About Us
Marshall and Christina Jones, in College Station, TX.
Marshall is a recent survivor of near-fatal MRSA septicemia stemming from an infection of the epidural space of his spine. We live on a ranch with 2 of our 3 children (one is in college at LSU). We love animals and have a very large collection of pets (dogs, cats, donkeys, cows, chickens, ducks, horses…). Marshall is a former Realtor and is now the Director of Finance and Human Resources at Petrospect, Christina stays at home with the children and runs the household, her websites (including this one) and various other projects.
Marshalls MRSA Story
We are so concerned about this bacteria and the fact that no one is aware of it until they already have it, and sometimes not until it is too late. We are also concerned about MRSA becoming more prevalent in the community setting. When we needed it, we had the most difficult time finding relevant information, and we feel that God has directed us to use our situation and skills to help others in this way. In the process, we met Denise (below), who has been moved in a similar way to help others deal with this horrible illness. We hope and pray that if you are suffering with this life threatening illness that you will find the information you are looking for here, in an easy to find format. Please read our MRSA story, it is one that should encourage you, as well as open your eyes to some things you might not have thought about.
-M & C
Contact Marshall and Christina at christina@mrsaresources.com.
Denise Rauff
My name is Denise. I am the proud mother of 2 wonderful daughters, Emily and Jeanne. Emily is 5 years old. She is funny, kind, outgoing, compassionate and her teachers say she tells the best stories. Emily is a survivor of MRSA infection. Jeanne is 3 years old. She is funny, sweet, easy-going, thoughtful and her teachers say she isn’t afraid of anything! Jeanne is a survivor of MRSA infection. I had never heard of MRSA before July 2004. I only knew that Emily got sick much more often than any of her friends did. It seemed like as soon as she finished one course of antibiotics, she got sick again and went on another course of antibiotics. After two sets of ear tubes and numerous infections, her ENT cultured the drainage from Emily’s ears. Two weeks later, the test results showed MRSA and I found out the reason why my daughter wasn’t getting better.
It was at this point that I learned about the terrible void of information available about this bacteria, even in the medical community. I began to read anything and everything about MRSA that I could get my hands on.
We took Emily to a Pediatric Infectious Disease Specialist. She was treated with a 5 week course of Zyvox. I took comfort in the thought that with proper diagnosis, she had a good chance of the treatment being effective. The medications that are effective against MRSA are powerful and they come with their own set of risks. Emily’s blood count had to be monitored while on the Zyvox and she had certain food restrictions. She was pretty weak from being sick for so long and MRSA seems to make a person “out of sorts.†Emily had been on many courses of antibiotics before this that had held the infection at bay, only to come back again as soon as the medication was finished. The doctors had told me that if the Zyvox didn’t work, the next step would be Vancomycin. So, we prayed a lot and, thank God, the Zyvox worked! In October, Emily was pronounced MRSA infection free!
In the meantime, Jeanne got an ear infection. She had rarely been sick until now. Her ear infection got bad really quickly and her eardrum burst. We feared the worst. The ENT cultured her infection and we were happy to find out it was not MRSA. Jeanne was treated with normal antibiotics and the infection cleared up nicely. The fluid in her ears did not. The doctor advised us to have ear tubes put in, so the fluid could drain. It was affecting her hearing and there was concern of possible hearing damage. Of course, we were afraid that having tubes put in would make Jeanne more susceptible to getting MRSA. We asked the ENT, we asked the Infectious Disease specialist, we spoke with the pediatrician. At the time, I did not know about hospital acquired infections. I did not know that MRSA as an ear infection is extremely unusual. I did not know that the CDC defined a surgical site infection as one that occurs within one year of having a foreign body implanted. I did not know that it takes a certain amount of time for MRSA to develop into an infection or to incubate. I was simply frightened at the idea of my 3 year old having ear tubes put in. So, we waited. We postponed the surgery until Emily was considered infection free. Since the fluid was still in Jeanne’s ears, we then proceeded
Within 6 weeks, Jeanne had MRSA infection in both her ears. The surgeon had taken a sterile culture of the fluid when he operated, so we know she was MRSA free at that time. Over the New Year weekend, my sweet little 28 pound 3 year old had pus and blood oozing from both her ears. Her infection was cultured, she was put on Bactrim, but continued to get worse. The doctor then prescribed Zyvox for her for 3 weeks. One of the ear tubes that had just been put in got pushed out from the severity of the ear drainage. Emily had a recurrence so for a period of time, both my girls had active MRSA infection.
This was a very difficult time for me. I was very frightened. Since ear infections tend to be more painful at night, it was not unusual for me to be up and down with my children crying in pain for most of the night. I reached out for support on the internet, to help me cope with what was happening and to try to find answers out about how this could happen to two small children in one family.
Many people offered me their support at that time. When Tony Field, Chairperson of the UK MRSA Support Group, learned about my daughters’ infections from another group member, he contacted me by e-mail. Tony provided me with invaluable information and provided me with many resources. We remained in contact while my daughters’ were both ill. Emily & Jeanne call him their friend Tony from England. They would send him e-mails with smiley faces and animal pictures and Tony would send them assorted photos of animals like chickens and cats. It was a bright spot in a difficult time for our family.
Another person, from the Yahoo support group, held my girls in prayer. She prayed that God would use our situation for good. I clung to that prayer like a drowning person would cling to a life preserver, praying over and over again for my children’s health and for God to use our situation to help others.
My children have been MRSA infection free for about 3 months now, thank God. During this time, Tony and I have remained in contact. Tony and his wife Barbara offered to come to our country to help spread awareness about this infection in our country, just as they have done in their own country. My stepson, James, agreed to accompany Tony and Barbara on their tour of the USA and keep a journalistic chronicle of the trip. James introduced me to his friend and colleague, Jeff Beyrau, Director of Prizefighter Films. James, Jeff, Tony, Barbara and I all agreed that the best way to make this campaign as effective as possible was to create a documentary about MRSA and Tony’s fight against it.
Working towards creating this documentary for me is like a prayer in action. I thank God every day that my children’s infections didn’t spread and that they are both infection free and in good health today. I pray that God will use our situation for good. If one life is saved, if one limb is saved, if one family is saved from the suffering caused by MRSA infection, it will make every effort worthwhile. What happened to my children should not have happened. I can’t do anything to change that. But I can help raise awareness about this and try to prevent it from happening to others.
