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Forum Name: Other infections

Question: MRSA

Tammy - Sat Mar 27, 2004 8:16 am	Share \|
I recently tested positive for heavy growth of MRSA. My husband died last May from MRSA. My question is, on the lab report it said "NO WHITE BLOOD CELLS SEEN AND NO ORGANISMS SEEN" what does this mean?
Dr. Yasser Mokhtar - Sat Mar 27, 2004 9:47 am	Share \|
Dear Tammy, mrsa stands for Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus which is a bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus) resistant to an antibiotic (Methicillin) to which it is normally sensitive. Some strains have become resistant to this antibiotic because of its wide spread use in treatment of Staphylococcus aureus infection. Some of the strains of the Staphylococcus aureus are normally found on the skin. mrsa is usually a bug found in hospitals rather than in homes. People can get colonized with it, meaning that it can be found in their bodies at certain places like the nose (most commonly) where they are not usually found. You might have got it from your late husband. Where was your husband's mrsa grown from? Blood, lungs or urine and what kind of medical problems did your husband have? Why were you tested for mrsa though? And where did the heavy growth come from? And when you mentioned the lab report did you mean your husband's lab report or yours? Thank you very much for using our website http://doctorslounge.com and i hope that this information helped and waiting for your response. Yasser Mokhtar, M.D.
Tammy - Sat Mar 27, 2004 1:50 pm	Share \|
Thank you Dr. Mokhtar for your reply , here are the answers to your questions. My husband had a skin infection (on the inside of his left arm) in Aug of 02 that was treated with antibiotics but not diagnosed as MRSA. In Oct of 02 he had an infection on his scrotum that was diagnosed as MRSA. He was admitted to the hospital and given clindamicin IV for 5 days and released. 7 months later he thought his back was out and the pain was coming around front causing difficulty breathing. That was Wed. He stayed home Thurs and Fri, and Sat told me he was spitting up blood so I called the ambulance. His vitals were good, slightly high pulse rate and no fever, but they said since he was having a hard time breathing he should get checked out so they took him to the hospital. There they admitted him with pneumonia and said he would be in for 3 or 4 days depending on the antibiotic. Less than 24 hours after admission he was dead. His death cert. said cardiopulmonary arrest, sepsis, and aspiration pneumonia. Because no one would tell me why this happened to a healthy bricklayer by trade and so fast, I started looking myself. I got his records and lab reports and started going over everything step by step. Not understanding most of it I would use the internet and look things up. There on his lab report was MRSA, remembering he had that in Oct. I looked it up and there it said can cause lung abcesses, pneumonia, bone infection, blood infection and death. It still took me awhile to find out if this is what could have happened to him. It was confirmed by the Director of Infectious Disease at the hospital my husband was in that the MRSA was found in the fluid around the lung, thus MRSA contributed to his death. We were told nothing of MRSA when he had it only that it was a staph infection. I was even told I didn't have to put on the gown and gloves etc. by his hospital room door even though it said "isolation" nobody had to put anything on, me, his mom, his friend, noone not even staff. Since his death I have had 4 skin infections. 2 came at the same time, one on each breast. The doctor said they were boils and put me on augeintin. When one burst open and looked just like my husband's, I called the dr. and asked for a culture. It was a couple of days before he could get me in and by that time the antibiotic had made it look much better, I still asked for a culture, told the dr about my husband, and he told me I was overreacting, washed his hands and never touched me again. I have gone to that dr since I was 16. No culture was done. Then behind my right ear where I had some minor surgery (in office) the incision kept getting infected, once I went back to the dr and it wasa suture (sp) but it continued to get infected, so they other day I went back to that dr, told him about my husband and the muliple infections I have had and he ordered a culture. That is where it showed heavy growth of MRSA. The questions I asked about on the lab report are mine. It said NO WHITE BLOOD CELLS SEEN NO ORGANISMS SEEN. It showed susceptiblity to rifampin and vacomycin and resistance to everything else on the list . My husband's health other than the MRSA was good, he did smoke. But like I said he was a bricklayer and laid block day in and day out. My health has been really good most of my life, I also smoke. Recently I have been fighting a bad cold for weeks, I'm tired ALL the time, my temp goes from 96.1 to99.2 this last week. I have alot of congestion and a cough. I had a chest x ray and it didn't show anything. Thankyou for your time, Tammy
Dr. Yasser Mokhtar - Sat Mar 27, 2004 4:22 pm	Share \|
Dear Tammy, Thank you very much for the update. i won't be able to comment on your husband's case. mrsa lung infections are usually aggressive especially if treatment is delayed as it sounds from your husband's case as he waited three days before seeking medical advice. Also, your husband's profession most probably contributed to his lungs being most probably unable to handle the mrsa infection because of the dust that he is exposed to. About your first breast infection, if it were mrsa, i do not think that it would have responded to augmentin unless the thing that made it better is the fact that it opened up and the pus was drained. Regarding your recurrent ear wound infection, it sounds to me more like you acquired the infection from the doctor's office where you had the minor procedure more than getting it from your husband. To treat this infection, you should have had received the appropriate antibiotic which in this case is vancomycin (intravenous) or rifampin. No white cells and no organisms on the lab report means that when they took a look at the drainage or fluid that they took to analyse from the wound of your ear under the microscope they could not see any white blood cells (which are a sign of an infection) and no bugs. i would encourage you to have your nose analysed for the presence of mrsa as this is the part of the body the most colonized with mrsa. And if you have it in your nose, you can treated with a local antibiotic ointment and then get recultured to make sure that the colonization is gone. Once more, thank you very much for using our website http://doctorslounge.com and i hope that this information helped. Yasser Mokhtar, M.D.
