infection close to 2 week old tattoo [Archive]

View Full Version : infection close to 2 week old tattoo

Warlock

12-03-2007, 01:58 AM

has anyone here seen this or experienced this? I did a tat on my ankle a few weeks ago and it healed just fine after about 8 days... BUT... the other day i noticed an itch close to the area and looked at it... it was what looked like a pimple left behind from an ant bite... about an inch away from the tat.
the next day it was no longer an itch but felt like it was on fire and was red and hot to the touch... went to the doctor and they said it would be ok and gave me some antibiotics...
Went home and took the antibiots on time every time but 2 days later the whole area was red.. about a 3 inch circle... went back to the doc and they gave me some stronger antibiotics thru an iv and told me to continue with the ones they gave me from the last visit... today I wake up and this thing is fucking huge hot as hell and turning purple... :shock: another trip to the doc, this time they cut it open and scrapped the infection out, gave me some bad ass pain pills, told me to stay with the antibiotics along with another antibiotic they gave me. This thing hurts like hell as soon as the pain pills wear off...
here's a pic of it.. the tat is just 2 weeks old and I'm hoping it'll survive all this...
http://s239.photobucket.com/albums/ff196/ddavis30/?action=view&current=Dscf0382.jpg

if anyone's seen something like this I'd like to know what the outcome of the tat was like after everything around it healed up...

L_Pease

12-03-2007, 02:15 AM

Have you been bitten by something in that area? I think it may just be an odd coincidence as it is not actually touching the tattoo. The milkiness of the tail area of your tattoo should be fine once it's all said and done. That is just the upper layer of skin and should clear right up once the irritation is gone. Did you have an ingrown hair by chance that got out of control? Did the doctor tell you what type of infection you have? There are some nasty ones out there. I have a guy coming in this month to try and cover a scar from a case of cellulitis. His leg looks horrible and I'm a bit nervous about touching the area honestly. If this doesn't start showing signs of improvement as the course of antibiotics nears the end, I would maybe see another doctor for a second opinion. Looks like it hurts.

Warlock

12-03-2007, 02:22 AM

cellulitis... that's what they said it is and they did say it can be very dangerous... I'm on so many antibiotics now it isnt even funny. i'm thinking it was an ant bite that triggered the whole thing as I had another pimple just like it close to the front of the fish but that one went away while the other tore up my ankle like you see in the pic...

it could have been an ingrown hair there too but I'm thinking more that it's an insect bite... not sure... just saw the 2 marks and this is what it looks like 5 days later...

L_Pease

12-03-2007, 03:12 AM

You need to be very careful. Cellulitis is a nasty infection. It can come back with a vengence. Listen to your doctor and do everything he/she says. I would hold off for quite some time as well from getting any more tattoos as the wound can lend itself to an outbreak. This being cellulitis, it may very well be linked to your tattoo whether it be something you did during the process, or something you may have come into contact with once your skin was open. As a precaution, thoroughly clean and sanitize your equipment, ink bottles, work area , and anything else you may have contaminated during the tattoo procedure. Man I would hate to be you right now. Maybe you can get Starmedic to chime in on this one as it's been a long time since I have read up on this particular condition.

INKERMAN

12-03-2007, 03:25 AM

Warlock,man the way it looks it really hurt a lot....hope if will get better soon...

Warlock

12-03-2007, 04:15 AM

Warlock,man the way it looks it really hurt a lot....hope if will get better soon...

Dude... it hurts like hell... just walking across the room can be very intense, even on the pain meds so I've been at my computer except only to eat, go to the bathroom, and take my meds.

Thanks for your concearn and I hope I get over this quickly too.

To be safe, I'm not going to be doing Any tats on anyone until way after this thing is very well healed so it's back to grapefruits for me for a few months.

jjbbuzz

12-03-2007, 05:19 AM

nasty stuff mate..! hope it heals ok for ya and ya get back to it soon...!

B.Mullins

12-03-2007, 06:19 AM

I had one of these on my knee a few months ago,and i definitely agree with ya they are very painful,especially on your leg when you are walking the pressure thats put on it is horrible.

kellyink

12-03-2007, 07:56 AM

damn that shit looks nasty....hope it heals up soon man...

hotdiggitydawg

12-03-2007, 08:32 AM

shit! that looks agony...
It does look like a bad coincidence that it's happened so soon after the tattoo was done...
Like L said sanitize everything twice...
Here's to a speedy recovery.

CropCircle

12-03-2007, 08:48 AM

that type of wound looks just like a spider bite, my brother had a spider bite, and that's what it started to do about 3 days later. It look like in-grown hair at first, but after about 2 weeks or so, and the doctor treating it as such, he went to a dermatologist and found out that it was a spider bite! That whole time the first dr. treated it for the wrong symptoms. So you should definately go get a second opinion.

