MRSA – Staph Infection Symptoms & Treatment
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- MRSA Watch
Find out all the latest details about MRSA, CA-MRSA, and general staph infection details. Learn the A-Z's about staph infection. Read the latest questions, and join MRSA Watch group on facebook. - Staph Infection Help
Since staph infection is becoming resistant the antibiotics, it is a very dangerous bacteria to invite into your body. You can purchase a guide to killing staph infection using four natural methods.
What is Staph Infection?
Staph infection is short for Staphylococcus, which is a type of bacteria. There are over thirty different types of the Staph bacteria, but Staphylococcus aureus causes the most staph infections to include:
- Skin infections (most common form of staph infection)
- Pneumonia
- Food poisoning
- Toxic shock syndrome
- Blood poisoning (bacteremia)
But, like most healthy people, you probably already have some of the bacteria on your body, in your nose, or in your throat. And, most of the time, the bacteria doesn't cause any problems, or if it does, it's usually a minor skin infection. But, sometimes, the bacteria will burrow deep into your body and will invade your bloodstream, urinary tract, lungs, and heart, which can prove fatal.
In the past, most fatal staph infections occur in people who were hospitilized or who already had a chronic illness or a weakened immune system. But, now, there are a growing number of healthy people, developing life-threatening staph infections. It has been said that, presently, in some areas of the United States deadly staph infection rates are higher than Aids.
But, what proves as a higher concern and problem with staph infections, is that the bacteria no longer responds to common antibiotics. Although, staph infections can still be successfully treated, it only becomes a matter of time before the bacteria has evolved, and is resistant to all other current medications.
- MRSA Resources
Who can contract MRSA? What can you do? How can you prevent MRSA? Where can you find other MRSA resources? RIGHT HERE! Here's a blog all about MRSA and MRSA resources. You can even get the RSS feed. - Staph Infection (Staphylococcus Aureus)
Medicine Net brings together doctors with the knowledge to inform you about various illnesses and health concerns that may affect you. This article on Stacph infection is filled with great information that may help you learn the signs and how to prev
Causes of Staph Infection
The Staph bacteria can cause illness in two different ways: (1) through direct infection and (2) through toxins that the bactia produce. The toxins, are what is to blame for food poisonings, toxic shock syndrome, and other MRSA and CA-MRSA infections.
The Staph bacteria can be caused by:
- Skin infections develop when the Staph bacteria enters your body via a cut or abrasion in your skin. Eczema, psoriasis, shaving irritations, and any other conditions that make your skin more fragile and sensitive, will enhance the risk of infection.
- Food poisoning caused by the bacteria is caused by foods that are not handled or stored properly. Because the bacteria grows best at room temperatures, remember to refrigerate high risk foods, such as potatoes, eggs, mayonnaise, cream, custards, etc.
- Toxic shock syndrome was often fatal in 1980, and was linked to the used of super-absorbent tampons, as the tampons are a great breeding ground for the bacteria. The tampons can, also, irritate the vagina, making it possible for the bacteria to enter your bloodstream. But, toxic shock syndrome can affect men and children for other reasons.
- Septic arthritis is caused when the Staph bacteria spreads to a joint from an infection in another part of the body. Rheumatoid arthritis increases your risk because arthritis medications suppress your immune system and increase the risk of infection.
- MRSA is a form of staph infection that emerged in hospitals, and is, now, a growing threat in health care facilities worldwide. In hospitals and nursing homes, MRSA can spread on the hands of health care workers and on many surfaces to include bedrails, catheters, cart handles, and even remote controls.
CA-MRSA caused MRSA that is community associated. CA-MRSA is spread by the people who picked up the bacteria in the hospital, and carry in outside the hospital doors in their nostrils.
MRSA: Ticking Time Bomb
- Pediatrics: Staph Skin Infections
Make sure that you know all the signs and symptoms of staph infection and how to prevent your children from contracting the potentially fatal infection. The immune system of a child, is not as developed as an adult, so it's important to know the sign - Hardin MD: Staph Infection
Find various links to staph infection information. Here you will be able to search through MRSA prevention, signs, symptoms, causes, and more. You can, also, search the other various health matters on the site.
Symptoms of Staph Infection
Since there are various forms of the infection, staph can have various different signs and symptoms.
Skin Infections
- Boils
- Cellulitis (potentially life-threatening infection that can leave the skin inflamed and tender)
- Impetigo (rash common in young children and infants)
- Scalded skin syndrome (blistering condition that mainly affects newborns)
In general, the signs of each of the above conditions include skin redness, swelling, fever, warmth in the area, and tenderness.
Food Poisoning
The onset is usually as soon as six hours after eating, and can leaves suddently. Most people fully recover after a day or two. The most common symptom associated with food poisoning are abdominal cramps, nausea, vomitting, and diarrhea.
Toxic shock syndrome
- High fever
- Nausea and Vomiting
- Rash on palms of your hands and soles of your feet that resemble sunburn
- Confusion
- Muscle aches
- Seizures
- Headaches
Septic arthritis
Usually the knees are targeted, but other joints such as ankles, hips, wrists, elbows, and shoulders, can be affected by the bacteria. Along with septic arthritis the symptoms are swelling and severe pain in the joint, fever, and shaking chills.
Methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)
- Starts as a superficial skin issue, resembling a pimple or spider bite
- Quickly turns into a deep, painful abscess
In surgical wounds the signs are severe pain, redness, swelling, and sometimes draining pus.