Tammy - Sat Mar 27, 2004 8:48 pm	Share \|
Dr. Mokhtar, Isn't it possible that the augmentin healed the wound on my breast so the MRSA found the next weak or tender area in which to show infection, that being a new surgical site? MRSA continued enternally in my husband's case even after treatment with clindamicin for 5 days. I apologize for taking up so much of your time but as you can imagine I have ALOT of questions. I have read, and am still reading everything I can on MRSA. so I do know something about it. (I have also been on kind of a band wagon with State and County Health depts trying to get the word out. We have had many cases of MRSA in our area). It's not even on the "reportable" list, so it's not being tracked and counted. They are trying to get it on the list next year. Before I ask my questions, let me give you alittle more history. My 5 year old nephew is also being treated for a staph (they have not named yet) and fungus. The husband of the women that owns the daycare where my nephew goes has also been fighting a staph and the same fungus as my nephew. This man was in and out of the hospital for 8 weeks including ICU.,but from what I understand is home and still being monitored. I know that 30% of the population are carriers of MRSA (most never showing any signs) and I know that it was first found in hospitals and long term care facilities. So was it the healthy healthcare worker that infected the patient who probably had an open wound,catheter, surgical site etc.? If that is the case why am I being told it is contact from infection to open wound. Where was the infection from the healthy healthcare worker? Understand my question? Are we really positive we can't transmit it by casual physical or even intimate physical contact? I haven't seen my grandbaby since last Nov because I am scared to death I could spread it to her. Another question I have is, after being treated for MRSA is it gone? Or is it once you have MRSA you always have it, and if that is the case how do you know it is not doing serious damage enternally,like my husband's case? The doctor I have been seeing this time told me to put silverdene cream on it for a week and then come back. Not that I can afford the other antibiotic's that come in IV form. I lost my insurance when my husband died. I know of another man in our area that died just as suddenly as my husband, who also had MRSA. And a 10 year of girl died here, they said from the flu, but she also had MRSA although I don't know if she had it before or contracted it while being treated for the flu. I truly appreciate the time you have spent with me. Thanks again, Tammy
Dr. Yasser Mokhtar - Sat Mar 27, 2004 11:57 pm	Share \|
Dear Tammy, Thank you very much. mrsa is a very resistant bug and it is not sensitive to regular antibiotics like augmentin. You have not said how far apart was the breast infection and the ear infection but common things are common. mrsa is not a bug that one can catch in his own house, it is usually a bug that is caught in a hospital unless one comes in direct contact with patients who have mrsa or with people who work in hospitals. So, i think there is a higher possibility that you caught the mrsa ear infection from the doctor's office where you had the minor procedure. Is there a possibilty that you were colonized with mrsa and then infected yourself, yes of course, but, i think the probability is less. Regarding your husband's being treated for his scrotal infection with clindamycin, clindamycin is an antibiotic that is usually given for people with cellulitis (infection of the skin) that is caused by regular bugs not mrsa so if your husband, at that time, was cured from this infection just by taking clindamycin and even though it was said that he had mrsa, i would strongly suspect that he really had it. Staphylococi constitute some of the skin commensals (bugs that are normally present on the skin) and some of them are inherently resistant to methicillin rendering them mrsa (by nature), and since they are normally present on the skin, if the skin is cultured, they are going to appear in the culture as mrsa thus confusing the situation. That's why many of the infectious diseases specialists don't get any wound cultures or skin cultures when there is a skin infection, they just treat it with the antibiotic that they think is going to be effective according to the type of skin infection itself. If the infection does not get better after the first day or two of treatment or if the patient has history of mrsa infections and this skin infection is suspicious for mrsa then they start treatment against mrsa, otherwise, it is just regular antibiotics like clindamycin or augmentin. Regarding your nephew's case, once more Staph is a member of the bugs present on everybody's skin, so it is kind of expected that if a patient has a skin infection, it could be Staph. The same thing applies for fungi as well. But, i agree with you, this could be a patern and has to be investigated. To make sure that the same bug is causing your nephew's skin infection and that of the day care owner's husband, a dna typing could be done to see whether the two bugs have the same genes. Also, it is important to know whether anybody else in the day care has skin infections and whether any one of them has come in contact with any patient lately or has an acquaintance that works in a hospital (does not have to be a doctor or a nurse only). mrsa was first found in hospitals only but now and it is unfortunate, but we are starting to see patients who come from the community with mrsa. It is really difficult to answer your question about how the first infection happened, so i am not even going to speculate. Whether knowing how the first case happened is important in spreading the infection or not, i can not really say but, best thing is to make sure that if there is a patient who has mrsa and you want to come in contact with that patient, make sure that the instructions for isolation are followed and to wash your hands thoroughly after coming in contact with him. After a patient has been treated for mrsa, he has to be tested for its presence and the most common site for colonization is the nose. If patient tests positive then he has to be treated for the carrier state as well. Regarding your grandbaby, i would encourage you to be tested for the presence of mrsa in your nose as mentioned before and be treated for it if you are positive. Where i work and in so many palces in the united states, mrsa has become a very big concern as it is a very big real problem that is causing a tremendous burden on health care costs. And many palces have policies regarding mrsa isolation and treatment and testing patients for carrier state. So, it is a very good thing that you are doing now by trying to warn people against the dangers of this bug. Regarding the case of the 10 year old who died from the flu but also had mrsa, if a patient develops pneumonia from the flu virus, it is a well known complication that some people develop Staph abcesses in their lungs and these Staph might be mrsa i guess, so, mrsa could have caused a complication in context of the flu. Tammy, your questions are always welcome, and hope to hear from you soon. Once more, thank you very much for using our website http://doctorslounge.com and i hope that this information helped. Yasser Mokhtar, M.D.
