Well, it looks like I've got MRSA.

[Better Today]

I few months ago, I scratched my arm pretty deeply with an exposed fence wire.

As most of it cleared up, one little section began producing a sort of wart-like bump. Having no health insurance, I didn't go to the doctor, tried wart gel, didn't help, made it worse, it spread a bit further. After trying a few other OTC type stuff, it then spread again, by now it was from wrist to armpit of my right arm.


A couple of weeks ago, after numerous attempts to identify it online through images of skin rashes, warts, etc., my daughter and I thought we'd found the answer, but it wasn't quite right. Verbal descriptions were very close but images were iffy at best.

Well today, my daughter and her coworkers had reason to discuss a client that had contracted MRSA over the weekend. My daughter saw the images and bingo! Sends me an email, yep, that's what I got.

Sucks to be me. I've got no budget for medical expenses. Oh, well.

Actually don't be too worried. I'm analytical by nature and have been trying all manner of available options and have found a way to stop the spread, clear up the rashier areas and am down to about 2 dozen open sores, all of which are showing a lot of improvement. down from dime and nickel size the were at a week and a half ago when I stumbled on my solution (or what seems at this time to be a solution, only actual final cure will prove it, I'm not willing to count those chickens quite yet). So it looks like all will be okay if it doesn't re-bloom anyway.

Nonetheless, it's quite a heart stopping moment to find out, or figure out if you will, that the stuff I've been messing with for about 3 months now is one of the most dreaded infections in the world right now.

[angstlessk]

1. why in the hell did someone unrec this thread?

[Better Today]

2. It's okay, freedom of speech and all. Really, let's don't turn this into

a rec/unrec war. Thanks! :)

[angstlessk]

7. I have used peroxide and alcohol..the drinking kind..to stop infections

peroxide put in the cap and held on the sore..till it ain't sore no more!..and drinking alcohol for gum problems..both worked 'miracles' since I too have no insurance.

[Better Today]

13. Yep, tried both, and non-dringking kind. No luck whatsoever and a

huge spreading of the stuff during that attempt.

[uppityperson]

41. H2O2 (peroxide) can spread bacteria, shoves it through tissue into uninfected areas

and voila, it has spread.

[Better Today]

44. Yep, happened just like that. I was using it at first more

like one would use CompoundW, just dabbing it on the initial sore. I wasn't really seeing dramatic success with this tactic, but I try to give things a fair chance, and I'd only been trying the peroxide for 2-3 days, so I don't know if this limited application would've worked. Anyway not having a clue at that time it was serious at all, I swabbed the lower half of my arm with the peroxide soaked cotton ball, thinking that I wanted to clean my arm of all the ooze that had been getting rubbed all over my arm that morning due to a long sleeve shirt shifting all around, and being in public (at a job interview) I couldn't hike the sleeve up. So when I got home, I thought this was a good course of action. No, it spread so fast it was quite unnerving. That was the first spread.

[Bobbieo]

32. Both son and DIL say 'Antibiotics'.! We live on the Mexican border

so getting them is no problem. Hope you have access to them. They both have cured MRSAs with antibiotics - this is very serious!!!

[tabatha]

3. Try Dettol - from Amazon.

"Dettol is made by Reckitt & Colman and is commercially available as an inexpensive liquid antiseptic which is safe and gentle enough to use on the skin and yet powerful enough to also use as a disinfectant. This is because of its broad spectrum of antimicrobial action. It is effective against gram positive/negative bacteria, fungi, yeast, mildew and even the frightening "super-bug" MRSA."

[Better Today]

4. For now I'll keep up what I'm doing, but I'll bookmark your link just

in case. Thank you!

[tabatha]

6. Also, try turmeric.

[Better Today]

8. I'm using essential oils with similar traits. They were kind of hit and miss

seeming to work but then it would spread anyway. So they are in the tried but didn't quite work category.

[HysteryDiagnosis]

5. Baking soda?? I heard on another site..... mebbe not. n/t

[Better Today]

10. Tried that and it's opposite Cream of Tartar, both burned like crazy,

but neither seemed to do more than hold me at a stage of equilibrium. No spreading, but no healing either.

[HysteryDiagnosis]

12. I was kidding... didn't know there was any benefit at all.... it was

a small reference to the flap about Mercola and H1N1...