In general signs can include fever, sweats, and chills.
Other symptoms may vary according to which parts of your body were infected, as the bacteria can enter your bloodstream, bones, heart lining, and lungs.
Community-associated methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA)
- Pneumonia (cough, shortness of breath, chest pains)
- Massive inflammation of lung tissues
- Destruction of the lung tissues
Staph Infection From a Bug Bite
- Staph-A-Septic
To prevent skin infections caused by MRSA and other germs, it’s essential keep your cuts and scraps clean. Treat your StaphAseptic. It’s a non-greasy, non-staining, way to protect yourself and stop the spread of the staph bacteria. - Kids Health- Staph
Staph infections in children can be very deadly as their immune systems are not yet developed. You want to make sure to take all preventative measures to keep your child safe from staph infection.
Staph Infection Treatment
Doctors can diagnose staph infection by taking a tissue sample or nasal secretion. The sample is sent to a lab to check for bacteria growth. Because the test takes 48 hours, people who have MRSA can worsen or even die within that time frame. So, new tests can detect the staph bacteria DNA in a matter of hours, but these tests are much more expensive and not as widely used.
Penicillin was once used as an effective antibiotic treatment against the staph bacteria, but as bacteria can evolve, it will. After using penicillin for just a decade, half of the staph bacteria became resistant to the antibiotic, but now less than 10% of staph infections will respond to the antibiotic.
Today, doctors use vancomycin, which is a much stronger and more toxic antibiotic. Although, vancomycin is effective in saving the lives of those who suffer severe staph infections, it is used rather frequently, which make it likely that the bacteria will evolve once again and become resistant to it. A few cases have already been recorded in which the bacteria did not respond to the antibiotic. Doctors are trying to use the antibiotic only when its really necessary, in order to reduce the evolution of the bacteria.
There are a few newer antibiotics now available to treat staph infection, but they are much more expensive, and even still the bacteria has shown signs of resistance.
CA-MRSA Staph Infection Wound Packing
How can I Prevent Staph Infection?
As staph infections are so widespread, it can be hard to fully protect yourself in preventing the infection. But you can lower your risk by using common sense precautions.
- Wash your hands and use hand sanitizer.
- Keep wounds covered and clean.
- Watch the high- risk foods that you eat by avoiding any foods that you feel may not have been stored or cooked properly.
- Reduce tampon risksby changing frequently (at least every 4-8 hours) or switching usage between tampons and sanitary pads.
- Keep your personal items personal by not sharing towels, sheets, razors, clothing, and athletic equipment.
- Get tested so that you have time to get treated in case that you do have staph infection.
Staph Infection Risk Factors
Although anyone can contract staph infection, as it is a bacteria that we all have in our skin, MRSA and CA-MRSA can target specific populations .
MRSA:
- Current or recent stay in a hospital.
- Long-term stay in a care facility.
- Invasive devices such as catheters or feeding tubes.
CA-MRSA:
- Young age. Children do not have fully developed immune systems.
- Old age. As with age, our immune systems begin to decline, making us more inclined to illnesses.
- Contact Sports. Skin to skin contact, abrasions, and cuts, are 3 top traveling means for the bacteria.
- Sharing towels or athletic equipment.
- Having a weakened immune system.
- Living in crowded or unsanitary conditions.
- Healthy Pet
Find a variety of health concerns that may affect your pet using the Pet Care Library. Speaking about Staph infection, you can find out how your dog can contract it. You can, also, keep searching for other health concerns. - Doggie's Paradise
There are several different dog skin disorders, but as the staph bacteria is prevalent on the skin of dogs, they are able to contract the infection, so make sure to watch out for signs and symptoms on your dog.
Animals With Staph Infection
Yes, believe it or not, your pets can contract staph infection, just like you can.
When it comes to your pets watch for excessive scratching, as that is the most common cause. Other things that can cause your pets to contract staph infection include fleas, inhalant allergy, food allergy, and flea and tick dips. All of these factors can enhance itching.
Watch for red area on the skin that have a pimple-like bump in the middle. Sometimes staph infection can resemble ringworm. Most of the time it will appear as a crusty abrasion on your dog's belly. Your vet can confirm staph infection in your dog or cat by making skin cultures or a biopsy.
But, don't worry. You can't catch the staph bacteria from your dog or cat because you already have the bacteria on your skin. And, no, staph is not contagious from your dog or cat to you.
Just make sure to keep an eye our for red, crusty lesions on your pet, so that you can take a trip to the veterinarian for a check up. Your vet can perform a skin scrap to determine whether or not your pet has contracted staph infection. And treat him, or her, accordingly.
Sphinx Cat Staph Infection
Disclaimer: Please be aware that the advice in this article should in no way replace that of a licensed physician or veterinarion. Consult your doctor or veterinarian if you think that you or your pet might have a staph infection.
MRSA – Staph Infection Symptoms & Treatment in the News
- Take steps to prevent two types of infectionMemphis Commercial Appeal3 days ago
Two types of common bacteria can make you very ill: staphylococcus and streptococcus (staph and strep).
- Los Angeles Dodgers Team ReportUSA Today25 hours ago
Ronald Belisario came out of nowhere to make the Dodgers out of spring training, and the team is worried that he could be gone just as fast as he arrived.
