MRSA

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anonymous

New member
Hey all...
I have MRSA...I was diagnosed with it when I was 17. Before I knew I had it, I felt sick and my mucus was really thick and hard to cough up and I was getting a slight fever. My doc prescribed doxycycline and it hasn't given me a problem since. When in the hospital the nurses wear masks in and out of my room and when I leave the room I have to wear a mask until I get off of the cf floor.

The MRSA hasn't given me any problems since it's been treated.

Take care all!


-erin <img src="i/expressions/musicnote.gif" border="0">
19/f/cf <img src="i/expressions/rose.gif" border="0">
 
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ClashPunk82

New member
my brother has MRSA but I do not which is strange because we live in the same house. Anyway when I go in the hospital every CF patient is on precautions. You get your own room and people have to gown and glove when they come in and you aren't allowed to leave your room unless it's at times where there are less people around.

Nicole 22 CF
 
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ClashPunk82

New member
my brother has MRSA but I do not which is strange because we live in the same house. Anyway when I go in the hospital every CF patient is on precautions. You get your own room and people have to gown and glove when they come in and you aren't allowed to leave your room unless it's at times where there are less people around.

Nicole 22 CF
 
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supermanfan

New member
Nicole, sorry to hear about that. I just wanted to stop by and say Hello

Denise <img src="i/expressions/rose.gif" border="0">
 
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supermanfan

New member
Nicole, sorry to hear about that. I just wanted to stop by and say Hello

Denise <img src="i/expressions/rose.gif" border="0">
 
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ClashPunk82

New member
<blockquote>Quote<br><hr><i>Originally posted by: <b>supermanfan</b></i><br>Nicole, sorry to hear about that. I just wanted to stop by and say Hello



Denise <img src="i/expressions/rose.gif" border="0"><hr></blockquote>

Hi Denise! <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif" border="0">
 
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ClashPunk82

New member
<blockquote>Quote<br><hr><i>Originally posted by: <b>supermanfan</b></i><br>Nicole, sorry to hear about that. I just wanted to stop by and say Hello



Denise <img src="i/expressions/rose.gif" border="0"><hr></blockquote>

Hi Denise! <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif" border="0">
 
A

anonymous

New member
<blockquote>Quote<br><hr><i>Originally posted by: <b>Anonymous</b></i><br>Do any of you that have MRSA know just how contagious it is? The reason I ask is that while doing some online research, I saw that a person w/ MRSA that is hospitalized has to be basically isolated in a private room and that the health care workers have to wear gloves, aprons, etc.
I just was curious if I'm contagious only to people w/ weakened immune systems or to the general population?
From what I can tell, there is a MRSA that is in the lungs & a different type that is on your skin, that sports teams, etc have spread to each other. Maybe this is the one where you have to be isolated from everyone while in the hospital or maybe it's both types?
Can anyone offer some knowledge here and thanks in advance.<hr></blockquote>
 
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anonymous

New member
this question has been brought up before and people seem to disagree on the answer, but I work with MRSA patients frequently at work and here is what we have been taught about it. Once you culuture it, you will ALWAYS have it. But there is medication they can give you (provided you dont' build a resistance to it) which will alleviate it's symptoms. Once it has cleared up and been completely treated you can test negative for it, but know that since you have tested positive for it before you are at risk anytime you have an exaserbation that it will flare up. Also know that you can infect others with a low immune system (those with AIDS/HIV, those with cancer recieving Chemotherapy, other CFers) even while you test negative if you have had MRSA in the past. This is why it has become such a difficult thing to track, treat and properly manage.

Julie-RN (wife to Mark 24 w/CF)
 
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anonymous

New member
My son is a healthy 19 year old college student. He contracted MRSA while working out in the college gym. The first time around the doctors cut an opening about the size of a nickel and drained the infection and cultured it. This showed MRSA that was resistent to Levaquin, Tetrycyclin, Keflex and most other antibiodics. They put him on 1000 mg of Tetracycline and 750 mg of Levaquin and were proud of themselves when it started clearing up. 2 weeks later it has returned. We took him to an Infectious Disease Specialist who now has him on Zyvox 600mg twice a day ($69 a pill by the way) for 2 weeks. After 48 hours he is showing tremendous success. I am passing this along to let you know that this isn't something that just those with weakened immuned systems get and it can be very serious. It is very important for the doctors to culture it and to treat it accordingly and aggressively. We have been told he is contagious as long as the wound is open and draining. Oh, btw - he did NOT have an open wound when he got this. He contracted it when he worked out on an already sweaty weight bench and the body fluids mixed. We have been told to go back to what our grandmothers taught us - ALWAYS wash our hands before we eat and after we use the restroom.
Sheila
 
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anonymous

New member
I WORK W/A PATIENT WHO HAD MRSA A FEW MONTHS AGO AT THE TIME WE HAD TO TAKE PRECAUTION SINCED THAN SHE GOT TREATED AND NOW WE DONT WEAR OUR MASK ANYMORE.WOULD I IN ANY KIND OF WAY HAPPEN TO CATCH MRSA FROM MY PATIENT IF IT DID REAOCCUR UNKNOWINGLY?ALSO CAN YOU TELL ME A FEW OF THE SYMPTOMNS THAT ARE OBVIOUSLY COMMON?





