my arm is getting wose...? reason for concern? (abcess)

[s1ck]

ill start by saying that im DONE with the needle after this. i like my body too much to continue using the way i was.

a couple of weeks ago, i went on an insane coke bender. i blacked out about the time i started to inject the coke along with triazolam/various kinds of liquor. horrible, i know.

anyhow, i ended up really hurting my left arm, right at the crook. it started out as a small bump, ive gotten these several times before and they alway healed themselves. this one did not heal.

over the last several days its gotten worse and worse. i went to the dr yesterday morning and got rx'd cephalexin 500mg 2x/day (keflex) and sulfameth/trimethoprim 800/160mg 3x/day (bactrim).

ive taken 3 doses of each so far, and the condition of my arm continues to deteriorate.

its gotten larger, much more painful (i can no longer extend my left arm fully), and more red.

i just want this to go away, but im not so sure it will...

the dr told me not to lance it myself, so i wont... he also said to schedule another appointment with him if it isnt improved by friday morning.

i know that sometimes injuries appear worse while they are in the act of healing-- could this be one of those cases? will my arm fall off?8)

i know no one here can accurately diagnose me (hence trips to the dr), but any input would be appreciated. i didnt tell my dr what caused this, nor did he ask, which is the main reason i created this thread...

here are pictures:

 

[sansserif]

giving out medical advice online is pretty sketchy; I'm really not qualified to do so and neither are most BLers. all I will say is to go back to your doctor and tell him what happened, straight up. there's no point in going to see a professional if you don't give them enough information to use their professional judgment.

 

[s1ck]

i dont think its all that relevant, if the cause were relevant, hed have asked me right?

realistically, this could be caused by a number of things, such as a nail or a thorn, which i think is the reason he didnt ask.

 

[Path. thought.]

That's looking pretty bad man. You should really get that drained and put on some antibiotics.

Just keep taking the anti-biotics you've been prescribed, and it will heal itself soon. If it becomes more inflammed and pus-y you should go to the ER. Until then, keep it bandaged and protected and just take your bios.

 

[skoat]

Well it does look bad, but I don't think you'll die.

Just make sure to be straight forward with your doctor, could save your life someday. Or it could get you labeled a drug abuser, be careful, but always lean towards safety.

 

[chicpoena]

Yes, that is a cause for concern. It looks like there is an infection trapped beneath the surface of the skin. You need to see a medical professional immediately. It doesn't take much for infections like that to spread rapidly to the heart and other organs.

You're also at risk of developing septicemia. Google it.

 

[mukant666]

It looks like you missed a vein to me. The same thing happened to me and stayed there for close to 2 weeks, it bruised up and eventually everything went away. But there is still a hard little bump right where I tried to inject some liquid diazepam. Like someone said though, medical advice over the internet shouldn't be that reliable.

 

[s1ck]

yea i know, thats why ive been to the dr once already (before i posted this).

thanks for the info chicpoena, thats exactly what i was looking for.

 

[Chaos23]

I had this exact same problem. You will most likely have to have it drained and removed. The longer you wait, the worse the scar will be. I had one that I waited too long to have fixed. I was in the hospital for several days on IV antibiotics to clear up the infection that had spread to my bloodstream.

I don't have any pre-op pics, so I will post the post-op, as well as one that has my scar clearly shown in it...

NSFW:

3 days post op

NSFW:

The next one is just me, but you can see the scar that was left several years after this happened...

NSFW:

Go to the doctor again... Just make sure he keeps a close eye on it. It is most likely a staph infection... Some of them are resistant to antibiotics.

Refraining from injecting drugs has prevented this from happening again in my life... I would strongly suggest that as well.

 

[DopaMan]

If I had what appeared to be a golf ball under my skin I'd go back to the doctor. Is this really something you needed people in an online forum to answer for you??? ER docs see 'tards all day long who F themselves up doing stupid shit so don't worry about being judged.

 

[Path. thought.]