Contact Denise at denise@mrsaresources.com.
Maureen Daly
In January 2004 my mother, Johanna Daly, entered the Hospital for Joint Diseases in New York a healthy 63 year old woman. She had only a broken shoulder. Mom contracted infections in the hospital among the infections were MRSA. My poor mother suffered horribly for four months due to these infections. She became a unable to move anything but her head, she was incontinent, on a ventilator and a feeding tube. Perhaps the most difficult thing was that she had horrible difficulty communicating. She sounded as though she had suffered a stroke when she spoke. But she had not had a stroke all of her suffering was caused by infections.
On May 23, 2004 my mother died as a direct result of the hospital acquired infections. I knew that nothing would bring her back. I was angry and heart broken. An administrator at the Hospital for Joint Diseases told me that these infections and deaths happen everyday in every hospital all over America. I was told that I would just have to accept that these things happen. I was told that these infections are “the cost of doing the business of medicine.” My anger now became outrage. I thought it was bad enough that my mother had died from complications from a broken shoulder. My family and I had thought it reasonable to believe that one should not die from a broken shoulder. We were shocked by how accepting the administrators of the Hospital for Joint Diseases were of this horrible tragedy. It was quite simply no big deal to them.
My anger lead me to write many letters of complaint and inquiry. Most went unanswered. In March 2005, I heard of a group named RID or the Committee to Reduce Infection Deaths. I became the first volunteer. We work everyday to reduce infection deaths nationwide. We are confident that we will be successful. We are determined to prevent others from suffering my family’s tragedy. We were delighted when Governor Pataki signed the “Hospital Infection Reporting Bill” into law on July 21, 2005.
My work with RID introduced me to Denise. I am very pleased to join forces with her and her organization. I am happy to support her and Hands of Hope/MRSA Support in any way I can.
I applaud Denise and the MRSA SUPPORT group for their hard work and efforts. When my family was going through my mother’s illness and death we felt very alone. We had no idea how many others were going through similar experiences. We did not know where to turn. I am grateful that there is a place to turn for support, understanding and information.
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My grandmother has been very ill. We found out she had cancer about six months ago. She has had some treatments but do to her age(84) the cure was worse than the cause and the treatments were recently stopped. I must also mention she has emphazima(?spelling) She has been back and forth to the hopital since the treatments started due to loss of blood and several other things. We just recently took her last week because she did not feel well. The doc’s did chest exrays and all and sent her home. Chalked it up to an old sick woman that needed an oxygen tank. Well, one week later and in ICU with pnumonia in both top and bottom left lobe and a infection in the right lobe??Today is Friday she was admitted Monday. Yesterday they inform us she has a staph infection in her blood stream! And they are going into the lung and draw fluid out. They put something in her lung that is like a breathing treatment.They do the treatment and come out to tell us pnumonia is now in both lungs and that the Disease control doctors will be in, in the morning to speak with us.(keep in mind that they just did x-ray week before and all supposedly was clear.) Well, it is the morning. The disease dr’s say at first they were going to keep her on what she is on. Several antibiotics for the pnumonia, but… once they realized how long it has been with no response to any drugs that he will have to think about the situation and get back to us on what to do. They also are hearing heart murmors now which I am sure is do to fuctioning problems from this infection. Unless the lord intervenes I don’t see a recovery for her. She was not very healthy to begin with. My biggest concern is my children want to see her as well as myself. Especially since she is getting worse.I don’t know what to do. I also have a 7 year old with Downs Syndrome that I really do not want to get anything. What do I do??? She has no noticable wounds. I can’t stand the thoughts of her passing away and not getting to see her before she does?
Thank you for your time, and my prayers are with all of you.
S. Mims
Alabama
Mims: as far as going to see your grandmother, go see her! They should have her in isolation where you should have to where gowns and maybe even masks. When I had it my family had to be in gowns and masks when they came to visit me in the hospital. As far as I know, unless you have an open wound and come in contact with your grandmother you will be fine as well as your children. You will never forgive yourself if you don’t see her. Good luck.
I agree, they should require masks, gowns and gloves, and be sure to wash your hands good after you leave her room. That keeps the bugs from traveling outside with you. when you take off the gloves, if you touched anything you could get it on your hands. It isn’t hard to keep it under control as long as you know what you are dealing with.
The garb is also supposed to help keep any other germs from being passed to the patient. While they have these infections, any other germ can cause another infection to deal with.
It is hard either way, being there or not. However, it will make you feel better to know that you had the chance to say goodbye.
God Bless
Thanks so much for such an informative sight. I am a very germ and health concious 28 year old with two healthy happy children and husband. Recently I had been painting our house with my husband and noticed what seemed to be a misquito bite or itchy pimple on my chest. I thought nothing of it except that it was very irritating, until the next morning when I got out of the shower to notice it had an interesting greenish plug in the middle, small, but I had never seen any thing quite that way on myself or children ever. I was curious and thought maybe I should try to sqeeze it maybe it was just a pimple. Oh my word it was so painful and only bled a little bit but that little green center wouldnt budge. It worried me though it was small. Well it didn’t remain small and quickly turned painful. I just kept it clean and applied neosporin and covered it regulary. We were leaving for our family vacation and it seemed so minimal to schedule an appointment. Mistake, three days and sleepless nights later I was far away from our home and trying to enjoy myself when I realized it was swollen to a golfball and had a red and feverish appearance and feel. I found I was depressed and worried. The pain was growing by the minute and we were shopping at a Fred meyers where we were staying and decided to check our blood pressures for fun and mine was very high especially that I have always had perfect blood pressures. That alarmed me and finally we decided to find some help thanks to an answered prayer we were directed to the city’s urgent care facility and was fortunate to have such wonderful care by a very informed Doctor who drained it and started me on a sulpha drug and three days later we called and were informed that it was indeed as her hunch MRSA. We were all in disbelief because where had I contracted such a thing? I am a stay at home mom and a clean freak at that. We have many ideas but no definates. Well the medicine took care of that bout with MRSA until I broke out a couple of days ago on my face and two spots look rather suspicious and are very painful and have a green little center. Is it possible to have MRSA without having the extreme problem as I had the first time is it something that can come and go without sending me to the doctors office or is it something I should agressively treat regardless of the extremety. I don’t want to have to live with this the rest of my or my loved ones life. So far no one else has shown any signs, but I want to keep it that way. We all carry a bottle of germ-X and I have purchased antibacterial surface sprays and regularly bleach our towels and change bed clothes. Any other tips? Also Kathy mentioned feeling depressed since MRSA and I have to say I have felt this way since the onset of it and it has lingered since, I think partly as to the uncertainty of whether it is going to be a regular part of my future or that of my families’ also not knowing exactly where it came from also lends some anxiety.
