I have MRSA sores on my buttox and it was a week that I was in the hospital before the doctors in Massachusetts realized that MRSA could not be treated with CIPRO!!!!!!I was then switched to sulfa and then to minocycline! still no luck and I was never isolated in the hospital!!

I have MRSA

I have mrsa and after heart bypass I am still so weak I can not do any of my housework, and end up in the hospital about once a month. I feel exactly the same as I did before bypass exceptjust weaker. My sternum was removed and I was in the hospital from July 31st till Jan. 11. I would go home and the next week I would be taken back to the hospital. There has to be something that can be done I am only 64 years old I can not pick up my great grands can not go out the front of my house and can not squat down. I feel like I'm a hundred years old.
If any one has better info please let me know.
Imalene Pardon
rip@tds.net

my girlfriend got a very similar mrsa infection to 'new york' above. they first treated it w/ cipro which made it calm down, but then it came back even worse 3 weeks later! finally flux...worked, but it seems like it's always lurking.

After a trip to Northern Florida for vacation my husband noticed that he had a small redish "pimple" type "bite" on his inner thigh. It acted like it was a spider bite. Red and hard in the center with a big halo ring around it that grew bigger each day. When we made it back home he went to the ER feeling horriable and noticing that he had another on his left thigh and one on his finger and one that had gotten really large in the groan area. The hospital didn't do anything to the areas....just gave him a bag of antiobiotics through an I.V. for an hour and sent him home. They never even checked for MRSA or even had a clue of the severity of it.
Later on that night my husband was feeling alot worse and a friend just happened to call to check on us that works in the medical field. They didn't like what little they heard that the ER. had done so they wanted us to come to their clinic so he could check on him himself. (10:00pm at night) If it wasn't for his knowledge of what was going on my husband would have gotten worse over night and the disease could have gotten into his blood or in his bone on his finger. He recomended that we go straight to the Hostpital and be admitted. He recongnized the signs of the MRSA......thank goodness. The hospital Er. blood test results were later found out that my husband had a 15.2 thousand white blood cell count and should have NEVER been sent home.
My husband went into surgery 2 days later and had to have 4 places on his body lanced open and cleaned of infection and drained. These wounds have to be left open and packed with gauze until it heals from the inside out. This has to be packed and changed daily. VERY PAINFUL.
Another odd thing is that the staph infection somehow transfered to me and i had a spot on my leg that had to be treated as well.
I just wanted to let everyone know our story so they will insist on being treated quickly and aggressively with antibiotics if they have any of the symptoms that everyone has listed.
Looks like innocent insect type bites need to be watched more closely to make sure that that is what they really are.

Texas

HELLO,
MY UNCLE HAS BEEN TOLD HE HAS MRSA. HE IS IN SO MUCH PAIN. HE IS ALSO A DIABETIC. THEY SAID THEY COULD NOT GIVE HE A LOT FOR THE PAIN. HIS KIDNEY'S ARE NOT FILTERING OUT THE MEDS.
MY QUESTION IS IN A PERSON THAT IS DIABETIC VERY DIABETIC, AND IF IT IS IN HIS KIDNEY'S, WHAT CAN THEY GIVE HIM? WHAT IS HIS RECOVERY GOING TO BE LIKE? ALSO, THEY HAVE LANCED 3 OF THE SORES, 1 ON HIS BELLY, 1 ON HIS ARM, AND THE OTHER ON HIS LEG.
THE ONE THAT IS CAUSING THE MOST PAIN IS ON HIS KNEE, THERE IS ONE ON THE TOP OF HIS KNEE AND ON THE BACK OF THE SAME KNEE. HE IS IN VERY BAD PAIN!
IN THIS KNEE ALSO, A VERY HIGH FEVER!
LOOKING TO HELP A LOVING UNCLE,
TY
LQ

My 12 year old daughter has been treated for 3 months now with MRSA nothing so far has worked. She has had the "wicks" placed in several times and is now very scarred. If anyone knows what to do about the scars please post it. Mary