Tammy - Sun Mar 28, 2004 6:15 am	Share \|
Sorry, but I'm still confused. I already had a pretty good idea that the clindamicinIV for 5 days was not the correct antibiotic (of course I didn't know anything about MRSA while my husband was being treated) and I'v had a pretty good idea 5 days was NOT nearly enough ( I've believed for a while if I had known what I know now about MRSA he would still be alive today).Learning this and the fact that my husband had MRSA in the fluid around the lung when he died PLUS the confirmation that MRSA contributed to his death, my understanding is that there are just some people, let's call them "high risk" canidates (such as the patient with the open wound, low immunity, catheter, or even mulitple infections)) that when MRSA activates with them, and is not properly treated, like with vancomycin IV for up to 4 to 6 weeks, it just continues until it damages an area that causes death.,lungs, heart, complete body shut down. Remember my husband died in less than 24 hours after being admitted. When he was admitted his blood pressure was 120/? that was around 3pm on a Sat. when I left him that night around 8pm it was still there, when I returned Sun am around 7:30 it was 40/20 and he was in a non-medicated, unresponsive state, he died at 1:40pm that day. I am pretty sure I got it from him (being as how we were told nothing about precautions) And I'll put this in order. Aug 02-------Paul's first skin infection, the inside of left arm. (not diagnosed as MRSA but put on HEAVY doses of antibiotic's some of which he had to return to the ER for injection) Oct 02---------Paul's second skin infection, on scrotum, diagnosed MRSA, admitted to the hospital, given clindamicin IV for 5 days(possibly other med's but I don't have his records with me at this time). May 03-------Paul having a hard time breathing for 3 days goes to the hospital, is admitted with pneumonia, dies the next day. Aug 03-----My 2 skin infections appearing at the same time, given augmentin. Nov 03----my ear infection (previous sugical site)----sutured pulled out and topical antibiotic given Jan 04-----my ear infected again--didn't go to the dr--it continued to infect or just ooz until I went to dr this last time. Culture done, positive for MRSA. Around Jan of 03 I was having some dental work done and some plastic surgery so I was antibiotics for awhile. Even with the lengths you have gone to try and explain all this, I still don't feel like I can be around my granddaughter, what I'm saying is I am not convinced, and with the history above, I feel I have good reason. I have not been convinced that because the MRSA was improperly treated in Oct it allowed the MRSA to continue enternally. I think the wrong antibiotic's can heal the wound but because it does not work on the MRSA, the MRSA continues,, with more skin infections until it does damage enternally. Why else would my husband die from it? My husband being a "high risk" canidate because of his mutiple skin infections and possibly his smoking. I am not a total dummy, usually I pick things up pretty quick, but this I just can't seem to get. The way I get it is some people can have MRSA and never know it. Some can have it, have a skin infection and never anymore problems, yet there are those, the "high risk" canidates that have problem after problem and if not monitored can cause death. Let's say my husband had been treated with Vancomycin IV for 6 weeks, I would have had him monitored regularly there after because he was a "high risk" canidate. Instead, we thought he was ok, and infact, he was not. If only I had known then what I know now. Again thank you for your time, Tammy
Dr. Yasser Mokhtar - Sun Mar 28, 2004 11:13 am	Share \|
Dear Tammy, Thank you very much for your update. i understand your concerns about why don't want to see your granddaughter and they are genuine concerns, but all i am saying that mrsa can be treated and eradicated from the body if you get tested for its presence and if you test positive be treated and then restested again to make sure that the treatment worked and that mrsa is gone. So, then you can see your granddaughter without or with less fear that you are going to give it to her. i feel a that you have a guilty sensation regarding your husband's death, or at least angry at yourself. Am i correct? If this is the case, there is no need to feel guilty about your hunbad's death as this was not your fault that you did not know then what you know now because it is not your job to know about complicated medical problems and how to deal with them. i can not comment on your husband's condition or the cause of death in his case because it is difficult to know unless involved personally in his care then but it seems from what you are saying that he was really sick and this is most probably in favor of a very aggressive infection. i could not understand whether an autopsy was done or not but surely mrsa can cause that as it was found in the fluid around his lungs which is an indication that the pneumonia that he had was caused by mrsa and it was severe. If you mean by mrsa growing internally, that your husband was colonized with it, this could be the case as proven by his previous skin cultures. But mrsa does not cause internal damage over a period of months silently, it is an all or non rule. Meaning that the person is either a carrier (carries a bug, but he is not sick and the bug is not doing anything under healthy circumstances) or a patient (sick). When the immunity of a person is decreased, it is certainly a golden chance for the bug to grow then and cause disease and with a bug as aggressive as mrsa, this could happen over 3-4 days like in your husband's case if not treated early enough. You have to understand that this might become an obsession, but you have to live your life making sure of course that you don't hurt the people you love but if this is going to keep you from seeing and enjoying the comapny of those same people you love, you have to stop and think a little bit about it. i don't want to sound like i am telling you what you are supposed to do... Once more, Tammy, Thank you very much for using our website http://doctorslounge.com and your questions and comments are always welcome. Yasser Mokhtar, M.D.