- How to combat the latest supergermsCNN2 days ago
When the swine flu burst onto the scene in April, the bug arrived with a few particularly ominous signs: The flu was resistant to a class of drugs often used to fight flu in the past, and experts were surprised that a nonhuman virus could have such rapid human-to-human transmission. Why was swine flu resistant to current medicines, and was this strain a new supergerm?
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Comments
That I'm not sure. I know that it is naturally on our bodies, but as for how long each bacteria can live, I'm not sure.
Well done! One more thing to worry about, along with Iraq, global warming and undercooked hamburgers.
my three children have had the mrsa this year.two devloped sores.my youngest daughter never deloped sores but she was hospitialied with breathing problems.
and the person can get mrsa more then once.my oldest daughter had mrsa three times.
i didn't know pets could get mrsa.so,thanks for the info.
robin
i dont want to die i have to become famous like miley cyrus!i hope i dont get it . its in the high scool but not in mine.
my bad i ment school
It really worries me to have something like this out there..why not send it to Osama with best wishes...
this is not what I want to think about but I have to as I work in the health care field.Pay attention people it is out there and it can happen to you.
Good post.
Great hub, Whitney :)
To Spencer - Staph is not a virus, it's a bacteria, and one that lives naturally in the environment. Staph is harmlessly present on *everything* - and resistant Staph (MRSA) usually only causes problems in nursing homes and other places where people are immunocompromised, and ulcers and infection are prevalent.
I worked in an isolation unit and cared for patients with MRSA for 5 years - I promise, it's not as scary as the media makes it sound.
And it's our own fault that it exists, these things mutate when people stop taking meds just because they feel better, as opposed to when the meds are used up. Anti-bacterial soaps have also contributed to the problem. We are raising children without giving them a chance to deveiop their own immunity to natural bacteria!
I wouldnt worry too much about MRSA. You want a scary bacteria, try flesh-eating Strep. Get a good look at that and you'll never sleep again! ;)
Isabella, I didn't even realize that he said virus... :-/
Thank you. I don't think I even want to attempt to look up flesh-eating Strep. It sounds scary enough.
my boyfrien had a staph infection although not MRSA (thank god) He is still on augmentin for 20days, does anyone know how long till we can.... well you know , without me getting sick too...
My mom contracted this disease, at first we didn't know its a staph, the doctar said its kind of cellulitis. it took her almost three months to recover. i would like to read more of this disease, thanks for the article.
I have R.A. along with other medical problems. I am also a carried for staph. I get a break out all the time because my imune system is so low.
My question is do any of you know if you can have staph in your throat. I have the most awful sore throat that I have ever had in my whole live time. I am just waiting for the Dr. office to open. I sure hope they can see me today. I just got through with a round of Rifampin(?) for a staph out break so that is why it makes me wonder.
Thanks for your help.
That I've never heard of... But, I guess it is possible. Hopefully, the doctor will be able to give you a better answer.
Whitney! This is quite the HUB! Well done.You rock girl...
regards Zsuzsy
I AM WANDERING IF A DOG CAN BE A CARRIER OF MSRA? SOMEONE WILL SAY THEY CAN AND THEN SOME ONE ELSE WILL SAY NO THEY CANT. WHICH IS IT? CAN YOU GET IT FROM YOUR PET?PRETTY SCARY!
You cannot get MRSA from your pets and they cannot get it from you. The bacteria is already present on your body. There are things that just increase the rick of it getting inside.
My husband had esophagus cancer surgery last Sept o6 and the fluid never completely left his lung , this June it turned into a full blown pleural effusion . did surgery applied talc and was diagnosed with stage 4 terminal lung cancer. Pain in chest has worsened sine last Sept. , tried thorencentesis 3 weeks ago and got 110 cc out , did biopsy of fluid and it came back staph mrsa and severe inflamation with empyema , I'm beginning to wonder if he ever had lung cancer , supose to see thorasic surgeon tomorrow. Any thoughts or experiences greatly appreciated , my husband is only 48. Thanks LCKANE@hotmail.com
thats gross but it happens to some of us the way the infection looks scares me .My cousin has it and i can't look at it without puking.
There is a big different between MRSA and CA-MRSA. MRSA referring to the resistant staph that is found in health care facilities such as nursing homes and hospitals. That staph has developed methicillin resistance due to exposure to highly potent antibiotics in those environments. MRSA usually requiring IV vancomycin and this is now becoming less affective.
The CA-MRSA developed due to the over use of antibiotics. Main cause is people demanding an antibitoic for a head cold or sore throat that's not strep throat. The CA-MRSA most commonly cause a skin infection. It can be treated with Bactrim and/or Clindamycin orally. Your doctor can have a test done to check if the bacteria will develop resistance to clindamycin. Also, when children gets a CA-MRSA infection, the family should be treated with Bactroban swabbed into nose to reduce colonization.
The media picked up on this due to an article in JAMA and they really over did it.
My mother went into the hostital to have a herna operation, its been nine months and she will feel better, able to do things she did befor the surg. then she come down with a low grade feaver and very weak; not like her at all. the primary doctor has not conducted a test for mrsa he just gives her more antiob. pills and has her go in for a blood count. her white count is higher than normall, she is down now and she is at the point she is worried and scared. I have a appointment with a infectious doctor and he will be the one to check for mrsa. I am reading all the comments on this trying to learn as much as i can for my mom.