I had to go in to have day surgery for a port due to the fact
that earlie I needed a blood transfusion & iron. The dr. gave me 12
bags in all and said it was 2 bags to much & that we had to get some of it out or it would kill my liver. within 4 days I began
to have pain in my neck & shoulder and went to the ER where I was
given a shot of rocephin and one of demerol. neither worked and
everyday and nite for the weekend they did it again.. Finally on
Monday I went to see the surgeon and he had the audasity to tell
me there was no way I was in that kind of pain, go home & we'll
watch it for a couple more days. I was so shocked all I could
do was cry but fortunatly my best friend jumped up and told him
that he would be addmitting me immediately. The or else was implied and he got the point. The MRSA HAD GONE TO MY NECK & SPINAL CORD...The cdc dr. said that in another 24 hours I would
have been dead or a quadraplegic....My hospital stay lasted almost six weeks and was followed by doing my own IV at home for
three more weeks,,,,,,,,now comes the scarry part...I went in for
another surgery. I told them to please use Vancomiacin so that
I didn't risk getting mrsa again, they said he had ordered another antibiotic but it was extremely good on skin born infections. I went back to my dr. 24 hours after telling them
my incision was infected and that it looked very much like
mrsa. My neuro-surgeon removed my stitches, leaving a gaping
wound, took a culture, had me deliver it to the local hospital
lab, and gave me some keflex incase it wasn't mrsa. but in the
same breath said he felt certain that I was right and that it was
mrsa and he'd let me know and then we would decide what we should
do this time around. I'm sitting at home for 2 days now with a
awful looking gaping wound on my hand and I feel scared and depressed. I am so confused why did they quarrantine me for 4-6
weeks before and this time they admit they think I have it again
but they are letting just walk around anywhere I want to go.
I feel terrified for my kids are they insane or am I? What should I do???

my husband is in a california state prison. last year he was 'TOLD' by the medical personel he had 3 'SPIDER BITES' on his behind. they were EXACTLY what you all have been describing.
they were a NIGHTMARE and he had all the symptoms. he became extremely ill we excepted what they told us about 'SPIDER BITES'. BIG MISTAKE!!!!!!!!! they also bent him over a table and ripped out the cores with no pain medication or anything. shortly after that i got a bump on my face that grew to the size of a golf ball. it had to be lanced and drained and packed with gauze. it was the most painful thing in the world.I THOUGHT!!!!
1 MONTH later i got another one on my chin. 3 months later i got attacked with 9 of the on my vulva one the size of golf ball. my docter lanced three of them and gave me antibiotics and i have been on them for 1 month. i just refilled my second set of pills. they are still telling the inmates these things are spider bites and they are not treating them with antibiotics. this stuff is dangerous!!!!!!!!!!!!! we dont know where else to turn.
renee flint

My whole family has MRSA. My two year old first, four year old, my husband then me. My husband has been in the hopital for 3 days. Our doctor tested for MRSA immediately. I had the germ once and so far no more break outs. My two yr. old is now three and it is a constint battle. On her buttocks and her pointer finger is where she gets them the most. Every other month it seems she is going to the doctor.

My brother is diabetic and he contracted MRSA in the hospital about ten years ago. He has periodic outbreaks with it and eventually had to have his leg amputated to the knee. The only thing that controls it for him is vanctomycin, the most powerful antibiotic out there. This new version does not always respond to it and the drug has side effects if not given properly. We are from Texas.

My wife got the marsh infection while in the hospital being treated for colon cancer and ending up dying after a 100 day stay in the hospital. I caught the same infection while taking care of her in the hospital and had to have a new hip put in because of the infection and stayed in the hospital for 44 days the hospital said this is normal alot of people get it in the hospital I thought you only got it in dirty hospitals am I wrong. Is there anything I can do to the hospital for this?

