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Suggest Treatment For Fever,cramps And Swollen Hands After Insect Bite

Posted on Sat, 27 Dec 2014

Question: My husband got bit by something by his middle knuckle, we live in Arizona, thinking it is a spider. He had fever,cramps and swollen hand. We are on day seven swelling has gone some, his middle knuckle is still mushy and has lots of dead skin that he has had to get rid of and it looks pretty raw all around. I finally talked him into going to the doctor. He went to urgent care. They said they go do nothing and send him home with a new bandage. My friends doctor who works at the hospital saw it and said it is obviously infected and should be opened up and the infection could go to the bone. Since he just came from the doctor he does not want to go. Just checking if I am over reacting.

Answered by Dr. Noble Zachariah (32 minutes later)

Brief Answer:
Oral and local antibiotic advisable.

Detailed Answer:
Hello,

Welcome to HCM
Appreciate your concern for your husband's health.
The hand looks infected. Local dressing may not be sufficient.
If one of patients develops such a lesion, I would advise him an antibiotic to be taken orally and a local antimicrobial cream to be applied. These measures are often sufficient, if it is in the cellulitis stage. If it progresses to develop an abscess , it will have to be drained.
Take Care
Dr Noble Zachariah

Note: For further follow-up it is advisable to consult an emergency medicine specialist. Click here.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar