Checking in and out real quick. I'm being treated for MRSA.

[DemoTex]

I might not have MRSA (methicillin resistant staph), but my exposure to my mother (with MRSA) in March and April, and my brother's developement of an MRSA infection two weeks ago do not bode well. My cultures will be back Friday. Meanwhile, I am being treated as if it is MRSA.

I have an abcess (boil) on my lower back that is the size of a man's fist. It spreads over my spine. The total area of reddness and swelling is the size of a section of soccer ball.

The pain is incredible, and I mostly sleep. I'll check back later. Wash your hands. Soap and water.

[NMDemDist2]

1. OMG

I hope you get good news and feel better real soon

and I wash my hands all the time, thank heavens

[mike_c]

2. oh no-- best of luck to you DT....

Hoping for a full recovery! :hug:

[crim son]

3. Jeebus, take care of yourself.

Now I'm worried about you.

[karlrschneider]

4. Oh shit, Mac. I don't even know what that is but it doesn't sound pleasant.

Take care of yourself, buddy!

[Lerkfish]

5. good thoughts sent to you. and healing ones, too.

[Bluebear]

6. Best to you and see you soon nt

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

7. I prescribe...

In addition to the meds, dinner at a fine BBQ joint, with me, a year from now. Hushpuppies at 10 paces.

You take care of yourself, son. That's an order.

[brentspeak]

8. Prayers to you.

[mohinoaklawnillinois]

9. DemoTex, you'll be added to the prayer list.

Take care... :hug: :hug:

[Missy Vixen]

10. Get well soon

That Prius is not going to drive itself!

Seriously, I hope you are feeling much better, very soon, and I really, really, really hope it is not MRSA.

Julie

[rurallib]

11. Sounds worse than Rush Limbaugh's cyst

Actually sounds like you may have Rush's brain in there. Relax, though, he wasn't using it.
Uh - take care. (don't touch me)

[Rosa Luxemburg]

12. yes I know 2 people that had that

They thought it may have been spider bites at first but had it cultured. They took antibiotics and cleared up after a few weeks! Hope you get better soon and hope it's not MRSA!

[nebenaube]

49. I had that two years ago...

It was MRSA and the boils were from spider bite. Turns out the MRSA was already there (I'm a ex-health care employee) but not active. MRSA is also spread through locker rooms and contact sports. The spider bite was just an opportunity.

I was bitten repeatedly at the base of my spine initially and for serveral months the bites recurred. Each time the magnitude of the boil was diminished.

I found a complex of webs behind my corner workspace in the basement and researched what I found there. It seems that the european house spider (hobo spider) is the most likely culprit and that it has made it to your vicinity.

The Hobo spider is an very aggressive (the female that is), fast moving (covers ten feet in less than a second) and invasive species from overseas that your immune system has never encountered. They invaded through the port of Seattle and have been spreading across the country. They made it to Wisconsin a little more than two years ago. They are everywhere here. Papers I have read suggest they don't climb but I've watched them do it and the side of my house that faces the street light was covered in them (they seem to love the gaps in vinyl siding) and have a tendency to nest in corners and along the edge of the ceiling. The street lights down by the river are already covered with them. They live in funnel shaped webs and like to hide in things.

My advice is hot baths with epsom salts to draw the infection out (I bought a hot tub - sans the salts), use fresh Aloe on the boils every time you change the dressing and change it frequently (Neosporin is useless). Keep everything clean, wash hands frequently. Don't scratch a zit.

Most important... hang clothing when you take it off. If you wear clothing that was on the floor over-night then turn the clothing inside out and check it before you put it on (seems like the boy scouts drove that concept home when I was younger but hey I forgot).

Getting rid of the spiders... Dawn Oxi dish soap and water. I use a super-soaker to get the high spots on the side of the house and a regular pressure sprayer if they are in range. They die within two minutes and the soap washes off in the rain.

[stirlingsliver]

13. Soap and Water AND This

Sorry to hear that you have an abcess.

I hope it clears up, and that all goes well for you.

Your advice to wash your hands is spot on.

Use soap.

Use water.

And use plenty of rubbing. Sing "Row, row, row your boat" -- Twice -- as you vigorously scrub your hands.

It's the rubbing that gets rid of most of the nasty germs.

[Redstone]

19. And after reading DT's post, I'll use Clorox, peroxide, and rubbing alcohol as well, I think.

Man, those Superbugs are some scary critters.