Thanks so much for letting me express myself it has all been so strange and scary.
Veana
does anyone want to chat about this , or know of a chat site where we can talk and get support? let me know . i need that. cathy
I am glad I found this. I have been so sick for over a week now. I was on Keflex and then Augmentin. We thought it was a sinus infection. I went to the doctor again yesterday and he thinks I have MRSA in my ear. I feel like I am dying. I don’t know if I can wait 72 hours for the test to come back. I need to know how others felt with it in the ears. I have no idea where I got this if it is MRSA. I have had no surgeries or sores.
Thanks!
Teresa, when I first contacted it, it was a spot on my leg and it burned like no other. I had it for 2 days before my sister took me to an emergency room where they lanced it open. I also was waiting for the results of a culture to come back to see if it was MRSA and it was. You can read my story to know the rest. I have been MRSA free since February. I had excellent care. I was one of the lucky ones.
Veana –
You might now be colonized with the strain, which is why you now seem to be re-infecting yourself. Depending on the strength of the antibiotic prescribed to you (my husband was on IV-vancomycin and gentamycin, then oral Zyvox), the strain could be just controlled and not eradicated.
BTW, this CAN be eradicated, if the antibiotic regimen is long enough and with a strong enough antibiotic. Unfortunately, these meds are extremely expensive, and many hospitals and doctors will not prescribe them (and the rest of this is my own opinion) unless somehow the patient and/or insurance will cover them.
I am currently working as a CNA while I attend nursing school, and MRSA spreads quickly and is very common in hospitals and nursing homes. Standard precautions must be used at all times on everyone whether they are contagious or not. Latex gloves and continuous handwashing are the only defense to stop the spread of this.There is a whole technique on how to put on and take off the gloves to keep from getting infected. If someone in your family has MRSA you must thoroughly wash your hands, then put on the gloves. If you are right handed, put the left hand on first and vice versa. Clean the infected area accordingly. Always clean away from the infected area so you do not bring bacteria from the skin into the wound.I would use sterile pads to clean the area as they are easy to dispose of rather than cloths that need to be washed , because if you take the gloves off you can become infected when you do laundry. After cleaning the wound, dispose of the sterile pads properly. Not in your garbage pail. Now take off your gloves.If you are right handed, grab a piece of the glove on your left wrist and pull it off, keeping the left glove in your right hand.Next take the index and middle finger of your left hand and slip them inside the glove on your right hand at the wrist, being careful not to touch the outside of the glove.Pull the glove off this way. The left hand glove should be inside the right hand glove. Hurry to dispose of them properly and wash your hands thoroughly.Change bed linen often. Lift and fold it so that the side that the person has been laying on is on the inside.. Use gloves when doing this. Carry it away from your body. Immediatly wash them with hot water and bleach.Always wash your hands before and after wearing gloves. Disinfect, disinfect and disinfect some more. Disinfect everything often. Door knobs,sinks,faucets,bathrooms,bathtubs,floors.,all surfaces should be disinfected. Using an alcohol based hand sanitizer after every hand wash is a good idea also.I hope this helps. I face the risk of contracting MRSA everyday, but I make sure I use the standard precautions everyday all day, always.
I have received another letter from the lawyer for the doctors and the hospital. He said that I need an expert witness for each and every specialty that I am suing. So, I have cut down the number of people, and have sent my suit to the court, with a request that they make a ruling on the expert witness requirement.
According to the law, there is a provision that if the claim is based on something an ordinary person can understand there is no need for an expert. I am suing because my husband’s discharge summary did not include information about his infections, which were not cleared, and the AV Block he developed about a week prior to his discharge.
Also, on the check list of diagnosis, there is a ‘C’ after septicemia, if that means that it was cleared they LIED. Anyway, I am hoping the judge will agree that anyone can understand the concept that if you don’t know about something, you can’t do anything about it.
Wish me luck. God Bless, Sandy
I am an 19 year old college student who was once beautiful until I was struck by ca-MRSA. My troubles began in late August, when I noticed that I was beginning to develop a small scaly patch next to my mouth. I figured it was just dry skin and continued to exfoliate it daily. It eventually grew larger, from half the size of my pinky nail to about the size of a quarter. Still, I continued to put Bacitracin on it and just leave it alone.
Fast forward to earlier this week. I noticed on my cheek a medium sized pimple springing up very quickly. It developed a large white head, and i squeezed it, thinking it would relieve the swelling. I noticed that it was extremely tender and didn’t really pop, just kind of leaked a watery fluid.
I woke up the next morning and discovered the left side of my face swollen to disfigureing proportions. Where the pimple had been was now a hole and again I GENTLY squeezed my face. The entire side was hot and red and the sore was gushing this pus and blood mixture. Panicked, I called my father who advised me to get to a doctor right away. I called and made an appointment where I was immediately put on sulfa-based antibiotics. There is now a huge hole in my face and I have not left my room in days. I am terrified that I am going to be permanently disfigured by this awful disease. My life has completely stopped because I am ashamed and humiliated by my appearence. I feel completely hopeless and I can not stop crying.
I would not wish this disease on my worst enemy.
HI, Im a 28 year old female that has been diagnosed with MRSA. After several months of going to see several different doctors I was confirmed to have MRSA. Mine started on my left foot between my toes. At first my doctor said that it was Athletes foot and put me on Lamsil. (this was in May 2007). He said that it would take several weeks to heal. I went to my follow-up and was told that I needed to be put on antibiotics to try to get rid of the infection. I then returned several weeks later with a foot that looked like it had been burned, it was puffy, swelling and hurt.. The office finally did a scrap test and it can back positive for MRSA. The doctor insisted that the MRSA was not the underlining case and then again put me on more antibiotics and creams. Finally he admitted that he did not know what do to and referred me to a wound care facility. Its now Oct and it has spread to my other foot and I now have a rash on my left hand. I went to the Wound Care center and was taken aback on how they just dismissed me again as having Athletes foot. They said that they could not help me and referred me to another doctor. FINALLY I went to a dermatologist who did another scrap test and an actual biopsy. They both came back as MRSA. She has me on ZYVOX 600MG every 12hrs. Does anyone know if this will help??? She said that the next step is hospitalization.
