The typical symptoms of cellulitis is an area on the body which is red, hot, and painful. You would notice and identyfy this as an area that is very angry and when you place the back of your hand nearby to the affected area, you would be able to feel heat.

Reg had cellulitis this is what happened.

In the early stages of Alzheimer’s Reg was sent for one week to a home in Essex in order that his wife was able to enagage in a respite service. His daughter not happy about the situation at all was always the last to be consulted over any issues in relation to his well being. But that never stopped her looking out for him.

In order to keep the pattern of their relationship to remain the same, she collected him  from the center to take him out for lunch. He was so excited to see her but was not quite his usual self. Thoughtful of the fact that he had been dumped in a strange place one may have thought was the reason for his restlessness, would one not?

It was quiet normal for Reg when a passenger in the car to dose off, especially when the sun shone into his face through the car window. It was one of his daughters first full nights sleeps when she was a kid, so the story goes, and as they were cut from the same cloth she thought no more of it.

Maybe he had a restless nights sleep? she thought.

Cellulitus the signs & symptoms

On arriving at their favourite cafe at the seafront, she noticed Reg was having trouble walking. She noticed that he found it quiet painfull to put his foot to the floor.

Now Reg walked with a crippled foot so walking especially in his later years with the onset of memory loss, walking was difficult enough- but he never complained.

Memory loss or no memory loss, Reg showed facial expressions that told her alot more was going on that he was communicating with words.

Sitting at the cafe allowed Reg to take the weight off his feet and after a wonderful lunch and a chat started to make their way to his daughters studio where he was to be pampered. However, on undressing him, not only was she horrified and shocked at the underwear has been placed on him insideout and back to front, his calf was bright red, clearly painful and very hot. She could have fried an egg on his leg it was that inflammed, hot and angry. Now she knew the problem.

His daughter did no more and called an ambulance to take him to the hospital as the pain in his calf was developing to such a point that Reg was showing additional signs of becoming delerious . Trying to get him back in the car was not going to be possible for her because as the conditions started to get hold of him, his body became more of a dead weight and she would not have the strength to carry him or hold him up without it then causing herself a problem.

The ambulance soon arrived, the two guys checked him over, placed him in a chair and carried him down the stairs and was admitted to a local hospital.

The moral of this story is that we all more or less know our parents normal behaviour.

When something falls outside that behaviour ( their normal ) regardless of how trivial you may think it may be, would be to seek immediate intervention because you just might save them from the situation developing further into a more complicated and serious complaint.

The best that will happen is that it is nothing too serious, either way you have intervened and gained peace of mind and there is no price tag for that!