[Better Today]

14. I'm not kidding, I've been trying tons of stuff. Quite literally, nearly

everything I've got in the kitchen, my essential oil collections and related oil concoctions for other issues, yogurt, and so much more even toothpaste, no kidding.

[enlightenment]

9. Just read an interesting article on the efficacy of

pomergranate rind on MRSA.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2009/dec/27/pomegranate-can-combat-mrsa-superbugs

I hope you get better soon!

[Better Today]

11. Huh, don't know squat about pomergranate, I'll definitely be getting

that research don't tonight. If I understand it's properties, I may find I have something here that will work, if not I guess I'll go looking for some.

[enlightenment]

15. Something else that might help (I don't know, just tossing it out)

is Colloidal Silver. My brother swears by it and it apparently has some pretty vigorous anti-bacterial properties.

[Better Today]

18. Yep, I read about that when I thought I had a form of pox virus as

a possible cure for it, though it was not successful enough to be worth a "serious" mention. It isn't that pox virus, but I have that on the back burner if this doesn't work in the end. Next time I'm at the store, I'll see how much that costs, and if they have a topical application.

[enlightenment]

34. The stuff my brother uses is a liquid - it's like water (with a funny taste).

My aunt uses it too - to excess, I think, because she's blue (sort of grayish blue, like a sick Smurf). But she's been drinking the stuff for years and swears it helps her issues. I don't argue with blue people . . . but I'd think drinking it daily might be a bit much!

[JoeyT]

43. Yeah, colloidal silver is about the only way to do that.

The condition is called "argyria" and as far as I know it never goes away.

[K8-EEE]

16. I knew a 20 y/o who died of this last Dec. Don't screw around with it!

She had symptoms like yours & was self-treating for weeks....one day woke up and half of her body was black. She was very fair skinned and it was not black-and-blue black, but black from dead tissue. At that point she went to the hospital and the rushed her in to IV anti-biotics but by then it was too late.

Her MRSA was traced to a tattoo.

[Better Today]

23. I been considering exactly what you're saying since it first spread,

literally in ten minutes half my arm was covered where before I had one dime sized spot. Scared the pee out of me. Then I decided I'm okay with dying. When the second spread happened, it was odd, didn't scare me a bit, just looked at it very analytically, like hmm, that didn't work, how does that effect my next choice. Not suicidal mind you, but if this kills me so be it.

[WhiteTara]

17. have you tried tea tree oil?

it is a very powerful antimicrobial that doesn't burn the skin. Good luck. I'd like to know what you are using that is helping.
:hug:

[Better Today]

19. Yes, Tea Tree, Eucalyptus, Red Thyme, Rosemary, Lavendar,

oh, and one more I don't remember off the top of my head. I am a believer in the use of essential oils for many issues, and have a wide selection and have tried any that made the any amount of sense. None really worked. These damn things oozed so much that the oils would just sit on top and not get down in at all. One reason I tried the baking soda and Cream Tartar was because they were dry ingredients and would hopefully absorb the oozing and delivery a chemical property rather than sit on top.

[WhiteTara]

26. wow! I wish you the best! I hope you get well

so very soon.!

[WhiteTara]

46. I woke up in the middle of the night

with this thought. Have you tried golden seal root powder? Like baking soda and cream of tartar, golden seal is dry. Unlike the others, this is also a very powerful antimicrobial. I use it on puncture wounds on my cats, as a gargle, internally I use it for all infections...respiratory, etc. Also, myrrh is even more powerful. It is a resin and must be ground up with a mortar and pestle to a very fine powder, but these may be of help.

Again, good luck. :hug:

[tblue]

20. I never once heard of it. Oh, I'm sorry!

Had to Google it. Yeah, try the tea tree oil. It's good stuff and powerful, cheap, available otc.

[BrklynLiberal]

21. Please be careful, and take good care of this. Keep us posted on how you are doing.

This is NOT something to take lightly...

[Better Today]

25. Thank you, and trust me, I've not taken it lightly, I just have had to

become my own researcher and guinea pig. Fortunately I am an amateur chemist so I've not been exactly stabbing around in the dark, though probably close to it since we couldn't really figure out what it was. Had I known it was MRSA from the start, . . .well that isn't reality, so we'll see.