I work in the home health field in St. Petersburg, Florida. It is incredible, the number of MRSA cases we see coming out of the hospital. Most of the time the infection is being treated with I.V. vancomycin, as the only truly effective, widely-used antibiotic. This does not guarantee that it will never come back. Doctors have said that once you have MRSA, it is likely outbreaks will reoccur, although this may differ from person to person. Here in Florida (there is some info on the web), beach swimming, diving, surfing, fishing, and marine service (barnacle scraping, boats) have delivered a huge number of MRSA cases in various areas such as Daytona, Orlando and here in the St. Petersburg area. I have seen only one article in the local paper about this problem in the water, and a mysterious "yellow, cloudy" substance in the water, reported by divers who say they have never seen anything like it, prior to the MRSA infection on their skin. I believe that this is deliberately being under-reported, due to the damage it might due to the tourist industry here and in other areas. Tourists come to the south to swim and go to the beach. But, I know that treated (and not-so-treated) sewage from everywhere gets dumped into our salt water bodies of water, and apparently, salt is not enough to kill the bacteria. I think it is mandatory that the Center for Disease Control make the public aware of the hazard to anyone entering the water or coming in contact with marine products, until this plague can be addressed and annihilated. MRSA is reported to be a variant of staph infection that is antibiotic resistive. It has changed it's original form to what it is now. It is only one of several types of antibiotic resistive bacteria. I believe that to fight this problem now, that we must get the facts out to people in general, and not wait for the media to report what is going on, as it may well be too late. There is no reason to think that this bacteria cannot change again and become airborne,
as it can already be contracted off surfaces such as personal items. MRSA has been described as a "skin infection" in the newspapers which is only true in that skin is it's identified entry point into the body. MRSA travels to any point in the body, and has been identified in urine, sputum samples, feces, etc. This description as a "skin infection" does not do justice to warning people of the lethal nature of the infection if left untreated with the right drugs the first time. Now that it also has been identified in the school systems (and who knows where else), it needs to be treated as a possible pandemic in the U.S. It appears to be moving quite rapidly, now that it is apparently in salt water. Thank you for your attention and possibe help in warning people of this.

My son is a parapleic who contacted mrsa in the hospital about five years ago. He recently developed chills and a large swelling on his buttocks. I tookmhim to the emergency room and they immediately admitted him and scheduled him for surgery. He's now in the hospital with an 6inch opening about 4 inches deep, becsause of rotted flesh that had to be cut out, they have him on antibiotics and they pack his wound three times a day. This is awful!!! Now they say they're sending him home because the insurance won't pay for a longer stay. They're not saying what will be done next.

It has been almost 3 months since my husband and i had our ordeal with MRSA. I guess we are very fortunate that it didn't get to our children. We have been fine with no signs of it returning.
I haven't been told before that it could come back. That worries me. I thought we were past it all. Does the infection or bacteria stay dormant in your body?
Thanks for the information from the gentlemen that used to be a health care provider in Florida. This really sounds like a growing problem that really needs to be investigated by the infectious / disease group. this needs to be under control.

