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Have a staph infection and don't know anything about it or what to do!
I have had a rash under my arms for a week or two. I went to the dermatologist and she said it looked like staph. I have had a few before and one time I had MRSA. I have a skin condition (hidredentitus supperitiva) and I also have a weakened immune system due to ulcerative colitis.
When I have had them in the past I haven't really googled or looked into it. I have taken antibiotics and gone about my day. This time, now that I am older, I googled. I AM NOW PETRIFIED. Here are my concerns.
1.) I am worried that I spread it to people in these last few weeks. I know I wear a shirt and it was under my arm, but if something oozed, and it was on my clothes and someone touched it, I could have infected them. I work as a teacher and kids hug me all the time. At a restaurant, a lady was passing me and cupped my shoulder and touched that area.
2.) What if I spread it now?! Can I only spread it if I touch the infected area and then touch someone, or am I just contagious in general. Like, if someone touches my leg they could get it even though it isn't there.
3.) I am afraid to touch ANYTHING. Again, I don't want to spread it to anyone. I am afraid to pass out papers to my kids, use my debit card at a store, etc. I am afraid of everything.
4.) What do I do about my couches?! I am afraid there are germs on them.
5.) Could I be a carrier or something?? I have had a few infections now, does that mean I am a carrier?! I once had my nose swabbed and was negative for Staph and MRSA, but I was also on an antibiotic previously, so it may have still been in my system.
Sorry for all my questions but I am FREAKING OUT.
When I have had them in the past I haven't really googled or looked into it. I have taken antibiotics and gone about my day. This time, now that I am older, I googled. I AM NOW PETRIFIED. Here are my concerns.
1.) I am worried that I spread it to people in these last few weeks. I know I wear a shirt and it was under my arm, but if something oozed, and it was on my clothes and someone touched it, I could have infected them. I work as a teacher and kids hug me all the time. At a restaurant, a lady was passing me and cupped my shoulder and touched that area.
2.) What if I spread it now?! Can I only spread it if I touch the infected area and then touch someone, or am I just contagious in general. Like, if someone touches my leg they could get it even though it isn't there.
3.) I am afraid to touch ANYTHING. Again, I don't want to spread it to anyone. I am afraid to pass out papers to my kids, use my debit card at a store, etc. I am afraid of everything.
4.) What do I do about my couches?! I am afraid there are germs on them.
5.) Could I be a carrier or something?? I have had a few infections now, does that mean I am a carrier?! I once had my nose swabbed and was negative for Staph and MRSA, but I was also on an antibiotic previously, so it may have still been in my system.
Sorry for all my questions but I am FREAKING OUT.
COMMUNITY LEADER
I am sorry you are having these problems. I think you should see another doctor to get diagnosed by having either a culture done or molecular test to confirm that you have a staph aureus and/or MRSA infection. MRSA is just the form of staph that is more resistant to antibiotics. You don't normally spread staph aureus or MRSA by hugging because the clothes cover the area. So if the area is covered you should be okay. But I would consult a doctor especially an infectious disease doctor since they are really knowledgeable about these kinds of things over this to calm you down and maybe get a letter of clearance. You should be treated if it is MRSA. But just Staph aureus. If is a large area and is sensitive to antibiotics they may want to treat you. It may be folliculitis due to your skin problem. After treatment you may want to take a probiotic for a couple of weeks. Here are some links. I don't know it may make you worry since you don't know if you have MRSA (resistant staph) or not.
So , you can transmit staphylococci by touching the staph itself on your skin but not areas where there is no staph. I would see if you have staph that is sensitive or resistant to antibiotics (MRSA). Either way they are treatable.
These links are for MRSA but you can look at the way it is transmitted (spread) and see how to avoid those ways). If you wear a shirt with long sleeves I think that would take care of it. If it is oozing in an area cover it with a bandage. But It is not up to me . You need to see a doctor to have them tell you if it is a Staph infection or just a rash or part of your skin condition. If that dermatologist thinks it is staph then you may want a second opinion. Get treated if necessary. Then you can cover the areas and do what the doctor recommends. Try to stay calm these things happen. Kids get impetigo caused by staph a lot and other things. So we all have some staph on our bodies normally. It is just whether it is causing you harm and whether it is contagious or resistant. So find that out and see what steps to take.
So like I said these are for resistant Staph. But take out the parts that are for how it is spread. I hope this helps.
https://www.cdc.gov/mrsa/community/index.html#community
https://www.cdc.gov/mrsa/community/schools/index.html
Let me know if you have any questions. But I would see another doctor.
1. First find out if you have MRSA or regular staph. If you were covered you probably didn't spread it.
2. To my knowledge the staph infection has to be there to spread it. Use good hand washing technique. Change towels often and any clothing that came in contact with the sores or scabs etc. As for furniture. You can cover it when people come over with a sheet or other material and wash that. I'm not 100% sure how long it takes for the staph to die off on a surface. I think it can stay for a while if it is humid. But I would bring that up. You can disinfect counter tops easily .
3. You can't help what other people have. If they don't have scabs or sores then everyone single person has normal bacteria including you and me. Staph is a normal bacteria. It can become an infection if you get a break in the skin or it has a toxin or is a resistant strain. There are just some circumstances that make it cause infection. Don't touch your eyes, nose or mouth or face if you haven't washed your hands well. We have normal skin bacteria all over our bodies. It has a couple of types of staph, bacillus species, sometimes other bacteria. Our anal areas, vaginal, urinary tract, even eyes have some bacteria. Our mouths normally have a lot of bacteria. These normal bacteria serve to fight off the pathogenic or bad bacteria by having so many of them or competition that you out compete food for the bad bacteria. So try not to worry.