[ThatPoetGuy]

22. Get MEDICAL help.

How could you visually differentiate between MRSA and another staph aureus?

I had MRSA two years ago. I was attached to a stomach pump for a month, siphoning off infected fluids. It sounds like you contracted it closer to the surface, but still, get a medical professional to look at it.

Learn about the options where you are. Call your local hospital. Ask to speak to someone in the payment office; they might have programs available. Here in Colorado, we have something called the Colorado Indigent Care Program; my $85,000 surgery was knocked down to just under $2,000. There might be something similar where you are. Call and ask.

MRSA kills. Get your wound treated.

[Better Today]

24. Well, all the verbal and visual information at Mayo clinic site, lines

up perfectly, including that I originally thought it was a spider bit because of the two small holes in the center of raised/swelled circle.

I looked at other staph infections early on, never considered MRSA because of its reputation, and the images and descriptions of symptoms just were not right when looking at other staph infections.

[ThatPoetGuy]

27. I had gall bladder disease.

But before I went in for treatment, I had decided it was either diverticulitis or lactose intolerance.

Self-diagnosis is for stupid people. Even a medical professional won't diagnose MRSA based on its appearance; they'll see the purulence and they'll take a sample for analysis.

For god's sake, man, grow up and get medical help. Call around and see what assistance you can find. Enough with the pomegranate seeds and tea tree oil. Enough with the kitchen sink. You are putting your family's safety at risk. Go to the ER, or call your hospital and find out about payment adjustments. Get diagnosed, and get treated.

[Better Today]

30. I sincerely appreciate the intent of your post. See post update below.

[safeinOhio]

29. Last resort

You can buy liquid antibiotics and syringes at TSC. You have to work out the weight for dosage using swine as your model.
Hope it doesn't get to that point. Best of luck.

[Better Today]

31. That's out of my league. I have had success putzing around with

solutions to topical, skin deep issues, and few other, but I don't mess with "real" medicine without a doctor, and don't recommend it for anyone.

Furthermore, there is some question as to the safety of animal meds vs human meds.

No, the avenue of last resort is a doctor.

[Better Today]

28. ***UPDATE **** for what its worth. Daughter just got here, and

has "informed" me in no uncertain terms, that if I don't have it essentially cleared up by Monday, she will take me to the clinic, kicking and screaming if necessary, and will pay for appointment and meds. The only reason she isn't insisting on it now is because after looking at it, she agrees it is dramatically improved even compared to two days ago.

[BrklynLiberal]

33. Good news...but you are not off the hook and must keep us informed

[Berry Cool]

35. Yeah. I still wish the daughter would force the issue TODAY.

This is not something to "putz around" with or get philosophical about ("Oh well, if this is what kills me, so be it"). That shows an amazing lack of concern for one's loved ones, at the very least, and their concern.

Please, Better Today, go get treated and keep us posted. I am uninsured myself and battling a bacterial infection, but dammit, at least I'm taking free antibiotics. If my latest round doesn't do the job I will take a stronger one, even having to pay for it out of pocket. Whatever it takes.

MRSA is a killer and it is a surprisingly quick and efficient killer. You do not want to leave it until it is too late. Now is not the time to be monkeying around and experimenting with "natural cures" or home remedies. It needs professional medical attention, and quick.

[Bobbieo]

36. Please get professional help as soon as as possible!!! This is nothing to mess with!!!!

[Better Today]

38. Thank you for your concerned words.

[Better Today]

37. Will do.

[cabluedem]

40. Found this info on MRSA on Wikipedia. Hope you get better soon!

MRSA progresses substantially within 24–48 hours of initial topical symptoms. After 72 hours, MRSA can take hold in human tissues and become resistant to treatment. The initial presentation of MRSA is small red bumps that resemble pimples, spider bites, or boils that may be accompanied by fever and occasionally rashes. Within a few days the bumps become larger, more painful, and eventually open into deep, pus-filled boils.<17> About 75 percent of CA-MRSA infections are localized to skin and soft tissue and usually can be treated effectively. However CA-MRSA strains display enhanced virulence, spreading more rapidly and causing illness much more severe than traditional HA-MRSA infections, and they can affect vital organs and lead to widespread infection (sepsis), toxic shock syndrome and necrotizing ("flesh-eating") pneumonia. This is thought to be due to toxins carried by CA-MRSA strains, such as PVL and PSM, though PVL was recently found to not be a factor in a study by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) at the NIH. It is not known why some healthy people develop CA-MRSA skin infections that are treatable whereas others infected with the same strain develop severe infections or die.

