1. 1. Water fills up the leg beneath the knee.
   2. The skin stretches just like the skin of a balloon.
      • Have you ever noticed that, when a balloon gets blown up it’s easier to blow up (sorry, pun — we mean “pop.”). That’s because, when it’s blown up, the skin gets thinner and thinner, until it’s finally so thin that it rips apart.
   3. If you have swollen legs, sort of the same thing happens to your skin. The skin doesn’t tear to shreds like a popped balloon—but it does get thinner…and thinner… and thinner… until it’s really fragile.
   4. Then, even a scratch that wouldn’t hurt you at all (like scratching an itch, or brushing against the leg of your chair) can cause a break in the skin.
   5. And then THE PROBLEM — Bacteria germs get into that broken skin and cause an infection — that turns your skin red, hot and painful.
   6. On top of that, because all that water in your leg is blocking your blood from getting to the infection, you can’t fight the infection. Your blood carries white blood cells whose only job is to fight infections — If those white blood cells can’t get to the infection in your leg, the infection does what infections like to do — get bigger and bigger and bigger.

1. Prevent them! Take your water pills. That will get rid of some of that water in your legs. Get rid of some of that swelling. And stop your skin from becoming fragile!
2. Call the doctor as soon as you see a little bit of redness on the lower leg, or if it’s painful or hot to the touch.
3. If your doctor prescribes antibiotics, take them! Take them all!

We have a saying about antibiotics:

When you use Antibiotics Against Germs

“Kill ‘em early. Kill ‘em all.”