It started out with intense pain in my left breast, and the pain became more intense each day. My whole body ached, and the breast swelled more each day. A small pink spot showed up on the breast, and each day it spread until the entire breast was a pink color. The pain became unbearable, and I went to the hospital emergency room after four days. I was diagnosed with cellulitis. At that time, I was given an IV containing an antibiotic and a prescription for additional antibiotics and medication for pain. It was totally well within a week. I had not had an open wound or any exposure to animals, etc. I still don't know exactly what caused this condition. I shower, twice daily, don't have animals and keep a very clean house!

Recently, I ran with my dogs and felt fit enough to jog farther distances at a time. The next morning, I woke up, and by 7 a.m. my upper legs were in pain, which I thought was normal due to jogging. Two hours later, I had the most terrible fever I had ever experienced. That day, I had chills and thought I'd come down with the flu. I took flu medicine, got into bed, and by Friday morning the fever was better, but my right leg was stiff and swollen. I could not bend at the back of my knee. I thought it had something to do with jogging. A couple of days later, I had a red, swollen rash on the front of my right leg, from below the knee to the ankle. I went to see my doctor, who diagnosed me with cellulitis and started me on Dalacin C antibiotics. The next morning, I had a blister the size of a golf ball on the inside of my ankle, with yellow fluid inside. Toward the front of my ankle, three more small blisters formed with fluid inside. A few days later, the big blister – now the size of a tennis ball – opened, and fluid drained. By this time, my right leg was swollen to about twice the size of my left leg, and even elevating it did not bring down the swelling. It also started to ooze and the liquid that drained was like ice water. The oozing part of my leg also felt cold, while the rest of my leg – from my ankle to above my knee -- was hot. My skin had a purplish-yellowish look. My doctor changed antibiotics and I also applied antibiotic cream on the infected skin. Since the Sunday after I was diagnosed, I have dressed my leg two or three times a day, keep it raised, drink lots of water, and minimize my intake of sugar and starches. I also use lots of moisture on my skin. It has now been five weeks since I got it, and the infected part of my skin is getting smaller and the draining of my lymph fluids is now only minimal. The swelling is better, but still far from gone. I still can't wear normal shoes, and I find it difficult to stand on my leg. Mild exercise seems to reduce the pain slightly. For the last week, I have been able to get out of bed from an elevated position without my leg feeling as if the flesh is being ripped off as the blood circulates back.

We went fishing last weekend and my husband was eaten up by the sand flies. He scratched at the bites and was bleeding. On Sunday afternoon, his legs and feet started to swell. By Monday – after drinking beer all day – he sat and cried because his legs and feet hurt so badly that he could not walk. I called the doctor, thinking it was fluid built up because he missed taking his pill for two days. The doctor says he didn't think it was fluid, and that it was probably from the bites. I brought my husband to the doctor on Tuesday and he was diagnosed with cellulitis. He got a shot and prescriptions for antibiotics. This is the third day, and my husband is still red and swollen. If he's not better by tomorrow, the doctor will hear from me again! My husband was raised on the water and has been bitten before, but this is something new to us.

I was able to see my cheek because it was so swollen, hard, heavy, and painful to touch.

I decided to get a Brazilian wax and it turned out to be a mistake. I got small, red, hard, painful bumps the next day that filled with pus. I thought they were zits, so I popped one and felt better for about eight hours, but then they filled with pus again and I knew that it was an infection.

I've had these recurring bumps between my legs that are painful at times. I went to a pharmacist, who prescribed Pinaclav. The bumps are gone, but I just decided to look up what might have caused the bumps.