Tammy - Sun Mar 28, 2004 8:56 pm	Share \|
What happens if I do nothing? I mean as far as I am concerned, no treatment at all or tests) What will happen to me? Yes, I feel guilty as far as my husband is concerned, I know in my heart if I had done this research then, he would still be alive. Angry? I want to say no, because like I said if I had done this research....... but in all honesty, yes, I am angry...my best friend is gone.......my reason...but this is something I will have to live with. Do I want to prevent anyone else from having to go through what I have gone through, yes. Am I deathy afraid of passing it on to someone I love YES. Do I want to live a life continuely afraid of transmitting it to someone, NO. Maybe I had the hardest lesson there is to learn about MRSA,, maybe other cases are different, but I am still not convinced. I am afraid there are toooo many questions about what it does, how it does it , and why to take a chance and harm someone I love. You have been more helpful and taken more time with me than anyone else.....Thankyou.......sincerely....more than you know...Thankyou! Tammy
Dr. Yasser Mokhtar - Mon Mar 29, 2004 1:53 am	Share \|
Dear Tammy, Thank you very much. If your ear wound has healed, and you are not suffering from any other infections, you could be a carrier of mrsa. What will happen to you is unpredictable. You might be cured from this carrier state without any intervention or you might continue to have this carrier state as long as you are not treated. If you continue to be a carrier and your immunity level is lowered for one reason or another, mrsa then could become a pathogen and you might get an infection with mrsa, might. i would strongly encourage you to get tested and if positive treated. i am not sure whether what i am going to say is right or wrong but are you trying to punish yourself for your husband's death by not treating yourself and not trying to enjoy your life? Being sad is understandable but don't be overwhelmed. Try not to whip yourself with feelings of guilt and anger at yourself that are not warranted. You are not responsible for your husband's death. And even if you knew then what you know now, who told you that your husband would have been alive now, it is a hypothetical question. May be if you knew then and he died you might have been feeling a lot worse now. Loss of a loved one is a terrible experience espeically if unexpected like your husband's. Death and loss of a loved one usually has a great impact on one's feeling especially if you have been together for a while or passed through a lot together. Please, go get tested, treated if needed and go see your granddaughter and i will not tell you how amazed you are going to be, kids make us think of nothing but life even if it is a short-lived experience and i think that this is going to be the help that you are going to need to get over your feelings of guilt and anger which i think are secondary to your grief reaction to the loss of your husband. There is nothing wrong with enjoying life without your loved one after he passed away (what the reason might have been). You are not responsible for conducting research about mrsa, there are already lots of people out there with huge budgets and labs doing this. You have done more than anyone else would have done. i understand your feelings but it has been a year now since your husband died and i know it is not enough to grief for some people even for the rest of one's life but it is time that you start living your life once more. Thank you very much for using our website http://doctorslounge.com and you are always more than welcome. Yasser Mokhtar, M.D.
Tammy - Fri Apr 09, 2004 11:16 pm	Share \|
Hi Dr. It's me again, I'm worried about my nephew again now. He is 51/2 yrs old, he's not been a real healthy kid, in and out of the hospital, mostly respiratory problems. Remember I talked about him before. Well, he's been in and out of the hospital this week running fevers of 103. He is taking in LOTS of fluid and eating yet has drop almost 2 1/2 lbs this week.They are afraid of internal bleeding. They have put him on an antibiotic that starts with a "z" possibly zithromax (my sister thinks). 1/2 teaspoon daily/ They are running cultures but say it will be Mon or Tues before they are back............ What do you think? You know the history can you give me an idea? Again, thankyou, Tammy PS there is a new "sore" or skin infection this week The doctor has also mention possibly misdiagnosis of MRSA.
Dr. Yasser Mokhtar - Sun Apr 18, 2004 11:01 pm	Share \|
Dear Tammy, Regarding your nephew, i guess most probably the results of the cultures are back. In children, the most common infections are usually ear infections especially if the child has recurrent sore throats and infections of the tonsils. So, it is of utmost importance that the child's ears are checked If the child develops a fever and a sore throat, always check the ears. Antibiotics for ear infections have to be given very punctually and for the full course and the ears have to be checked at the end of the antibiotic course to make sure that the infection and inflammation are gone. If the child develops, i think, 3 ear infections within a 6 months period, a tube is inserted in his ears. Usually, ear infections are caused by a certain bacteria that the antibiotics that is given cover it and the other bugs that cause the infection rarely. About these recurrent skin sores, i would suggest that you have a skin biopsy from the lesion, not just a culture. Thank you very much for using our website http://doctorslounge.com and i hope that this information helped. Yasser Mokhtar, M.D.
Eve - Wed Aug 11, 2004 7:57 pm	Share \|
Dear Dr Mokhtar, I was diagnosed with MRSA too. I actually got this information of the dr's lounge from Tammy! I had not gotten the MRSA from Tammy though! My question is if coming in contact with a person infected with MRSA is the way this disease spreads how come the Dr told me that I can go to work? I am a cashier in a retail store & even though I don't touch the area of my infection, seeing it's on my belly and covered by my t-shirt, I might touch it, not thinking, and touch someone, and then that person might catch the disease from me. I work with a guy who is a fireman and when I told him that I had MRSA not a spider bite he wouldn't even stay in the same room as me. He had said that he has seen people, in nursing homes mostly, with MRSA and he was sooo afraid of catching it that he had disappeared for the whole day. I had gotten an infection on my belly and everyone thought that it was a spider bite. I had gone to the hospital and they gave me Keflex and it cleared up, somewhat. Then another lesion appeared on my belly just 3" (or so) under the first one. I had gone to my dr and she gave me another round of Keflex. I really thought I should have it cultured seeing I was supose to go in for surgery in September. So I went to a dermatologyst and as soon as he looked at my belly he said you have MRSA. He did a culture, told me to stop the Keflex, and to start taking Levequin, which I did and a week later, (today), I got the culture back and it came back positive for MRSA. I do have to back up for a moment though. When I had gotten the first lesion I had gone to my dr, but I had forgotten to tell her about it seeing that I had Conjunctivitis in both eyes. Which is a staph infection and my Dr said that I probably got the conjunctivitis from my belly infection. Is that true? I now have another, (couple of), questions ... I was told by my dermatologyst that once the infection is gone the MRSA is gone out of your body, now my husbands Dr just told him that it stays dorment in the body's system. Which answer is correct? How long do I have to wait to have my surgery? I am having a hysterectomy. Do I have to tell them, (which I probably would anyway), that I have (or had) MRSA? - My GYN knows I have it, I mean the caregivers in the hospital. Also my daughter was sick with a cold & fever, (and being a good Mommy I usually take the sickness away from her 8^) ,but now with the MRSA and knowing the story of Tammy's husband my lungs are tight when I breathe, do you suguest that I should have a chest x-ray to see if anything might be going on in my lungs? I think I have asked enough questions for now!! Thank you for ALL of the information that you provided on this subject. Eve
