Well, i look like the Elephant Man

[MonkeyFunk]

Yesterday, my whole upper face broke out in these horrible, painful bumps, some on my eyelid (ick).

Went to the doc this morning and she suspects MRSA - Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.

Ugh. It's very unpleasant, so I don't recommend it to anybody.

I'm on a triple-combo of monster antibiotics, so hopefully it'll start to clear up.

[redqueen]

1. Oh god... that stuff's awful.

Here's hoping it clears up fast.

[pagerbear]

2. Is that the staph infection that was in the news?

It's good you sought medical attention early!

[MonkeyFunk]

3. yeah

the doc said she's seeing a lot of it.

It's rather painful, too.

[pagerbear]

5. Once again, I'm glad you got medical attention early.

Any idea how you caught this infection?

[terrya]

4. DAMN.

I'm so sorry to hear this, MonkeyFunk.

I am sending my best thoughts for you. I hope it does clear up soon.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

6. sorry

:hug:

how does one get it?

[MonkeyFunk]

7. dunno

I had a little bump on my hand last week that got a little infected, and then yesterday my whole head blew up.

[CottonBear]

13. It can be acquired from the "community at large". That's how I got it:

who knows WHERE from (a post box, a doorknob, an ATM keyboard....etc) Community acquired MRSA is a huge public health problem.

It is common in hospitals, nursing homes and gyms (especially locker rooms) but I was none of those places. One gets a cut or infected place, touches MRSA somewhere and then touches the injured area.

I carry Purell and antibacterial hand wipes with me at all times now. I try not to touch my face when in public. I wash my hands a lot.

[datasuspect]

17. it WAS largely relegated to poverty-stricken subpopulations

jails, hospitals, drug users, and the like.

but it is getting more widespread.

i remember i posted about this and people were kind of dismissive.

[ronnykmarshall]

8. Yuk!

Now don't go chasing kids in the grocery store screaming "I'm NOT AN ANIMAL"!!

[MonkeyFunk]

9. oh

I couldn't even go into the pharmacy for fear of scaring the populace. I made the bf go get the meds.

But he's not being very helpful - every time he looks at me he lets out a yelp, or inhales through his teeth... some expression of horror and pity.

Thank god he loves me.

[ThomCat]

10. Damn. I hope it clears up quickly.

And I hope you don't have any problems with the drugs.

Be well. :hug:

[KitchenWitch]

11. Personal question - you do not have to answer this...

Are you immune compromised?

Take care of yourself and beat this thing, okay?

:hug:

[MonkeyFunk]

18. No, I am not

[CottonBear]

12. I had MRSA on my face and it left a scar , it was incredibly painful and potentially deadly.

My advice:

1.) Take all of the antibiotics as prescribed. After the cultures came back from the lab, my doctor had to consult with an infectious disease specialist order to determine which combination of antibiotics to take. I took four huge pills each day (2 kinds of meds, one a very old type of TB antibiotic because of resistance issues.)

2.) Your digestive system will be torn up with diarrhea morning and night due to the meds. Drink at least two of those little yogurt drinks (Dannon makes this) with 10 times the active cultures of a cup of yogurt. Also, eat yogurt and drink plenty of water. You'll still have an upset digestive system but not as bad as if you are not proactive.

3.) Don't touch the infected areas.

4.) Do not share towels or clothes with others and wash all of your towels separately in hot water.

5.) Take pain pills if the cellulitis (the hard, swollen tissues in the infected area) becomes too painful.

Good luck and take care. This MRSA stuff can be deadly. Do not hesitate to go to the doctor if things take a turn for the worse.

CB

[MonkeyFunk]

20. thanks for the advice on the drinkable yogurt

the bf's gonna pick me up some on the way home from work.

And I got a scrip for pain pills, too, because it DOES hurt quite a bit.

[Call Me Wesley]

14. *Yelp* *OMG* *ZOMG*

Good healing vibes coming for you, whatever you are. Just don't absorb me or something. ;)

:hi:

[applegrove]

15. Pics? Just kidding.

[datasuspect]

16. did this just flare up?

i feel bad for ya.

that stuff gets really nasty. pustulent, seeping boils all over the place.

[MonkeyFunk]

31. yes

yesterday, I just thought it was a nasty zit on my forehead. Within hours, the upper half of my face was involved, and I was running a fever.

sigh... I hope I don't get pustulent, seeping boils. That sounds even less pleasant than what I already have.

[Redstone]

19. Good God. I hope the medication works out for you. That does NOT sound like

it's any fun at all.

I'm serious. Best of luck to you.

Redstone

[MonkeyFunk]

21. Thank you...

you're correct - it's not much fun.

[LeftyFingerPop]

22. I hope this improves for you real soon monkeyfunk. n/t

[MonkeyFunk]

23. Thank you philboy

glad to hear you're doing better, too.

[SPKrazy]

24. community acquired MRSA is out there

hope they get it knocked out that stuff can be dangerous if you were immunocompromised, or had a weakened system overall.

:hi:

[MonkeyFunk]

25. thanks

I'm otherwise in fine health, so if the antibiotics work on it, it should go fine.

[RiffRandell]

26. Awww, I hope you feel and look better soon.

That sucks; sounds like shingles on the eyes.

My husband is getting operated on Monday; they found a "polyp" on his vc----he is 16 months out of treatment for stage 3 oral cancer at age 40-----fuck I hope it's nothing.

Don't mean to whine----get through the weekend----did you at least get any good painkillers? :9

[MonkeyFunk]

27. Sorry to hear about Mr. Crabby

I send him the best wishes.

they offered me a scrip for vicodin, and like an idiot, I turned it down. This afternoon I called 'em back and asked if the offer still stood, so the BF's gonna go pick it up on his way from work.

[RiffRandell]

29. Thanks for that.

I'll fill you in later, and hopefully with good news. Take the vics as needed!

[MonkeyFunk]

30. Yes, please let me know

but I have a question.... what's a vc in regards to your husband? Vocal chord?

[RiffRandell]

32. Yes.

First time around it was a lump in the neck. He had a clear scan 2 weeks ago which is awesome, so if it is something it's caught very early, which is good, but he will have radiation to neck again.

Head and neck cancer has a high recurrence rate.

But it may just be a polyp.

[BluePatriot]

28. Ack.

I did a GIS *rinses eyes*

I'm going to second the yogurt thing.

I would *definitely* do everything the doctor says.

There's a few alternative treatments on the link below. Personally don't know if I'd try them to FIGHT the staph ***common sense alert! common sense alert!*** but the anti-scarring ones might be worth a look.

http://www.healthatoz.com/healthatoz/Atoz/common/standard/transform.jsp?requestURI=/healthatoz/Atoz/ency/staphylococcal_infections.jsp

Best of luck healing up quickly!