MRSA infections

I've learned, mostly thru this chat and another one connected with the Topix site (and there are many!)- that MRSA has many faces, different ways of manifesting. My connection began with a severe case of cellulitis affecting my right leg from below the knee to just below the ankle. This led to another problem called venos stasis ulcers. I wasn't officially diagnosed with MRSA until about 4 months into medical treatment for the cellulitis and original unhealing wound (aka ulcer) so the MRSA was in full swing before anyone recognized it and began the treatment game. And since then (Oct. of 2007) we've been trying to find the treatment that will control and eliminate the whole mess; and there have been many, many diffeent treatments, all of which failed. Beginning about 5 weeks ago we began using something called Aquacel AG dressings. I want to share this with you because it does seem to be working, admittely slowly, in clearing up my ulcers(sores); I say this with my fingers, toes and eyes crossed hoping that I'm not jinxing myself. It will take lots of time to get rid of these craters(ulcers), the largest of which is about 1.5 inches wide by about 2.5 inches long and it's been around for almost a year now; the others are all smaller. So, there it is, if any of you are dealing with a similar problem, look up Aquacel AG, which I ordered from Quality Medical Supplies. And, yes, the stuff is not exactly cheap; but as long as it's working, I will find a way to get it. And on that note, Good luck everybody. I'll check in again soon.

amber

Jeannette, PA

patricia wrote:

<quoted text>I was put in the hospital in Oct. of 2007, with cellulitus on the buttocks,,it was large, they did surgury was required..they left it open, I did have antibotics, then when they send me home I had nurses for 2 weeks come in and check on me.. Its not June, and I have sores coming up all of the time.. I can't sit in the car, wear clothes, have to wear pjs,, except to go to the Dr. I have MRSA and have had it since Oct. as I said.. Last week they checked me again,, it was MRSA..sores will not go away even with antabotics...I have to shower alot with antibacterial soap..How long have you had it??

I ended up with mrsa, and ya it is a very nasty thing to have. but there is hope. they lanced the boils I had,then put this drain packing thing in.( which by the way is very painful if not numbed).then my doctor put me on kelfax, and bactrim. which were doing the job. when my culture came back and I was positive for mrsa, my doctor changed my antibiotics to cipro, and doxycicline. which are very powerful. I would tell anyone with a staph infection, or mrsa to get to your doctor, and get antibiotics, they can be very dangerous if left untreated, and also keep the area as clean as possible, if a boil breaks, the infection can spead to other parts of your body, and before you know it you have it everywhere, on your skin, in your blood stream,and in some cases in your bone. its not something to take lightly.

Jess

Greensboro, NC

You have the same thing I had which is called Cellulitus. The skin is hot or warm to the touch and is hard. I had to use a heating pad to make the wound drain to get rid of this, but it would be better to go to the doctor and get them to drain it and tell you what is going on.

Hope this helps.

Nora wrote:

I had a laproscopic gallbladder removal. About a week after the surgery the incision in my naval became red, hot and drained yellow fluid. I went to urgent care-they gave me a shot of Rocephin in my hip and oral Keflex. They cultured it and called me in 2 days to say it was MRSA. By then I had a inch deep hole in my navel that needed daily packing by a home health nurse. I was started on Bactrim and it is better, but I wonder if really gone? I have no fever but the area under my navel is hard and there is warmth to the skin. The Dr. said the Bactrim would stay in my system for 10 days, it should be fine. Anybody with a similar experience?

brian

AOL

my mother in law has myrsa shes in and out of the hospital for copd .. all of sudden everyone in our family starting gettting boils and my wife got a stye my sons got positive for myrsa does this ever go away ive also had one under my arm that had to be lanced no one told me if it was myrsa then i have one currently on throat .. it is so painful i want to die and they gave me bactrim and two vicodin , the dr played with it stuck a needle in it and nothing cam out and hurt my muscles now i cant move my neck its been two days of this . it hurts so back i want to cry will i keep getting these and did i contact them with someone that had myrsa i guess they carry it and give it to others with a normal healthy system u get boils. now its red and just hurts my whole neck is swollen i couldnt even work today. anythings that help the hot compresses arent workinng someone said cold sore thing to releive the pain and helps it burst .. god help me ... this is worse thing ive done through the second time .