Dr. Yasser Mokhtar - Wed Aug 11, 2004 8:58 pm	Share \|
Dear Eve, There are some strains of Staphlococcus, called coagulase negative Staphylococcus epiderpimidis living on the skin normally. They are inherently resistant to methicillin but this does not make them mrsa, they are methicillin resistant coagulase negative Staphylococcus epiderpimidis. If a culture of the skin is taken, they grow in the culture. Some people do not make the distinction, and once the word methillin resistant appears on the culture, the bug is labelled mrsa and this is what the patient is told and obviously it is not true. i would recommend asking your doctor that question. If the bug turns out to be really mrsa, if you still have the infection, you have to be isolated till the infection is controlled. Once the infection is controlled, i don't think that isolation is required. You don't have to worry about the infection being transmitted to your daughter through droplet transmission because you don't have a lung infection otherwise you would have been really ill as mrsa pneumonia is a very serious and severe illness. Regarding when to have the surgery, this is a question i can not answer, either your surgeon or an infection disease specialist has to answer. Regarding whether the mrsa remains in the body or not, both possibilities may occur but i don't know the exact stastitics regarding how many cases completely disappear and how many cases, the mrsa stays dormant in the body, a condition known as colonization, bug is present and is not causing disease. Thank you very much for using our website http://doctorslounge.com and i hope that this information helped. Yasser Mokhtar, M.D.
nita2293 - Tue Feb 01, 2005 11:45 am	Share \|
HI Tammy and Doc, Tammy, I have just read all of your questions, concerns and intuitive beliefs. Please know, you are the only person i have read about on the internet that has the courage to ask questions and state beliefs. i have and do asked the same questions as you but it is almost impossible to get clear answers. I have almost obsessively researched the internet for answers. this site is the only one where i have found them. VIA your straight to the point questions, and Docs answers. THANK YOU BOTH !. my questions are: if i have had a MRSA infection and have been treated with vancomyacin ( 3 IV treatments ), then SMZ/TMP oral ( bactrim) for 10 days. i want to know do i still have MRSA? will i always have it? is it dormant or is it ERADICATED? i have been tested ( nose culture) once and it came out NEG. i have to go back 2 more times for same culture 5 days apart . hopefully all will be NEG. The site of the infection ( on my inner thigh, started like a spider bite, hospitalized 5 days, 14,000 wbc and low blood pressure entire time in hosp), was not cultured as the wound where they cut me open to drain it has healed and there is no drainage. I was cut opened twice, once in ER Dec 27, 04 and 4 days later when the infectious desease dr saw me. That morning i was put on vancomyacin. from ER admittance on, i was on ancef until culture came back. i was given 3 bags intraveniously and then released on the oral bactrim. Now get this... my husband got an infection on his stomach ( looked like a pimple at first, and he squeezed it) approx a week later and went to ER. He was given Vancomycin IV in ER immediately as i told him to tell ER about me and my MRSA a week earlier. He did. Intuition told me to have him insist on a culture and Vanco in ER. Dr's listened. his tests came back MRSA pos. 4 days later. He was treated with one dose of vanco , cut openand drained and released with a Rx of bactrim for 10 days. the wound was packed with medicated gause. he saw the dr. the following day. he has been tested once since, via wound site and nose culture. both were NEG. but the doctor never told him to test two more times. i just got my results today and they told me to come back 2 more times, 5 days apart. and if i get Negs. then it's Eradicated. My husband and i have different dr's but they are both in practice together in the same office. I still want to know if i have 3 negs, what are the chances or percentage of reoccurance . and is it higher because i have had it before. we have used lysol around house, separate towels, utensils, .everything. we wash with hibiclens daily and atlease 20 times a day, wash hands with alcohol based instant hand wash. I have had a rash on my back, neck and lower hairline for some months now. the dr issued clindamycin fluid to apply daily. she said it was dry skin and from change in hormones i am 45. it has not gone away. i was diagnosed with ring worm in the summer, it lookeds like lymes, i think it was impetigo. all of these including the celluitis on my leg i believe are and were sighn of MRSA . or a pre sign of it's presence. some web sites mention symptoms. the above are. i have purchased Tea Tree oil which is fron austrailia, i have read that it is a natural antibiotic that it sensative to MRSA. the US is not doing any medical research on it as it is not regulated by the FDA. also there is no money to be made medically. it comes from a tree . it works wonders on many infections but cannot be tasken internally. only topically. i used this on my wound site ( thigh) it healed quickly. i told my DR. he never heard of it. please know the above is my experience. i am not a doctor. i am a person who has been affected with MRSA and am doing everything i can to prevent it from spreading to my children, those i love and my close friends. every time i go to a store i wonder if the dollar bill i just gave or received is transfering MRSA. this is a DEADLY desease as you Tammy have unfortunatley learned the hard way. know that your husbands death is not in vain. you have touched and educated this one person and i am sure many others you don't know about. AWARENESS is the only way this desease can be stopped from spreading. persistance and perseverence is your gift to your husband. he is looking down on you with a smile. Doc. you are the only doctor who has had real answers AND CARES ENOUGH TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE to so many people. please reply. my curiosity does not end. Thanks Nita
ajr04 - Mon Mar 14, 2005 11:25 pm	Share \|
Dear Doctor, I am concerned for the health and safety of my son. My son is only a year old. His cousin is three years old. His cousin has MRSA in her ears. I have been told that it is not active. Can and how could she give it to my son? What precautions should be taken when she is around? If you have any questions please let me know. Could it have spread from her ears to other parts of her body? Thanks so much!
