Bad leg burn - extreme fear of sepsis!

[Andromeda]

Hello

last week my hot water bottle broke and burst open over my legs.

luckily I reacted quickly but the boiling water still managed to get my right calf.

I ran it under room temperature water for 20+ minutes as per the NHS advice until the pain had stopped.

It didn't look too bad, just very angry and red, I had my mum assess the situation as we all know, health anxiety makes us think irrationally and she said it didn't warrant a hospital visit.
The next day a blister formed and burst, about the size of a 10p which was painful but we immediately cleaned and dressed it to prevent infection, a second blister formed and didn't pop until this morning, which I have now subsequently cleaned and dressed.

Anyway, up until right now I wasn't thinking too much on it. But the pain tonight is bad and I've basically convinced myself I'm on the road to sepsis.

ive started to convince myself I feel sick and hot and I don't know ehther its psychosomatic as tonight Is the night my ear thermometer has decided to break (of course) my leg itself doesn't feel burning to touch although where the burn itself is, is warm and stingy hot pain. The wounds are all still pink and clean. No puss or anything.

My heart rate is normal. I've just taken two paracetamol and they seem to be helping with the pain.

So yeah, convinced myself I'm not going to make it through the night...and here I am.

Urgh

[LF87]

That must have been so painful! Hope it's not too sore. I too convinced myself I had sepsis after cutting my finger quite badly, thought I felt hot and sick too. That was a few weeks ago and nothing happened. I was able to stay rational as I recently had a patient on a placement with sepsis, and he was so so unwell - couldn't move without 3 people to help, sweating and shivering, bruise marks on his skin. There was no question he was seriously unwell. Maybe get the wound checked if it's blistering, not for the sepsis worry but just because a doctor might be able to give you some cream or something to soothe/quicken the healing process x

[Andromeda]

That must have been so painful! Hope it's not too sore. I too convinced myself I had sepsis after cutting my finger quite badly, thought I felt hot and sick too. That was a few weeks ago and nothing happened. I was able to stay rational as I recently had a patient on a placement with sepsis, and he was so so unwell - couldn't move without 3 people to help, sweating and shivering, bruise marks on his skin. There was no question he was seriously unwell. Maybe get the wound checked if it's blistering, not for the sepsis worry but just because a doctor might be able to give you some cream or something to soothe/quicken the healing process x

Thank you so much for your reply, I really appreciate it!

You're right though, it's very difficult to rationalise with the health anxiety monster.

I can't get an appointment at the GP for two weeks and they don't do dressings there anyway, the place that does do wound care won't see you until you've seen a GP which is frustrating!

I'll just have to keep doing want i'm doing and try to get an appointment!

[LF87]

Ah that's so annoying. It's difficult getting into my GP too. Could you go to a walk in centre if it's really painful and blistering? Or maybe ask for an emergency appointment? You don't have sepsis though, don't worry about that! X