MRSA Infections

[casc]

A year ago my brother had a spot come up on his arm and had a fever.  He went to the ER and was admitted and told he has MRSA.  He has no insurance, and they ran an iv with antibiotics for three days and sent him home.  In the last year he's been admitted to the hospital three times.  He is exhausted, he looks like he is dying.  He is pale and on a good day his fever will only get to 102.  He now has one on his head and it hurts to even put his head down on a pillow.  He also has one beginning around his groind area and he's completely scared.  I am scared for him.  He is 23 years old with 3 children.  He feels so helpless that last night he told me dying would be better then living like this.
I just don't know where to take him?  He has seen a "infectious disease specialist" but she just dopes him up with pain meds and gives him antibiotics and sends him home.  With him not having insurance it's difficult.  My real question though is, could this be internal?  Could this kill my brother?

[mandy12345678910]

i have this really unattractive rash under my breasts. it smells absoultely
awful. My mother is a rt at lluch. she deals with MRSA alot and told me that it smelled like some of the kids she works with. Can somebody tell what it really is? she said it was just hyeigne but i dont think so.

[fancyk41]

I was recently diagnosed with MRSA and in it in my right eye.  Extremely painful and swelled so badly it seems like it will bust.  I am on dissability and worry, I am on the antibiotics given to me but I am still scared.  Is it common to get MRSA in the eye?  It started in my mouth (Ithought it was a canker sore) soon as my mouth healed my eye went bad.  The pain is overwhelming.  Should I be scared?

Kim 41

[shirley23]

I live in Florida, and MRSA infections have been a problem here, too. Several people with whom I come into contact at school or work have become infected, and I was wondering if anyone here could help me figure out whether I should be concerned about a small pimple-like growth that has come up in my mouth.

I haven't heard of MRSA infections showing up in peoples' mouths before, and it's possible that the bump in my mouth is just a canker sore, but I want to know when I should start worrying and see my doctor. Do you think it would be safe to rinse it with peroxide and/or use canker sore medication on it?

[painsux]

MRSA / Staff Infection is here in Roane County TN.  I know cuz my one yr old grand daughter has contracted it from high school students.  She is in severe pain due to the BOILS... its so unfair and unjust that a person has to worry about such.  You can go to Wal Mart and catch this ****...I know we all have some staff on our skin, in our noses etc...the Regional Health Dept. here in TN have stated that HYGIENE is the key...whatever, I think its where our Dr.s are prescribing anti biotics for something they shouldn't and we are messing with the DNA of these germs and they have become resistent to medication.  So therefore when we have an outbreak we are all at risk because no meds out there will cure the problem.  I know for a fact that MRSA is running quickly here.  I know of at least 15 students at a county school here have had BOILS...so this stuff is very contagious...then the general population such as my grand daughter gets into contact with a family member who has boils...and she gets it...she has a weak immune system and some other medical problems...so at this time she is running the risk of getting very ill....she cried for 2 hours straight the other night just as if someone put her hand in boiling water...it was awful...nothing seems to be working...she hasn't been put on the IV treatment yet, but they are talking that that is the next step...I think we have a problem with MRSA and everyone needs to be careful...cuz its here...and its not going away...

[karlinicole]

For the past two weeks or so, the deadly MRSA bacteria has been passing through many schools in my state.  I am afraid because I have heard rumors that a few cases of MRSA or Staph infection have been reported at my school.  My mom has purchased alcohol-based hand sanitizer for me to carry from class to class with me.  I also wash my hands frequently at school, and avoid using other's personal items such as razors, towels, sport/gym uniforms, deodorant, etc.  I have been steering clear of the public restrooms at my school at all cost.  I was wondering if you have any more tips on preventing Staph, and can you explain what it does to your body and how you can get rid of it if it is resistant to antibiotics? Will the students who catch it die?  I'm just really confused, and any explanation would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

-Karli

[princesspisces]

mom broke her neck, had 3 operations in just less than a month. when she got home the 2nd or 3rd time, her neck exploded all over the bedroom. so i was helping her and then it just bursted, all of me, you name it-everywhere.

it got in my mouth, eyes, hair, nose, in my cuts the i had.

that was nov 04. mom had the 3 operations, found out she had MRSA on the 2nd operation.......i think.........i could be wrong.

anyways,

dec 04 i went to the doctor, i was sick, couldnt understand what exactly it is/was. gave me some meds, 2 days later im back at the doctors. i feel sicker, i feel like sh*t. they said that i could have something like mono or it was Epstein-Barr Virus or so they say. so i ended up taking these meds. next thing you know im in the childrens ER(i was 17 at the time) they said that i was having a sereve allergic reaction. they did tests, i have 'hives' & my pee was neon greenish-blue, it was kinda cool in a way, i mean it glowed in the dark-kind of lol.

i went to the doctor yet again, told him what happened to me, & he said that it was impossable that i have an allgeric reaction to the drug, since i had been on it many times before. ok doc whatever.
so i change doctors(i mean i was turning 18 soon enough) i got sick, this doctor put me on that drug the other put me on. we didnt think of it, & it wasnt in my chart(s) whatsoever. so who know, you know?
week of my junior prom(april '05) i lost about 5-7 inches of my hair, i had 'hives' from head to toe. everyone at school thought i had herpies & some other things. went to the doctor, he said that i was having a allergic reaction. takes me off of it.