If you eat a piece of beef and the cow had staph infection are you at risk?\If you have a boil that is Staph, should you pop it?
Whit,
Looks like you've got a lively hub - congrats. Bad thing is that some of this info is partially correct and partially wrong.
I've personally worked w/ this bug on the epidemiological and genetic engineering levels, and while its scary, its also preventable. I noticed a post above that its difficult to catch, thats a yes and no answer.
You could have MRSA all over the exterior of your body and you would be fine. It simply needs an entry point by a break in the skin. You can get MRSA on your skin from anywhere - your dog (sorry Whit), your neighbor, or a doorknob. 90% of all bacterial infections are transmitted by your hands so keep them washed.
If you eat MRSA, you probably won't get sick unless it makes a particular toxin known as "enterotoxins". Meaning its not the bacterial cell that makes you sick, its the poison it creates before you eat it. If you cook it for 10 minutes, it will kill the cell and deactivate the protein.
Toxic shock is also caused by a SA protein toxin (called TSST), but it can be MRSA or regular SA. The majority of cases are found in women forget to remove a certain feminine "thingie" during a particular few days of every month. HINT -- something that men don't like to buy at the market.
With regards to Heidi's question, if the cow had a SA infection chances are the USDA inspectors or the grocery meat dept caught it. Infected cows rarely make it past inspection, and the meat would look kinda funky at processing. Remember, a steak is sterile on the inside if it hasn't been punctured - thats how we can eat it rare (yum). Ground meat of any kind is a big problem -- never EVER eat a rare beef, chicken, turkey, or any other ground meat product raw. Sushi maybe as long as its fresh.
If you had a boil, there is no way to know that its SA or not until you get a bacterial culture or immunoassay from the physician. Rule of thumb - if it smells bad and it drains, go get it checked out. A physician will probably lance it for you.
For the record, necrotizing fasciitis (flesh eating disease) isn't nearly as bad as gangrene. Beware of the rotten cheese like smell.
If anyone wants to know more, just drop me a note. FYI: I am an infectious disease specialist.
This is a very useful hubpage, with valuable good info. I've rated it up!
I got MRSA a week ago, it was a severe one, I thought I would die. I would really appreciate some advice regarding the recovery part. I just left the Hospital last friday, jan 25th, and I am really scared. Thank you
Everyone needs to understand the staph bacteria is everywhere. It doesn't matter who you are you can contract it. Please wash your hands. It is THE most important measure at saving yourself and your family from contracting it. You must use disinfectant (like lysol) or bleach solution to take care of the germs. This is the only way to get rid of the germ. It lives for a long time on surfaces. I work in group homes, in which, clients are infected. The saying goes, once infected you are considered always infected. Chances of you recovering completely without it coming back are slim. Eveyone please do not take it lightly. It does live in us, paticularly in your nose. Especially those that work in the health field. Just protect yourselves by handwashing and good sanitation.
My dad has been diagnosed with MRSA, does anyone know how long they are contagious? I am planning a trip to see him in about two months.
HI,
I been working in a nursing home for the past 4 months.I just started becoming the shower girl.When I just found out one of the residents has Mrsa after she was sent to the er with breathing problems.I didnt even know that Mrsa even exsisted.My questions are How long does Mrsa take to appear once you have been exposed? can this be caught by airborne breathing?
Thanks
Yes, I do believe that a variation of staph can be caught air-borne, MRSA- if I remember correctly. Depending on the staph, I believe it can vary how long you notice signs.
MRSA is spread by contact. It is not airborne.
After my daughters MSSA Staph infection I did much investigation and found a all natural product called ALLIGIN that kills and prevents all bacterial infections to include: MRSA - MSSA Staph, E-Coli, and new Super-Bugs.... DEAD!
MRSA is scary, it is not that the media has blown it so out of proportion, that is what a lot of people say that do not have to live with it. My husband almost died in January, he is recovered now, I now , as his wife and mother of our 3 kids, have the job of disinfecting our home daily with bleach. This is something every person should be aware of. Wash your hands....all day long, no matter where you have been or what you have done, and stop touching your face as much as possible. There is some stuff on here that is absolutely not true, it absolutely is not airborne....refer to sites that are credible lie the Mayoclinic or get in touch with an infectious diesease counselor if you are afraid you have cotracted it. Get the facts, this is way to serious a problem and life sentence to mess around with half truths.
for the most part you people are morons do i care no there is hope were here grill a docter find if i do and remember ill update you peace.
For some reason I received this page when searching for Psoriasis. Is it related in any way?
my husband had back surgery, very minor at a very famous hospital in So. Calif. he came home and 3 days later had a staph infection at the wound site. It took months of a visiting nurse every day changing and packing the wound with gauze until the wound healed from the inside out. It was gross, and I think that hospitals should be required to post the number of staff infections that come out their facilities.
