Chronic MRSA Infections

[ruru2244]

I have had multiple MRSA infections for over 2 years. The symptoms I have are cellulitis and abcesses. Ive been on oral antibiotics for 2 years, IV antibiotics several times, and have had at least 20 infections I & D. I have had them everywhere but majority of them have been under my arm. I recently had surgery under my arms for MRSA related hydranitis supprativa (sp)? Will I ever get rid of this ? Is there any cure ? all my cultures have came back positive for MRSA. I even get infections when on antibiotics ?

[ruru2244]

Thanks for your information ! I will look into it. Im desperate for help. I just had surgery under my arms for this..and now I have a large new one ! My daughter is in school getting her doctor in acupuncture and oriental medicine. She was told that using a blue light on the abcesses will work. Has anyone heard of this ??

[caregiver222]

You have to read the book "The Body Electric" (published 1985) to see the nightmare encountered by the late Dr. Becker in promulgating his treatment. Becker was a researcher for the Veteran's Administration and an orthopedic surgeon. Maggots work well in deep-infected wounds. They only consume dead tissue. I have personal knowledge of a young woman with a breast infection. She was homeless and maggots got into a deep infected breast wound. They completely debrided the wound, and after a short course of antibiotics she healed and was released. I remember seeing the critters come from her wound when she was admitted. The silver treatment is easy. The silvered silk is now available on the internet quite reasonably. It must be kept soaked in saline, covered with a sterile dressing and a small battery used soldered to the positive side on the silver and the negative pole attached to an EKG pasty on the other side of the limb. Miniscule amounts of current are necessary to cause migration of the ions. It will not help in a systemic blood infection. Dr. Becker used this treatment on cases of drug-resistant osteomyelitis in 78 patients.

[mkh9]

Do this use in regular hospitals? Or where do you get the treatment done? My friends sister in law needs help too. She has diabetes too and is thinking of the maggots but it would good to have other options as well.
mkh9

[caregiver222]

You should consider treatment with silver-coated silk, available on the internet. The treatment was devised at the Syracuse Veteran's Administration in 1975 by Dr. Robert O. Becker. A small battery has the positive end attached to the silk-silver dressing, which is soaked in saline. The other end is attached to a stick-on electrode from an EKG unit or a TENS machine. Only a tiny bit of current is necessary. The saline must be kept moist.  The silver ions migrate to the inside of the flesh to a depth of about 1/4 inch. This treatment was developed to combat staph infections and osteomyelitis. It is described in the book "The Body Electric".

[mkh9]

I don't know if they are all the same you could give them a call to see if you qualify in your area. I would get a phase II trail not a 1 or a III. The reason is that a phase 1 will give you the drug but they don't know if it works at that stage or what level to give you so it includes a dosing stage so you may not get the right dose. Phase II already has that worked out and will give you the drug but is a smaller size that phase III. Phase III may or may not give you the "drug" as they have to give half the placebo. Now if this is the trail for the maggots I don't know how they work out dosing but I still think they would use something as a placebo. I'm sure they would tell you something about that but sometimes they don't want to tell you everything about the placebo because then you will know it is a placebo. so the best bet is a phase II. Otherwise, it depends on what their inclusion criteria is. If you fit the criteria then you can try for it. Yes definitely diabetis has something to do with your healing and immune system. But still if you have the type of MRSA that has percistant bacteria it may be a problem but it is worth a try. Let me know how it goes.
mkh9

[ruru2244]

Thanks again !! Yes ! I was bit by a bobcat...they are alot bigger than regular cats. It was so scarey and painful to go through. Thanks also for sending the links to the articles. I have looked at a couple sites that advertise med trials. Are they all the same or is there one in particular I should check in to ?? I also have diabetes so Im sure that affects all my wounds!!

