Former Little House on the Prairie star Melissa Gilbert was hospitalized over the weekend. On Friday, the 59-year-old actress revealed she was recently rushed to the emergency room after a bug bit caused her to be diagnosed with an abscess and cellulitis.
Gilbert, who portrayed a young Laura Ingalls Wilder on NBC’s series, opened up about her health scare alongside two images snapped throughout her hospital stay as she issued what she dubbed “A Public Service Announcement.” The actress went on write, “Well that was a fun night in the ER (she said with dripping sarcasm). Two days ago a flying insect (not bee or wasp) bit my arm. By last night my arm was incredibly swollen, red and hot.” The former child star went on to say that she called her dermatologist, who urged her to “hightail it to the ER,” and while she was initially going to wait, her husband Timothy Busfield said, “‘absolutely not. We are going!’”
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Following many tests, Gilbert was diagnosed with an abscess, a “pocket of pus” that can occur “almost anywhere” in the body, according to the U.S. National Library of Medicine. She was also diagnosed with cellulitis, a potentially deadly skin infection caused when bacteria infects the deep layers of skin, according to the American Academy of Dermatology. Gilbert said she was given an IV containing the antibiotic clindamycin as well as Benadryl and acetaminophen, and her condition “immediately started to get better.” However, doctors “still kept me up all night. Starting antibiotics, Benadryl and ibuprofen orally today.”
“The lesson – take bug bites seriously! If it swells up like crazy (my whole upper arm was swollen!) don’t wait to get treated thinking ‘It’s just a little bite. How bad can it get?’ Go to your dr or urgent care or the ER. I’m serious! Back in the days of [Laura Ingalls Wilder], this would’ve meant death or amputation. There’s treatment available,” Gilbert wrote, referencing her Little House character. “So now I’m going to take my meds and rest like the good bunny I am. Stupid bug bite.”
The comments section of Gilbert’s post was flooded with comments sending the actress well wishes. One fan wrote, “Wow, how scary, so glad you have a husband that loves you and insists you went in right away!” Actress Donna Murphy wrote commented, “REST & HEAL MAMA ! Thank you for taking the time to share this in the midst of the trauma. Bravo to your Dr [Timothy Busfield] for insisting you get to the ER that night!”
