Off topic: fever six days after starting antibiotic for dog bite

Rewriter
Rewriter Member Posts: 493 Member
in Uterine/Endometrial Cancer #1
Last Thursday, I was bitten by a neighborhood dog. After ensuring that the dog was current on its shots, I went to the doctor on Friday. Because I had a slight fever (about 100), she put me on two different kinds of antibiotics, Clindamycin and Bactrim; and I take eleven of these pills a day.

Since starting these meds, I have felt awful, with stuffy nose and extreme fatigue. Today, I felt particularly bad and discovered I have a fever of 101. The dog bite is MUCH better, so I am pretty sure that the fever is not coming from that.

When I read the side effects of the Clindamycin in particular, one of them was a fever. Apparently, the fever is an indication that the drug is working. Do you think I am safe waiting a day before calling my doctor? I might have something that is totally unrelated; and the antibiotics are apparently ineffective against colds and flu.

Thanks for any advice on this off topic question.

Jill

Comments

  • JoAnnDK
    JoAnnDK Member Posts: 275
    #2
    calling the doctor
    Jill, first of all, sorry you got bitten by a dog. That must have been a shock, to say the least.

    I do not think it could hurt to call the doctor today.

    Thanks for this information about the drug you are taking - who would have thought it would cause a fever because it is working?

    JoAnn
  • Kaleena
    Kaleena Member Posts: 2,088 Member
    #3
    Oh my, Jill!
    Sorry about
    Oh my, Jill!

    Sorry about being bitten. It was good that they started you are antibiotics, but to be sure since you are still experiencing a fever, you should call. They may need to change. One of the biggest problems with dog bites is that you can get cellulitis. I know you had indicating that it is better, but to be sure.....

    With regard to Clindamycin, my son has a reaction to that drug. He feels real weak and dizzy when he took it and we had to change his prescription.

    So either way, it is always better to call.

    Of course, when you go to the doctors, you probably won't have any symptoms!

    I hope you feel better and get rid of that fever.

    Kathy
  • Rewriter
    Rewriter Member Posts: 493 Member
    #4
    Kaleena said:

    Oh my, Jill!
    Sorry about
    Oh my, Jill!

    Sorry about being bitten. It was good that they started you are antibiotics, but to be sure since you are still experiencing a fever, you should call. They may need to change. One of the biggest problems with dog bites is that you can get cellulitis. I know you had indicating that it is better, but to be sure.....

    With regard to Clindamycin, my son has a reaction to that drug. He feels real weak and dizzy when he took it and we had to change his prescription.

    So either way, it is always better to call.

    Of course, when you go to the doctors, you probably won't have any symptoms!

    I hope you feel better and get rid of that fever.

    Kathy

    Thanks for the advice--I know this is wildly off topic
    Six days ago, I was bitten by a six-month-old puppy who was teething on my hand. Stupidly, the human whose dog it was yanked the dog's leash while my hand was still in its mouth. The dog chomped down on my hand, and the razor sharp little teeth cut my like a knife. The wound is basically superficial, with one spot that's deeper, and the skin has started knitting together. As I mentioned, the dog has had its shots.

    My reluctance to call the doctor is because an out-of-town friend arrives on Thursday for a celebration of my 60th birthday. The doctor had said something about being admitted to hospital for antibiotic drip, which I feel would be TOTALLY unnecessary.

    Anyway, I am just feeling nervous; but I am drinking lots of liquid and taking Tylenol. Thanks, everyone, for "listening."

    Jill
  • daisy366
    daisy366 Member Posts: 1,458 Member
    #5
    Kaleena said:

    Oh my, Jill!
    Sorry about
    Oh my, Jill!

    Sorry about being bitten. It was good that they started you are antibiotics, but to be sure since you are still experiencing a fever, you should call. They may need to change. One of the biggest problems with dog bites is that you can get cellulitis. I know you had indicating that it is better, but to be sure.....

    With regard to Clindamycin, my son has a reaction to that drug. He feels real weak and dizzy when he took it and we had to change his prescription.

    So either way, it is always better to call.

    Of course, when you go to the doctors, you probably won't have any symptoms!

    I hope you feel better and get rid of that fever.

    Kathy

    antibiotics
    Jill, Sorry about situation and nothing is "off topic" - support is support.

    My husband has been dealing with skins problems for last couple of months. He has been put on several different antibiotics due to one thing or another.

    One thing that I have learned through his diligence is to READ the drug info - side effects, how and when to take it, etc. I would just take my meds whenever and not think twice about it. Meds, for maximum effectiveness, have SPECIFIC instructions - some should be on empty or full stomach, not mixed with dairy for so many hours, some say NO SUN, etc.

    I hope you resolve this soon. Best to you. Mary Ann
  • Rewriter
    Rewriter Member Posts: 493 Member
    #6
    Kaleena said:

    Oh my, Jill!
    Sorry about
    Oh my, Jill!

    Sorry about being bitten. It was good that they started you are antibiotics, but to be sure since you are still experiencing a fever, you should call. They may need to change. One of the biggest problems with dog bites is that you can get cellulitis. I know you had indicating that it is better, but to be sure.....

    With regard to Clindamycin, my son has a reaction to that drug. He feels real weak and dizzy when he took it and we had to change his prescription.