[Better Today]

42. Thank you, I've been reading stuff all evening. Looks like usually

CA-MRSA is relatively mild, and mine has been generally slow to progress, but not steady, it was just one spot for days, then half a dozen, then two weeks later half my arm, but as mentioned above I've been working on this for about 3 months. So I'm pretty sure I'm in the group where it is treatable.

After all my reading tonight, including Mayo Clinc, CDC, and many many state Department's of Health reports, WebMD, a dermatologists website, and more. Recommendations range from topical treatments to taking anti-botics. Except as a last sentence warning as in your post above, most indicate it isn't anything to get overly concerned about, but to use whatever course of action suggested and keep an eye on it for dangerous developments, and don't delay if one appears. Also recommends reducing further spreading to others through the usual skin spreading areas, like don't share towels, don't let anyone assist in tending it without proper gloves, don't share personal care items like nail or cuticle nippers, the usual stuff, wash lots. It does say in many of the articles that alcohol is an effect pre-acquire disinfectant. IE if you think you've used a towel or touched someone with CA-MRSA, alcohol wash will kill it, I guess that what all the Purell's are.

I've also read that this type of MRSA can be recurring, even when a course of antibotics seems to have worked effectively. None really specified the frequency of the recurrences or how recent after a course of antibotics, so I don't know it is was just a case of the usual 10 day course not being quite long enough, hence it recurred, or if it's kind of like shingles and just has a mind of its own. Now that I think about it, I don't recall any specific information as to whether the recurrences were even in the same area, or whether it might show up somewhere else. Currently I'm looking for more information on this aspect.

[Better Today]

39. ***UPDATE 2*** Okay I've eaten dinner and doing some research.

Here's what I've found. Apparently what I have is called CA_MRSA, indicating community acquired (vs. hospital acquired) and it isn't as serious as the hospital acquired.

Here's a CDC link with brief explanation of MRSA and the two kinds.

http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dhqp/ar_mrsa_ca.htmL

Here's another link mentioning it. I'm feeling less freaked already. Since I am 100% sure it isn't hospital acquired, I'm totally feeling calm about there not being a need to freak out.

http://www.health.ri.gov/disease/communicable/providers_mrsa060705.php

[wuvuj]

45. Check this out?

http://www.lef.org/LEFCMS/aspx/PrintVersionMagic.aspx?CmsID=115648

Skin Disorders

Bromelain is also effective in treating a skin disorder called pityriasis lichenoides chronica, which is characterized by the appearance of long-lasting, asymptomatic skin lesions. The disease has no known cause and treatment outcomes have proved unpredictable and non-optimal.15 In a recent study, investigators treated eight patients who had this disorder with bromelain for three months. At the end of the treatment period, all patients showed complete clinical recovery with no adverse effects. And although two patients relapsed five to six months after stopping therapy, they responded again to another brief cycle of therapy. The investigators concluded that the efficacy of bromelain “could be related to its anti-inflammatory, immuno-modulatory, and/or antiviral properties.”15


I'd guess you have a long term struggle on your hands? The non enteric coated kind needs to be taken on an empty stomach.

[rateyes]

47. Get to the hospital, dumbass. It might look better, but

MRSA, if it gets in your bloodstream and makes you septic will kill you. Your arm will look better though. If it's MRSA you need vancomycin LAST WEEK.

And, if it gets better without anti-biotics it probably isn't MRSA.

[cayanne]

48. Mersa needs to be cultured

You cannot tell by a picture. It could be several staphs and/or streps. You do not play around with infections


I had MERSA in '91 which put me in the hospital for 10 days. MERSA is very difficult to kill, even with the heavy IV meds.

[Chemisse]

49. Community aquired means it can be treated

It doesn't mean it is less dangerous.

With all the money you have spent on self treatment, you could've gone to the doctor and gotten antibiotics.