Texas

Ignorance is very common in this Area. Not only with the general public but also with the ER physicians who routinely mis- prescribe the wrong antibiotics to treat staff infections do to there inabiltity to appropriatlely test for MRSA infection in an efficient manner. MRSA bacterial is in the nose and or skin of of 3-4 out of every 10 people! Alarming! Even the Center for Disease Cotrol says " MRSA poses a Serious health threat". Well I was given a few weeks to research this subject and treatments.
I was given the wrong Antobiotics (Cephalasporin's- Keflax) for a infection in my hand on my first visit to an ER. No culture of the wound was done! Should be mandatory!. 2 days later it got worse and I was rushed into emergency surgery to have my hand cut open and drained. After a week in the hospital and about 20 bags of Antibiotics(Vancomycin,cleocin) I was released to do a week of physical therapy. Recovery fine from the wound, not the hospital bill. 17,000+. I found out my father and daughter also have MRSA because I told the ER doctor to do a culture to check. Otherwise they would have probably been given the wrong antobiotics without proper diagnoses and probably spread the infected bacteria even more. This is happening to frequently. I have contacted the State and county health dept here in Fla. MRSA is not a reportable disease either by the CDC, States or County health dept. So there are no warnings issued to ER's when outbreaks occur. And no mandated rapid testing procedure. Which is why you have to tell the doctors to do a culture to find out. This needs to change. Which brings us to the next problem. Most hospitals/Testing labs do agur or broth based test on the culture which will tell which antibiotic is most effective in treating the one of 154+ strains of MRSA. This test can take from 1-2 days to get the results and possibly a week before the hospital ER even lets you know if it's MRSA or not. Since the states and counties can not mandate testing protocal for MRSA this is contributing to the spread of Community Associated MRSA. The 6 different Rapid MRSA test approved by the FDA are not being widely used. Some can yield results in as little as 15 minutes for preliminary identification of MRSA. Cultures would have to be done to determine which antibiotic is most effective. However immediate and proper antibiotics like Levoflaxin(Levaquin) can be prescribed which does treat MRSA infections. Since MRSA is so common and approximately 100,000 cases of MRSA in the US each year. I would think the states would adapt a much stronger approach.It's a shame when money and politics gets in the way of public health. Efforts are being made here by volutary reporting of MRSA infections to our County Health Dept which has made a change in the type of Antibiotics being prescribed for certain infections and those so called spider bytes. MRSA will never go away. Mandated testing procedures needs to be applied to detect this early and limit the infection of other family and friends. Education on public level needs to increase. Hand washing is a must. Not sharing personal items, towels, razors, bedding, and showers with MRSA patients needs to be adhered to. Cleaning surfaces, showers etc with 1 part bleach and 9 parts water has to be done when someone in your family gets MRSA. Cover all cuts and small wounds with bandaids, bandages, etc to limit the possibility of MRSA entering a wound. Using gloves to change bandages on MRSA wounds and handwashing afterwards. Bacteria can enter holes as small as a syringe needle. The effects of this bacteria is frightening to say to say the least. It will only be through cooperation of the CDC, State, County regulations/reporting and public education can this threat to public safety be properly addressed. I just hope measures are taken to make this happen sooner than later. Instead of the very lax attitude being taken at this time by those with enough authority to act.

I have been reading with great interest the stories of other people just like me - victims of MRSA infection. I'm more worried than ever now, because I see how many other people have been affected (and infected) and the difficulty of obtaining proper medical care.
My problems all began in June 2003 when I developed a blood clot in one of the deep veins of my left leg. I apparently had it for some time and the accompanying reduction in blood flow (along with my type 2 diabetes) set up the perfect environment for the deep skin infection cellulitis. I was extremely ill and almost died. I ran raging fevers, had disturbing hallucinations, fell out of bed and became so dehydrated that my kidneys failed. Fortunately, the antibiotics the doctors gave me intravenously (Levequin, Tobramycin and Vancomycin) slowly started clearing up the cellulitis and I was released to a rehabiltation facility after four weeks in the hospital. After a week at the rehab center (learning how to walk again), I was sent home with all expectations of a full recovery.
On Oct. 6, I returned to my job as community news editor at our local newspaper in Lockport, N.Y., 30 minutes from Buffalo. It was only part-time because I was so easily exhausted, but it felt so good to be a productive member of society again. My leg was still extremely swollen and very achy, but I was able to function in a normal - albeit slow - way.
I never got more than a week in at work. On Oct. 12, I was again admitted to the hospital because I had a raging fever and the back of my left leg was covered with oozing, horrible-looking lesions. I was in the emergency room from 9 p.m. until 2 a.m., and while there, NO ONE thought to take a wound culture on my exposed, extremely infected leg. It was three days later that the doctor finally ordered a culture and another two days before it came back positive. After finding out that I had a MRSA infection, I was placed in isolation and bombarded with more intravenous Vancomycin. It took three weeks before my doctors would allow me to go home, and then only after my insurance company approved paying for the very expensive Zyvox. Zyvox did not work for me, so now I am on a continuous regimen of mega doses of Bactrim DS and the use of Bactroban ointment.
Yesterday, I saw my surgeon and he applied an Unna boot, which is something like a soft cast. It is simply a stretch bandage soaked in calamine lotion and zinc oxide which is wrapped firmly around the leg and allowed to dry to a cardboard-like consistency. It will remain on my leg for a week, at which time my surgeon will decide to continue with the Unna boot therapy or try something else.
It might turn out that I have to go back into the hospital for IV Vancomycin, or possibly have a Pic line inserted at home for the infusions. Amputation is not being considered yet, but I know the possibility remains.
I don't know for sure where I picked up the infection, but it was either at the first hospital or at the rehabilitation center. All I know for sure is that my life has been changed in a way I could never have imagined. The day after I got home from the second hospitalization, I received a certified letter informing me that I had been terminated from employment (after 12 years of dedicated, hard work) because I can no longer work full-time. It was a crushing blow, to say the least, and it came at the worst time possible, when I was doubting that I would ever be okay again. However, my managing editor called me and said the termination was something the company had to do because of some archaic federal law, and that she is holding my position for me, regardless of the repercussions she may face. So, it is imperative that I return to my job for both my sake and hers, and that gives me more determination to beat this thing.
I hope in some way that my contribution to this site may help someone else, and I echo the message posted by J.H. - that MRSA won't be stopped; that it will continue to wreak havoc and destroy lives and that it needs to be taken very seriously by the medical profession. When AIDS was discovered, that's all anyone heard about on the news or read in the media, but it seems like MRSA has gotten short shrift, perhaps to avoid panic, but EVERYONE needs to know about it and how EASY it is to contract. When I get back to my job, I'm going to write a column about my MRSA experience and let the 50,000 readers in our circulation area know that they are not immune. MRSA is lurking everywhere.