Response for Christy. I had MRSA now almost 2 years ago and am free of it though quite parranoid when I get a pimple on my leg or recently had an eye infection which I immediately bee line for the Doc. and get a swab test for MRSA. None thank God!
When I discovered I had MRSA an emergency room Physician Assistant who knew it was MRSA though I was turned away from 3 regular doctors. My advice to Christy is go to an infectious disease doctor and mention MRSA. Most, or at least mine, had given me the drugs and instructions on how to combat it and I am happy to say been free of it. Clendomyicym (unsure spelling)was the drug of choice. Hipiclense (unsure spelling) was the soap to wash with. First week wash often with the soap and encourage everyone living in the house to also. Get white sheets and towels and make sure everything washed in hot water and bleach. Try to wash any cloths in hot water and use the dryer not on cloths line.
U have to almost turn into a germ freak for a while til u build the immunity back.
Nursing homes, hospitals and prisons have been historically where it breeds but recently I have read reports of school wrestling mats/locker rooms, gyms and daycares. However most people exposed have that tolerance to it. Insist with your family doctor to get tested if anythingis found.
I am sorry that I have been absent but my son was killed in an auto accident on Sept. 28. He was 36 years old and it felt like I had been kicked in the stomach. His wife and son are trying to deal with it as are all of us who knew him. He was always smiling, loved fishing and his mom.
He wanted me to continue my fight against the hospital and doctors responsible for my husband’s death and I have filed my suit. Now it is a waiting game to see who blinks first. I have, however, written an editorial and sent it to several newspapers here in Florida about what seems to be almost a conspiracy of silence.
Doctors are refusing to culture wounds so they don’t have to deal with MRSAs, and not telling patients who have ‘infections’ what type or what they need to do to prevent others from getting it. I think that should be criminal if it isn’t already.
God Bless all of you who are new here. Most of us learned about this diesease by getting it or watching someone we love die from it. Remember to always ask ‘what kind of infection are you treating’. Then be sure he/she gives you the tools you need to prevent it from spreading.
Love, Sandy
First of all I can’t understand why doctors are being so resistant on treating MRSA. I am hearing of more and more cases of this all the time!! When I had mine last January (2007) I was told that only Vancomyocin IV would wipe it out. I was on it for 3 weeks and , keeping my fingers crossed, have had no reacurring episodes. I understand the culture is expensive but what is our health worth anyway?? And why is it so hard for them to admit and treat MRSA? I just thank God or whomever that was watching over me during my episode with it and thank the wonderful people that cared for me. Good luck and don’t give up, it is your health and you all deserve to be treated in a way to get rid of this horrible infection!
my husband and I have both been diagnosed with mrsa in Feb of 07. We have been on several sulfa antibiotics that help while we’re on them but soon as we are off the pills the boils return. We are in our early 40′s and now have no energy at all. Dr. says not caused by mrsa. I read Kathy from S. FLa’s was depressed and wondered if mrsa was the cause. Both of us are feeling that way too. Dr says not from mrsa(maybe the medical bills piling up-ha). My husband heads a small company and has always done a great job but in the last 2 months has been disorietated and says he can’t seem to focus. Dr put him on lexapro, with in a months time this is making him worse. I think it is from the mrsa. I have always been very active and in the last month I can hardly move my fingers or wrists. Dr says not from mrsa( maybe arthritis). Then I read on the internet how the bacteria can burrow deep into your body and get into your joints and bones. Dr says different kind of mrsa????Is there a specific website that tells how many different mrsa bacteria there are and what that specific mrsa bacteria affects? Does anyone really know or is this some kind of conspiracy? We have bleached our cars, mattresses,furniture
every thing we own and still keep getting this stuff!!! Help. Thanks.
All I can say is Wow! What a wonderful place for people to come together and talk about this very unknown infection!!
I never heard of MRSA until one week ago when my seven year old son had what I thought was a boil lanced on his bottom. (ouch!) He has two more starting to appear on his bottom and another huge one on his arm now. He is on his second round of antibiotics (augmenton, septra) but it is obviously not helping. I have a three year old and am concerned that he could get this too!
The doctors are so tightlipped, I wrote MRSA down and looked it up to find out what it was!! How frustrating!! We have no idea how he contracted it or when and if he could have potentially spread it to someone else already.
Thank you for getting the conversation started. If anyone has advice to give me on treating the infection and keeping the infection contained to only him I would love to hear it.
On another note, Sandy I am so sorry to hear of the loss of your son! May God give you and your whole family His peace that surpasses understanding at this time.
Chelsea
This site is a God send. I have found more useful info here than at the CDC website and many others. My best wishes to all here suffer from this infiction. I am 11 days into my MRSA experience. Here is a short summary. On 10/5 I came home from work (carpentry) with what I thought was a spider bite on my left thigh. Morning of 10/6 and the “spider bite” has doubled in size and there is another painful on on my left buttock. My mom upon arriving at my house and hearing of my ailments inists I see my doctor. I do and am told by a P.A. that I should use a hot compress on the boils and prescribes an oral antibiotic and that I should come bck tomorrow to get temperature checked since I am running a fever. I follow instructions but by the nexgt morning the boils hsve again doubled in size, leak pus and are very painful. I return to the doctor and in two hours I’m in sugery. I awake to find a 1″ hole in my thigh and a 3″ x 5″ patch of skin missing from my butt. Good morning. I am now home after six days in the hospital. I have a pic line in my arm so I can take my Vancomycin every 12 hours. I was feeling quite sorry for myself until I sarted researching this disease and found out just how Blessed I am. My heart goes out to all of you facing this without insurance. Although the first medical person I saw made a possibly fatal blounder other doctors were able correct the mistake. I strongly recommend anyone with any type of infection to insist upon a MRSA culture. And tell everyone you meet about the dangers of these germs and the need to educate the public force the medical community follow proper procedures. And universal health-care would help us all.