Tammy - Tue Mar 22, 2005 8:31 pm	Share \|
nita2293 wrote:HI Tammy and Doc, Tammy, I have just read all of your questions, concerns and intuitive beliefs. Please know, you are the only person i have read about on the internet that has the courage to ask questions and state beliefs. i have and do asked the same questions as you but it is almost impossible to get clear answers. I have almost obsessively researched the internet for answers. this site is the only one where i have found them. VIA your straight to the point questions, and Docs answers. THANK YOU BOTH !. my questions are: if i have had a MRSA infection and have been treated with vancomyacin ( 3 IV treatments ), then SMZ/TMP oral ( bactrim) for 10 days. i want to know do i still have MRSA? will i always have it? is it dormant or is it ERADICATED? i have been tested ( nose culture) once and it came out NEG. i have to go back 2 more times for same culture 5 days apart . hopefully all will be NEG. The site of the infection ( on my inner thigh, started like a spider bite, hospitalized 5 days, 14,000 wbc and low blood pressure entire time in hosp), was not cultured as the wound where they cut me open to drain it has healed and there is no drainage. I was cut opened twice, once in ER Dec 27, 04 and 4 days later when the infectious desease dr saw me. That morning i was put on vancomyacin. from ER admittance on, i was on ancef until culture came back. i was given 3 bags intraveniously and then released on the oral bactrim. Now get this... my husband got an infection on his stomach ( looked like a pimple at first, and he squeezed it) approx a week later and went to ER. He was given Vancomycin IV in ER immediately as i told him to tell ER about me and my MRSA a week earlier. He did. Intuition told me to have him insist on a culture and Vanco in ER. Dr's listened. his tests came back MRSA pos. 4 days later. He was treated with one dose of vanco , cut openand drained and released with a Rx of bactrim for 10 days. the wound was packed with medicated gause. he saw the dr. the following day. he has been tested once since, via wound site and nose culture. both were NEG. but the doctor never told him to test two more times. i just got my results today and they told me to come back 2 more times, 5 days apart. and if i get Negs. then it's Eradicated. My husband and i have different dr's but they are both in practice together in the same office. I still want to know if i have 3 negs, what are the chances or percentage of reoccurance . and is it higher because i have had it before. we have used lysol around house, separate towels, utensils, .everything. we wash with hibiclens daily and atlease 20 times a day, wash hands with alcohol based instant hand wash. I have had a rash on my back, neck and lower hairline for some months now. the dr issued clindamycin fluid to apply daily. she said it was dry skin and from change in hormones i am 45. it has not gone away. i was diagnosed with ring worm in the summer, it lookeds like lymes, i think it was impetigo. all of these including the celluitis on my leg i believe are and were sighn of MRSA . or a pre sign of it's presence. some web sites mention symptoms. the above are. i have purchased Tea Tree oil which is fron austrailia, i have read that it is a natural antibiotic that it sensative to MRSA. the US is not doing any medical research on it as it is not regulated by the FDA. also there is no money to be made medically. it comes from a tree . it works wonders on many infections but cannot be tasken internally. only topically. i used this on my wound site ( thigh) it healed quickly. i told my DR. he never heard of it. please know the above is my experience. i am not a doctor. i am a person who has been affected with MRSA and am doing everything i can to prevent it from spreading to my children, those i love and my close friends. every time i go to a store i wonder if the dollar bill i just gave or received is transfering MRSA. this is a DEADLY desease as you Tammy have unfortunatley learned the hard way. know that your husbands death is not in vain. you have touched and educated this one person and i am sure many others you don't know about. AWARENESS is the only way this desease can be stopped from spreading. persistance and perseverence is your gift to your husband. he is looking down on you with a smile. Doc. you are the only doctor who has had real answers AND CARES ENOUGH TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE to so many people. please reply. my curiosity does not end. Thanks Nita
stange - Wed May 11, 2005 8:08 am	Share \|
My daughter has been testing positive for MRSA since she was 2. It started out as VRSA and then they gave her Bactriban and Bactruim and after 6 months she was no longer VRSA, but still MRSA positive. My daughter is losing weight (27 lbs) and is now back in size 12-18 month shorts. She only wants to eat popsiciles, drink apple juice, cheese, ham, and pretzels.Things have to be cut very tiny (veggies) to even battle them down her. Her MRSA is in her nose and was discovered after removal of her adnoids, tube insertions, & 2 sinus flushes. In November 04 she got a very bad case of phumona and then the flu. And since January she has been have re-occurring ear infrections, streap throat/tonsilities. The ENT that has been treating her since she was 2 wanted to take her tonsiles out since they have tried amoxicilin, augmentin, clecocin without any improvement. Now they want to try Pediazole for 10 days and as a last resort do 1 day of vancomycin remove tonsils and observe her in the hospital for 3-4 days. Is this the best thing or should we get a second opinion? How long can she wait? I have a 10month old that has had 3 strep throats & multiple ear infections. They are going to put tubes in his ears friday 5/13. But could he have caught MRSA from his older sister? Should he be tested? Concern Mother
dagny - Wed Aug 03, 2005 8:24 pm	Share \|
My mother has been in the hospital and we've been told she is colonized with MRSA but not infected. She lives with me. Are there any special precautions we need to take? What are the risks to our family, caregivers, and visitors? Thank you.