Posted by: C.H. on November 29, 2003 6:10 p.m.

I have been reading with great interest the stories of other people just like me - victims of MRSA infection. I'm more worried than ever now, because I see how many other people have been affected (and infected) and the difficulty of obtaining proper medical care.
My problems all began in June 2003 when I developed a blood clot in one of the deep veins of my left leg. I apparently had it for some time and the accompanying reduction in blood flow (along with my type 2 diabetes) set up the perfect environment for the deep skin infection cellulitis. I was extremely ill and almost died. I ran raging fevers, had disturbing hallucinations, fell out of bed and became so dehydrated that my kidneys failed. Fortunately, the antibiotics the doctors gave me intravenously (Levequin, Tobramycin and Vancomycin) slowly started clearing up the cellulitis and I was released to a rehabiltation facility after four weeks in the hospital. After a week at the rehab center (learning how to walk again), I was sent home with all expectations of a full recovery.
On Oct. 6, I returned to my job as community news editor at our local newspaper in Lockport, N.Y., 30 minutes from Buffalo. It was only part-time because I was so easily exhausted, but it felt so good to be a productive member of society again. My leg was still extremely swollen and very achy, but I was able to function in a normal - albeit slow - way.
I never got more than a week in at work. On Oct. 12, I was again admitted to the hospital because I had a raging fever and the back of my left leg was covered with oozing, horrible-looking lesions. I was in the emergency room from 9 p.m. until 2 a.m., and while there, NO ONE thought to take a wound culture on my exposed, extremely infected leg. It was three days later that the doctor finally ordered a culture and another two days before it came back positive. After finding out that I had a MRSA infection, I was placed in isolation and bombarded with more intravenous Vancomycin. It took three weeks before my doctors would allow me to go home, and then only after my insurance company approved paying for the very expensive Zyvox. Zyvox did not work for me, so now I am on a continuous regimen of mega doses of Bactrim DS and the use of Bactroban ointment.
Yesterday, I saw my surgeon and he applied an Unna boot, which is something like a soft cast. It is simply a stretch bandage soaked in calamine lotion and zinc oxide which is wrapped firmly around the leg and allowed to dry to a cardboard-like consistency. It will remain on my leg for a week, at which time my surgeon will decide to continue with the Unna boot therapy or try something else.
It might turn out that I have to go back into the hospital for IV Vancomycin, or possibly have a Pic line inserted at home for the infusions. Amputation is not being considered yet, but I know the possibility remains.
I don't know for sure where I picked up the infection, but it was either at the first hospital or at the rehabilitation center. All I know for sure is that my life has been changed in a way I could never have imagined. The day after I got home from the second hospitalization, I received a certified letter informing me that I had been terminated from employment (after 12 years of dedicated, hard work) because I can no longer work full-time. It was a crushing blow, to say the least, and it came at the worst time possible, when I was doubting that I would ever be okay again. However, my managing editor called me and said the termination was something the company had to do because of some archaic federal law, and that she is holding my position for me, regardless of the repercussions she may face. So, it is imperative that I return to my job for both my sake and hers, and that gives me more determination to beat this thing.
I hope in some way that my contribution to this site may help someone else, and I echo the message posted by J.H. - that MRSA won't be stopped; that it will continue to wreak havoc and destroy lives and that it needs to be taken very seriously by the medical profession. When AIDS was discovered, that's all anyone heard about on the news or read in the media, but it seems like MRSA has gotten short shrift, perhaps to avoid panic, but EVERYONE needs to know about it and how EASY it is to contract. When I get back to my job, I'm going to write a column about my MRSA experience and let the 50,000 readers in our circulation area know that they are not immune. MRSA is lurking everywhere.

