Welcome to our post looking into the contraction of Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA) infections. MRSA is a bacterial infection that is resistant to a number of commonly used
Antibiotics
antibiotics. Which means it can be more difficult to treat than some other bacterial infections.
While it is a common bacteria if it breaks through the skin it can be very dangerous – potentially fatal. This can lead to blood poisoning and endocarditis (which is an infection of the lining of the heart). Urinary tract infections may also occur.
Since MRSA was discovered in the early sixties it has spread from medical facilities such as hospitals and now can be acquired in community settings as well. Often called a Superbug because of its resistance to antibiotics it has been a regular topic in the media.
We are interested in finding our more about the experiences of people who have contracted MRSA. It would be great if you could tell your MRSA story or indeed the story of being a family member of a person who has contracted MRSA.
- Was the infection caught in a hospital or acquired in the community (often call CA-MRSA)?
- Did media coverage have any effect of your view of possible infection prior to contracting MRSA?
- Has enough been done to combat and prevent MRSA in hospitals? Could healthcare professionals do more?
- Do you feel that more help should be available to monitor / pre-empt MRSA?
- Is enough done to prevent/and or treat MRSA infection patients once they have left hospital?
That being said we are interested in every aspect of your MRSA story so please feel free to contribute your thoughts. Also do feel free to make any suggestions as to useful MRSA patient resources and share them with other readers.
Thanks in advance.
One month after surgery in 12/2014, I contracted a large area of cellulitis on my abdomen with a central boil. I was put on strong antibiotics and my surgeons office was notified. I have never been contacted by the hospital or surgeon’s office for follow up. MRSA testing prior to surgery was negative.
I contracted MRSA about 10 years ago through working with the public in retail. I began seeing articles in the news that mention the symptoms I was having such as boils and swelling of the lymph node under my arm. They removed the infection under my arm, but I was not actually diagnosed until 3 years later when my neck and chin swelled up. I finally got the medication i needed to clear it up. I just found out when I got my spinal tap that they have not officially cleared me of MRSA. I need to go to my family doctor and get a test to do that.
I have MRSA acquired by a lengthy flare I had in hospital. It isn’t fun for sure but not that bad.
I have had MRSA summers in a row now. I was wondering if maybe some how related to my MS. I am so tired of getting it. I don’t even know how or where I get it.
I got MRSA during a outpatient surgery. I came home, but by my 3rd day home I couldn’t get out if bed. My husband took me to the doctors, where I pasted out in the hall. I was admitted to the same hospital with what they thought was a staff infection. I was treated with the wring antibiotics for 3 days. By the 4th day, after realizing it was MRSA, I was once again in surgery yi clean me out. Thus meant taking all my organs out except my heart, scrubbing them and putting them back in. I had to have this dine twice. I blow all my veins with all the medication. A pic line wad put in, I was dying. I had to say good bye to my husband, 5 children, my mom, and the rest of the family. I was in the hospital for a month. Thank God I made it but I gave been sick with one thing or another since then. That was in 2005. I now have MS. I am terrified to think I might get MRSA again.
I had MRSA while on the RAGBRAI in 2012. It appeared as an itchy spider bite the last day of the seven day bicycle ride across IOWA on the backside of my left wrist. After about three days of it getting increasingly more painful and larger after disinfecting the “bite” and using Neosporan regularly, I visited my family doctor. He prescribed an antibiotic but again after 3 days of it still getting worse and showing no improvement, I returned to my family doctor. He then cleaned out the wound and packed it with antiseptic gauze and then prescribe a super powerful antibiotic for 10 days. Finally it started to improve but it took almost a month for my arm to return to normal.
I had hand surgery the following fall and I mentioned on my surgery interview that I had had MRSA. Everyone disappeared, I was moved to a private room, the nurses had put on special surgical garb and I recovered in an isolated room.
I was just reading about some new techniques being implemented in ICU beds/rooms in hospitals that started in Brazil by lining beds with copper to prevent infection. They found that it had a 90%+ success rate at preventing resistant bacteria strains particularly CRE.
The interesting thing about hospitals is that they try to prevent MRSA by putting patients on contact precautions but if you ever spend some time in the Emergency Department of a hospital you know that it’s near impossible putting patients on contact precautions let alone catching everyone that comes in through the system who may have MRSA.
Hand washing is important but let’s be honest here, if you’re being cared for in the hospital there’s a good chance your nurse or doctor already has MRSA himself just by all the patients that they have interacted with through the course of their career….
I probably have it myself….