There definitely is AIRBORNE MRSA infections - it's called MRSA pneumonia and deadly!! this staph infection is resistant to most penicillins, thus becoming MRSA - Methicillin resistant- and in the lungs and lung tissue, thus pneumonia. most die of MRSA pneumonia in days. Vancomycin usually used for mrsa is not as effective on lung tissue as an oral pill drug linezolid - problem is they may have coughed on you at the grocery store before becoming so sick they went to a hospital. While we ALL have staph on us, we do not all have methicillin resistant staph on us. people who have overused antibiotics have made their staph resistant to antibiotics, OR ALSO you may have picked up someone else's antibiotic resistant staph. it is easier to get rid of an infection on the skin site than one that has reached your bloodstream and thus ends up everywhere- and in the case of mrsa pneumonia- your blood and heart and lungs connected. I cannot seem to find out anywhere exactly how long the germ lives in the air and on surfaces. if someone with mrsa pneumonia is down the hall even in isolation is their air spreading to everyone else on the floor with the same central air conditioning and heating? some big hospitals have negative pressure rooms but not small hospitals and nursing homes.
Just found out my dog has this. She had an infection for awhile now and had been on a few different antibiotics, whenshe was not getting better, they were baffeled and finally did a culture which came back with her having this. Other then her lesions that were not haling and kept oozing, she has seemed healthy, active, eating and drinking. She starts her new antibiotics tomorrow and will be getting treated for atleast 3 weeks on this antibiotic. I think if this had been contagious to humans we would have gotten it already as she has had this for well over a month.
Thanks for the posting. I'm and ER nurse and this is great review.
I hope your dog recovers soon.
Hi my aunt was just diagnosed with a staph infection and she has terrible RA also. When visiting her in the hospital should I be concerned about catching it myself? It started from a wound in her foot which is now dressed and covered. Also, the doctors are not sure if it has reached her heart. Hoping she'll be ok. Any advice?
This is a great hub for everyone to read- my sister died from a staph infection in the late 50's (she was allergic to penicillin and back then apparently they didn't have other antibiotics for it), and my dad also died from sepsis, after a staph infection (but he was having chemo and his immune system was very weak) and he caught it in the hospital. Like you said wash hands alot, and don't eat questionable food, and keep wounds cleaned out.Great hub Whitney.
i had a staph infection last year and almost died from it. i had to have surgery as result of it, three months later my father died in his sleep. i feel so tired all the time and worry that it may come back. between being sick and the death of my dad the stress, grief and the depression. life can be trying at times but life goes on.i thank my dear daughter for all that she has done for me. i am truely blessed to have such a great kid. i live my life for my kids and plan to help them as much as i can. i hope ot live long enough to see grandkids.
Great and very informing, I've actually dealt with serious cases when I worked in nursing homes.
I take my dog to a nursing home where there is MRSA. How do I know if my dog gets it from one of the people there? I try to wipe him off with a clorox wipe when we are out of there and I don't take him into rooms with MRSA patients, but some are allowed to walk around, and I can't tell. help please
I know this is an older posting but I thought it was important to share this...
First of all this is exactly why I joined this site in first place. You are all amazing and thank you Whitney05 for posting this.
Secondly it has been mentioned hospitals and nursing homes being areas of high contract for MRSA but a word out to all the gym goers… my son who is an avid weight lifter (I’m just repeating what the medical folks are telling us) contracted staph they believe from the gym that developed into Impetigo (I think there’s another name for the adult version that primarily effects athletes). He was treated with an antibiotic that is used to treat MRSA which as far as we know has handled the staph however the skin condition he developed never was managed in fact got progressively worse. They (the Dermatologist) now say he has Plaque Psoriasis. I found it odd since we don’t have any history of Psoriasis or any of the related conditions in our family. I will be sharing this posting with my son perhaps he should be asking/pushing more questions.
I don’t think we need to be paranoid about what is out there but definitely cautious/aware. So, for those of you who visit those gyms & fitness centers; you are all in close proximity to each others bodily fluids, germs, whatever and please take care of yourselves by covering up any open wounds/sores/scratches and wash, wash, wash as soon as you possibly can. My son never felt sick (typical of most athletes) he didn't know anything was happening until a slight burn he on his arm sort of overeacted. That finally went away and then a cut he received, same thing, then he started getting lesions that eventually spread. The Psoriasis my son has now developed could potentially affect him for the rest of his life. This is a shame for someone who spent years and years perfecting his body image.
i had an infection on my tricept, it was a huge staph ! i took bactrim for about 1 week, it went away but days later i saw it was coming back.. so i did alot of research and i am now much better cause of the tea tree oil and aloe vera i was treating it with.
i have just learned msra. they drained the boil gave me bactrim and sen tme home now i am lightheaded dizy and throwing up is that a bad sign i might be getting sicker.
I had a sore on my finger that just would not heal. Seven days after (b/c I was out of town) I went to the Dr. where they took a sample to be sent to the lab. Well, they lost that... so I never got the results. 12 days later I got a another pimple like sore that got worse quickly on my ankle. I went to the DR. yesterday where they are senting in a sample. Last night at bedtime my knee starting hurting, like a bruise on the inside. Today it feels a bit worse. Can this be related. I do triathlons and stay healthy. I also think I would have realized if I hit my knee on something. Any advice?
My daughter had what we thought were 8 Black Widow spider bites at camp, and got a staph infection due to the lymph edema that it left her, but now I'm wondering if she really did actually have spider bites, but a staph infection to begin with. Her foot had the puss pockets and was as big as an oversized football. She has been in the hospital off and on, sometimes a week at a time. Now it's been almost a year free. It does come back out of no where. We thought that she was clear with two years of being infection free, then out of no where she was sick.
She has been using a lot of antibacterial soaps and gels/creams to shave with when she does shave, but I now think she may be doing her immune system more harm then good.