I HAD SPINAL FUSION AND AT THAT TIME I CONTRACTED MRSA, THE DOCTORS FIRST TREATED ME WITH ROCEPHREN, THIS DID NOT WORK AND I ENDED UP IN THE HOSPITAL BECAUSE I COULOD NO LONGER WALK. NOW I AM ON AN IV LINE EVERY NIGHT AT HOME, THE CHOICE OF DRUG THIS TIME IS VANCOMYICIN, IT IS NOW 7 MONTHS LATER AND I HAVE BEEN TOLD THAT RECOVERING FROM THIS INFECTION WILL BE A SLOW AND LENGTHY PROCESS, AND THERE ARE NO GUARANTEES IT WILL NOT JUST GO DORMANT, I CONTRACTRD THIS INFECTION FROM A DIRTY INSTRUMENT. lIFE GOES ON AS BEST AS IT CAN, HOPE AND FAITH!!!!!!!

My Mother went in hospital in NJ on a Wed and by Sat am, we were told within an hour she would be dead if not put on life support (breathing tube). By Monday told "Staph infection"...then MRSA! INSIDE HER LUNGS... turns out the resp tech tubing or "lack of handwashing" caused it. Mom "suffered" and deteriorated for 17 days....then one by one her organs shut down. So, due to the hospital's mistake, the six of us children lost our Mother and BEST FRIEND! 100,000 people a year die due to "hospital acquired infections". This should be screened for ON ADMISSION!

Could someone personally email me to talk to me about MRSA more, I was found with MRSA in October after undergoing a surgery . I have had 4 types of antibiotics used, no fever anymore but my wounds do not heal (3 months now) and i have also come up recently with the spider bite type of wounds on other parts of my body.
My incision keeps reopening and various drainings do not end.
What more can my Dr be doing for me that obviously they are not doing? Why do i feel so sick all the time? I have no fever anymore.
I feel as if most of the time i was just out of surgery (meaning the inside is so swollen ) and alot of pain is this common with MRSA to still have so much pain? Please i have another Drs appointment Monday the 29th of Dec i need some ammunition to go in with to be addressed. Thank you. Mrs French

I posted my email i pray someone can retrieve it.

