Bursitis?! Anyone?!

Yesterday DH woke up with a sore, swollen elbow. As it swelled up more in the span of a couple hours, we got him to the nurse who said it's an infected bursa. She thinks this happened through a graze he had on his elbow from field work a few weeks ago.

So she's given him antibiotics and told him to take ibuprofen. But the pain still kept him awake last night.

Anyone have any other suggestions for easing this? Ice? Heat? Keeping it raised? Since seeing the nurse, it's swolled up more but she did say this could happen.

I had this on my knee last year (my mum was in hysterics when I told her I had 'Housemaid's Knee'!!!)  Mine was caused from impact rather than an infection, but it is the same thing.  It hurt for a couple of weeks or so, although the swelling lasted several months.  I didn't actually go to a hospital until a week after my accident (fell off my bike) so by the time I got there the swelling had already gone down slightly.  I was told to keep it in a tight tube bandage for a while and keep taking anti-inflammatories.  I was also told that if the swelling didn't go down they could drain it, but that even if they did it might just swell again, and that the best thing was to leave it to go down naturally.

I also took arnica, as I always do when I get any injury.

The knee is still noticibly more tender than my other, but I only feel this when I kneel, and it may be more to do with the impact rather than the bursitis.  I don't think your husband will have any long term effects.

Vicky

I had it in my knee a couple of years ago.  I kept it well wrapped, took anti-inflammatory meds, and used 'Icy Hot' on it quite liberally.  Took several weeks for the swelling/pain to go down.

I had it about five years ago - also from impact. I thought it was hilarious ('housemaid's knee'!). I couldn't kneel for a month, and the swelling took a few to go down, but it did go down on its own. I iced it the first week, kept it elevated (the RICE idea: rest, ice, compression, elevate), but eventually just left it to its own devices. I tried tablets, but it was ok for sleeping, I just couldn't bend it, so avoided it. Good luck to your DH