MRSA

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ashaw

Member
Joined
Jun 23, 2004
Messages
1,590
Location
Phila, PA, USA.
I just had my second bout of this horror-able disease. I had my left leg lanced on Friday. I get the packing removed tomorrow and will find out what strain it is and my options for fighting it. My first bout was a week before thanksgiving. I have no idea where I picked up.

On another note. I was working with the volcanic ash from penn state. The material is great to work with but with on caution. You need to where a respirator my nasal cavity was infected by this material. I happen while squaring the blank. When you square all that is coming off is fine dust. I will continue to work with this material but will be more careful when working with it.

Alan
 
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MRSA started out as a hospital disease. It was spread by hospital workers not washing their hands between patients and the clothing the Dr.s insist on wearing to look important, neck ties, lab coats to name two. Make sure and insist that anyone touching your wound change gloves in your presence and wash their hands before gloving. do not allow any of their clothing to touch you anywhere around your wound. Go online and check out all you can find about this thing. You are your own best defense against this and many other health problems. Best of luck with this. From what I have seen, once you are infected, you are much more susceptible to reinfection. Take care of yourself, when possible, do all your own dressing changes and other wound care. Your germs are your best friend. All this is second hand from my bride. She is a wound care specialist and an RN. She does not give medical recommendations so take this from another turner.
Charles
 
Alan we wish you the best. This is definitely a PITA infection as you well know. I hope that you have been referred to an infection specialist, and if not you might want to ask your attending physician.
 
You should also make sure that the wound dressing materials that you change are double bagged before they are thrown into the trash. This prevents the bacteria from reinfecting the landfill and multiplying. Change your gloves between removing the dressing and redressing the wound to prevent reintroducing any bacteria back into the wound. You should also make sure that no one else uses your towels, wash clothes and that you wash your towels and clothing frequently in hot water.
Unfortunately the overuse of hand sanitizer and antibacterial soap is only making bacteria more resistant. Good hand washing is very important and everyone should wash their hands for as long as it takes to sing through Happy Birthday one full time, using lots of friction under running water.
 
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Best wishes with what can be a difficult bacteria. You've gotten some good advice thus far. One thing I would add... Once you've beaten this thing, talk to your doc about decolonization. Many people continue to carry MRSA even when they don't show signs/symptoms of infection, and there are simple treatments available to eradicate the colonization. If you manage to get cleared, make sure the hospital gets a copy of the negative cultures... It'll keep them from treating you like Typhoid Mary if you are ever treated there in the future. There are numerous federal guidelines that require 'special' handling of folks who've had previous MRSA infections, but a negative screening gets you off the blacklist.

ctubbs said:
... the clothing the Dr.s insist on wearing to look important, neck ties, lab coats to name two...
Click to expand...

Not sure who put the bug up your backside in regard to physicians, but I think you might want to consider painting the world with a slightly narrower brush. We're not all bad.:smile:
 
Not sure who put the bug up your backside in regard to physicians, but I think you might want to consider painting the world with a slightly narrower brush. We're not all bad.:smile:[/quote]

David, you are so correct as are almost all absolute statements. I know many health care professionals that are obsessive about cleanliness and patient care. However, I have also found fecal mater on the telephone, filthy sinks, and unknown matter on the bed railings and floor of supposedly clean hospital rooms. I know of professionals going from patient to patient and never bothering to wash their hands or glove. Are they the exception? I would hope so, but it still remains to each of us to be careful and attentive of who and what is being used to work on us. I have good Doctors that take very good care of me. I am lucky. But I still watch carefully. That is my duty in my health care. David, thanks for bringing to my attention that I spoke in absolute terms. I try hard to avoid just that.
Charels
 
I just went thru a bout myself last year that took nearly 9 months to be rid of. Aside from the various antibiotics I also got on a regiment of multivitamins, COq10, iodine, vitamin E and probiotics. I had been run thru 3 different antibiotics and where on a 4th looking at IV antibiotics next, it was when I added the supplements that it started to go away. I'm not trying to play the anti-doctor homeopathic goober here.... just saying the body can use all the help it can get to fight this stinker off. Best of luck!
 
Thanks guys
They confirmed today that I do have MRSA. I have oral antibiotics plus spray antibiotics to try an kill the colony. I would not want to wish on my enemy. I could have picked it up from just shaking hands.

Alan
 
My Dad acquired MRSA during a hospital stay following one of his surgeries over a decade ago. Even with the help of super-antibiotics, he was never completely free of infections. When it was seemingly under control in one area of his body, it would spring forth in another. Eventually, he had to have a leg amputated due to infection and shortly before his death in late 2009, he likely would have needed to have his other leg amputated also!
During his various hospitalizations, a sign was posted on the wall outside his room regarding the condition along with a cart containing gloves, face masks, and other garments. Not once, during any of his lenghty stays did medical staff speak with visitors (family, relatives, friends) about MRSA and precautions that should be taken to stop the spread thereof. I came to know of its severity upon performing a Google search and then speaking with a doctor; however, that was long after I had been exposed to my Dad's condition. Anyway, visitors came and went clueless about the posting on the wall. Nursing staff came and went, some taking precautions by wearing proper garb while others did not. On several occasions, I watched as some of the nurses would assist my Dad, walk out of his room without sanitizing their hands, and then enter the rooms of other patients. On average, I'd speculate that approximately 40% of the nursing staff were totally ignorant or just didn't care. It's unfortunate, because I'm sure others were infected who otherwise would not have been if proper procedures were followed.
I'm sorry you have this condition. At least you're aware of what you're dealing with and through your post maybe others can learn too!
When it comes to MRSA, I can tell you from the experience my Dad went through that ignorance is not bliss.
 
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