresh bandages. The key word here is fresh bandages (infrequent changing of the bandages will increase the risk of infection significantly). These are exceptionally slow healing wounds so you are going to need a lot of bandages (use gauze while they are still raised, then switch to non-stick pads after they pop). In reality however, given how incredibly long it takes for these burns to heal (months....plural), it sounds like your financial situation may preclude you from being able to purchase the requisite volume of fresh bandages you'll need. Though less than optimal, it is possible to make your own sterile dressings from cotton cloth by washing it, then heat treating in the oven or in a pressure cooker (I am sure if you search, you can find instuctions). Additionally, keeping it covered in the sun will help reduce the prominence of the scarring. She will have scars from this unfortunately.

Ultimately I found Betadine (the brown povidone-iodine solution you can buy at the drug store) to be a good thing to use to clean these burns. OTC antibacterial ointment should also be used, but mupirocin ointment would be better (I am not sure if the veterinary grade is OTC; it might not be).

Eventually (about a month and a half after the burn) I had to take some minocycline to clear up an infection.

And though I pass no judgment, it does sound like this was drug related. The thing with radiators is that the only real way to get burned that badly is for body contact to occur for an extended duration. And, generally speaking, the only thing that allows you to be burned over an extended duration are opioids or CNS depressants. In my case, I was passed out from large doses of technical grade ethanol and some other stuff, and I was burned over the course of a number of hours. This makes for a nasty wound that takes forever to heal.

She'll be fine, but an acute infection will need treatment.
 
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