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Suggest Treatment For Fungus On Toenails
Question: Hi, I have a doctor appointment on Tues for fungus in my toenails and a huge callous on my big toe from an injury last summer.. starting Friday my toe became painful and is swollen to twice it's size and is red on the top of my foot near the toe. on the side of foot and on the bottom of my foot. It is hot to the touch..... I am wondering if it is ok to wait until Tues for my appointment or should I seek an antibiotic now to start healing. I am unable to get to the hospital right now.. if I am to wait, what should I watch out for?
Brief Answer:
Immediate visit to ER for antibiotics.
Detailed Answer:
HI Lyndykaranz,
Thanks for the query.
I have read the query, also seen the images you have attached.. & absolutely agree with your concern.
The site of the problem being at bottom of foot .. has been secondarily infected leading to your present condition. From your symptoms / photographs.. it appears to be cellulitis.. It's a severe bacterial infection ,characterized by swelling, redness, pain, inflammation . It is liable to spread to adjoining areas of skin.Left untreated it can turn into a serious & life threatening condition.
* So there is no point in waiting for your Tuesday appointment. You should start with appropriate antibiotic the earliest.( either emergency consultation of your doctor/ ER.)
- Physical examination/ skin appearance itself helps in diagnosing the condition. You may need CBC/ blood sugar testing/ wound cultures & few other tests to confirm the causative organism ..followed by IM/ IV injections of antibiotic( along with anti fungal agents & anti inflammatory agents as per need.Control of blood sugar becomes essential in case you have diabetes.
-You may need to be hospitalized in case you are put on IV injections.
- raising the affected part helps in preventing spread of the infection .
* You should therefore rush to ER for starting treatment right away. usually the infection is controlled in couple of days..so as to prevent further complications.
Hope, the answer was both informative & useful to you.Any follow up query is welcome ( though I feel it's better to get started with the treatment first )
Take care.
Thank you.
Immediate visit to ER for antibiotics.
Detailed Answer:
HI Lyndykaranz,
Thanks for the query.
I have read the query, also seen the images you have attached.. & absolutely agree with your concern.
The site of the problem being at bottom of foot .. has been secondarily infected leading to your present condition. From your symptoms / photographs.. it appears to be cellulitis.. It's a severe bacterial infection ,characterized by swelling, redness, pain, inflammation . It is liable to spread to adjoining areas of skin.Left untreated it can turn into a serious & life threatening condition.
* So there is no point in waiting for your Tuesday appointment. You should start with appropriate antibiotic the earliest.( either emergency consultation of your doctor/ ER.)
- Physical examination/ skin appearance itself helps in diagnosing the condition. You may need CBC/ blood sugar testing/ wound cultures & few other tests to confirm the causative organism ..followed by IM/ IV injections of antibiotic( along with anti fungal agents & anti inflammatory agents as per need.Control of blood sugar becomes essential in case you have diabetes.
-You may need to be hospitalized in case you are put on IV injections.
- raising the affected part helps in preventing spread of the infection .
* You should therefore rush to ER for starting treatment right away. usually the infection is controlled in couple of days..so as to prevent further complications.
Hope, the answer was both informative & useful to you.Any follow up query is welcome ( though I feel it's better to get started with the treatment first )
Take care.
Thank you.
Note: Hope the answers resolves your concerns, however for further guidance of skin related queries consult our Dermatologist.Click here to book a consultation
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Answered by
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