    So either way, it is always better to call.

    Of course, when you go to the doctors, you probably won't have any symptoms!

    I hope you feel better and get rid of that fever.

    Kathy

    Thanks for the advice
    Six days ago, I was bitten by a six-month-old puppy who was teething on my hand. Stupidly, the human whose dog it was yanked the dog's leash while my hand was still in its mouth. Also stupid was the fact that I had my hand in the dog's mouth--my defense is that the puppy.

    In response to being yanked, the dog chomped down on my hand, and the razor sharp little teeth cut me like a knife. The wound is basically superficial, with one spot that's deeper, and the skin has started knitting together. As I mentioned, the dog has had its shots.

    My reluctance to call the doctor is because an out-of-town friend arrives on Thursday to attend a small celebration of my 60th birthday. I don't want to miss this; and the doctor had said something about being admitted to hospital for antibiotic drip if the oral meds did not work, which I feel would be TOTALLY unnecessary.

    Anyway, I am just feeling very slightly nervous; but I am drinking lots of liquid and taking Tylenol. Thanks, everyone, for "listening."

    Love,

    Jill
  • snowbird_11
    snowbird_11 Member Posts: 160
    #7
    Rewriter said:

    Thanks for the advice--I know this is wildly off topic
    Six days ago, I was bitten by a six-month-old puppy who was teething on my hand. Stupidly, the human whose dog it was yanked the dog's leash while my hand was still in its mouth. The dog chomped down on my hand, and the razor sharp little teeth cut my like a knife. The wound is basically superficial, with one spot that's deeper, and the skin has started knitting together. As I mentioned, the dog has had its shots.

    My reluctance to call the doctor is because an out-of-town friend arrives on Thursday for a celebration of my 60th birthday. The doctor had said something about being admitted to hospital for antibiotic drip, which I feel would be TOTALLY unnecessary.

    Anyway, I am just feeling nervous; but I am drinking lots of liquid and taking Tylenol. Thanks, everyone, for "listening."

    Jill

    Oh Jill, this is not the way
    Oh Jill, this is not the way to celebrate your big birthday :( It is possible that you picked up some cold/flu virus during this interaction or even the visit to the doctor's office. Or, it could be drug effect. The main thing to watch for is redness, not just around bite but up arm. Red streaks going up arm can be indicative of a deeper infection and are something to take heed of quickly. I've had a number of arm infections/cellulitis in my lymphedema arm. Once when IV antibiotics was indicated I just had it given in my clinic's urgent care center without any hospital admission - hopefully this not going to be necessary.

    I do hope this begins to resolve uneventfully and you have the celebration you so deserve!
    Annie
  • Rewriter
    Rewriter Member Posts: 493 Member
    #8
    Rewriter said:

    Thanks for the advice
    Six days ago, I was bitten by a six-month-old puppy who was teething on my hand. Stupidly, the human whose dog it was yanked the dog's leash while my hand was still in its mouth. Also stupid was the fact that I had my hand in the dog's mouth--my defense is that the puppy.

    In response to being yanked, the dog chomped down on my hand, and the razor sharp little teeth cut me like a knife. The wound is basically superficial, with one spot that's deeper, and the skin has started knitting together. As I mentioned, the dog has had its shots.

    My reluctance to call the doctor is because an out-of-town friend arrives on Thursday to attend a small celebration of my 60th birthday. I don't want to miss this; and the doctor had said something about being admitted to hospital for antibiotic drip if the oral meds did not work, which I feel would be TOTALLY unnecessary.

    Anyway, I am just feeling very slightly nervous; but I am drinking lots of liquid and taking Tylenol. Thanks, everyone, for "listening."

    Love,

    Jill

    So grateful
    ...for the very kind and concerned responses. For now, the fever has broken. I am staying well hydrated and will call the doctor in the morning if I wake up with a fever.

    Thank you also, Annie, for the advice about the red streaks. When I was first bitten, I wasn't sure if I should go to the emergency room (it was 10 p.m.) so did some Internet research. Needless to say, I was up all night waiting for the red streaks. Also, there is a chance that my fever is unrelated, since I was slightly feverish when I first went in for treatment almost a week ago and suspect that bite-related fever could not have happened that quickly.

    If I have my way, nothing will interfere with the big celebration!

    Jill
  • Kaleena
    Kaleena Member Posts: 2,088 Member
    #9
    Rewriter said:

    So grateful
    ...for the very kind and concerned responses. For now, the fever has broken. I am staying well hydrated and will call the doctor in the morning if I wake up with a fever.

    Thank you also, Annie, for the advice about the red streaks. When I was first bitten, I wasn't sure if I should go to the emergency room (it was 10 p.m.) so did some Internet research. Needless to say, I was up all night waiting for the red streaks. Also, there is a chance that my fever is unrelated, since I was slightly feverish when I first went in for treatment almost a week ago and suspect that bite-related fever could not have happened that quickly.

    If I have my way, nothing will interfere with the big celebration!

    Jill

    Have a wonderful celebration!
    Jill:

    I hope nothing interferes with your big celebration! You look terrific and I am sure you will be enjoying your time with your friends. I am glad your fever has broken.

    I look forward to hearing about your big day!

    Kathy

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