Should I post MRSA pictures?

Wednesday, February 25, 2009 2:51 AM
I know yall must be so sick of me talking about MRSA- and I had planned on dropping it and trying to live my life again- its almost impossible- and not many people love their work more than I do. I even love getting super anally organized for school on the daily! Still super positive - and I am sure in my heart of hearts I won't die- I'm far too positive to go out in such a miserable way... so I'm glad for that to be able to spend more time all of you loves of my life :)

But I'd like yalls opinion - for my own curiosity, to see yalls, and follow the advice of an intelligent and most well-meaning mom I've ever met to maybe even spreading awareness of what to look for... Because CA-MRSA is spreading at a much more rapid speed ... God bless everyone who has had this awful illness- especially those in the health care field that are potentionally, if not already, loosing their jobs due to contracting this while performing their jobs.


CA-MRSA you can get simply from locker rooms, gyms, weaken immune system, lake-esc water, (yep before this month didnt spend much time in the ER and DEFINATLY not in the gym... makes sense how I could have gotten it--- no no no no no not saying just bc of all the flith I had to encounter during my years of lifeguarding/ managing, supervising lifeguards)- but I'm a lake junkie. And water and an open wound- also recipe for danger - eek


Seriously the pictures are really cool- in my opinion and so is everyone at work's opinion, my family's and stavinoha's (or they were all really good liars) In the hospital I thought it was almost as weird/ cool as I did from my transport to the hospital to the day the dr. who started/ opened the hospital and just wanted to check on my case daily couldn't get over the fact I had a normal looking appearence after 3 whole days. (i'd say meag thought the pictures were cool but i'm pretty sure she hated it),

found a good article on it- read if you want- if you don't i get it. i'll tell you what, it is so incredibly hard to constatntly feel like shit.

I told sissa not to post pictures of this past month for fear of being single the rest of my life... but * A GOOD LONG TIME FRIEND OF MINE* made a suggestion that since most people dont know what MRSA can look like- and I was a rough explample maybe it could help someone identify something before it gets too late. I was already really familiar with the infection so I knew exactly what was going on - took off of work at noon, got into the first dr. appt I could (4pm) stayed and chit-chatted with them (ones my aunt, the rest I have known for 22 yrs)- sure enough I wake up at 5am roughly 12 hours after I left the doctor looking like a quasi-disaster.. .def worse than I had ever seen at that time, but within 12 hours I had a damn grapefruit stuffed in one cheek and a lemon attached to my head.
The stats on MRSA are are a tad contradictory at times, but mostly go along this lines:

*25% of Americans get a STAPH infection yearly- a good part of them don't even know it (and thank God for that right now I ask you that!)

*Out of those 25% ish less than 1 % get MRSA

*Out of the less than 1%, 20,000 Americans die.

Now I wasn't reading wikipedia - in fact I've been reading up on all this as much as possible and thats the general, if not redundant, information thrown my way.I've read so much literature, I apologize if I accidently got some of the information wrong- please correct me.
Thanks again for coming over to my post :)



MRSA
Definition

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a bacterial infection that is highly resistant to some antibiotics.
Alternative Names

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus; Community-acquired MRSA (CA-MRSA); Hospital-acquired MRSA (HA-MRSA)
Causes

MRSA is caused by a strain of Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) bacteria. S. aureus is a common type of bacteria that normally lives on the skin and sometimes in the nasal passages. MRSA refers to S. aureus strains that do not respond to the antibiotics normally used to cure staph infections.

The bacteria can cause infection when they enter the body through a cut, sore, catheter, or breathing tube. The infection can be minor and local (for example, a pimple), or more serious (involving the heart, blood, or bone).

Serious staph infections are more common in people with weak immune systems. This includes patients in hospitals and long-term care facilities and those receiving kidney dialysis.

MRSA infections are grouped into two types:

* Healthcare-associated MRSA (HA-MRSA) infections occur in people who are or have recently been in the hospital. Those who have been hospitalized or had surgery within the past year are at increased risk. MRSA bacteria are responsible for a large percentage of hospital-acquired staph infections.
* Community-associated MRSA (CA-MRSA) infections are ones that occur in otherwise healthy people who have not recently been in the hospital. The infections have occurred among athletes who share equipment or personal items (such as towels or razors) and children in daycare facilities. Members of the military and those who get tattoos are also at risk. The number of CA-MRSA cases is increasing.