Hey man, please keep us update that infection is causing me some concern. If you want pm me with some updates, I hope you feel better!!! :-(

If the infection spreads and becomes bloodborne you could have a real problem on your hands. its good that you've already started on bios and i'd give it a few more days before you turn yourself into the doctors to make the decision for you... but still keep us updated. It sounds like a a couple of other people on bluelight have first hand experiences with iv mishaps and infections/abscesses like what you're experencing and can provide you with some solid advice.

Having been an emt in CT I can say that you're a step ahead of the game being on the medicine that youre on (anti biotic, antibacterial etc.) I hope you can lick this thing without having to go through with surgery or any operative shit!

Let us know how you're doing tmo yea?

 

[s1ck]

not good. it has gotten larger and more painful and more red.

much more alarmingly tho, i havent done any drugs in days, but im starting to feel really high.

this is freaking me out pretty thoroughly...

most noticably my vision is altered, almost as though im on a hypnotic/benzo type drug... except im POSITIVE i havent taken anything that could affect me like this...

 

[soundphaRm]

Hmm...

...this reminds me of a particular thread posted recently...

When you inject something non-bacteriostatic (nonsterile) into (what should have been a vein), and it goes into the fascia (the compartment), there is literally no place for it to go, because it is a closed compartment. This induces an inflammatory, immune response, not to mention the increased pressure, which compresses everything in that compartment (muscle, & especially nerves).

You don't want to know how many times I've seen an abcess turn into compartment syndrome- like in less than 48 hrs, in some cases.

Now that it's spreading, you really need to seek help, be honest, and ask them to measure of the pressure in the compartment.

Is it worth your forearm? I'm assuming that it's spreading down toward your wrist?

And chicpoena is right, you might not lose just your arm. You want no part of sepsis...
Get it checked again, man, really...please...

 

[s1ck]

i have to call at 7 am to schedule an appointment.

should i do this in the next hour and 15 minutes?

im so embarrased that i did this, its hard to even look myself in the eyes in a mirror. much less a doctor.

but i guess i have to man up and do it.

honestly i was waiting for a response from you soundpharm, as i know you have a medical background.

and no, its actually spreading up towards my bicep.

the main thing thats changed is its size (not expanding outward, getting more swollen), and the fact that its now ALMOST purple, and that color is spreading over the wound.

in all honesty, am i likely to lose a limb from this?

 

[s1ck]

andits beginning to sting.

im sorry for post whoring here, im not thinking too clearly... i took a bunch of sedatives: 8mg estazolam and 3200mg gabapenting, which relaxed me a bit.

i hope that wont hurt the situation. i searched but couldnt find anything fast enough; the last thing i need right now is a panic attack, so i just went ahead and did it.

i also got scrips for 90 halcions (.25 ) and 30 10mg ambien IRs.

contraindictions? (i pray there isnt, i dont think i could cope without these drugs right now... its the middle of the night and im all alone, and scared shitless.

 

[orml]

I doubt you will loose your limb if you get to your doctor fast, and tell them the truth, about Everything even the sedative intake etc. I wish you the best of luck man so far you've been one of the coolest BLers I've seen around. Good Luck!


edit: I'm in the emergency medical field, and if a patient can tell you honestly what's wrong and happened. As opposed to lying to you about the situation or something it's Always going to be 100 times easier to help that patient.

 

[s1ck]

i didnt lie, i just didnt mention how i got this. i will tomorrow because im going to be benzo'd out and not as nervous.

here are more pics, just to show yall WHY im scared. it HAS gotten worse, no?

also, i want to know this: will this infection look worse before it gets better, or will it just continue to get worse?

pics:

 

[s1ck]

and thank you guys SOOOO much for the support. its very comforting not to be judged. i know i fucked up, i thank you all for not flaming me.

 

[soundphaRm]

^^...with that kind of question, there will be no flaming going on here...

The best/worst lessons are learned the hard way.
Yes, definitely call your doctor ASAP!

 

[s1ck]

empty your PMs!

im curious, do you have any idea what this might be? i mean, you have medical training and youve seen it up close, all thats missing is you being able to feel it... its hard where its red, and where it not red its soft and mushy.