Staph infection... scary stuff: UPDATE

[disfan07]

I went through a period of about 2 years of getting staph abscesses. I would get 1 every 2 months. I swear those little bacteria buggers had it marked on a calender somewhere!!! Then it turned into 2 every two months. Was on the correct oral antibiotics (we did several cultures and ID & sensitivities during this time) I did Bactroban up the nostrils, and went through a large bottle of Hibiclens. Nothing stopped it!!! And why was it recurring? I was 40 something years old and have NEVER had an abscess before. I am a healthy person!!!

I was at my wits end, literally!!! I finally bathed in bleach water. Numerous times. I don't advocate doing this, but it worked for me!!! I hope I never have to deal with that issue again.

Ahh..yes...bleach water. My dermatologist and infectious disease doctor both Kind of recommended this if mine did not go away.

They said they recommend it for healthier individuals (ie: those without serious skin conditions) but bleach and my eczema and chemical sensitivities is probably not the best combination...lol

 

[wdwmom2]

Ahh..yes...bleach water. My dermatologist and infectious disease doctor both Kind of recommended this if mine did not go away.

They said they recommend it for healthier individuals (ie: those without serious skin conditions) but bleach and my eczema and chemical sensitivities is probably not the best combination...lol

No, probably not the best option for you.

Actually, no one recommended me to do this. I figured if it was good enough to disinfect other items, I was willing to try it. I was DESPERATE!!!!

I would get out of the tub and dry off. DH said that I smelled like a swimming pool!!!!

 

[dodukes]

My husband has a staph infection in/on his nose. 3 days ago he said he felt a painful pimple in his nostril. The next morning he woke up with his nose swollen twice it's size, bright red and warm.

We intially thought allergic reaction and gave him benedryl all day. I would never have thought staph. The next morning it was not better and he went straight away to the doctor.

He got a antibiotic shot and a prescription for 10 days of a tetracycline derivative.

How scared should I be right now?? I've been scouring everything he touches. I haven't slept in the same bed with him for 2 days as a precaution. I've washed sheets and pillowcases and even threw a couple of pillows out.

My son has eczema and I'm terrified he will catch this thing. The doctor didn't swab for an MRSA test. Should I send him back to the doc for a test?

If you've had a severe case of staph how long did it take to heal?? Should I be this scared?

i havent read thru everything but make sure you get tested for MRSA strainm, that one is deadly and very very painful. i left a pimple on my thigh go too long and got cellulitis and that was the worst pain i have ever experienced. make sure you take the medicine till the very end. i had to have my drained and the wound took a while to heal.

 

[AustinTink]

Update: my husband is now on his second course of antibiotics with the addition of muciprorin ointment and hibiclens soap. Starting to get very worried...

 

[Luv Bunnies]

Update: my husband is now on his second course of antibiotics with the addition of muciprorin ointment and hibiclens soap. Staring to get very worried...

Sorry to hear it's not getting better. Hopefully the second round will do the trick.

 

[2x_dis_dad]

What antibiotics is he on. I was in the hospital for a few days a couple of years ago with MRSA. They sent me home with a script for Zyvox. It worked great. The infectious disease Dr. I saw wanted me on it for 14 days. Blue Cross would only cover it for 10 days and had to have it reviewed. I sat in the hospital for an extra day because I needed special permission for the extra 4 days. Zyvox was very expensive. I think it was like $100.00 per pill for 2 pills a day.

 

[bookgirl]

I did therapy with a young man (also a friend of the mother). The dad and the older brother both had MRSA. I was in the house 4-5 days a week 2-4 hours a day.

I was very careful. I washed my hands often and never used a hand towel. According to thier doctor, hand towels are the worse offender for spreading staph, since they tend to have multiple users and staph loves fuzzy damp cloth.

I never got it, but I was aware.

I'm about to go on a trip and a family friend will be sharing my room. She was diagnosed with staph this week and has an open wound on her foot. I'm totally taking my crocs and wearing them in the shower. Better safe than sorry.

It did often take the family I know multiple rounds of antibiotics and creams before they got even small infections or sores (they were prone to them since they had MRSA) cleared up and wound care and being vigilant about the meds were the key.

