[blam]

It's always something.

[GulfWar1Vet]

If you go to the gym, have flip-flops on while taking the shower. If they have hot-tubs, don't use them, even if they say the clean them daily.

Staph Infections are not fun.

[nmh]

"The most common cause of staph infections, S. aureus is a bacteria found on the skin or in the nose of about 25-30 percent of people. It also can be the culprit in minor skin infections like pimples and boils, as well as major diseases like meningitis, endocarditis, toxic shock syndrome and pneumonia."

I had this - staph aureus. It's AWFUL. I had to be on bactrum. It got rid of it. I had cold chills and dizziness.

[Xenalyte]

Guy I work with out at the Festival, over Thanksgiving his girlfriend contracted MRSA and lost their baby.

Then over Christmas, he got it and was in a coma for several days.

This is not to be screwed around with.

[VOA]

It's always something.

You're right. As one PBS show on life in the desert said...
"Where there is something that can be eaten...something will appear
that will attempt to eat it."

Having had one bout with MRSA that nearly took my left leg
(and probably my life, if I'd not gotten antibiotics for another
12 hours),
people gotta' be vigilant about any skin rash, especially one
that gets warm to the touch and is accompanied by fever and muscular pain
(well, those were the symptoms with me).

And once you have an episode...be ready for repeat episodes.
(that happened to me and one MD said that's normal).

[LibFreeOrDie]

One case from the UK involved a soldier who was infected simply from being scratched by vegetation during training exercises. So it's in the wild, outside of hospitals.

Also, you can be a carrier:

http://www.mrsa.uk.com/docs/passed_on.htm

"MRSA can be transmitted from person to person fairly
easily, mainly via the hands. It is important to remember
that MRSA rarely causes problems for fit and healthy
people. Many people carry MRSA without knowing it
and never experience any ill effects. (These people are
said to be colonised with MRSA rather than being
infected with it). In most cases, MRSA only poses a
threat when it has the opportunity to get inside the body
and cause an infection, for example via wounds or surgical
scars."

The hospitals in the UK have their own "special" varieties of MRSA, not found elsewhere:

http://www.4ni.co.uk/nationalnews.asp?id=37552

"The MRSA epidemic plaguing Britain's hospitals may be due to extremely transmissible contagious clones of the superbug, a scientist has claimed.
Dr Mark Enright, from the University of Bath, also said that better hospital hygiene would not be enough to prevent the spread of the infection.
In an article published in this month's edition of 'Microbiology Today', Dr Enright, an expert on the evolution and epidemiology of MRSA, said that the increase of infections in the UK coincided with the appearance of two clones, called UK Epidemic MRSA clone-15 and clone-16. These clones, Dr Enright said, were uncommon elsewhere in the world, and this could explain why MRSA infections had increased in Britain.
Dr Enright said that these clones were more contagious than other strains of the infection and claimed that the only way to stop the epidemic was by using proven measures, such as patient isolation."

[pandoraou812]

ping

[Caramelgal]

In ‘97 my father had a procedure to correct an arrhythmia. It was an out-patient procedure that involved putting a scope down his throat down his airway into his chest and giving an electrical shock to his heart to put it back into the proper rhythm.

The procedure worked as far as his heart rhythm but about two days later he complained about a constant tickle in his throat that became a nagging cough that a day later developed into a fever and a day later admission into the hospital with sever breathing problems. The next day he was put on a vent and we were told he had bacterial pneumonia. He was on the vent and in intensive care for 8 more weeks until the infection had become so severe and the antibiotics ineffectual and so according to his living will and his express wishes given the hopelessness of the situation, his life support was removed and in less than 24-hours later he passed.

Several doctors at Hopkins questioned me about what happed just before he became ill. I kept telling them about the scope and the procedure but then later I was told it had nothing to do with his illness.

I’ve always wondered if the bacterial pneumonia was a result of the procedure. I didn’t get answers but then I didn’t aggressively pursue at the time either.

My dad was diabetic and so prone to infection and had bacterial meningitis in 92 and it really took a toll on his health.

He got really good care at Hopkins and I can’t complain but I’ve always been nagged that there was something kept from us. A few years ago there was a recall of this type of scope and something having to do with bacterial infections. No one contacted me and it’s probably too late to pursue now but I still wonder….

[PGalt]

Thanks for posting. Thanks to all contributors to this thread. BTTT!

[The Duke]

To me the answers are clearly procedural. Anti-bacterial measures during hospital admittance, the return of the "house call", and probably numerous other common-sense measures.

[raybbr]

ping

[TheLion]

I have a friend who at 65 was still playing competitive softball. He was the model for a healthy life. He went in for a routine knee operation, got a staph infection and nearly died. It took him almost a year to get over it. It also caused some other medical problems he now has to deal with.

[DocRock]

Bookmark

[neverdem]

Research highlights nastier form of MRSA

[nw_arizona_granny]

ping

[cancergirl]

This is not posted to anyone specific. I just wanted to share my story of Staph infection. i first got in in 2005 after surgery. My PCP could not tell me what it was. Just said it was a skin infection and referred me to a dermotologist, who prescribed another medication after my pcc prescriped something and the the dermotolgist prescriped Cipro. Neither of them helped. They eventually went away after I kept myself clean. And now here I am again with it again. this time I did my own research and took my findings to my PCP who all but looked at me like PLEASE WILL YOU LET ME DO MY JOB?! I was highly offended that he gave me the same exact medication CIPRO that did not work the first time. I however listen to the Dr. and took ever pill prescribed with no luck. Finally I took it upon myself to see a Infectious disease specialist who immediatly knew what it was and prescriped BACTRUM and an ointment that I took and saw results within 24 hours.

The scary thing is that Dr. are soooo unaware that the normal medication for Staph infection does not work.