[mkh9]

p.s. now they use sterile gauze to put the maggots in so they wouldn't be directly on your skin I understand.
mkh9

[mkh9]

Wow, bad bite! Cat bite wounds have about 10 bacteria (anaerobic) in each bite. You could have gotten something other than MRSA that wouldn't respond to the MRSA drugs. Also you can get cat scratch fever. This can cause lots of problems. Let me get back to you tomorrow I am wiped. But no the rabies itself and the MRSA don't have anything to do with each other. But the MRSA may have been in the bite wound. The bite may have pushed the MRSA on your skin into a pocket in the bite. As for the maggots, i'm sure how they do it but it is supposed to cure the local wound.  Here is a link:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/05/070503094447.htm

Looks like it works very well on diabetic ulcers with MRSA with no problems! You just never know. It heals the wounds faster than antibiotics.
mkh9
mkh9

[ruru2244]

Thanks a bunch for all your help ! I really appreciate it...maybe I keep getting it because the majority of time Ive been on bactrim. I am allergic to penicillin and vancomycin so maybe thats why she tells me the options left are limited. I had not heard about using maggots to treat the MRSA. How do you do it ? Do you put them on each abcess each time ? Does it actually cure the MRSA ?  I also wanted to ask you..about 2 years ago I was attacked and bitten on the hand by a bobcat that tested positive for rabies. I had about 8 puncture wounds and a big scratch that went down my arm. I started the rabies shots 2 days later and at the same time admitted to the hospital because the bites were infected. I was in the hospital 2 weeks om IV antibiotics then I went home on IV antibiotics for three more weeks. Could there possibly be any connection with the positive exposure to rabies and the MRSA ? Appreciate all your help !!

[mkh9]

I am not a doctor I am a microbiologist. So I can't prescribe drugs to you. But I can make suggestions to you to ask your doctor about or suggest you get another doctor if you don't like or trust this one. For one thing bacterim is not a strong enough drug or doesn't work well enough against MRSA so  I wouldn't recommend it. Rifampin is good . If you are allergic to Penicillin then it cuts out a lot of possible antibiotics.  That is the main problem your ID doctor is having. They can't use a lot of the newer and stronger antibiotics because they are all types of cephalosporins which people that are allergic to penicillin would be allergic to these too.  There are some antibiotics called carbapenems but these are variable in  resistance and have to be tested each time. I haven't heard of cubacin. I don't know what the tunnel is other than what it sounds like. It doesn't sound good that the skin is black. I'm so sorry you are going through all this. I can look up the tunnel tomorrow. I hope you get better soon. I have bad veins too but they can get one vein luckily.  So it sounds like your MRSA was hospital acquired since you got it at a nursing home. It may be good that it is draining though. I hate to say this and you will be grossed out by it but I'll tell you anyway. They actually use maggots for treatment of MRSA. It is farmed or laboratory grown, sterile maggots. I know I hate to bring it up. They are confined or caged. I know you may think I'm crazy. They are actually using this treatment when antibiotics fail. Not that you would want to do it but I would have to find out where they do it. I hope they come out though with the one that gets rid of the persistant cells like I mentioned before. I think that is what you have. The Meloxicam and Minocycline are ok as well. So I guess they are doing what they can. I'll have to look up the tunnel later. I have to leave for the doctor. Sorry I had to mention the maggot cure, Yuk, LOL.
take care,
mkh9

[mkh9]

Got your message. I'll get back to you soon. I have a blood draw and doctors appointment today. I will try to write in a bit.
mkh9

[ruru2244]