Let me tell you - I have worked in infection control at a major hospital for quite some time, and I have a fairly extensive background in Microbiology. MRSA definitely IS something to worry about and is becoming more prevalent as people are improperly using antibiotics and not taking common precautions as far as spreading disease is concerned. Children do NOT need to be raised to be germophobes who develop autoimmune disorders because of bored immune systems; however, people should definitely be more cautious of these nasty superbugs because they can KEEP mutating to become resistant to the FEW remaining antibiotics available to treat MRSA infections. MRSA is resistant to almost every kind of antibiotic, I have seen children in our hospital have limbs amputated from horrible infections. A friend's child got MRSA from her daycare - and she ended up having to have surgery to relieve her condition. MRSA is nasty. While we should not be germophobes, we should all learn a little about Microbioloy and germ resistance before saying that MRSA isn't really a big deal. It definitely CAN BECOME a big deal through mutation facilitated by poor handwashing and common germ-spreading precautions, and by poor use of antibiotics. When you do not entirely finish your antibiotics, your symptoms may cease because the antibiotic wiped out *most* of the bacteria. However, because you did not finish it, there are still some surviving bacteria who now have the "blueprints" to the antibiotic. They then take these blueprints and find a way around it. This is a main factor in bacterial resistance. What everyone can do is EDUCATE themselves first about the facts, and then teach others about common precautions and proper antibiotic use - this does NOT mean that we all have to be germophobes, but cautious and aware of what's going on.
Hi Everyone,
10 days ago I noticed a little cut on my index finger (no idea how I got it). Since then the redness hasn't gone away and it has gotten infected twice with puss. My husband has went in and popped the wound open to drain the puss.... In between all this I have had shoulder pain, my knee has been bothering me, loss of appetite, and nauseous at times. I started reading about MRSA and now I'm freaking. I have an appt to go to the doctor tomorrow morning and just wondering if anyone can give me some tips.
That's a very interesting, informative (and worrying) hub. Thanks for bringing this subject to light. It's something we all need to know about, even if it's just so that we remember to do basic but vital things, like washing our hands.
I had a staph infection on my shin recently, it was awful, they did a culture and told me I have MRSA. It didn't really effect me at first because I didn't know much about it but then I did some research online and I was shocked at what I had learned. First off there are a lot of relly bogus sites out there meant to scare the day lights out of you! Sure you can die from MRSA but you can die from literally anything, you have more of a chance of dying behind the wheel of your car. People who are dying from MRSA are people who got serious infections in their lungs and didn't have the means to fight it off ( I.E. healthy immune systems ). Please don't become obsessed with this, we are all going to die at some point just live your life and try to be healthy and aware, that's all we can do. Maybe we can help fund more research so that a vaccine will be in our future. I use a surgical mask if I am in a place where there are potentially sick people and I carry alcohol wipes with me everywhere so I can scrub my hands and under my fingernails. Keep happy thoughts and just live the best you can, worrying won't stop this bacteria, you can lose all the sleep you want and nothing will change, I know..I didn't sleep for weeks literally. I sunk into a major depression and was so afraid to die I couldn't function, but then one day it hit me...all this worrying isn't changing the fact..I still have MRSA, so I can fight this or I can curl up and let it kill me..I pick FIGHT! While we are all above ground, there is hope.
IF you are admitted into a hospital, make sure someone is there with you, clean the bed posts and railings yourself with wipes that kills staph it's called PDI sani cloths you see them in the Dr's offices in the red and white containers. make sure the Dr's and nurses have washed their hands before they come into the room or when they are in the room ask them to wash up. Get a flu shot to protect yourself from possibly getting pnuemonia. If you get a cut, clean it out immediately and cover it with a bandage, bacteria can't grow where you don't let it. If you think you have a staph infection get to the Dr immediately so it can be treated sooner. You can NOT get staph infections from your pets. We all have it on our skin, so just be careful when you scratch a bite or get a cut or open sore. Remember the sooner you get treatment the better your chances of fighting this are! Good luck and take care!!
This is a great place to research. I got a lot out of it.
Thank-you!
hi my wife just gave birth to our first daughter. everything seemed well but 2 weeks later she had an infection in the are where her catheter was inserted. the DR gave her antibiotics and all seemed well. now 3 weeks later she developed a hard lump near her incision for her C-section. the Dr guessed it was just part of the healing process... now two days later it has turned red and soft like it is filled with puss.
I need to know what the most effective test to determine what type of infection it is, as most signs point to staff.
Also, equally important... how do i have my baby girl (2 months old) checked for it and if she has a form of staff, how can she best be treated before it gets serious. if something were to happen to either i would be lost.
please someone help me as i am in the Dominican Republic now and I need expert advice as I want more than anything my story to be a success and recovery not a tragedy.
Thanks for any help or advice
HI there.. My 2 year old daughter has been treated this last week for a Staph infection that when cultured returned a MRSA result. She is still on bactrim and it is looking better, but now I have a sore on me that looks just like hers. I am 5 months pregnant and got a prescription for Bactrim to heal mine as well. My concern is the drug Bactrim and its affects on my unborn baby. I know all of the risks, but has anyone had a successful bout of this while pregant? any answers would be GREATLY appreciated. thanks again!
You gave a good explanation.im going to bookmark it.thanks
Thank you for this thorough and important hubpage on MRSA.
