Suggest Treatment For Painful Itchy Blisters On Leg Causing Swelling

Posted on Fri, 19 Jun 2015

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Fri, 19 Jun 2015 Answered on

Mon, 13 Jul 2015 Last reviewed on

Question : My husband has small blisters on one leg. There is a small amount of swelling, just on the lower thigh, above the knee. This has been present for about 8 days.
He has ALS and cannot verbalize the amount of pain or itching that may be present.
Do we need to have a physician come to the house?
Is there an OTC medication that will help?

Answered by Dr. Dr.Albana Sejdini Greca (2 hours later)

Brief Answer:
A photo of the blisters on leg is required as following...

Detailed Answer:
Hi my dear,

I am sorry for the health situation your husband is going through.

1. The presence of blisters on one leg associated with a small amount of swelling on the lower thigh is indicating that blood circulation in your husband's leg is not good.
There might be various causes including
- occlusion of deep blood vessels
- staying sit without moving for long time
- diabetes

2. A photograph of the blisters on his leg is needed to evaluate his situation before running into final conclusions.

3. For the moment, I advise to:
- keep his leg well clean
- apply cold compresses locally
- if you see that blisters are improving by using anti-itch cream, continue taking it
- applying antibiotic ointment locally can also help

4. If the blisters are not healing, then, you should get an immediate appointment with his physician as specific treatment (prescription medications) might be required.

Hope it helped!
Dr.Albana

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