Symptoms

Staph skin infections cause a red, swollen, and painful area on the skin. Other symptoms may include:

* Drainage of pus or other fluids from the site
* Fever
* Skin abscess
* Warmth around the infected area

Symptoms of a more serious staph infection may include:

* Chest pain
* Chills
* Fatigue
* Fever
* General ill feeling (malaise)
* Headache
* Muscle aches
* Rash
* Shortness of breath

Exams and Tests

Depending on your symptoms, your doctor may recommend the following tests to detect and confirm the bacteria causing the infection:

* Blood culture
* Culture of the drainage (fluid) from the infection
* Skin culture from the infected site
* Sputum culture
* Urine culture

Treatment

Draining the skin sore is often the only treatment needed for a local skin MRSA infection. This can be done at the doctor's office.

More serious MRSA infections, especially HA-MRSA infections, are becoming increasingly difficult to treat. Antibiotics that may still work include:

* Clindamycin *DONE IT ETHER IV OR AT HOME- FIRST WEEKS WERE ROUGHER IF IN HOSPITAL I
HAD 10 IVS OF THIS AS WELLL*

* Linezolid (Zyvox)
MAYBE THE THIRD SET OF 10 IVS OF ANTIBOTICS

* Tetracycline (doxycycline) *MEDS IM ON NOW- DR. SAID ITS COMPARABLE TO A KID ON ACNE
WHERE THEY APPARENTLY HAVE TO TAKE A MEDICINE FOR A FEW MONTHS UNTIL IT GOES
AWAY? WE'RE TRYING TO KILL THE INFECTION AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE*

* Trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (Bactrim, Bactrim DS, Septra, Septra DS)
*ON PRE HOSPTIAL STAY*

* Vancomycin (Vancocin, Vancoled)
i THINK THIS WAS ONE OF THE ONES THROUGH MY IV, SO 10 IVS OF THESE

It is important to finish all doses of antibiotics you have been given, even if you feel better before the final dose. Unfinished doses can lead to further drug resistance in the bacteria, or can cause an infection that seemed to be cured to return.

Other treatments may be needed for more serious infections. The person will be admitted to a hospital. Treatment may involve:

* Fluids and medications given through a vein
* Kidney dialysis (if kidney failure occurs)
* Oxygen

Support Groups

For more information about MRSA, see the Centers for Disease Control web site: www.cdc.gov.
Outlook (Prognosis)

How well a person does depends on the severity of the infection and their overall health. MRSA-related pneumonia and blood poisoning are associated with high death rates.
Possible Complications

Serious staph infections may lead to:

* Blood poisoning (sepsis)
* Cellulitis
* Infection of the heart valves (endocarditis)
* Pneumonia
* Toxic shock syndrome

Organ failure and death may result from untreated MRSA infections.
When to Contact a Medical Professional

Call your health care provider if:

* A wound seems to get worse rather than heal
* You have any other symptoms of staph infection

Prevention

Careful attention to personal hygiene is key to avoiding MRSA infections.

* Wash your hands frequently, especially if visiting someone in a hospital or long-term care facility.
* Make sure all doctors, nurses, and other health care providers wash their hands before examining you.
* Do not share personal items such as towels or razors with another person -- MRSA can be transmitted through contaminated items.
* Cover all wounds with a clean bandage, and avoid contact with other people's soiled bandages.
* If you share sporting equipment, clean it first with antiseptic solution.
* Avoid common whirlpools or saunas if another participant has an open sore.
* Make sure that shared bathing facilities are clean.

Siegel JD, Rhinehart E, Jackson M, Chiarello L; Healthcare Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee. Management of multi-drug resistant organisms in healthcare settings, 2006. US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Accessed January 25, 2008.

Nicolle L. Community-acquired MRSA: a practitioner's guide. CMAJ. 2006;175:145.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Epidemiology and management of MRSA in the Community. October 26, 2007. Accessed January 25, 2008.
Review Date: 9/28/2008
Reviewed By: David C. Dugdale, III, MD, Professor of Medicine, Division of General Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine; and Jatin M. Vyas, PhD, MD, Instructor in Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Assistant in Medicine, Division of Infectious Disease, Massachusetts General Hospital. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.
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