so me being the stupid one, got out a pin broke one of the 'pimples' it blurst got into my eyes & mouth. im like i know this taste, i know it. then got me thinking ok where did i taste this taste before then i realised from moms neck.

i ask my new md, to see what exactly it was, if was indeed fact mrsa(granted we didnt know that much about mrsa then, like we do right now) he said no, i was being a drama queen

so last yr at my highschool i was gonna give blood, they checked my arms, & said no, b/c of my arms. they said that i was severly infection with SOMETHING. well i left school, called dad told him it was 'cuz i passed out due to giving blood(never gave blood-but he bought the story) anyways so i go to the walk in center. they didnt do anything for me whatsoever. finally go to my skin doctor, i asked him to culture it, it was all over me still. i told him to check my arms & breasts. so he popped some & got this pinky-yellow-golden blood colour out of me. i flat out told him, 'look mom has this mrsa infection still after 2 yrs now. its in her hardware they wont take out the rest of it, 'cuz if they do she'll be like superman. so i told him that i have tasted this **** before & stuff, runs the tests. & sure enough its mrsa. well im HIGHLY allergic to everything sulfa/sulfur drugs. so cant take anything like that.

i finally go to an ID doctor whos younger & partners w/ mom's ID doctor. 'oh you're fine, STOP scratching at your skin' 'you are doing this to yourself you have like OCD' 'go see a shrink' WTF?! how dare him! so then i told him 'look i have bumps.....'down there' as well. so i got undressed he looks for like 2 mins if that. 'oh you have herpies!'

EXCUSE me?! how the hell could i have gotten herpies if i wasnt active whatsoever?! ggrrrrrrr

this is says its epstein barr but it looks more like mrsa to me.
you be the judge.

mom had a reaction to the vancomycin. i know that i still have mrsa. now my grandma has it, my dad, mom & me. we all think that my grandfather has it too. my 1 yr old niece has/had it as well

i'll finish this up later. im gonna rest for a bit

[Jenna24]

My mom has MRSA but hers is so bad that she had to undergo heart Valve replacement sursery and also had two strokes if your brothers is not treated right he can die mom almost did if her friend would have not found her she would have. Now she lives with me and takes IV antiboctics everyday but through a home health compnay I do it through her PIC line they left in. She is doing well but the cost of all these drugs to make her better is costly and I"ve been trying to get her on mEdiciad for ahwile now.

[meikman]

I believe that the only treatment for MRSA in through IV.  There is no pill form treatment.  My dad first contracted it after a surgery as with the second time.  The third was a surprise because he had not had a surgery and it was on his leg.  My father is a very ill man and is in and out of the hospital all the time.  It is very very rare for someone to contract MRSA without having a hospital stay.  I would have your brother contact his childrens Dr to let he/she know that he has MRSA.  They'll be able to give you all the info and will want to keep a closer eye on any infections the children might have as long as the dad has active MRSA.  I know that with my mother needed both her knees replaced the Dr.s are not going to do it because of my dad MRSA, she is more likely to get it.  My father wont live much longer and they are waiting until then but they are old people.

It is just wrong that your brother can not receive proper care just because he doesn't have insurance.  If his Dr wont treat him he should at least give him a name and number of a Dr that will.  Maybe he could get a copy of his records and go to the hospital board and tell him his story and how can he get treatment.  It almost seems like he needs to get so sick that he can't work and be a productive person in society before he can get any help.  It's just wrong but thats the way or govt works.

[casc]

Thank you so much for your insight!!!  I really appreciate it.
Yes, the way  you've described treatment is how another gentleman I know was treated.  However, he had insurance, so that's back to the question of how uninsured people receive property medical treatment.  He's applied for medicaid, but they turned him down.  According to their numbers he makes too much money-and the company he works for provides insurance but his starting date made him uneligable until January of 07.  And, then you have the concerns of "pre-existing conditions" not being covered.  It is just a sad situation.
However, do you know if there IS treatment?  Your father sounds like he's receiving proper care but has still had treatment three times.  Is this some sort of "super bug" that once you get it, you'll have it forever?  Also, you mentioned being carriers, he's a father to a 2 year old girl, and he has twin boys that are 5 months old, should he be doing something to protect them?  That is interesting though, because this summer his daughter had a "boil" come up under her armpit and the doctor had to lance it twice.  Is there any way that might be connected?
Any answers would be greatly appreciated!!

[meikman]

My father has had MRSA 3 times now.  His treatments are different though.  He has been told that there is only 2 antibotics that can treat this.  His treatments are a long process.  He has to go to the hospital everyday for his IV antibiotic.  First the give him something for his allergy to the medicine he has to then wait 1/2 hour and the infussion takes about 3 hours.  He'll have to do this every day up to about a month or so.  The Dr will see him ever so often to see how the MRSA is coming along and to say how much longer the treatments will be. It is extremly expensive.  He gets charged for a hospital room for every day of treatment and the meds is very costly.

I understand that it is a very serious infection that has to be treated.  I was also told that everyone that has come in contact with my Dad is now a carrier therefore could get it thierselfes.

There is something very wrong with our system that a person without insurance can not get proper care.  Has he tried to get on Medicaid or go to a hospital that simply cannot turn anyone away?  I am not sure what they are called but I believe that you have to be a resident of that county to receive treatment.