Redstone

[stirlingsliver]

24. Not Clorox

Clorox can do some major damage to your skin -- and so can hydrogen peroxide.

Soap and water -- and vigorous rubbing as you wash your hands for about 20 seconds or so -- is usually sufficient.

It's what doctors and nurses (those concerned about not spreading germs, that is) do.

And be mindful of the things in public most likely to be "germy" -- the handles of shopping carts, restroom doorknobs, and elevator pushbuttons.

[DemoTex]

30. All true, however ...

My I/D (infectious disease) specialist tells me staph dies quickly when off of the main host: the skin. My mom's isolation at Northside Hospital in Atlanta was to PREVENT touching or skin contact. In fact, the ISO-RULES on the door expressly allowed the free exchange of inanimate (non-bio-hazard) objects, such as meal trays.
I'd still be careful, but not Howard Hugh-ess: AKA spectrophobia.

[proud patriot]

41. We use a different song to the tune of row row row your boat

at our school

[Redstone]

14. Oh, fuck, DT, I'm sorry to hear that. Best of luck to you.

Redstone

[flyarm]

15. i just got over MRSA that i got from my dying mother in law..

i had it bad and had to go on antibiotics 2 x

my husband and his brother got it as well

the antibiotics can make you ill more so than the MRSA..

the first antibiotic i thought i was dying from and had to have the antibiotic changed..because it got me so ill..

and even when it is gone ..i still got a couple smaller bumps..

and it is being treated topically with an anti biotic..

it is the meds that will get you sick..more than the MRSA itself.

i had a heavier case than my husband ..( i got it in my nasal..and got the boils on my face , and buttocks and legs)..as i cleaned his mom's mouth, and face .. and cleaned her when she was dying..and DNR..and i spents the last 7 nights with her all night in the hospital..i got it bad ..

my husband had a very mild case ..in fact the dr said he didn't need to take the antibiotics..he had no symptoms

but to be safe he took the meds..well then he got very sick ..and said he thought he was going to die..seriously..the meds got him very sick as well..

so watch the meds they give you..

my doc said the first antibiotics were too strong for me and were basically poisoning me..so he had to take me off them and wait a period before putting me on a different antibiotic.

once you get through the meds you will be ok..
the doc's told me everyone walks around with some kind of staph..
don't worry you will be ok..once you get it treated.

good luck..

fly

[brentspeak]

20. That's scary. Glad you're ok, though

[flyarm]

27. it is not as scarey as people make it out to be..it is very predominant

in hospitals now..and it is very treatable..the docs act like it is no big deal really..

fly

[DeepBlueC]

44. yeah, they ACT that way because...

they are significant agents of spreading infection. I watched some hidden camera videos of several hospitals here in Toronto that were really disheartening. Doctors on rounds examining patients and walking en masse right past the disinfecting stations outside each room. Nurses moving from one patient to another changing dressings, examining wounds, without cleaning their hands in between. At one hospital pretty much every disinfectant bottle outside the rooms at at the elevators was EMPTY and had been for more than a week according to one of the nurses. They did, however, say that they had mentioned it to the janitor at some point but nothing happened. When I have to go to the hospital I am going to bring a BIG bottle of disinfectant gel with me to sit at my bedside and no one is going to touch me without cleaning their hands in front of me first. Doctors are not used to thinking about being germ free outside of the OR and it takes a very determined administrator to change behavior. And, of course, in most of our hospitals cleaning services have been among the to be dispensed with in curbing expenses. We have actually abandoned a lot of the infection control protocols that used to be standard in hospitals.

I think the hospitals featured are pretty embarrassed and I hope that will change things. They know that the journalists will be back and back again for follow-up reports. Other countries have reduced the incidence of hospital-acquired infections dramatically but in North America we are still thinking of them to a great extent as an unavoidable risk. Not so.

[flyarm]

50. with MRSA you can breathe it in..thats how i got it in my nasal passage.

and the hospital my mother in law was in had Purell everywhere, on every wall, by elevators, in bathrooms in each room..and every nurse and every doc that came in were constantly washing their hands, as was i..and my mother in law was in isolation and we all wore gloves , masks , and gowns..

all the docs told me more people walk around with it and never know they have it..and never have symptoms.

like i said...my husband had a mild case of it..and they told him he didn't need to do anything ..but only if he wanted to he could take the antibiotics..

I had it more..as i got the boils..but many people do not even get the boils, and never know they have it.

