MRSA - Staph infection. Share your experiences.

[Pat_McCrotch]

Did he swab i for a culture to see if it was in fact MRSA? It is no longer a hospital acquired infection and is out in teh community as you have experienced. So a lot of MDs just assume thats what it is and call it that.

Jamie

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/mrsa/DS00735

I was diagnosed with MRSA today.
Tuesday I had what I thought was a zit or ingrown hair on my upper inner thigh. It got bigger so I thought it was a boil. It got huge (bigger than my hand) and I thought it was a karbunkle.
So I went to the Quick Care and found out it's a serious anti-biotic resistent staph infection.
The doctor cut it open and drained some of it - but he couldn't get very much of it. I have to go back tomorrow for some more fun. I'm supposed to keep a warm moist towel on it and take 3 different types of anti-biotics.
Doctor said he see's this type of infection everyday now, where 3 years ago it was rare.
Nurse says staph bacteria is wide spread in Gyms.

I'd appreciate any first hand knowledge EF's can offer on this subject.
Thanks.

 

[Pat_McCrotch]

Although MRSA is increasing in the community, you cannot be definitively diagnosed with MRSA until it is culture proven. If they took a culture and are using those results to diagnose you with MRSA, then you truly have it. If they just looked at your abscess/cellulitis and said you have MRSA, then you only have about a 20-40% chance of having it (depending on your community; although some communities have 70% MRSA rates).

MRSA is diagnosed when a culture grows Staph aureus, and when antibiotic testing indicates resistance to methicillin/oxacillin/penicillins. From that point, you will need either vancomycin, Bactrim/Septra, or rifampicin to treat MRSA infections.

If you do indeed carry MRSA, you should also be treated nasally with Bactroban since MRSA is carried in your nose.

Finally, people are alarmed by this "superbug," but in all reality, this has been a problem in public health for the past 25 years. It has only now emerged in the community, but it has been one of the few resistant bugs (MRSA, VRE, etc.) that are rampant in hospitals. The only problem with CA-MRSA (community acquired-MRSA) is that some of the strains seem to be more invasive than others.

Regardless, there are still antibiotics that treat it, and there are antibiotics available that can keep you from being a carrier. 30% of the population carry Staph in their nose, and those that do who have documented MRSA should receive Bactroban to eliminate it.

Thank you!!!! I am an ER RN and this one doc always Dxs mrsa w/o swabbing it. We always go round and round but because he is the MD he is right. lol

 

[lanky]

some hospitals in nj are requiring nasal swabs on ICU/CCU admission orders now....f'n isolation gowns are hot as hell,,major swamp ass

 

[guest username]

some hospitals in nj are requiring nasal swabs on ICU/CCU admission orders now....f'n isolation gowns are hot as hell,,major swamp ass

Our ICU swabs for MRSA and VRE. Nothing like a "welcome to the ICU" nasal swab and rectal swab.

 

[rnch]

buffut, what is your medial background/experience?

again i "aks" this question

 

[Mathiastheok]

As a MRSA sufferer for over 6 years, I have no less then 48 individual scars from this scourge. Doctors ask if I'm an iv drug user as my forearms look as if I shoot up on a regular basis .

Having had this for so long, Ive been through EVERY supposed cure, remedy and snake oil treatment out there. I invite anyone to PM me before you try something to get my opinion. There is no "cure" but some things do help considerably.

MRSA is polymorphic... meaning it is a virus and a bacterial infection all in one. The viral "shell" of the bacterial protein allows it to survive the assaults by antibacterial agents, and only when it beings it division, does it shed its viral armor to begin digesting your epithelial and adipose tissue like a starved vulture.

 

[kx250rider]

Luckily, it's a bacterial infection, and you can prevent getting it at the gym by wiping down the bench and bars before you touch them. A sweaty bench pad with cracks or holes, shared by a bunch of guys who haven't had their shower yet that day, is a perfect place for MRSA or any bacteria to live and grow. Just carry a can of Lysol spray, or B-D alcohol swabs, or least some of those wet paper towels that they have now in plastic cans, that you use to wipe phones and door knobs, etc. You probably will have to defend accusations of being a Wuss, but you can defend yourself against that a lot better than against MRSA. The lame spray cleaners that a lot of gyms have, isn't enough to kill an ant, let alone bacteria or viruses. Also, if you DO HAVE a cut, razor burn, or scrapes, rashes, or whatever, wear clean, thick clothes and maybe even take a couple extra shirts and change during your workout. NEVER NEVER jump on a machine or bench that some other dude just got off of without at least wiping it down with cleaner. You're not a wimp or a germophobe to do so; you're being intelligent.

Charles