 

[jaminmd]

Update: my husband is now on his second course of antibiotics with the addition of muciprorin ointment and hibiclens soap. Starting to get very worried...

Is the mupirocin to be used inside his nostrils?

How bad is his wound?

What are his current antibiotics?

Bactrim is what we used to treat outpatient MRSA infections. Is that what he's taking?

 

[AustinTink]

Is the mupirocin to be used inside his nostrils?

How bad is his wound?

What are his current antibiotics?

Bactrim is what we used to treat outpatient MRSA infections. Is that what he's taking?

He's taking Sulphameth now. His first antibiotic was Doxycycline. He also had a shot on his first trip to the doctor, not sure what antibiotic.

I can't see the would it's inside his nose and I'm not going in there. The doc said yesterday it's an abcess and is sending him to an ENT on Tuesday.

He's putting the Muciprorin in both nostrils, as it started in one and seems to be moving to the other now.

 

[tink_n_pooh]

My cousin got a staph infection last week on her leg. She has no idea where she could have picked it up, she didn't even have any broken skin that she was aware of. The only place that seemed logical that she could have got it from was maybe the Great Wolf Lodge? She is on 3 different antiobiotics now

 

[disneydance]

They think another kid picked it up at a non-school match and brought it in. The week he got it they were working on using their foreheads while wrestling (can you imagine?) The department of health shut it down for several days. The school had to replace the under matting but not the one year old mat. Of course, they didn't contact me about it at anytime. When he said one of his teammates was diagnosed with it I didn't believe him because the teammate left the doctor's office and came BACK to school. My son missed several days and when he had a patch of very dry looking skin on his ear, I had to take him back to the doctor to be cleared for school again. At first I was frustrated, but then I realized they were being extra cautious...if only parents were like that.
As far as sleeping and contact, I wouldn't. Mommas can't afford to be sick! This was the first time in many years that my 14 year decided he wanted to hug me all the time. I was constantly saying "back off". My doctor said that if it looked like it was spreading to come back. His looked "oozy" but I think it was the oinment. It never spread and ended looking like road rash across his entire forehead. He was embarrassed since it took forever to completely go away. It is still pink like healing skin and this happened early November. I KNOW he will get better. Just keep your baby away from him and he'll be fine too. It's just the drug resistant age we live in. The kids that didn't heal didn't take the same stuff as my son. Please post when he is better as I empathize and will keep you all in my prayers!

This happened last year to our wrestling team I wonder if we live near. And I've been fighting a staph infection/yeast infection under my armpits for over a month now I just switched to the next course of antibiotics yesterday and it still hasn't completely cleared up. When I was diagnosed they took a biopsy and gave me some shot then gave me a course of antibiotics but I ended up in the ER 2 days later with a allergic reaction. I guess it can take up to a week to have the reaction I had . They switched me to something else that wasn't as effective and I got super sick and ended up in the hospital till Christmas Eve on IV antibiotics. Then I was put on a 10 day course of something else with an ointment for 14 days another one for the yeast for 1 month and now yesterday I started one that fights the staph and yeast and I'm on that for a month. The good news is I'm getting a botox shot which should finally end this nightmare in 2 weeks.

 

[jaminmd]

He's taking Sulphameth now. His first antibiotic was Doxycycline. He also had a shot on his first trip to the doctor, not sure what antibiotic.

I can't see the would it's inside his nose and I'm not going in there. The doc said yesterday it's an abcess and is sending him to an ENT on Tuesday.

He's putting the Muciprorin in both nostrils, as it started in one and seems to be moving to the other now.

We primarily use mupirocin to decolonize nostrils when we find MRSA. This has been going on for a couple weeks now, which makes me think he's on the wrong antibiotics because the infection has progressed instead of improved. Sounds like he needs different antibiotics that are sensitive to this organism.

It's pointless to culture him now because he's been on antibiotics. If you don't get anywhere with the ENT doc, he needs an infectious disease consult.