I earned the Ph.D. in Pharmacology many years ago. My wife — an active, hygienic, healthy woman of 52 — has suffered many of the same symptoms of MRSA identified on this website. She has also suffered serial misdiagnoses so commonly mentioned in these cases! When extremely large and painful boils manifested this past week, she returned to a dermatologist (reportedly, 30 years experience), who now evidenced genuine concern, lanced and treated the boils, and put her on a sulfa antibiotic. I can only assume at this point that a culture will reveal mrsa as the culprit; at least I will ensure that mrsa is ruled out or in with certainty. In the meantime, I applaud all of you who have organized efforts to address this issue, the wrongs of medical institutions and practitioners, and the seeming remarkable ignorance of mrsa in the medical community and elsewhere. Thank you for sharing, the information has helped us and I know will help thousands of others!
It’s good to see this site. People can find important information about MRSA that the medical profession will ignore or not tell them.
I had MRSA for about a year in 2005. At first I had surgery for a boil. Then it kept coming back. I was put on a lot of different antibiotics and none of them kept it away.
Finally, I convinced a doctor to prescribe something strong, and was put on Sulfameth/Trimethoprim 800/160. This knocked the MRSA out of me and I feel good again, but what a terrible year it had been.
Now I realize how lucky I have been. The damage MRSA can do is extensive, and it’s important that people know what a threat it really is.
Hello Marty. It seems that it isn’t just MRSA that doctors are uneducated about, they seem to all have a problem with anything outside of their specialty. I feel like we are being specialized to death.
The Nephrologist told me about my husbands kidneys, the pulmonary doctor told me about his lung problems, and the surgeon told me about his surgery (most of it anyway); but no one questioned why my husband was being sedated into a coma like state for over a month. Even knowing that he had severe sleep apnea, that Diprivan is contraindicated for anyone with sepsis, he was sedated to the point of near brain damage.
Since there were over 18 doctors who had looked at him, it is amazing that no one questioned his sedation once during his three months in the hospital.
I am glad that someone has finally paid attention and pray that your wife will recover fully. God Bless you.
Sorry that last line was for Alan. I do pray for everyone who posts on this site.
Like the sign says ‘when all else fails, read the manual’. The Bible has a lot in it to help us all.
God Bless
Did anyone see the CNN report a couple of nights ago? Apparently, 19,000 people died in 2005 from MRSA in the US…out of just over 100,000.
that’s almost a 20% death rate. Wonder what the count is for 2006 and 2007? I am blown away that this is the only news I have seen about this dreadful deadly epidemic….reminds me of the first news article I saw in the Times about a”strange virus in the gay community of San Fransisco at the beginning of the eighties.
I have a bad feeling about this disease spreading to Elementary schools, already an outbreak at a highschool where one student died. I don’t remember which State. On the news report one of the ways to prevent infection was “making sure that the catheter is clean” !!! I assummed stupidly that would be a given!
In response to Rovena, I think the denominator (100,000) may be a substantial UNDERCOUNT of mrsa cases nationwide. If so, then the death rate will actually prove much, much less than 20%.
The 2005 report of 19,000 deaths due to MRSA was out of just over 100,000. I think there are probably more people infected in 2005 than was reported…how many more deaths as well – unreported?
Rovena, I know you are correct. There are a lot of people who developed infections in 2005 just in the hospital my husband was in. Those infections weren’t reported to the patient, so I am sure they didn’t get into any database.
Also, my husband didn’t die from the MRSA, he died from another underlying infection that was allowed to become resistant and since there was no follow up on his original MRSA, they didn’t detect it.
It wasn’t until he went to another hospital that it was discovered – too late. I don’t believe the numbers, and hearing stories both here and on ‘Stop Hospital Infections’ I believe that a lot more of them have not been reported.
I agree that this could be worse than the CDCs ‘pandemic’ of the bird flu everyone is worried about.
Stay out of the hospital if you can. If you have to go, be sure someone is with you to watch what is being done. The nurses are being brainwashed and the doctors only know about their own specialties. The worst time to be in the hospital is over a holiday weekend.
God Bless.
it’s late, and i have just discovered this website. something i have not seen mentioned is mrsa in pets. my dog was diagnosed with the human strain of mrsa in july. there seems to be no research done on this in the untied states, even tho other countries recognize it as a problem and are researching it.
Hello, I just wanted to talk a little bit about my situation.My daughter is 16 months old and was diagnosed with MRSA.We live in ILL and i have had a tough time trying to get her cured. She had MRSA in her right ear for 3 months and now she can not hear out of her right ear and requires a hearing-aid. Any suggestions i am open to any advice!!!!!!!!
My son was recently released from the hospital this week, after undergoing a g-tube placement. I found out after recovery once we were roomed that the patient next to us had MRSA. Only finding this out by over hearing the mother on the phone. I asked to be moved right then, but was unable to, by 1:30pm the next day we were moved. I know am so worried my son has contracted this infection. His button site is red circling the site and has been extremely sore, more so than I think it should be a week later. I see our surgeon mid week. My son is now sick, throwing up everything he eats or drink, including feeds fed through tube. HELP me. I am generateing a letter to the hospital over this matter. But should I be more concerned than I already am???? Thank you Tracy
Hello.
I am looking for someone to speak with about my recent MRSA diagnosis. I have concerns that I want to discuss with others who have gone through it. I am looking for thoughts on Rifampin combination therapy, side effects, and just how to deal with it all emotionally. I’m feeling very discouraged, lonely, embarassed and scared.
Thanks.
In April 2006, I had a life changing accident. Shortly afterwards, I started to have some pain at the top of one of the surgical sites. I could feel a “lump” but it wasnt at the site where I had the surgery it was about 3 inches above it. I had mentioned it to my PC. Then I started to get infections in my scalp. All over my scalp to be exact. They were very very painful and would ooze. I didn’t know what the hell was going on. Then in July of this year, I noticed a “spider bite”. Then I started to get these lumps under my arm. They were painful and I was in agony. I didn’t tell my doctor though because I just thought it was a spider bite. I had seen enough doctors in the last 18 months. Well the “bite” had gone away. The lumps had gone away…until this past week. Now they’re under my left arm. And they hurt.