THANK YOU


RHODE ISLANDER
 
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anonymous

New member
no, once a person has MRSA they always have it. Even if the particular patient isn't testing "positive" at the time of the hospitilization (or visit) it is still harbored in their body and they are still able to affect others. It's like Herpies, you ALWAYS have it once you get it, it can flare up at anytime and the "symptoms" are treatable, but not curable. I ALWAYS wear a mask and MRSA precautions around previously diagnosed MRSA patients.

Julie (wife to Mark 24 w/CF)
 
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blindhearted

New member
I have MRSA. I've had it for a long time. I can remember back to 14 yrs old but I probably had it before then. I have had on and off episodes of it, last year is most recent. I have it in my lungs and sinuses. It is near impossible to get rid of. Doctors claim to me that you have to have 3 or more cultures in a row within a 6 month or more period to test negative for MRSA which is basically impossible, cause as Julie says once you got it, you got it. Doctors put you in isolation (which I hate and call lock-down) not only because you have MRSA and they want other patients (who are in the hospital and also have low immune system) to be safe from it. But also because MRSA make your already weak immured system even weaker, they don't want any other patient to give you something new. MRSA is basically a "superbug" which means it is resistant to almost everything under the sun. However a flare up can be taken care of (temporary) by Vancomycin by IV combined with a possible combination of drugs that it is resistant to. For example Tobramycin and Fortaz works for me. Alone they don't work but the combo might give them an extra punch. There is also a semi-new oral antibiotic on the market that can help people who are Vancomycin resistant (called VRSA which is worse that MRSA), known as Zyvox. This antibiotic is every regulated because they don't want people to become resistant. It is also very expensive. About $3000 (last I heard) for 2 weeks worth, taking it twice a day (that would be over $100 per tablet) and your insurance company has to pre-appove it. But its kinda a last resort for doctors because of possible resistance and price. Ketek is also semi-new and works pretty well and isn't as expensive as Zyvox. Information about these can be found at www.drugdigest.com which is a pretty resourceful website.
 
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anonymous

New member
There are cases (see CDC website) of MRSA being totally eradicated. My daughter tested MRSA positive at age 7 then she tested negative by age 8. We believe this was due to the fact that the physician decided to "hit hard & heavy" with IV Vancomycin. The way they test for "eradication" is by having 3 negative sputum cultures & 3 negative swabs. For the swab test they actually take tissue samples from the groin, the armpits, and the nose. People who test negative for MRSA (after having positive cultures) will still have + swabs (it is shed in the skin) and are considered "colonized".
 
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2sickkids

Guest
Both my sons have MRSA. Older son had it first at 1 baby at 2 wk. That was the first time both had a throat culture. never tried to treat the baby oldest was on meds for 5 weeks. They culture it every time. I had my dr do cultures on my cause I have very weak lungs. I have at most 40 % lung capacity. Thought it was my fault but I don't culture it. So I think it had to came from the office. They do isolate them but a lot of nurses try to come in ungowned or with out mask or gloves.
 
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anonymous

New member
I have a question rellated to this. My son age 23 had MRSA about 2 yrs ago. Was successfully treated we thought, with IV vancomycin, (came back negative). Now he got sick and has been sick since January......treated with tobi and fortaz for psuedomoneouis. He had a sinus surgery and now turned up MRSA in the sinus's when they cultured him.

He is supposed to do irrigation, but doesn't want to CROSS Contaminate. The Dr. said if he has it in his sinuses, it is also in his lungs?? Is it true. We are having trust issues and anger issues with the hospital. Many of the nurses and Dr.s do not gown or glove and also sit on the bed...................

Thanks for any help......

Oh also how do we handle MRSA at home?? I was going to use paper towels in the bathroom and llysol, etc. whatever we can to knock it out!!!!
 
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anonymous

New member
Unfortunately, like Julie said once you have MRSA, then you have it. Yes, you can sometimes get rid of it temporarily, but it usually comes back at some point. If he does do irrigation, I'm not sure how he does his irrigation, but I wipe off the tip of my Flonase, etc w/ alcohol after I've had colds, etc so as not to reinfect myself with the same cold, etc.
Also, are you wanting to protect everyone else from getting it in your household? I often use paper towels, etc to try to minimize passing it on to others in the household, but let's face it, you can't co-exist with others and totally get rid of all possiblities that something is going to be passed around.
As long as you're not immune compromised, then my understanding is that you shouldn't be able to get it anyway.
Also, since he has been feeling so bad for months now, what does his latest sputum culture show? Did is indicate MRSA in the lungs as well as the sinuses?
 
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