Ok yeah Im reading all of this, and literally getting scared. My cousin had a baby 2 days b4 i did (back in sept) well she had to have a c sec. After she was discharged from the hospital she came down with very very high fever, like 106.1 for a week. She was hospitalized again for many days. Turns out she has staph (mrsa) so does her newborn, husband, and 1 yr old daughter. Well the otherday she broke out in chicken pocks, like sores all over her entire body.... Im very scared for her. Not to mention it was christmas eve and the entire family was together, and all of them infected. many hugs, holding of the babies ect...Im terrified i should get myself and my kids checked out, I think I will.. But i feel just terrible for her and her family. Any advice I could give her? I also know that here, (I dont know if its like this everywhere) We are supposed to report MRSA outbreaks to the health department, I would never do that to her... but why are we supposed too? I mean what good would it do? Do they quarantine? lol im slightly ignorant to the subject...
My bestfriend, and new roomie, just spent half a month in hospitals with this. Now her 18 month old baby girl has it too. I have a job in which I get a cut or scratch nearly every day, and between my my roomie and I, we have... several cats. Two nights ago one my cats scratched me. Pay attention now people... I rinsed the scratch with peroxide, then applied a little neosporin. Like most of the minor (and sometimes serious) skin wounds I frequently get, all healed normally.
Eat right, wash your hands when you've been out in the world. Especially before you eat or prepare food. And I saw one posting here about keeping your hands away from your face, really folks, THINK about where your hands have been, and what you've been touching, and you won't want to get your hands anywhere near your nose, or mouth, or ears, or etc... and then you were going to eat with those hands!
Point is, I am exposed to all kinds of ugly stuff every day of my life, and I will not live as a germ nut. I am careful, yet still a slob. Just be aware of your actions, and the consequences for you and the ones you care about the most. I know that while not ever having an infection, I maybe carrying MRSA, but I am very careful about contact with others.
Just be aware of the potential for exposure and be smart and careful!!!
Enjoy each day like it might be the last! Love and don't hate.
Hi Everyone, my son has a sty in his left eye. The Doctor says its staph. The Dr. put him on Erythmycin antibiotics. The Dr. told me to bring him back immediately if it didn't improve. I try not to worry about this. My son has staph on his knee last year and I cleaned it with bleach and warm water it finally went away. In April of last year he also had MRSA in his lungs, along with pneumonia and pluerisy. The Doctor put him on Vancomycin or something like this and he got better, I know this is something I will have to keep dealing with. I wish I knew how he got the Staph in the first place. The Dr. says school is where he probably got it. I was reading an article about natural cures of Staph. With tree oil. Has anyone else heard about this? If so where can we get it and how do we use it. My best suggestion is to use warm water and bleach (diluted). bleach will kill staph. A skin infection is easier treated. The most important thing is not to let it get to far ahead. Once you get a small red pimple and it starts to grow or have pus coming from it take a bowl of warm water and about a teaspoon of bleach and wash rag and clean it 3 times a day and it should go away. Do not let it go unchecked and uncleaned, there is a chance it will get into your blood stream. My only and most effective defense against this bacteria is prayer.
Hey guys, please give me a email when you read this, it is paulbriggs1990@yahoo.com. See I have this spot on my arm that is getting darker I believe, I noticed it about a little over 25 hours or so ago. I also have a disease many of you know as COPD, "Chronic Obstructive Pulmanary Disease." I am 18 years old, and dont have much good of a immune system, for exp. I have had what is know as scarlet fever three times in my life, it is rare to get it 1 time. I don't have good lungs obviously due to COPD and I am getting scared this may be Staph. I do not have health insurance due to the economy, and no more job. so please let me know if I should risk those really big hospital bills to get checked out just to find out it is nothing. Or it could be staph. Please email me back I will not be back on this site most likely to read yalls answer. Thanks, and god bless.
Paul Briggs, "paulbriggs1990@yahoo.com
Yes presently MRSA is the most dreaded bacterial infection.It is resistant to most of the common antibiotics.
Let me just say...MRSA is often caused by people continually over their life span stopping the antibiotics prescribed sooner than prescribed. If the prescrition is for 10 days twice a day and you feel better after 3 days...you can't stop taking them...you must take the full course. If you stop taking them then you are only empowering those little staph bugs and building their immunity to antibiotics. Just like we take vaccinations...it is like vaccinating the staph against our antibiotics!
I had MRSA in my digestive track about 6 months ago and I was on antibiotics for 24 days. To this day I still feel like crap, but I do not have it in my system anymore because I have been tested many times since I first tested positive for it. Thanks to the MRSA in my digestive tract, the DR now thinks that I have Irritable Bowel Syndrome because of it as well. MRSA sucked then and is still sucking the life out of me.
Thanks to the mis-use of antibiotics by patients for this problem. The one thing that I've found that works extremely well for these infections is low level or cold laser therapy. I had one young girl brought into my office for a skin infection which turned out to be boils caused by MRSA. I used the cold laser shining it on the area of the infection as well as the area of the nerve root that innervate that region. A few days later I learned that had started to dry up and go away. We ended up treating her one more time just to make sure but it did a beautiful job getting rid of the infection. No side-effects and no worries!
I see that my father-in-law seems to be having this kind of staph infection. I am seeing it in him since past 20 years now and he is still living along with it.