Since: Aug 08

168

Brian,

You are sending up red flags. But topix doesnot lend itself well as a support forum.

One thing I can say is MIL should NOT be on rifampin, it is an engraved invitation to H1N1 Swine Flu.

http://superbugassassins.com

Joe

Mount Vernon, NY

Joe

Mount Vernon, NY

Hi Brian ! My name is Joe and like to share with you how I got rid of Mrsa after suffering for more than eight month and going through three surgery in the emergency room. So pay attention to my story.The first thing you have to do if you have recurring mrsa infections is to go to see an Infectious Disease specialist,and not a regular doctor not a dermatoligist because the IDS is the one who most qualified to treat mrsa because mrsa is they field and they know better than any other doctor out there,trust me on this one.Now the second most important thing you have to do is have the doctor take a small sample from your wound and sent it to the lab for testing against different antiboitics for sensitivity and resistence.Why is this so important?? Because Mrsa is a very antibiotics resistent bacteria that is why they call it the Superbug and without the lab test your doctor will more likely to give you the wrong antibiotic to wich the bacteria may be resistent to just like I was given the wrong antibiotics for four month.The third most important thing that i found very effective against Mrsa is Hibiclens. Hibiclens is an antibacterial liquid soap available in any pharmacy without prescription and it is proven to kill mrsa bacteria. I hope you got my message because the above described treatment was given to me by one of the best Infectious Disease Specialist in New York City and it did work ,so do not despair get to work.

Since: Aug 08

168

Hello Joe,

If you want to explain a culture, here is an excellent visual example. I only have a few reservations about your recommendations. The major one being Hibiclens. When using it you do a patch test, a small area on the inside of the forearm. Swab it with Hibiclens once a day for 3 days and watch for reaction. Never use Hibiclens on your head and read the label carefully.

here is the example:

http://supernugassassins.com/pages/pathology....

I will be happy to help you to be able to explain it acurately.

What you are doing is a good thing.

Since: Aug 08

168

sorry typo and no edit on topix

http://superbugassassins.com/pages/pathology....

Joe

Mount Vernon, NY

Hi apostman ! I am trying to tell my story to as many people out there as I can because the treatment that I was given worked and also I know how desperate confused and depressed I was for so many month in trying to figure out what happening to me and why. So I feel very much out there to anybody who is going through Mrsa infection because I always remember myself looking for answers too. There are a lot of treatment out there wich not working and that is why people have to deal with recurring infections wich an be very depressing . But I want to encourage everybody that yes there is effective treatment out there and i am a perfect example of that.

Since: Aug 08

168

Hobson, TX

Okay Joe,

but if it involves Garlic or Miracle Water or,or, you are selling something, I am going to be on you like a bug on a Junebug.

So go ahead what is your cure?

Since: Aug 08

168

Hobson, TX

typo AGAIN!

Okay Joe,

but if it involves Garlic or Miracle Water or,or, you are selling something, I am going to be on you like a duck on a Junebug.

So go ahead what is your cure?