Jason

inipi67

12-03-2007, 10:24 AM

Yeah ...that was my first impression....but not sure on the time span....A Recluse (or fiddleback) spider will leave a bite similar to that...its called Necrotic Arachnidism syndrome.....it will have a bullseye effect to it.....they have a poison that is flesh eating and it will continue to grow , in a circular pattern as the toxin eats the tissue.Headeache, joint pain, and nausea should be accompanying this though, these bites are farely quick in their progression , so again ,not sure on the time span.
I would definantly get another opinion, just in case. People react differantly to spider bites, even black widow bites effect people differant. Dont mean to scare ya' by no means, just my opinion. Hope ya' get well, that HAS too be a Bitch.

Peace Brother Rick:cool:

junkyman

12-03-2007, 10:25 AM

Damn thats some painful looking shit man! Hope you get back to normal soon!

inipi67

12-03-2007, 10:39 AM

Iwent back and re-read your post ...sounds like the time frame may be right on......go get another opinion, or offer this as a suggestion to your Doc.
First bitten;
http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff201/inipi67_2007/Brown-Recluse-Bite.jpg

5 week progression;
http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff201/inipi67_2007/brownrecluse5weekprogression.jpg

hope this helps...

Peace Brother Rick:cool:

FORGIVEN

12-03-2007, 11:21 AM

looks like a brown recluse bite ...or Staph ....
be very carefull ,i've had a friend die from the infection due to a bite from one of them evil fuckers ...
i'm no doctor but i had "cellulitus" on a recent tattoo...(i got worked hard & i think i got a funky batch of Stable's "dead leaf"pigment )and it didnt look like what you got going on ....(I FEEL YA ON THE PAIN ...I MISSED 2 WEEKS OF WORK )
get a second opinion .
peace
A.

jjbbuzz

12-03-2007, 11:22 AM

inipi67

12-03-2007, 11:37 AM

yeah, its a rarity around these parts....North Georgia......but a fellow fireman bud of mine, (back in the day lol) got bit by one....luckily he didnt let it get that far. To qoute Andy...EVIL FUCKERS.LOL

Peace Brothers Rick :cool:

inipi67

12-03-2007, 02:29 PM

A side note as well.....if it is a recluse bite, the antibiotics wont effect it...it will keep eating tissue. I've seen pics of it where it damn near eat a fellas' leg off. Whatever you do, do SOMETHING....dont just wait, or the tattoo will be the least of your problems.

Peace Brother Rick:cool:

STARMedic

12-03-2007, 03:52 PM

maxauto

12-03-2007, 03:59 PM

what your doc is telling you is that you have a bacterial infection (cellulitus)
a form of staph infection ......the recluse spider bite is an instant swelling from pimple sized to the size of a quarter in 15 min and progressively gets worse.. did you have a blood test done??

read this http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cellulitus

Warlock

12-03-2007, 04:58 PM

Its my opinion sight unseen that this is not a Recluse bite. The timeline with the wound path is not matching up.

Im goin with cellulitis working towards a staph infection. Im bettin they perscribed a bunch of erythromycin, vancomycin, and who knows what else.

Just my .02

Bruce

That's what the doc said, and I've seen my share of doctors over the weekend... I'm not sure what they put in me thru the IV on friday but it turned me very red and made me itch all over... they had to give me some benecryl to get those symptoms to chill out while I was there... Saturday things were looking better but that wasnt the case sunday... The timeline don't match a recluse bite and all the doctors I've talked to agree but they do all agree that it's cellulitis and turning to staph.

What I'm on right now is sulfameth, trimethoprim, and rifampin for the infection and lots of hydrocodone for the pain... Woke up today and felt kinda ok til I got out of bed, then the pain was very intense since the hydrocodone wore off while I was asleep.

here's some timeline pics from the first doc visit til just about half an hour ago...

thursday morning, 2 am after first trip to the emergency room...
http://i239.photobucket.com/albums/ff196/ddavis30/DSCF0378.jpg

Friday, 3 pm after second emergency room visit...
http://i239.photobucket.com/albums/ff196/ddavis30/DSCF0381.jpg

Sunday, 3 pm before third visit...
http://i239.photobucket.com/albums/ff196/ddavis30/Dscf0382.jpg

today at 3 pm... they stuffed it with about 2 feet of that gauze tape you see hanging out of it...
http://i239.photobucket.com/albums/ff196/ddavis30/Dscf0385.jpg

Yeah I hope this doesnt effect the new tattoo but if it does I'll be sure to wait about 4 weeks after the infection is completely gone before attempting to re touch it.