Someone sent me an email about MRSA, plus its been all over the news. When I found this site..OMG…this sounds like what I have. I am off to the doctors in the morning. I cant afford to wait. Wish me luck!
hello i have been diagnoses with MRSA . I have hade it for two months , at first i thought i had pulled something ”I’ve never had staph before” . And my gut instincts was telling me something was wrong . but i agnored it and figured that it would go away whell it did’nt …Two months go by and it doesn’t go away..with not going to the doctor im now in a whell chair , And in pain so please if you think that you have an infection or your gut tells you theres something s wrong listen to it and see a doctor….
i just got the word from my surgeon yesterday that an abcess on my rt arm was staph. my gp sent me to him when i insisted he c me about it when it had been simply an itch on thanksgiving day to a nasty abcess by sat and sun. my hubby thought it was a boil since i had had several in my groin area wks before but i knew it was different. i had surgery to drain it on tues morning and was put on 2 antibiotics. i was not told that there was a risk to others so i went about my days as i alwasy have. i take the antibiotics and keep the wound bandaged…they told me it had to heal from inside out. the surgeon didnt seem concerned when he told me it wasnt a spider bite that it was staph. i asked him how did i get it and he shrugged his shoulders. he was talking into his recorder and mentioned the diagnosis of mrsa. i recalled my gp mentioning this several times so i looked it up and found out that its contagious but nothing about when its contagious. i have to put bactrum now on the wound and in my nose. i am upset now because i wasnt told i was contagious and have been around people…i clean houses for a living…what if i have infected things or someone? im a wreck…can anyone tell me what the drs arent? i intend to call my gp in the am to press him for answers. im glad i paid attention when the drs mentioned lil things or id not have known what to look for.
I was diagnosed with a black widow spider bite on Tuesday. Since then, my doctor has opened the “bite” twice and tonight he took a culture to see if it is MRSA. I will know on Monday. This will be the longest weekend of my life. Also, I’m on two antibiotics.
I can only pray the Great Spirit above will direct this in a positive manner.
I took my 11 yr old daughter to the dr today with 3 very large “boils” on her waist and inner thighs. They were lanced and drained, but not packed or bandaged. A culture was done and we are awaiting the results, but it certainly looks like mrsa. I’m trying to stay calm, but after reading all the previous comments, I’m terrified.
The doctor wants to see her again tomorrow since he’s pretty sure it’s mrsa. He put her on sulfamethoxazole. I have no idea what that is…. He said he’d seen this for over 10 years and “here CNN comes along and creates a panic.” I wasn’t told how contagious this really is until I read this site.
Now, my daughter just came to me to say that her throat hurts….. she gets strep easily. She’s had it 4x in the last 12 months…. what does that mean? Is there a relation???
My greatest concern is for the rest of my family. I have 4 children. I’m hearing that I must change the bed linens every day, bleach all towels and undergarments etc. Is this correct? Is there more to consider?
I am fighting panic. I feel ambushed and overtaken. I only want to do what it takes to insure a clean bill of health for my family. Thank you all for helping me through your information and stories. Please give me any advice that would benefit me, like what I should be asking my doctor…. What is the medicine that I should be getting for my daughter? What precautions should I take with the rest of my family… etc.
I appreciate all help.
Melanie,
Things I did when my wife, 7 y/o son and myself had MRSA. I first purchased white towels and sheets. Not that expensive and they can all be washed in hot water and bleach. I was the first one to get a boil and then my wife then my son. Two other children 10 y/o and 16 y/o in the house and thank God they did n’t get it but they got new sheets. Also you can pick up Hibiclense (unsure spelling) at most drug stores. Everyone scrub down with that for about 5 days and then space it out between washings with it. That is the only soap substance that is safe for your skin and will kill MRSA. I have never spent a day in the hospital and was a healthy 36 y/o man. Better now at 38 but it was not an easy battle and we are all quit paranoid if we see any red marks or a pimple on ourselves. Most are just normal things you get but you are always on high alert worried and watching it. Subscribe to this site for email updates. It has been the best source of info for me. No one person has all the answers but you can sure get a good idea from the experiences that everyone has been kind enough to share on this site some things to do and what to expect. I think thats the worst…the not knowing what to expect. Good Luck
Andy
I’m glad I found this site and I would like to be notified of new posts. My 17 y/o daughter has it.
Wow! I’m so glad I found this site! I was in the hospital for 6 days with cellulitis (not spelled right) they did not admit to MRSA but the IV I was on was voncanycin (not spelled right) My problem started in August of 06 I went to the doctor for some sores on the back of my calfs that wouldn’t heal, he said they were flea bites and put me on cortizone cream. After many attemps to get better I went to a skin doctor. He said I had a type of psoriasis that is caused by my veircose viens. I also work in an enviroment that developed a bad black mold. I also take care of my aging mother in law that had bleeding colitis the previous Christmas. Anyway where I got it is a mystery. I was on predazone (not spelled right either) for the rash on my leg, That’s where my problems begin. My immune system was lowered and I got a scratch at work and didn’t wash it. The next day I was so sick flu like, the very next day at my constant bothering my clinic to see them again it wasn’t getting any better but worse spreading up my leg to my crotch. I’m recovered, sorta the rash is still on my leg and very itchy so stopping the itch/scratch cycle is very hard. The Doctors who were scratching there heads are telling me it takes time. Reading other comments is very scary to me. I’m not healing, its not going away. I would like to know if anyone knows what to do now. I wish I could add the picture from the hospital so others could see and compare.
