MRSA Resources

Tony Field’s Speech, August 25, 2005:

My Story - For America

Good evening, thank you for your welcome, and thank you to Denise Rauff for inviting Barbara and myself to your great country. We are here to listen and learn what is happening here and to tell you what is happening in the UK.

I’m Tony Field and I suffered MRSA FOR THREE YEARS.

This is my story.
It was 7 o’clock on a Friday evening and my pathetic waving from a prone position, with a handkerchief tied to the handle of a grass trimmer trying to attract the attention of my wife had to defer to the major soap opera in England-Coronation St. When the ambulance was called they asked her if I was still breathing and told her to go and check! So we had the bizarre shout along the garden for all the neighbours to hear–

“They want to know if you are still breathing”.

The X-Ray confirmed rt. femur broken. I was held in the local A&E Hospital for nearly three weeks until a bed was available at the Royal Orthopaedic. During the stay in the A&E hospital I was confined to the bed on traction and with a Thomas splint, at the top end of which was an enormous metal hoop with a leather covering which meant that I couldn’t wear pyjama trousers. By the second week I had bedsores, and was constipated.

The most notable points I remember from this stay was the incredible work rate of most of the nurses, and their lack of time to stop and talk to the patients, and the absolute lack of hygiene discipline from and to the patients.

An example of this was Michael who spent much of the time deliriously talking about the women he had been with, playing with his private parts and detaching his catheter in full view of everyone. I still wince when I think about it!)

Because the nurses were so busy they would just come and admonish him and replace the catheter without cleaning it.
Then I was moved to another bay, and placed next to a man who I can only describe as the bravest I have ever met.

Stan was an ardent soccer fan.
He told me that regularly he would visit the training ground of his favourite club Aston Villa and watch the players training sessions.
He had retired just three months previously. Stan was a keen motorcyclist and on his way to watch a training session one day he was hit by a truck emerging from a side road. When I met him in that ward he was minus both feet, and in the week I was privileged to have met him, never once did he say -
“Why me”?

During the early hours of the morning after Sister Shirley’s’ laxative was administered, the bedpan was called for. I found it somewhat difficult to clean myself while hanging onto the over bed handle, and the nurse refused to help. “We don’t do this now” she said, then handed me the roll of paper and walked off , telling me to press the buzzer when I had finished!

As you can imagine I had a little difficulty with this.

The result was that with the already weeping sores on my buttocks I had to lie in my own excreta until the next shift.

I believe that was the origin of my being infected with MRSA.

After two and a half weeks I was moved to the Royal Orthopaedic Hospital where the operation to repair the damage to my femur was done on July 11th.I was held in the High Dependency Unit for nearly three days feeling grossly sick and unable to eat or drink. Eventually, late on the third day I was moved to the main ward and thought I felt better, but I still couldn’t eat. After the pain control device had been taken away I suffered the “cold turkey” that we have heard about and seen with drug addicts. I shivered uncontrollably and cried like a baby for no reason other than I felt sorry for myself and drifted in and out of consciousness for many hours. That feeling was dreadful and I shall never forget it. The sight of the food trolley also made me feel ill, and I must thank Mary, the kind domestic Lady who served the food. She was so concerned at my refusal of food she insisted that I had the build-up drinks she would bring for me.

Three days after returning to the ward I was told that I had an infection and would need to be isolated. After the withdrawal symptoms had subsided I had the most extraordinary experience.

During the night I was lying awake listening to my personal stereo trying to blot out the sounds of snoring, Classic fm being the station of choice. I became aware of being above the clouds with my brother who had died in 1979 when his transplanted kidney rejected. In the last month or so of his life he became very bloated as the fluids built up in him. He told me that the consultant had accused him of not keeping to his diet and this upset him considerably as he was a man of great personal discipline.

In our surreal meeting I said to him-

“I can understand why you wanted to die with all the prodding needles, tubes being inserted into you, being told what not to eat and feeling so ill.”

Then I noticed in the distance a white shining figure. The immediate desire was to go towards it. But John indicated a queue of people, all quietly moving that way. The atmosphere of peace and tranquility was intoxicating. I felt completely at ease and very content. I asked what was happening and he told me that the people in the queue were waiting to die.
I was disappointed, I wanted to join that queue but I realised that I still had too much to do and told him so.
Then suddenly I was aware it was 5.30am and Classic fm was still playing.

Many people would say this was a dream, and I would agree with them but for one thing.

The music playing I knew well and it has always been particular favourite of mine, ever since a major bank used it for a television advert.

From the Chorale Prelude by J. S. Bach, the piece is called

Watchet Auf (Sleepers Awake).
From this point on I began to recover.

It was a total of seven days from the operation, before my appetite returned, and it wasn’t for hospital food. I suddenly craved some Danish Blue cheese and biscuits which I asked my wife to get for me. The aroma permeated the ward for some time and many questions were asked about the state of my feet!

