‘Little House’ Star Melissa Gilbert Being Treated For Cellulitis After Hospital Stay

Melissa Gilbert/Instagram

Melissa Gilbert, the actress best known for playing Laura Ingalls in Little House on the Prairie, was recently hospitalized in New York.

Gilbert, 59, documented the event on social media, saying that she spent the night in the ER after a “flying insect” bit her arm.

“By last night my arm was incredibly swollen, red and hot. I called my dr….he suggested we hightail it to the ER,” Gilbert wrote, adding that her husband wouldn’t let her wait to go to the hospital.

“After many tests I was diagnosed with an abscess and cellulitis. Got an IV of clindamycin, Benedryl and acetaminophen. It immediately started to get better. Still kept me up all night. Starting antibiotics, Benedryl and ibuprofen orally today,” she wrote.”

The post included a photo of the actress’s swollen arm and iv.

 

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A post shared by Melissa E. Gilbert (@melissagilbertofficial)

According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, cellulitis is a deep skin infection caused by bacteria. “It usually affects the arms and legs. It can also develop around the eyes, mouth, and anus, or on the belly. Normal skin can be affected by cellulitis, but it usually happens after some type of injury causes a skin break, including trauma or surgery. Once the skin breaks, bacteria can enter and cause infection.”

Melissa Gilbert starred in Little House on the Prairie from 1974 to 1983. She was only 9-years-old when she first appeared as the show’s lead character, Laura Ingalls Wilder.

 

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A post shared by Melissa E. Gilbert (@melissagilbertofficial)

RELATED: MELISSA GILBERT OPENS UP ABOUT ESCAPING HOLLYWOOD

She and her husband, fellow actor Timothy Busfield, left behind the hustle and bustle of Hollywood in 2018.  The couple moved to rural New York where they are fully embracing the country lifestyle, including raising chickens and growing their own food.