 

[shortbun]

I just spent 5 weeks in the hospital, lost 9 pounds of tissue and have a wound vac attached to my side over a staph infection a doctor chose to treat with an antibiotic. I waited 3 days to see to doc again and ended up in the emergency room, having two back to back surgeries and in isolation for a week while they confirmed it wasn't MRSA. They told me staph lives on our bodies all the time and that it probably started with an infected hair or similar. I would take him to an emergency room immediately if it's still growing or the antibiotic isn't immediatly stopping it. He might need an IV antibiotic at the very least. As far as you catchng it, staph just is always there and sterilizing your environment is fine but your main concern should be your husband. If this infection goes inward and tunnels; he could lose a large part of his face. I'm sitting her with my wound vac attached, tubes coming out of my side as living proof of what a staph infection can do.

 

[AustinTink]

We primarily use mupirocin to decolonize nostrils when we find MRSA. This has been going on for a couple weeks now, which makes me think he's on the wrong antibiotics because the infection has progressed instead of improved. Sounds like he needs different antibiotics that are sensitive to this organism.

It's pointless to culture him now because he's been on antibiotics. If you don't get anywhere with the ENT doc, he needs an infectious disease consult.

He just started the sulpha antibiotic (bactrim is guess) on Thursday night. Should I be really worried if we don't see improvement today?

The first antibiotic seemed to help. The redness and swelling went down and what was left was the abcess in the nose that never fully cleared. Here's the confession I got from him, and this could be the reason he's not well now... He SKIPPED DOSES!! He was traveling for a week and I wasn't there to police him. He wasn't taking this thing seriously and missed about 4 pills.

I'm still keeping my didtance from him, but I guess that's a bit over the top. My sister's a nurse practitioner and she just told me I dont need to do so. She said just don't stick your finger up his nose and you'll be fine!

 

[AustinTink]

I just spent 5 weeks in the hospital, lost 9 pounds of tissue and have a wound vac attached to my side over a staph infection a doctor chose to treat with an antibiotic. I waited 3 days to see to doc again and ended up in the emergency room, having two back to back surgeries and in isolation for a week while they confirmed it wasn't MRSA. They told me staph lives on our bodies all the time and that it probably started with an infected hair or similar. I would take him to an emergency room immediately if it's still growing or the antibiotic isn't immediatly stopping it. He might need an IV antibiotic at the very least. As far as you catchng it, staph just is always there and sterilizing your environment is fine but your main concern should be your husband. If this infection goes inward and tunnels; he could lose a large part of his face. I'm sitting her with my wound vac attached, tubes coming out of my side as living proof of what a staph infection can do.

That is so frightening. So sorry you had to experience it. Keep us posted on your recovery.

 

[bushdianee]

Three years ago I fell on the ice and ended up crawling to my car so I could pull myself up. At first my left leg was black and blue from ankle to knee. then it turned red and was painful. Dr. treated the leg for frostbite (surgeon later said it wasn't frostbie but blunt force trauma from the fall.) Shortly after that I had 2 small blisters appear just below the knee which wouldn't heal. I was finally set to a wound care specialist who debrided it for almost 3 months. She actually had me using a water pick on it to hopefully stimulate new tissue growth. I was on several round of antibiotics but nothing was working. I ended up having 3 surgeries begtween June and August with a wound vac between the second and third surgeried. MRSA didn't show up until I was in the hospital after the third surgery. Luckily my leg was saved. I didn't know until recently just how bad my leg was at the time and that the surgeon wasn't sure she was going to be able to save it.

 

[jaminmd]

He just started the sulpha antibiotic (bactrim is guess) on Thursday night. Should I be really worried if we don't see improvement today?

The first antibiotic seemed to help. The redness and swelling went down and what was left was the abcess in the nose that never fully cleared. Here's the confession I got from him, and this could be the reason he's not well now... He SKIPPED DOSES!! He was traveling for a week and I wasn't there to police him. He wasn't taking this thing seriously and missed about 4 pills.

I'm still keeping my didtance from him, but I guess that's a bit over the top. My sister's a nurse practitioner and she just told me I dont need to do so. She said just don't stick your finger up his nose and you'll be fine!

She's right. Don't share towels, razors, just in case. Skipping doses wasn't smart. No need to try and sanitize the house (unless you just like to clean). You should start to see an improvement if he is on Bactrim. And, not to be funny, but make sure he isn't touching his nose or trying to lance his abscess, ok?