I then began to feel well enough to ask the staff to let me get out of bed. I had been horizontal for over 4 weeks at that stage.
After repeated requests and repeated warnings that I would not be able to stand “You will faint because you are anaemic” they said, but finally they relented.

The big move came the next day and I was appalled and disappointed!

My leg would not bend.
I didn’t faint and I stoically put up with the pain. Just to sit up was a joy.

With clenched teeth and an unconvincing smile I insisted on sitting there for over an hour!
Then I wanted to go home, but was told another two weeks of antibiotics! I finally escaped six weeks and four days after I broke my leg.

Two days before I was discharged I was told that I had MRSA which meant nothing to me other than that I had felt very ill.

I had never heard of it before and I was told that it was nothing to worry about!
This was a very cruel deception!

AT HOME

I noticed myself for the first time in the bathroom mirror, a malnourished, flesh hanging shadow of my former slightly overweight self.

I had lost nearly three stone or nineteen Kilo*s.

Six weeks after being discharged, the antibiotics had finished and it seemed that I was somewhat better. I was quite mobile on the crutches but lethargy was a problem. I could sit and doze in a half conscious and listless world for hours. My morale was unusually low and I wondered what was wrong. I kept asking the Nurses and registrars, but was fobbed off with “it’s just an infection nothing to worry about it will go.” I would force myself to do things and convince myself that I was OK but I became tired so quickly it was painful.

My thigh became swollen on the scar and I pointed it out to the Doctor who was on a routine visit that day. An immediate call was arranged to the clinic. A sample of fluid was drawn off and analysed. I still had MRSA!

Two days later the swelling burst leaving a trail of blood and discharge all the way up the stairs. From that day in October 2000 until April 3rd 2003 with only a brief respite for 6 months, the sinus wept copious amounts of fluid and had to be dressed two and three times daily.
At the next clinic I asked the registrar what precisely is MRSA? and was told two of the long words.

Staphylococcus aureus.

I then started to read about it. A bleak read, especially as a registrar told me that I had it for life. Yet another cruel deception! I spent many hours trying to find out how to get rid of it. On getting up in the morning I would squeeze my thigh until it hurt, to get out all the exudate - it might not have done much good but it made me feel that I was doing something. I was extremely angry and waging war on this bug!
10 months later it was necessary to operate again to remove the prosthesis, which had become badly infected.

A temporary spacer was put in and I suddenly felt much better! I knew that it had gone and realized just how ill I had been. After this second operation, a course of Teicoplanin was administered by injection to my backside by the district nurses. I can tell you I counted the 28 days down on that experience!
With the temporary spacer I found that I could bend my leg and I looked forward to being able to walk again.
But it was not to be.
After six months the scar opened and started weeping as before. It was back, so it was out with the dressings again!
It was during this period that my son returned from a backpacking trip to the antipodes. He gave me a book he had acquired on his travels called Spontaneous Healing by Andrew Weil MD. I would recommend that you all read this just to see whether you can find the inspiration that helped me to overcome this bug once and for all.
April of 2003 saw the final operation. The spacer was removed, and the infected femur cut away to within three inches of the knee. I was then expected to lie with traction for three weeks or more while they determined whether the infection had been cleared completely.
But then I found that I could pull my knee towards my chest with the 4kilos of weight attached to it and I decided that I would go out as I was - and would manage.
The thought of a prosthesis from below the knee up to the hip filled me with foreboding after reading how the bug attaches like barnacles to metal and plastic.
While nothing was said to me I knew if that became infected I would lose the leg.
There was lots of opinionating and argument about whether I would have any control over movement of the leg.

“It will be like a rag doll and will just drag behind you”.

the registrar said and he wouldn’t hear of me trying to stand. I demanded to see the consultant and he agreed with me that as the infection had returned after six months from the previous operation, it would be only right to leave it at least that long, and not the six to eight weeks they had planned.

POSTSCRIPT

The postscript to all this is that MRSA devastated my life for three years. My right leg is now 4 inches short without the femur, but somehow it works and I do have a high degree of control over it!
Due to the protracted period of the infection I was forced to give up my job. I was struck off the register of Independent Financial Advisers because I did not submit any business within a twelve month period.
This has severely reduced my income for the rest of my life.
However I will take my lead from Stan who I mentioned earlier, and refrain from asking-

“Why me?”
I want you all to be clear about this.

I know that I am privileged to be here.

There are many more victims of MRSA a great number of them some 8-10 years away from retirement facing the rest of their lives on much reduced pensions and possibly in poverty.
Because they will never work again.
Also many more have died prematurely, leaving loved ones.

The official causes of many of these deaths have the blanket titles o f “‘Septicaemia” and “Multiple Organ Failure”. Thus hiding the true scale of the infection.

Despite our governments claims of increased investment, our members still report from all corners of the UK unclean wards and bad practices, it is also born out by the statistics.
Hospital Acquired Infections in the UK increased over 2003-4 by 3.6%.
Our dept. of health causes confusion over the figures by quoting them as x number of infections per 1000 bed days. For those interested in figures-138000 beds available any day =50,000,000+

By its deceit and mendacity the UK governments Department of Health and its advisers is now reaping what it has sown.
-Fear and mistrust of the medical profession!
To give you some idea of the scale of the scandal.