4. See my answer above. Ask your doctor how long staph lasts on a material like a sofa. I don't know for sure. But you can cover it with a sheet and wash it. Until you find out what you have.
5. If you were negative before for MRSA then you probably are not a carrier. So, if you have regular staph and it is not resistant to antibiotics it doesn't matter if you are "carrying" it. See what I said above about normal bacteria.
You may be getting more infections than other people due to your drugs or skin condition. So that may also be something to bring up with your doctor. But I think you are jumping the gun. Get information from your doctor as to what you have. Don't worry you will be fine.
Regards,
mkh9
So , you can transmit staphylococci by touching the staph itself on your skin but not areas where there is no staph. I would see if you have staph that is sensitive or resistant to antibiotics (MRSA). Either way they are treatable.
These links are for MRSA but you can look at the way it is transmitted (spread) and see how to avoid those ways). If you wear a shirt with long sleeves I think that would take care of it. If it is oozing in an area cover it with a bandage. But It is not up to me . You need to see a doctor to have them tell you if it is a Staph infection or just a rash or part of your skin condition. If that dermatologist thinks it is staph then you may want a second opinion. Get treated if necessary. Then you can cover the areas and do what the doctor recommends. Try to stay calm these things happen. Kids get impetigo caused by staph a lot and other things. So we all have some staph on our bodies normally. It is just whether it is causing you harm and whether it is contagious or resistant. So find that out and see what steps to take.
So like I said these are for resistant Staph. But take out the parts that are for how it is spread. I hope this helps.
https://www.cdc.gov/mrsa/community/index.html#community
https://www.cdc.gov/mrsa/community/schools/index.html
Let me know if you have any questions. But I would see another doctor.
1. First find out if you have MRSA or regular staph. If you were covered you probably didn't spread it.
2. To my knowledge the staph infection has to be there to spread it. Use good hand washing technique. Change towels often and any clothing that came in contact with the sores or scabs etc. As for furniture. You can cover it when people come over with a sheet or other material and wash that. I'm not 100% sure how long it takes for the staph to die off on a surface. I think it can stay for a while if it is humid. But I would bring that up. You can disinfect counter tops easily .
3. You can't help what other people have. If they don't have scabs or sores then everyone single person has normal bacteria including you and me. Staph is a normal bacteria. It can become an infection if you get a break in the skin or it has a toxin or is a resistant strain. There are just some circumstances that make it cause infection. Don't touch your eyes, nose or mouth or face if you haven't washed your hands well. We have normal skin bacteria all over our bodies. It has a couple of types of staph, bacillus species, sometimes other bacteria. Our anal areas, vaginal, urinary tract, even eyes have some bacteria. Our mouths normally have a lot of bacteria. These normal bacteria serve to fight off the pathogenic or bad bacteria by having so many of them or competition that you out compete food for the bad bacteria. So try not to worry.
4. See my answer above. Ask your doctor how long staph lasts on a material like a sofa. I don't know for sure. But you can cover it with a sheet and wash it. Until you find out what you have.
5. If you were negative before for MRSA then you probably are not a carrier. So, if you have regular staph and it is not resistant to antibiotics it doesn't matter if you are "carrying" it. See what I said above about normal bacteria.
You may be getting more infections than other people due to your drugs or skin condition. So that may also be something to bring up with your doctor. But I think you are jumping the gun. Get information from your doctor as to what you have. Don't worry you will be fine.
Regards,
mkh9
2 Comments
Thank you for your response! I have washed clothing I have worn recently on the sanitize cycle, along with towels I have used. I am also changing my sheets today.
The culture won't come back for a few days, but I have had staph infections in the past. I have really freaked myself out this time though because I have read so much online.
One of them is draining and it is covered with a bandage.
I wash my hands and use sanitizer a lot, and when I have changed the bandages I have used gloves.
I need to go shopping though and I am so afraid to leave the house! I don't want to infect anyone.
The culture won't come back for a few days, but I have had staph infections in the past. I have really freaked myself out this time though because I have read so much online.
One of them is draining and it is covered with a bandage.
I wash my hands and use sanitizer a lot, and when I have changed the bandages I have used gloves.
I need to go shopping though and I am so afraid to leave the house! I don't want to infect anyone.
You won't infect people if you have clean hands. Not sure what your main worry is right now?
mkh9
mkh9
Yes I have a golden staph colony and was freaking out on Christmas Eve- stress had helped create a cold sore my daughter just announced she was pregnant and her father in law has been diagnosed with a stage four cancer and we were all going to be in the same room. I was in tears in the drs room. He said be strong, stress can create serious problems (which stressed me out more lol). He said just wash your hands with soap and water, they wont catch anything and don't share your drinking or eating utensils. We are still able to work, I work with children too. as long as any wounds are covered and you wash your hands, they can hug, they arent going to catch anything. You cant sterilise everything at work or at home- we'll go insane. Anti bacterial furniture wipes and antibacterial spray eg Glen 20 for your lounge. No sheets on things, If your worried about spray affecting your lounge, Keep a fresh throw to put on lounge when visitors come. I was busy trying to work out how to sterilise everything-we just can't , we'll go mad. Wow this has been great therapy for me haha!! So glad I found this page-I felt alone.
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