Cat Bite, extreme pain, swelling, numbess

 

I'm very disappointed that medical professionals laughed and gave you a tetanus shot - multiple articles online will tell you it does absolutely nothing for the bacteria from the bite. It even made some people sick - side effect. When doing my research, I thought these links may be helpful .. included garlic cautions ...

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You need to do something! You can try eating raw garlic or go for a second opinion and get some antibiotics. Doing nothing (as per the clinics refusal to treat) will only lead to more pain and complications for you. They won't suffer and lose time at work. You will. Call ahead to see if an alternate clinic has treated cat bites before or go to the hospital if you have no other options. Use a pen to outline and show them the progression of the infection. Wishing you the best outcome ... speedy recovery.

You're and id**t. It's been three years since I was bitten by a cat and the joints on the top of my foot are arthritic and I can no longer bear weight on my foot because of "a harmless cat bite." I am going to another specialists today as a last resort because I am permanently disabled because I didn't go to the doctor right away. Put your ignorant comments in a suppository and follow directions on the box....maybe that will help to keep you from talking X#%^# on something you know nothing about.

ummm got bitten by my house cat just 2 days ago and am in extreme pain. Was bitten on the hand and my whole hand is swelling. my hand is stiff and hot. i have abdominal pain and seem to be developing a fever. the pointer finger was the one bitten on the side by the thumb. it is tingling and horrible. the wound is closed and is not leaking puss. the pain is escalating by the day. i CANNOT go to the doctor due to lack of insurance until may 1st. HELP!!

I was bitten by my cat, on the hand and arm, about 1 1/2 months ago.  I went to the ER and was eventually admitted to the hospital due to another issue (diabetic ulcer) that was found while in the ER and for the cellulitus that developed from the cat bite.  I received IV antibiotics for both issues for 4-5 days.  I was on oral antibiotics for about a week after leaving the hospital (dicloxocillan).  The cat bite healed but left significantly swollen spots on 5 of the bite sites.  These have slowly gotten smaller.  My issue is that I have continuing pain in my hand and arm even though this is totally healed.  I have been to my GP for several follow up visits and have mentioned this pain to her.  She is now wanting to refer me to an Infectious Disease doctor.  I feel this is a little over-kill and have not agreed to the referral.  Is this type of residual pain normal in animal bites?  The bites were into the palm of my hand, the meaty area below the thumb and on the inside edge of the wrist and mid and underside of forearm.  The pain ranges from the elbow to the thumb.

I was bitted by my cat a week ago Monday. I was trying to put a harness on him to take him outside. He latched on to my finger causing two puncture wounds. I cleaned and bandaged the wounds but by 11pm the next evening I had to drive to the ER. My finger was swollen and hot and in extreme pain. They admitted me to the hospital as soon as they looked at it. Put me on IV antibiotics and had to have the infection drained by a surgeon. I was in the hospital for 4 days!!!! I am still on oral antibiotics and hope that my body kicked this infection!!! Cat bites are serious! If you think you have an infection RUN to the ER don't wait. Bacteria infections can spread and cause serious damage!!!

I just lost my finger 24 hours after a cat bite that was treated at the ER (I guess I'm one of those hypochondriacs...and I STILL lost the finger) but became infected. I was the 3rd person that month to lose a finger within days of a vaccinated, domestic pet cat. Cat saliva has lethal bacteria. Had I waited, I would have lost my arm. Glad you didn't give me advice on what to do JK or I'd be missing a limb.

I got bit by a cat 3 holes in my arm
the meds didn't work well so I went to the emergency They did a Iv drip with drugs because my arm was infected.
It worked in one day.
Im still taking meds and have a little lump still

I get often scratched or bitτen by my cats and just put some alcohol on wounds, do not pay much attention as am extremely busy during the day, after a while wounds heal. But today a cat bit my wrist and my thumb got numb, did not feel it at all. I was terrorised. So I checked in the internet and meanwhile I put on my wounded hand an infra-red glove it happened I had available. It goes better but numbness did not get away completely some 2 hours afterwards. I was happy to find this thread, especially the last post, that said fingers stayed numb and tingly about 2 weaks later, and so I'm not that much afraid, I'll also take some antibiotics. Happy to surf.

What is an "infra-red glove"??? I've not heard that term. Something that heats up and you wear it??

Far infra red gloves I should have said. Just google it.