Road casualties in the UK. (a population of 50million people) have held at approx 3600 deaths per year for the past few years, so as a proportion of the increase in traffic levels there has been an actual decline. With HAI*s however we have had an increase year on year for the past 15years. It is accepted by all that roads are dangerous. But who would have thought that our hospitals would today be nine times more so for MRSA and 18 times for MSSA.
Based on figures supplied by the UK National Audit Office MRSA Support can provide an audit trail and proof that MRSA and MSSA accounted for 99000 unnecessary deaths last year in the UK. Yet the Dept. of Health still say that MRSA accounts for 5000 deaths. This figure is from 1994 and is based on an estimate from America.

SO WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO CAUSE THIS SITUATION?

In two words complacency and indiscipline.

The blame for this situation must rest squarely on the shoulders of senior management and politicians for cutting cleaning budgets and relaxing aseptic practices. Also senior government advisers for making statements such as this-

I quote-

“There is no evidence to suggest that a clean ward is any less infective than a dirty ward”. (repeat)

As a patient I say - This is crass and utter nonsense. Absence of evidence does not mean evidence is absent.

Just that it has not been sought.
It’s for sure that his and other managers homes are cleaner than many wards in our hospitals. Shouldn’t it be the other way round?

All this pain, suffering, maiming and premature death has been caused by chasing a mythical possibility of cost savings on hygiene and relaxation of aseptic techniques.

Costs may well have been cut in these areas but the increase to our health budget of treating people with these infections far outweighs the savings.
MRSA Support was formed in Birmingham England in April 2003 after the City newspaper featured 13 of us who had all been infected in the same hospital over the previous 12 months. Eight of us stayed together to warn people of the dangers of going into this hospital and inform them on what they could do to prevent becoming infected.

Our booklet MRSA-A Patients Defence! was published in Sept 2003 and featured in the national press. Overnight we attracted members from all over the UK. And to date we have 600.

We get on average five phone calls and 3-4 emails every day and we add 3-4 members to our list every week. Our website gets at least 40 hits a day.

THE CYCLE OF INFECTION

The view of MRSA Support is in line with retired nurses most of who speak disparagingly of the methods of asepsis practiced today.

We see this cycle in the hospital environment-
Skin scales, some of which are colonised with the bugs, shed to the atmosphere and settle out as dust. Remember 90% of dust in hospitals is skin scales!

The dust is left for days on end due to ineffective cleaning and is whipped up by turbulence from natural movement and is breathed into the noses and throats of the staff and patients alike. The medics then breathe potentially infected particles from their noses, over these sites, and their hands, also dragging with their breath stream, dust particles from the surrounding air.

Also it can settle onto any unprotected wound or vulnerable site.

This cycle can be broken and the bugs denied access simply by donning a face mask before the hands are washed or holding the breath during the procedure. (Can you imagine that?)

We must remember that anyone in hospital is likely to have a depleted immune system, this makes it doubly important to have the highest standards of hygiene discipline and asepsis.

Also you will have noticed when forensic evidence is being collected by the police, masks are always worn to prevent contamination by their breath.

The Red Cross manual of 1951 says-

(show slide).

It is quite apparent that these principles were followed then, and have now been abandoned. We have been trying to work out just why these practices were stopped and one of our members, Dr. Tris Roberts a professor of physiology has pinpointed it to a statement issued by the CDC which said that the Staphylococcal bacteria could only be passed on by touch.

This was interpreted too narrowly and as a result the hospital managements thought that they could make savings by cutting the cleaning budgets and allowing the dust to lye, but as we have seen, the air is rarely still in a hospital environment.

I can tell you many stories of our members but I will mention only four today. John Lake and Ed Hopkins both lost their legs due to carelessness over the protection of their surgical procedures.

Luke Day just 36hrs old succumbed to the bug which got to him through the cut on the umbilical cord. Emma Malik at 9yrs old suffered MRSA weeping smelly puss from her ear. Imagine how that affects a young girl.

All this is so unnecessary and just for the want of thorough cleaning and a disciplined approach to treating wounds and vulnerable sites.
Our request to you is that you help MRSA Support to expose the myth that MRSA and MSSA is an infection we must accept as a risk of hospital treatment.
These and other Hospital Acquired infections can easily be avoided by returning to the Aseptic techniques and hygiene regimes of the recent past.

Tell your friends and fellow citizens that infection prevention is less expensive than infection control and it gives a bonus. That bonus is discharging people from hospital better than when they were admitted.

It is now over two years from my last operation and only last week I had a check up.

Still they are offering me a hip and knee joint and still I am refusing it.

I am now clear of the bug and I intend to keep away from hospital treatment for as long as possible!

THANK YOU ALL FOR LISTENING