I went to the docs in calif and then to two of my docs in fla..and none of them thought it was a big deal.

just treat with antibiotics..

fly

[nebenaube]

it's not air borne...

sorry but you must have picked your nose...

[flyarm]

55. not what i was told..i was told many people pick it up( no pun)

in their nasal passage..

but i could have picked it up crying..as i did alot of crying by mother in laws bedside..and was wiping my eyes and nose..or when i kissed her..which i did alot..and i had my face next to hers alot wispering to her that it was ok for her to go..
hell who knows ..when someone is dying how you touch them..you don't think at that point..

all i know is, i got it and i got a good dose of it..

yes it can be dangerous if your health is compromised..

one of my sister in laws is the head of a different hospital nursing dept...she would not go into my mother in laws room..because she didn;t want to get it..because it would compromise her for her own hospital.

my other sister in law works for 6 doctors at the hospital my mother in law was in..she did not get the MRSA..and she went into the room alot..

but husbands cousin got it as well..from visiting my mother in law..but not a bad case of it..

I am not a nurse..but i know what we all experienced.
and how we were all treated.
i was put on Zyvox after the first med i got so sick on..but it was the meds that i had such a bad reaction to, same with my hubby.

fly

[DemoTex]

26. Informative and correct.

Everyone walks around with some kind of staph, and probably colonies of MRSA in the nostrils. Consider Mucosin or the like as prophylaxis against future outbreaks.

[flyarm]

31. i finished the antibiotics in 10 days and left on a one month trip to europe..

and had no problems..zero..

and i had a bad case of it from what the doc's said..

i had zero problems after i finished the antibiotics..and was not kept from a very hectic trip to europe..with numerous stops in different places and countries.

so please don't worry..you will be fine after the antibiotics.

fly

[DeepBlueC]

46. in some hospitals in Europe

Patients are screened for MRSA on admission and protocols observed to prevent spreading the infection. I think it is in Holland (some northern European country)where there has been a national effort to reduce hospital-acquired infections and improvement has been staggering. We could do that here too but this administration no doubt thinks of such plans as more "red tape" that the business of medicine should not have to tolerate.

People lose limbs and lives to post-surgical infections. It is not always benign and manageable.

[greatauntoftriplets]

33. I am sorry to hear that you were so sick....

and also relieved to hear that you have mostly recovered. What a scary-sounding disease.

[flyarm]

38. its really not..many people have it and don't know it!!

thanks for your thoughts..but the MRSA didn't get me sick..the meds did!!

i posted here every day all day while being treated for it..it was no big deal really ..other than i didn't like the boils on my face!!

and was afraid they would scar..they didn't ..

its an epidemic in many hospitals..its bad in fla..and my mother in law had it in hospital in calf and there were many with it ..

it sounds worse than it is..and it is very treatable.

Hi Great aunts!!:hi: :hi: :hug:

i am used to taking care of the ill..it seems..so it is just part of it today..

fly

[a kennedy]

16. oh my......hope the news friday is the best you can hear.

prayers and hugs. :hug:

[BleedingHeartPatriot]

17. Your personal immune system makes the difference. And, your personal immune system responds to

intellect and emotion.

Along with said hand washing and standard (not crazed) cleaning.

Please check in as much as you can...:hug: MKJ

[DemoTex]

36. Having my mom in the hospital for eight weeks for MRSA and esophogel shingles ..

.. was more stress than one should have to handle. She is 85 with COPD. It is absolutely amazing she survived. Since I am a healthy as a horse, I'm sure there is a stress overlay to this.

[DeepBlueC]

18. Be strong, and ask for narcotics

That is huge, and I can imagine how much it hurts. I hope you get a quick and good response to treatment. Sleep is a good thing in the meantime.

[greatauntoftriplets]

21. Get well soon!!!!

It sounds horrendous, and sleep is what you need now. Plus antibiotics.

:hi:

[DemoTex]

22. Thanks, dear hearts!

That boosts me. I'll try to get back tomorrow with a progress report. I just took a little pill the Doc gave me to mabe get my first nights sleep in two. And, of course, I took the Bactrim, too.

Doc says it might take two surgeries to get this wicked volcano debided once the infection subsides.

Mac
Too sick to use spell-check, so you know I'm hurtin'!

[uppityperson]

23. Oh crap, best of luck, take your vitamins and keep us updated please.

Best of luck, hoping you heal quickly.

[stevedeshazer]

25. Mac,

I wondered where you were.