Cat bites are extremely dangerous!!!  I learned this first hand, literally.  My cat bit me on my little finger while at the vet, a puncture on each side one at the middle joint the other at the proximal joint and hit the bone.  The vet told me I needed to go straight to the ER for antibiotics and I thought he was crazy.  I went home and within 2 hours was at the ER because my finger had swollen so bad I couldn't move it.  I was given anitbiotics, my hand and arm splinted up to my elbow to prevent movement to keep the swelling/edema at bay and an appt. made with the hand specialist first thing Monday morning.  I took triple the dose of antibiotics that day and the following day (Sunday).  When I saw the hand specialist on Monday I was scheduled for emergency surgery, the antibiotics had done nothing!!!  After surgery I had to spend the night in the hospital for observation and was sent home the next day with a PICC Line for the IV Antibiotics I had to be on for the next 4 weeks.  This happened on August 17th, it is now October 9th and I am finally getting use of my little finger back, it has been a very slow, frustrating process to say the least and I still go to physcial therapy twice a week (occupation therapy for those who are picky and know the difference).  It will still be a few more weeks possibly months before I regain full normal usage again and there is a possibility it may not be 100% ever again.  It has affected not only my little finger but my entire hand as I now have Dupuytren's Contracture starting up in that hand that was most likely exacberated by this injury.  Cats carry Pasturella Multocida in their mouths and if they are outdoor cats they can carry other bacteria that they pick up from the wild animals they eat and these will cause fever and body aches.  The simple bacteria in their mouth as well as the other picked up from wild animals can lead quickly to sepsis if not treated immediately.  Their teeth are literally hypodermic needles that inject whatever is growing in their mouths into your skin, and if you are bit in a joint or an area with little blood flow your chances of severe infection are greater.  Do not mess around with these bites ever!!!  I would never have believed this if I didn't experience it myself.  Good luck to all those that have been bitten, it is not something I would wish upon anyone, not even my worst enemy.

I urge people to ignore John Kuczmarski's comment; he is not a doctor and clearly knows nothing about the dangers cat bites can pose. Cat bites can puncture deeply; the bacteria they carry can cause severe infections, especially in the hands. If the infection reaches the bloodstream or the bones, it can be really bad, and can even result in loss of the hand. Do the research yourself or ask a doctor. Do not rely on someone who thinks that because he got lucky, there is no danger to anyone else. A family member of mine was hospitalized for a cat bite and was in real danger of losing his hand.

I was bit by a cat about a year ago. He was an indoor loving cat. I startled him and he bit me. I went to te doctors a few days later. I have received a puncture wound. I had to take antibiotics and if the swelling or pain didn't go away in the next ten days. I would have gotten some sort of surgery to removed the infected area

If you are not a doctor, you certainly have no authority to tell others that all they need is a little soap and water. The sort of infection that can set up in one's body by an animal bite, is no joking matter, even though you have the gall to find these situations merely amusing. I would advise anyone who has been bitten to seek medical treatment asap. I have been to the ER twice, received a shot of antibiotic, and still finishing off the last of two different bottles of oral antibiotics. This, a week and a half ago, and it's still red and swollen and painful. I would hate to think how it might be, had I not started an antibiotic immediately. My finger was already swollen, by the time I got into the house, no amount of surface cleansing was going to get down as deep as was needed.. No waiting, for me, off to the ER.

12-18-13, My cat bit my thumb while having a seizure at 1:30am. It bled alot and was extremely painful. It immediately became swollen and red so I saw my Doc at 9:30am. She gave me a shot in the rear of Rocephin and a prescription for Flagel and mentioned the hospital for IV antibiotics. My Doc would not let me leave her office until she could confirm a visit to a hand surgeon the same day. She also took a swab to send to the lab and sent me for an X-Ray. 12-18-13 PM, The hand surgeon also talked about the hospital for IV antibiotics. He put me in a splint and told me to call him right away if it got any worse. The next morning I got another shot in the rear of Rocephin. 12-19-13 PM, My hand surgeon drained my thumb, took another swab to send to the lab and added Amoxicillian and had me soak 3 times a day. Both tests came back positive for Pasturella. 12-28-13 PM, still on Amoxicillian, splint off, still hurts in joint, still red, peeling and itching like crazy. I think I did everything by the book and my bite still became very serious very fast. Do NOT waste any time if you have even the slightest sign of an infection. Turns out that my cat has a head injury that caused some seizures. He is now on seizure meds and in lock-down for a couple of months. I am praying that my cay has a full recovery.