My 25yr old beautiful younger sister died 8 months ago from sipsemia. or toxic shock syndrome...she had what she thought was a mosquito bite, went to the hospital as it became painful and filled with puss. They drained it and gave her some antibiotics (no one telling us it might be staph)...5 weeks after that as the wound was getting better she had fever, then vomiting and dioriahea went to the hospital again and they sent her home saying it might just be a flu/virus and return if it persists. Within the next 24hrs my sister wnet in shock and died...The culture revealed staph areus. We had never heard of such a thing till this tragedy...I still don't understand it or how my sister died...is it the doctors fault? Is it the nature of the bacteria? Is it a combinatioin of factors that contributed? We don't know...We obviously are still in shock and in incredible pain to lose such a beautiful young person as my sisiter Rebecca. Please tell me who is at fault? I'm Angry!
Nancy,
I would say this was a freak occurrence, but with the outbreak of staph in hospitals and nursing homes a doctor should have gotten a culture of her boil. If I were you I would contact a lawyer. I am truly sorry for your loss! I work in health care and my 6 year old step daughter has had Mrsa and is acceptable to it when ever she comes in contact with the bacteria or gets an infection. I worry about bringing something home to her constantly.
What an informative hub, wish you had written this 3 years ago when I contracted this type of infection after my last child was born through C-section. If I had known more of the symptoms, I could have been treated earlier with less damaging results. Of course that did not happen, I had a private nurse tend to me 4 days a week for 3 months because of the severity of the infection. I had necrotic tissue and a gaping hole in my abdomen. The worst experience I have ever lived through! Thanks for this hub, hopefully others will be better prepared and know what to at least expect.
arghh i have one on my leg right now... been on anti biotic for 3 days now it still filling up with shit after being drained twice
Well my son has been goin to an eye dr and we just found out that he has staph infection. My god I'm the one that had to suggest that she do a culture on his eye bcuz it was just not healing. My son has lost some of his eyesight due to this not being diagnosed sooner. Sometimes you just have to be persistant with these drs bcuz they sure dont care but they like takin ur money.
I had a boil that got as big as a golf ball. Went to the dr. and he lanced it. He put a packing in it to keep it draining for a week. I went back to get the packing taken out and he said it wasn't there that it must have fallen out. I waited a few months with it draining all of the time. I figured it was just deep and would heal. I also thought about how much better it felt when it was open and not filling up with pus. Then I got worried. I went back to the doctor because I could see the packing in the wound. He looked me in the eye and boldly told me there was no way that packing was still in there. He did take a culture and sent it off only to find out I have a staph infection. My question to anyone who might know is, "Could leaving that packing in so long and keeping the wound open have caused me to get staph?" By the way, I pulled it out myself and am taking it to dr's office this week. I have an appointment to check to see if the staph is gone for now.
Stanely 9 --- I have had MRSA since December 2008 and have gotten several boils over the last 6 months. I was on 4 antibotics and as soon as I got off the medication they came back. MRSA (STAPH) causes boils so it is quite possible that you already had it. Good thing the Dr took a culture that is very important. I finally just got a culture of it last week and am on Clindamycin 300 mgs 2 x per day for 10 days and then doxicycline for 30 days to try to get rid of this awful super bug. Now I am trying to determine if I should take my dog in for a nasal swab to see if he has MRSA in his nose cause I don't want to get reinfected. I am a 38 year very healthy person and the last 6 months has been very sad for me. I am afraid to touch anything or go anyway if fear I may give this to someone else or I may get it again. I hope so much that this the last antibotic I will have to take for a very long time as the antibotics take a toll on me. I clean my house every day with bleach and lysol. I wash my sheets every other day. And my husband (which I believe him to be a carrier) is swabbing his nose twice per day with Bactroban ointment to kill the staph in his nose. I wonder if my dog should be de-colonzied also. I hope your staph is gone and never comes back...
Hey I was wondering. My son has MRSA, He is almost 3. He got it from my inlaws. anyway does anyone know if you have had MRSA is it easier for you to get it agian??? (Easier then someone who has never had it?
I just finished my staph meds but now theres a really hard area all around it and it seams like it might be starting to get red again. I have seen 4 doctors in 3 weeks about this.
We really do need to take our health into our own hands, The first doc said i had a pimple, the next said boil and the next said cyst. After a culture it was said to be staff. We need to do our own research and not depend soely on the Doctors. Stick to the basics, eat right, excersise, stay happy and wash your hands!
I'm 43 I've been breaking out on my chin and neck terribly for about a month. I was on Accutane about 4 yrs ago and was pretty sure it wasn't acne. My face has been red, some of the breakouts are extremely swollen and hurt and I can feel them under the skin right before they break out. I went to the dermatologist and he said he was sure we weren't dealing with acne or roscea any longer and it could be a low grade staph infection. He took some cultures and I should have the results back tomorrow. Today my husband took our 1 yr old puppy to the vet because he has sores on his stomach and hind legs - he's had one or two here an there for awhile, but the last month it's been getting progressively worse. The vet took some scrapings and it came back positive for staph. Can this be a coincidence - I keep reading that you can't get staph from your pets. Would we have gotten the infection from the same source or do you think my dog already had it and I got it from him? It is possible that after grooming him and inspecting his sores that I touched my chin or neck prior to washing my hands which would explain why I may have it.
Spencer says:
2 years ago
Does anyone know how long the virus lives outside the body in the ambient air?