Myrtle Beach MRSA Senior

Hi folks: I haven't checked in for a while, and I want to ask if anyone knows about, and/or has used, an ointment called Derma Wound? My daughter came across it on line and told me to read about it, in case you're interested, their "address" is(www.progressivedoctors.com/wound-care ).
Within the site were some case studies with photos showing the product's successes. I'm an original New Yorker, and not prone to believing things right off, you gotta' prove it. The one case study was a person who had been suffering with venos stasis ulcers for 19 years, and that got my attention pronto. According to the articla, after about 40 days, using the Derma Wound VS, the healing shown was amazing. I've been fighting with several venos stasis ulcers for about 18 months, and as some previous comments will tell you, we've tried a number of treatments with no visible improvement. For the past 2 months I've been using another treatment called Aquacel AG, which is a dressing put over the ulcer to blot the ulcer area and to encourage the blood circulation to the area. I've had some success with the amaller ulcer, which seems to be closing, but the other one, the big one, seems to be in sort of a holding pattern, no noticeable change. I should have warned you -- it seems that along with reaching "senior" status, I've also become extremely long-winded when talking about mrsa. When I was at the ID doctor several days ago, I learned from one of the nurses that another doctor in their practice was checking into DermaWound, and is considering doing some trial runs himself. So, now that you're probably getting tired of reading this, I'll be signing off, but please, if anyone has heard about, or better yet used, any of the Derma Wound formulas Please let us know your opinion and outcome. And, if you're dealing with venos stasis ulcers, too, I'm even more eager to hear from you. I noticed that most of the cases involving mrsa are dealing with cyst-type wounds being infected by mrsa, there are few, if any, that are similar to mine. Waiting to hear.....

tony

Palm Coast, FL

I am 36 and i have mrsa and i went to the hospital and they did not want to do nothing for me.

lisa

East Stroudsburg, PA

Samantha.

I recently had to go to the emergency ward with a very bad skin infection. I have no health insurance and was very tense about the costs that I would incur to treat the problem.(The fact that I no longer had a general practicioner seemed important) I expressed my anxiety and was able to speak to a financial councelor. In the end, because my income is low, the hospital forgave the $1000 owed. I was very surprised and very grateful. Perhaps, they will help you as well. If not, a payment plan can be arranged. I have spoken to people who have sent $10/month for years (no interest) until the bill was finally payed off. Look into these possibilities. Perhaps, it will reduce your stress level as well.
Good luck.
Lisa

samantha wrote:

I dont know what to do about MRSA, I have an outbreak all over my body, and I cant afford the medcine they're trying to give me. I've been squeezing them, but its extremly painful, and my entire body is itching, does anyone else have itching with MRSA? I didn't have itching before, but for some reason, with this bad outbreak, I've developed itching, which causes me to spread it.
Does anyone know better home remedies that may be cheaper? Thanks.

Myrtle Beach MRSA Senior

lisa wrote:

Samantha.
I recently had to go to the emergency ward with a very bad skin infection. I have no health insurance and was very tense about the costs that I would incur to treat the problem.(The fact that I no longer had a general practicioner seemed important) I expressed my anxiety and was able to speak to a financial councelor. In the end, because my income is low, the hospital forgave the $1000 owed. I was very surprised and very grateful. Perhaps, they will help you as well. If not, a payment plan can be arranged. I have spoken to people who have sent $10/month for years (no interest) until the bill was finally payed off. Look into these possibilities. Perhaps, it will reduce your stress level as well.
Good luck.
Lisa
<quoted text>

Samantha: another possible avenue of help is, believe it or not, the drug companies themselves who have programs for helping folks who can't afford their medication. In some cases there is no charge. Ask your doctor, the drug store you use, or if you know the drug company's name, call them. You have nothing to lose,. right?
MBSenior

Kathy

Cleveland, OH

Was stung by a sting ray in 2004. After two hosp stays, two surgeries on my ankle, one month on Vancomycin, I seemed better. My question is, can this MRSA, which I was diagnosed with, come back. I have no sores, but my ankle is sore, and I feel crappy like I did 4 years ago. Should I see my infectious disease doctor?

Since: Aug 08

168

It is doubtful that you have re-infected yourself from your personal environment after 4 years.

Antibiotics can play havoc with your immune system. It may never fully recover. I am guessing your past MRSA was discover at that wound site. One of the symptoms commonly shared is a below normal tempature about 97. The only definite determination is a positive culture after MRSA has presented itself again. I would take my concerns to a general practioner first.

Myrtle Beach MRSA Senior