diamonds - Sat Aug 06, 2005 11:27 am	Share \|
Hello. I was diagnosed with MRSA in May, 2005. I have a wound that still won't heal. My background is as follows: I had a tummy tuck in February, 2005, and healed just fine. I went back to work (in a jail that has a major MRSA outbreak) for two months when my abdomen started blistering right at the spot that I fasten my pants. Within days, that area of my abdomen broke down rapidly to medium size lesion that was pretty deep. When I went to the Dr and he cultured it, it came back positive for MRSA. The culture was a deep culture. After 23 days of Levaquin, I was cultured again (just a swab of the wound) and it came back negative. I have had the wound cultured again about two weeks after that last test, and it still came back negative. In the meantime, I have this lesion on my abdomen that won't heal even with repeated visits to wound care with Silvadene cream, then Promogran and Silver Cell. There was a small improvement with the Promogran, but at my last visit the Wound care doctor said he thinks that it is behaving like a MRSA wound, and that I may still be infected. He has recultured (he scraped the wound for the culture) and the results should be back on Monday. Needless to say I am quite discouraged. I have a few questions.... Why have I have been given a nasal culture, and why have I not received the IV treatment? The reason I am asking those questions is because the standard treatment of the inmates is that they have all had nasal cultures, and alot of them have been put on IV therapy. What other tests/cultures can be run? Can MRSA ever be completely eradicated from a person, or will I continue to have troubles? With my job, I will be constantly exposed to MRSA, as they are not able to eradicate it from the jail. Also, I am wondering about the way the cultures were performed. When they did the deep culture, it was positive, yet the surface swabs were negative. Does this mean anything? Like maybe I have it in my bloodstream? I have been feeling really lousy now for months and I just want to get better and be able to get back to work. Thanks in advance for your time.
littleone2875 - Sun Sep 25, 2005 2:12 pm	Share \|
I am desperately looking for a specialist that handles MRSA cases. My nephew is 2 yrs old and has been diagnosed with MRSA. He is continually developing abcesses on his body that some times need to be lanced and drained. The doctors continue to give him antibiotics to fight the infections and some times the medicine helps but not always. He has been admitted to the hospital twice to have the antibiotics through an IV and then eventually have the infections drained. I want to have him see a doctor who deals specifically with MRSA to see if there is anything else that can be done. We live just outside of Boston, if anyone could give me any information it would be greatly appreciated.
Quinnbo - Mon Sep 26, 2005 2:46 pm	Share \|
My husband has been fighting MRSA for almost two years. He had a successful knee transplant but fell about a year later necessitating a fix of the quad tendon. He got sick with MRSA about four weeks later. He has had three spacers put in during this time while being on Vanco. Every time he comes off the antiobiotic, he gets sick. The last time it was five days before a scheduled knee implant. :( He now has nothing in his knee and the ortho doctor doesn't want to touch him again if he can stay well. He was on Vanco again for nearly 10 weeks and has been on oral antibiotics since then (maximyocin? is what he is taking now). We have switched to a large reseach hospital and we adore the infectious disease doctor but I was wondering if there is anything else he can take. I find it quite disconcerting that the only way to find out if the MRSA is gone is for him to go off the antibiotics and wait and see if he gets sick. In this day and age of space travel and cloning, I find it hard to believe that there cannot be a better test than this. He gets violently ill and it is a terrible thing. We are filled with terrible fear when he stops the antibiotics. Help!!! Thanks.
Ricardo - Sun Oct 09, 2005 4:08 pm	Share \|
Thanks in advance for your time. My main question is, how far can MRSA go? In late April/early May, I had an MRSA-cultured diffuse skin infection in left armpit, on stomach and on back. Was treated for 3 days with oral bactrim, then for 7 days with oral Zyvox as well as 4 weeks with topical ointment both at boil sites and inside of nose. After the week on Zyvox, I became short of breath and extremely fatigued and also had some left-side weakness. Liver enzymes were temporarily elevated but went down. By June, boils had resolved but I was still tired, somewhat short of breath and had some rapid heartrate. A breathing test at my GP showed some minor obstruction, and I was given an inhaler to use as needed. By July, the shortness of breath was better but I developed sudden muscle fatigue and pain --especially in upper thighs, and ultimately tremors. I've had a pretty thorough neuological work-up. My question is, can MRSA go to the muscles or nerves and cause these symptoms? I still have strong pain (this is not like mild muscle aches and even docs don't think it is fibromyalgia) and there are no clear answers. Would a blood culture or more antibiotics help? WBC is normal and I have no fever but have read that staph can become sub-acute in a condition like osteomyelitis. Thanks again.