Thanks so much for reading this
Gwendolyn in NH
Wow! First I would like to say that my heart goes out to all of you. Next, I will be happy to fight this thing anyway I can or anyway any of you need my help. If you do find a lawyer, sign me up. My husband had a quadruple open heart sugery Oct 29, 2007. To me, this was scary enough and then our world crashed. After bringing him home, he kept saying he was in a lot of pain and, of course, I thought it was from the surgery. After 3 days, his incision opened and gushed (no exaggeration, was like a gusher). I called the surgeon and his response was ” I doubt that very seriously, bring him in tomorrow to see a nurse.” I hung up and called an ambulance. The paramedics and the ER doctors said they had never seen anything like it. He was opened up the next day, cleaned out, and his sternum was removed. The MRSA had eaten up his sternum, popped his wires on his ribs. After that, he laid heavily sedated with his chest opened in ICU for 4 days, then he was taken into surgery again for a clean up and a muscle flap. After coming home, he had continously been on antibiotics for 8 weeks. The first surgeon who was no help to us when we needed him and who didn’t believe me stays far away from us. Another surgeon in his office takes care of my husband. All of them in the office knows exactly how I feel about the surgeons treatment. I was told by the third surgeon that he did get the infection in the hospital, most likely during the open heart surgery. Prior to all of this, I had never even heard of MRSA and the surgeon didnt mention that risk prior to the surgery. Since then, I have done a lot of research, and I am still in shock. I definitely think future patients should know the infection rates at all hospitals, also know the infection rate with surgeons. I also think all hospital staff, including surgeons, should be tested for this infection. This has scared the #### out of me!!!!!!!!!!!! God bless all of you.
My sister in upstate New York just told me about a young woman there. She has had problems with her legs for 8 months, and is now in the hospital with MRSA. Her leg turned black and it is possible she will lose it.
Why do we have infectious disease doctors if they aren’t going to treat infections? Most of the cultures done on my husband were not ordered by the ID doctor and the medication was not ordered by him either. So, how is that ‘following a patient?’ Seems to me they should be treating not following.
Another pitfall in the lawsuit saga; apparently I have to have the lawsuit ‘served’ upon the defendants’ or their lawyer. Even though, by stating that he had not been ‘properly’ served, he is admitting that he received the lawsuit.
Incredible. But I expected every road block known to man. I am certainly not giving up though, if I have to personally serve it myself.
God Bless you all. Sandy
Hi,
My sister died of MRSA, 9/16/2005, at Bayfront Medical Center in St. Petersburg, Fla. She was 40 years old and left 5 children, our parents, sister, brother and me. She had been diagnosed with MRSA 5 different times and declared “cured†5 different times. The cause of death on her death certificate was listed as pneumonia. She literally drown in her own blood.
It took a lot of pressure from me and my family to finally get a health-care professional to explain to us that MRSA is NEVER cured.
It goes dormant.
It lies in wait until the affected person’s immune system is again compromised, sometimes by something as simple a bug bite, a pimple, or a cold, and then it attacks.
It can wait days, months, or years.
It can attack the person who was first infected, their families, friends, co-workers, health-care workers and even strangers who come into contact with anything the infected person has touched.
AND IT IS PREVENTABLE!
That’s why hospitals and doctors are so afraid of it, don’t want to diagnose it – if the general public knew how easily preventable it was, they would demand accountability from the medical community.
Malpractice suits? We should be looking at negligent homicide! Their negligence caused my sister’s death.
My sister died because someone was “too busy†or “too good†or “just didn’t care enough†to wash their hands properly, or clean their instruments properly.
When was the last time you saw a doctor clean his stethoscope before putting it to your chest? When was the last time he had that tie he’s wearing cleaned?
Think hospitals are clean? My sister was in ICU – supposedly one of the cleanest places in a hospital outside an operating room – but there were ants all over the window sill, her bedside stand and the floor! When I pointed it out to her nurse, she just shrugged and said “yeah, there all over around here.â€
Where’s the accountability here? Yes, my sister died of an ugly disease, but she didn’t have to – nobody has to, but it will take people accepting responsibility, accountability before we can eradicate it.
I thank you for allowing me to rant on. God Bless all of you for what you’re doing here. You and anyone afflicted with this terrible disease are in my prayers daily.
My junior year in College I had to be hospitalized because I was running a very high fever and I had a large boil , about the size of a plum on my forehead.
I slept for almost an entire week undergoing many IV treatments. When I checked with my doctor, he told me the the ER had not done a wound culture and that we would keep our fingers crossed that it wasn’t MRSA.
Since that time I have had numerous boils. Many of them had to be drained.
Fast forward twenty years. All of my children seemed to escape without gettting what I get till this year. My little girl Sharolyn is two years old and she has MRSA . She has been in the hospital two times for it. When I mention to the doctors that i have had it for almost 20 years they don’t seem to care and treat MRSA very light;y. We are trying our best to find out more information on this but everything turns up a dead end. How can something be this serious by treated in such a manner. When my daughter’s MRSA flarred again in March I was lukcy to see the same doctor. She told me that since my daughter was there in Dec. that she had seen many outbreaks of MRSA. This is very scarey to me. Why isnt
something done about this. Even though Sharolyn tested positive again to MRSA, they told me no follow up was needed after the normal meds were gone. They also told me to bath my daughter in 1/4 cup of bleach to a full bath once a month. My family is panicked. They don’t come around much. My church don’t even want us back till we can find some answers. I try to keep a very low profile, but everyone seems nosey. Thanks for letting me talk. It mean a great deal to vent. Please keep us in your prayers. we will be praying for everyone else with MRSA.
I feel like a leper at times. The last time that I went to my doctor’s office and saw the nurse practioner she basically told me that there wasn’t really much they could do for me. They keep giving me Bactrim which makes me so ill for 7 out of the 10 days that I have to take it. I asked about other alternatives, possibly seeing an ID doctor and was told there wasn’t any need for it.
Right now I’ve been boil-free for 2 months but I’m going nuts checking my whole body. My husband was recently in the hospital after having a heart attack and I didn’t touch anything while I was in the room, not even him. I kept my hands in my pockets the whole time.
I hate the doctor’s lackadaisial attitude about this!
Truly,
I would suggest you find another doctor!!! Your current doctor just has no idea what a nuisance this is for you, and if Bactrim isn’t enough, do something else. My husband was in the hospital when he contracted his MRSA, and was on an IV. Now he takes Bactrim whenever he has a flareup. But it really could have lead to death, so we try to stay on top of it.
We don’t just wash and wash everywhere. Are we the only ones? I just don’t want to kill all the beneficial bacteria off leaving only that around. I try to take normal precautions, and wash sheets, etc., only right away when there is a flareup. So far, we’ve had a couple of times of this within the past year. Any thoughts? We also are trying to build our immune systems, that seems to be the most important thing.
Good luck everyone.
Hi,
I got MRSA somewhere around April 2006 while I was in the hospital. Of course, no attorneys will take a MRSA case due to not being able to prove when you got it in the hospital. Since then I started a non profit organization to educate the public on MRSA.