Geez, I give you all my best wishes. I'm going to wash my hands right now.

Peace and love.

[Straight Shooter]

28. Sounds awful!

I'm a hand-washer, soap and water, but there are so many nasty bugs out there, you never know when one will catch up with you. So, please don't blame yourself for what's happening. It's the luck of the draw.

I'll be thinking of you, wishing you well. Summer is coming, you'll want to be good and healthy for that. :)

[Starbucks Anarchist]

29. I'll keep you in my thoughts, DemoTex.

[JerseygirlCT]

32. Ouch! Heal quickly, and completely! nt

[proud patriot]

34. I'm sending your family strength and healing energy

Be well .

[dweller]

35. do nothing but

heal man.

we'll send along the much needed vibes, too.
dp

[w8liftinglady]

37. DemoTx-do you need help?

I'm a nurse,and I think I live kind of near you.PM me if you do.

[Bluebear]

39. Love you for that

XOX

[Ilsa]

51. His wife is an MD, isn't she? Is she gone right now?

You are so sweet to offer to help him. I'd help too if I was closer and didn'thave the kids, and... :)

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

40. Yikes!

Sorry to hear that -- take it easy, take drugs, get well soon. :hug:

[tabasco]

42. Good luck and get well soon!

Best wishes from Frost, West Virginia! :hi:

[fed-up]

43. here is some speedy healing thoughts-I also got a staph (not the evil one) when my mom was in the

hospital and they had just found her stage IV lung cancer and signed us up for hospice.

I was one strung out looking lady when I went to the local community hospital prompt care to get treatment and to get some anti-anxiety meds. The doctor took one look at meet and at first said no to any anti-anxiety.

My sister later explained that since I had had little sleep the past few days, had bags under my eyes which were also swollen from crying and had an open sore on my arm that I looked like a classic druggie and no wonder they didn't want to give me pills. Anybody that knows me knows that I am definitely not a druggie. hahahaha

At least my staph cleared up with anti-biotics, but I also took some grapefruit seed extract for an added boost.

Good-luck.

[Loki]

45. Sending you my good thoughts and prayers.

My daughter had a serious staph infection last summer and ended up in the hospital for 7 days. MRSA can be brutal. She was on Clindamycin and Gentamycin for 5 days and then they changed her to Oxacillin. What is becoming frightening is there were three other patients on the same floor with MRSA infections. Take you medicine and stay in touch.

Lee

[fed-up]

47. don't forget to call your local paper- it seems not all hospitals are reporting # of infections nt

[july302001]

48. Take care!!!!!

Do take care!!!!!

Last year, had some acquaintances get this (on the lower leg) in a crowded casino in Nevada. Yuck!

I post rarely, but I recognize you as a very regular poster from the Carolinas.

[PsN2Wind]

52. Besta Luck, Mac

Not much else to be said.

[Ilsa]

53. I had a horrible Staph A infection in a surgical site back in 1982.

They were pretty worried about me as I had had a bone biopsy. If the infection had entered the bone, well, I bet I wouldn't be here.

I hope you get well in hurry and can manage your pain. I am so sorry you are having to deal with this, DT.

MRSA can be a problem at a hospital if they have a neonatal unit. The little ones don't always do so well. I hope your mom gets better as well.

[Roon]

56. I got a staph infection once

taking a shower at the cabin that uses spring water. One tiny little spot on my leg and it HURT! I was in so much pain, they sent me home with meds and crutches. The next day it was all but gone.

[Ilsa]

60. I was in the hospital for two weeks. They had to operate on me again

to open and drain the original surgical site, then pack it and let it heal from the bome out. It was a painful and horrible experience. I took some nasty antibiotics that infiltrated all the veins in my arms. Theywere about to start one in my leg when they decided I could go home on meds. Lots of meds.

[Roon]

62. Damn!

I am glad you're better now. :-)

[lonestarnot]

54. Don't forget to get up to take your meds! Sleep and meds and liquids!

[Madspirit]

57. Take Care...what a drag!...n/t

[Blue_Tires]

58. get better soon!

[Richard Steele]

59. Get well soon Demo!

:hug:

[JCMach1]

61. Best of luck.... I had a realing disgusting case of folliculitis recently

I hope it is something more like that...!

:(

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

63. Good Lord, best of luck to you, DemoTex. Working in hospitals, I assume that

I'm colonized with this crap and I gloomily feel that I'm doomed to suffer a bad infection with it at some point in my life, although I am anal retentive about handwashing.