I appreciate all your help !! Im not positive where I got MRSA but I was volunteering at 2 nursing homes so my doctors suspect thats where I got it . I also made a mistake about the surgery I had under my arms..I told you it was the end of June but it was the end of May. As I mentioned I got a postop infection under one arm that the surgeon suspected was a MRSA infection. It opened up but eventually healed. Then about a week ago my incision turned black. I am also concerned I may have a tunnel. Can you tell me exactly whats a tunnel and what they feel like ? Then Saturday it opened up again...bleed alot then it has been draining since. Im calling my surgeon tomorrow . You asked what antibiotics Ive been on. Majority of the time its been bactrim.The culture comes back saying bactrim should cover it..but I was still getting abcesses even while on it. Ive been recently on bactrim and rifampin. In the past Ive been on meloxicam, minocycline, clindamycin and when I was on IV antibiotics I was started on vancomycin but had a bad allergic reaction...since that happened Ive been on IV cubacin.Ive also been putting mupirocin in my nose. I am also allergic to penicillin.  Recently I saw my ID doctor and she stopped the rifampin and decreased the bactrim to 3 days a week. I am so so tired of this. As I mentioned I have had the infections everywhere but most of them under both arms. I also know the surgery is not a cure since I have had them other places. Does it sound like my incision is infected to you ?  Ive looked it up and my ID doctor says I am not contagious unless I have a open draining wound..is this right ? I am very careful about what I eat and I also dont use a razor to shave. I constantly wash my hands too. Im not so sure about my ID doctor. The first of the year I was on cubacin then she had it opened and cultured because after 2 weeks on the cubacin it was still infected. She stopped the cubacin before the culture came back..then the culture came back positive for MRSA again. She didnt restart the cubacin. Another problem is my veins are so bad I always have to have a PICC line...appreciate all your help !!

[mkh9]

p.s. did you acquire your infection from home or around the community or from the hospital.
thx,
mkh9

[mkh9]

Yeah, it is terrible what you are going through. The times when you get reinfected even when on antibiotics means the MRSA is resistant to that antibiotic or partially resistant. What antibiotics has the ID doc had you on? Are you allergic to penicillin or sulfa drugs? There are a couple of antibiotics that are new that are for resistant strains of MRSA. The problem is some of these antibiotics can ruin your hearing and kidneys. So, the doctor may be trying to save these. If all  else failed then they would give it to you (if it became totally life threatening or got into your blood). But you can let me know what antibiotics they have used and I can take a look. So, it does sound like you have been very diligent in handling the Staph. The other thing is to boost your natural immunity. Eat lots of anti-oxidants, fruits and veggies and whole grains. Low in meats and no white rice, white sugar etc. I hope you read the article I sent. But I wish it was out in clinical trials or as a treatment. I will  look for more info on it.
take care,
mkh9

[ruru2244]

Thanks for your response. I've cleaned everything...including washing my body with hibicleans at least 3-4 times weekly. I've had the abscesses and cellulitis everywhere including one on my groin, on my upper butt, on my arm, on my stomach..and bunches under my arms...they usually have to be opened , drained and packed....then I get them even when I'm on antibiotics !! I'm SO tired of this. As I mentioned I just had surgery under my arms to clean it out and take out the cysts...I even got infected in one incision post-op it broke open draining when I  had the stitches in. I had the surgery end of june and it healed after breaking open..then today it broke open again...bleeding everywhere..I think I have a tunnel too and part of my incision is black !! also not very happy with my ID doctor...when I get infected she doesn't change my antibiotics that much and she tells me Ive about exhausted all my antibiotic options. After my abscesses are opened they usually...not all the time go away then they come back..the ones under my arms have been the most stubborn and usually the hardest to get rid of .thanks for your help !!

[mkh9]

I'm sorry you have been having this problem. One thing is that it is possible you have been reinfecting yourself and/or are more more susceptible to it. Have you always had it under the arm or was the cellulitis in the leg? There are persistant strains. These are hard to get rid of. They are researching this and have come up with a cure but it isn't in clinical trials yet. Maybe they will fast track it.  Do they totally clear the infection for a while then it comes back? Have you tried washing everything with bleach and your clothes and sheets, towels, counter tops, and all surfaces, shower knobs, faucet handles etc. 10% bleach is strong enough. They are researching ADEP and using this together with antibiotics linezolid and rifampicin and this eradicates for the first time persistant MRSA. So, it is something to hope for in the near future. In the meantime keep getting treated and look for clincial trails for this.  If you want to read about it the link is:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/11/131113144109.htm
If you have any more questions feel free I will tray to answer them.