I have to use a brace for the rest of my life and a walker whenever the brace is not on. It is very frustrating for me because I wanted to go back to work after the surgery but unfortuantly I can’t work any more. But I will continue to try to tell everone about MRSA. I would appreciate it if you would visit my website. I have links on it to help educate everyone. Thanks,
Bonnie Getz
I have a friend now who has caught MRSA im very worried for her even though the doctors have proscribed iv treatments and Vancomycin I would like to be reassured that with these treatments that MRSA will go away. Thank you to anyone who helps me.
Marcus
My boyfriend has had MRSA infections since he was a freshman in high school.he just graduated last year.He has had 4 infections in this time and he uses bar soap(it helps)and he might have one popping up now.Its a bad thing to get and very difficult to treat and cure.
Serious Antibiotic Warning!! There is ONE class of a so-called “antibiotic” that CAUSES changes to the bacteria in your body (among other things)…. this is the FLUOROQUINOLONE class, which includes CIPRO (Ciprofloxacin), LEVAQUIN (Levofloxacin), AVELOX (Moxifloxacin) and others of this particular class. You may have taken this antibiotic BEFORE being diagnosed w/ MRSA. Please check your medical records. The FLUOROQUINOLONES destroy healthy cells, cause autoimmune reactions, and a laundry list of other health problems including hypo/hyper glycemia DIABETES, heart-arrythmias, kidney failure, cartilage/joint damage, tendon ruptures, tinnitus and hearing loss…. the FDA was PETITIONED to place a Black Box Warning on the FQ’s, there is litigation going on now!! The medical community, FDA and drug manufacturers are all AWARE of the adverse reactions to Fluoroquinolones!! If you have been prescribed a FLUOROQUINOLONE Antibiotic to treat MRSA, STOP IMMEDIATELY and demand a different, safer antibiotic. Cipro, Levaquin and Avelox are TOXIC man-made chemical compounds which destroy DNA and CAUSE bacterial CHANGES within the body. You will be blaming MRSA when in reality, it is the DRUG causes the “symptoms”. PLEASE do a search for the TOXICITY of FLUOROQUINOLONES including CIPRO!! Go to FQResearch.Org for more info on this dangerous and powerful drug!! We are VICTIMS of FLUOROQUINOLONE POISONING, we KNOW the TRUTH!! We have FB pages, YouTubes and info on WIKI as well as several support groups and Yahoo Health Forums: Fluoroquinolones and FQToxicity. Johnson & Johnson is AWARE, BAYER is AWARE…. we need to boycott these companies while they continue to line their pockets with our suffering and LIE about the SAFETY RECORD of fluoroquinolones. DO NOT TAKE THESE ANTIBIOTICS, they were recently APPROVED for use in CHILDREN even though they CAUSE ARTHROPATHY in juevenile RATS!! They are NEVER to be given to ELDERLY patients, yet are ROUTINELY prescribed in nursing homes!! They will STOP a patients HEART!! VIGAMOX is another Fluoroquinolone being routinely prescribed for CATARACT SURGERY, DO NOT put this POISON into your precious EYES!! FQ’s are also being prescribed to our beloved PETS — BAYTRIL (Enrofloxacin) is just ONE of many FLUOROQUINOLONES that are POISONING our PETS!! PLEASE BE AWARE!! And share this INFO w/ your LOVED ONES!! Go to FQRESEARCH.ORG NOW and PROTECT yourself and loved ones!!
My 2-year old daughter complained her bum hurt for a couple of days in October 2009. At first when I looked at the area, it looked like an ant bite or pimple with a small cap of pus. I thought it would clear up on its own. Within four days, she couldn’t walk, the areas were hot as fire, the skin was bright red, and the small openings were oozing blood and infection. She was immediately diagnosed with MRSA and a bioposy confirmed it. She had to have two areas lanced and the infection came out in mass quantity. We went back everyday for five days for the doctor to squeeze the infection out and check on her. She was fine after about seven days from her first does of medicine and the procedure. I had heard of MRSA but thought it was something contracted only in hospitals. Turns out, there is a community thing going on and it is prevelant in daycares, nursing homes, school locker rooms, etc. It seems we can all carry the germ but only some develop serious cases of infection. My daughter has had two more episodes on her bum, once in February 2010, and now again in April 2010. This last time, I didn’t react quick enough to the spots on her bum and the three spots have reacted just as the first time with redness and fever in the area. I have been told to bathe her in just a cap of clorox to a fraction of water to keep the infection of taking hold anywhere else on her skin. The clorox is dreadful but we think it is necessary. We wash her sheets and towels separately in hot water frequently. I wash her hands and mine a lot, to the point that our skin gets dried up. It’s a challenge, but we try hard to keep things in persepctive. She has been given Sulfameth-Trimeth, which I guess is a form of Bactrim. It does work in clearing it up, but I guess the bacteria remains in her body and we will have to watch this very closely. Thank God, she has not developed any other infection areas on any other part of her body except her bum. This has helped in keeping the inectious area from making contact easily with others..I think. My concern for all those infected with MRSA is what will happen when we can’t fight this with an antibiotic? This bacteria is stubbon, so I’m trying to stay educated.
My husband underwent surgery for removal of a tumor on this lung. He went through chemo and radiation just fine, all traces of cancer were gone so in the hospital he went to have the tumor removed. That was on a Thursday, Friday he was up in a chair, Saturday he was fine and Sunday we watched the ball game together. On Monday they called and told me they had to put him on a respirator, on Tuesday I was told he had Mrsa in his sputum, they kept him drugged for 30 days with the comments he was a very sick man, one day at a time. After the 30 days, he was transferred to a total care facility, I was told they would wean him off the ventilator. After only five days the doctor there told me he would never come off the ventilator and I should make a decision. We took him off the ventilator and he lasted exactly 22 minutes. I only wish that the doctors at the hospital had told me the truth about his condition, I would never had him suffer for a month and like all of the rest of you, I wish I could find a lawyer that would handle a class action case against these hospitals. Why would they not tell you the truth and let a patient suffer like that, I’ll tell you why because they were at fault and didn’t want to get sued. Not one doctor in the original hospital told me the truth about his condition.
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