STARMedic

12-03-2007, 05:18 PM

Im not a clinician but the rolled gauze with the end hangin out is called a "Penrose Drain". Ive put in and removed my fair share of them while training. Just make sure you take all meds perscribed on the timeline that they are warranted.

Bruce

L_Pease

12-03-2007, 08:53 PM

And give it much more than 4 weeks to finish healing up. Good rule of thumb on scars...if it is still purple or dark pink colored, or if it drastically changes color when you apply pressure to it, or if it is still bruised or overly sensitive to the touch...leave it alone. Some scars may take up to a full year before it is a good idea to tattoo over them. The guy I'm going to be covering his scars from cellulitis has left it for two years almost and it is still a very dark defined patch of skin. Ironically, his is in the exact same location. Looks about the same size as his scar, although he said it was the majority of his lower leg during the outbreak. Put him in the hospital for a little while.

inipi67

12-03-2007, 11:31 PM

Warlock

12-04-2007, 12:01 AM

Sorry 'bout jumpin' the gun....the time frame seemed right to me....18 to 40 hrs= pimple like structure to open wound size of a dime possibly.....but ,hey I seem to be off my game most days lately anyway. Thought it better to give a heads up rather than ignore it, just in case. My wife said looked like cellulitus after lookin' at pic, before she read the post, she has more experience with that type of stuff anyway.Oh well my bad, sorry.

Peace Bro. R.

It's cool, don't worry about it... that's exactly what I thought it was back when all this started along with everyone over here who saw it. I'd much rather play it safe than end up like that last pic in your earlier post...

maxauto

12-04-2007, 08:55 AM

Sorry 'bout jumpin' the gun....the time frame seemed right to me....18 to 40 hrs= pimple like structure to open wound size of a dime possibly.....but ,hey I seem to be off my game most days lately anyway. Thought it better to give a heads up rather than ignore it, just in case. My wife said looked like cellulitus after lookin' at pic, before she read the post, she has more experience with that type of stuff anyway.Oh well my bad, sorry.

Peace Bro. R.
i didnt see that as incorrect at all.
i myself would have wanted to know all possible causes.

STARMedic

12-04-2007, 10:50 AM

Nothin to apologize for....

Bruce

Warlock

12-07-2007, 12:22 AM

Ok, after getting back from a 2 night stay in the hospital and several doses of antibiotics via iv my infection is finally getting under control :). It's still far from healed and still needs constant attention and at least another follow up appointment monday... Let's hope all goes well...

As for the tattoo right under it, the skin is peeling over it all over again (along with the whole area that was affected) but there's no ink in the peeling skin so it looks like it's gonna survive this whole ordeal without needing to be re touched.

INKERMAN

12-07-2007, 02:58 AM

Good to hear that man,hope all goes well and take it easy.......

Warlock

12-09-2007, 05:43 AM

Good to hear that man,hope all goes well and take it easy.......

Thanks man... today is the first day I've been able to walk without limping, This time last week I was unable to walk at all (without a serious dose... um, overdose... of vicodin) due to the massive pain. I'm off the vicodin now (damn withdrawels suck!!!) but still got tons of antibiotics to take fofr the next 2 weeks or so.

The tattoo is starting to look good again... finally and dont look like it'll need any retouching... damn good thing cuz unless I wait a year or 2 I'd have to live with it looking like crap if it lost any ink and I'm taking no risks of another outbreak of this shit after all the hell I've been thru in the last week or so...

The doctors all thought this was mrsa since it came on so fast and did a shitload of damage in a very short time... Luckily it was just a staph infection ... a very agressive one at that but I'm definitely recovering from it quickly now that it's finally under control.

kellyink

12-10-2007, 07:59 AM

glad to hear your doing good man.....that must have sucked bad!!

maxauto

12-10-2007, 09:17 AM

Warlock

12-21-2007, 04:12 AM

douche all of your equipment.. that staph isnt gone yet..
i mean down to pulling every piece off those machines.
your rubberband pile, every thing you have, and/or touched.
this is no joke, that shit will spread everywhere.

Took your advise there after I got out of the hospital but I'm gonna re sterilize and sanitize EVERYTHING again now that I'm no longer contageous. Yeah, I did shit can a few things too (a box of rubber gloves, a few bottles of ink, and some spray bottles) cuz it's definitely not worth sharing the wealth with this shit... it really fucked me up and I'd hate to see someone else get it from me.

Just to update everyone, my skin there is *looking* normal but no where near ready to tatto on and won't be for anywhere from 6 months to a year or more... just a small holiday on the fish's head that's not very noticable unless looked at closely but I can live with it til the skin tells me it's ready... could be a really long time but I'm NOT gonna risk goin thru that shit EVER again.