lilamae0204 - Tue Oct 11, 2005 8:38 am	Share \|
Hi Tammy, I came in comtact with MRSA after having 3 back surgeries. I am 40 yrs old and have been the picture of health until 12-03-03.. after the 1rst surgery i had a spinal fluid leak was going back to dr. office at least once a week for fluid to be drained off spinal cord. Drs. went back in to patch leak, put drain tube in. After that i begin getting worse. while i was in hospital my husband begin seeing WARNING SIGNS on door and wash hand alerts. when we ask about them an assistant od surgeon told me that i had MRSA> I was so sick i was near death. came home with pic line and Vancomycin IV antibiotics. temp. would go up and down, begin haveing terrible headaches so bad i was scared to move my head. was put in ICU> in another town by my OBGYN>>> I was dieing and nobody knew why!! SO, my hisband took me out oAMA and drove me to J-ville Fla. to mayo clinic. When i got there i was told i had Bacterial menn. along with the MrSA and abscesses on the brain along with micobacteria fortuitum a non-active TB in my spinal cord.. the dr. at may begin numerous testing and founf all the above bacterial infections in spinal cord. I was within 2 weeks of death. :cry: I had lost my daddy and 30yr old sister all in the last 4 yrs. I was already so deep in depression i couldn't handle anymore. Thanx to the Drs. at MAYO i am here today. I can barely walk at times. and the pain is unreal but I thank god everyday to be alive. i am on some of the strongest antibiotics anyone could take. have been taking them for a year and drs. are saying he is affraid to take me off from them . scared that the abscesses on brain will come back along with the other bacterial infections. I can sympathize with what you have been through. It is a terrible diesease and the sad thing is for the past 2 yrs it has been one thing after another happening to me. it is a UTI, now they have found i have Neurogenic bladder. I have only been married to my 2nd husband for 19mnths. I love him so much he married me while i was so very sick, now all the hospital bills and me being sick all the time is keeping me so depressed i can't be the person i was when he feel in love with me. Sometimes i wish i had never went to Mayo, and I would be with my daddy and my sister in heaven. and not here making him miserable. The menn. has affected my memory i can't remeber nothing. it is my short term memory. he has never dealt with anyone being sick. he has been right by myside every step of the way. BUT, i feel lie i am not beinf fair to him. I am sorry i just got so much built up in me when i begin talking i can't stop. :cry: Just hold your head up and say a prayer, because he is the one with all the answers. I know this may not be an answer to the question you submitted , but i had to respond God bless you, lilamae
lilamae0204 - Wed Oct 12, 2005 1:12 pm	Share \|
[quote="ajr04"]Dear Doctor, I am concerned for the health and safety of my son. My son is only a year old. His cousin is three years old. His cousin has MRSA in her ears. I have been told that it is not active. Can and how could she give it to my son? What precautions should be taken when she is around? If you have any questions please let me know. Could it have spread from her ears to other parts of her body? Thanks so much![/quote][quote] Littleone2875 I also was DX with MRSA. waste no time take him to the nearest MAYo Clinic you can find. the infectious diesease DR.'s there saved my life. I was within 2 weeks of death from MRSA and bacterial menn. You can get info. as to the closest one to you on the web. the infectious diesease dr.'s ther are awewsome.!! I am alive today .. thanks to them!! lilamae0204[/quote]
frankbk - Tue Jan 31, 2006 12:52 pm	Share \|
I am a 45 year old male, April 2005 I had large red growth on my right hand and severe swelling. The first day I thought I had an ordinary pimple or bug bite, I just three days my right hand was swollen and in sever pain. The swelling was getting so bad that it was no longer possible to see my wrist bone. I went to the ER where the doctor cut and drained the area and inserted a drain gauze. At this time he prescribed and Antibiotic and also gave me a Iv antibiotic, I was instructed to come back for the next two days for follow up and more IV antibiotic. I do not know what the IV antibiotic was at this time. On day two the examining physician took a swab and sent for a culture. Day three I was examined and recieved my last IV antibiotics. I was told at this time I would be fine. The wound where the hand was drained was taking a very long time to heal and I had reservations about this as I usually heal fast. Two weeks later I developed another large boil on my right buttocks. It was very painfull and I immediately called the hospital and inquired if this could be related to the hand situation. Then nurse said she had to pull the records and call me back. She called back several hours later and instructed the I needed follow up care immediately as I had a very dangerous staph infection. She instructed me that the previous antibiotics have no effect on what I had and went on to say I had MRSA. She immediately had the doctor call in a prescription for different antbiotics and I should get them right away and then seek follow up care from my PCP. I took the medication as indicated for the time prescribed and the boil eventually came to a head popped and drained. Two weeks after this incident I had another boil on the left side of my buttocks, identical to the one on the right. I immediatley made with myd PCP and had him look at this situation. He stated the it was nothing but a common boil. I should soak this and apply hot packs to draw out the puss. I am not satis fied with the findings of my PCP and went to another with the documents from the hospital to verify what had previously taken place and they didn't have any concern at all. I made them run a few blood test against their recomendations that it wasn't needed. I followed up and they said I had a clean bill on health. I have since had pain in my neck and most of my joints, pain in areas that I had previous injuries over 20 years ago. I have shortness of breath sometimes my chest when I take a deep breath sometimes feels like a lot of pressure is being applied. both right and left arms when raised have pain from inside through armpit and into torso. I have been very healthy previous to this and have had no medical problems. Recently my wife (last week my wife developed this same boil on her left buttocks. We need a good reassuring opinion on what could be going on here. Please advise. Thank you.[/list]
charm1inalki - Tue Mar 02, 2010 11:36 pm	Share \|
I got MRSA after having my hysterectomy 5 years ago...about 2 months I experienced huge cysts forming on my behind and uppr inner thighs, lower hair line, I had to go back and fourth to the ER to get them drained and packed...the doctors did not know at that time I had MRSA...nor did they do any culturs...I was sent home each time from ER...the the fourth time I went to the ER, I went to the hospital I had my hysterectomy at... I was running a high fever and chills..the ER doctor finally did blood work and culture and found out I had MRSA I was admitted for three days...a MRSA specialist came in and did cultures from my nose and found out that it orginated from there I had to have heavy IV medications and had to swab Mupirocin oitment in my nose once a day, the specialist stated there was 7 people admitted with MRSA at that hospital...I thought that would be the end of it...but a month ago, I got a huge cyst on my forhead and the skin specialist cut it out, i ended up getting 5 stitches, the doctor just chalked it up as a cyst.. and told me to put medicated cream on it and a band-aid...it kept oozing puss and finally I went back to him a week ago and they just lanced it so it can drain better and put another band-aid on it...i went in to my doctor a few days ago and she took a swab and today they called me and said I have MRSA!...so I am on Bactrim and also have to put Mupirocin oitment on it...the swelling has gone down alot...but I think the doctors out there in the Seattle area are not taking this seriously...I now keep a journal and bring it with me each time I have a doctor appt...I am more thorough on what to say to the doctors and I make them listen to me.

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