I had a hysterectomy and bladder suspension in Walla Walla, WA(requiring a catheter tube from an incision in my abdomen) As a result I have been infected with staph. My insurance expired on Nov 30th. I expected I would have recovered by then. I thought I only had the flu so the staph was very severe by the time I went to the hospital. It was cellulitis- terrible pain, swelling with hard lumps, and reddness across my abdomen. I was hospitalized. The on-call Dr lanced the infection, gave me IV antibiotics and I was released the next day. I was prescribed Augmentin 2000mg for 7 days (very expensive) The incision drained for 6 days. I then saw my Dr who gave me 3 more days of Augmentin 1500mg. The hospital had taken a sample of the infection and sent the results to my Dr. He only told me it was a serious strain of staph. The Augmentin helped. The infection improved except for flattened hard lumps. My Dr minimized my condition. I was not satisfied and insisted on more antibiotics. The Dr prescribed cephalexin 500mg for 10 days. This treatment helped with the redness but the pain and swelling had increased. I asked the Dr to consult with someone who specialized in treating staph infection. He claimed to have called the Univ. of Washington and spoken with someone at the Center for Disease Control. Intrestingly the person he consulted with agreed with every thing the Dr recommended. He said the antibiotics would not take care of the lumps, that they must be lanced agian and stuffed with packing. This does not sound like something I want to do. I didn't feel the Cephalexin was working and I agian returned to the Dr who insisted I was getting better, that I should trust him and finish taking the cephelexin. The antibiotics are gone now but I still have pain, swelling and some reddness. I have an appt with my Dr tomorrow. I have done some research on the internet and have a list of antibiotics I can ask about. I am also going to ask if I was tested for MRSA. The possibility of MRSA is frightening, I was not told the infestion could be contagious and did not take precautions to protect my family. I have never been so sick in my life and I want to be rid of this infection. I work seasonaly for the Oregon state parks and must be well by Spring or risk loosing my job. I am shocked at how many people suffer from MRSA and how little the medical professionals are diong about it!

Update from Karen- I am relieved to learn that I do not have MRSA but I do have Staphlococus Aureus. My Dr claims he has never seen a case of MRSA. I hope this is true. I was glad I had done some research and knew which questions to ask. My Dr refused to give me the meds I had learned about, methicillin, oxacillin and nafcillin. He said they are too harsh and he does not use them. I am having a difficult time fighting off this infection. I did persuaded the Dr to give me another prescription for Augmentin. I am hoping this will help my get rid of the Staph for good!

Ive been fighting with abscesses for 19yrs. They call it hidradenitis suppurativa. This past yr has been horrible, especially over the summer. Constant draining and reswelling and draining, over & over. This is in the groin area. And then over the summmer it got in my armpit/Went to er, had it lanced. Now, right armpit got a HUGE one. Went to ER and this new doc actually did a culture for anearobes/aerobes. The infection was green and smelly the doc said. He said that was indicative of anearobic infection. Over the yrs my other doc (derma) always just threw meds at me without ANY cultures. When i would tell her that it ws making the abscesses worse, she got really mad!!! I told this to the ER doc. He couldnt believe it! Ant's and NO culture? Can you get MRSA from chronic use of antibiotics?? Will the culture he did reveal it if its mrsa? I seen the culture tube and it said aerobic/anearobic culture. I get confused about all this, because for EVER ive been fighting these "horrible" abscesses and given anti;s without tests. I would argue with the doc about it and all i would get is "oh! we dont culture these" its hidradenitis, thats why!!! They are NUTS!!!!! Thats my opinion! I will stand firm on the fact that the anti's she gave me made the abscesses worse!!!

RESENTLY I DEVELOPED WHAT LOOKED LIKE A BOIL ON MY CHIN. IT WAS VERY PAINFUL. I WAS EXPOSED TO MRSA. I WORK IN A NURSING HOME. THE RESIDENT DID NOT HAVE ANY PRECAUTIONS. I WENT TO THE NURSE AND ASKED IF THIS RESIDENT HAD MRSA. SHE SAID HE DID THEN HE DIDN'T. SHE TOLD US JUST USE GLOVES AND WASH YOUR HANDS. I WAS UPSET WHEN I LOOKED UP MRSA AND IT SAID PRECAUTIONS SHOULD BE TAKEN. I WENT BACK AND ASKED WHY WE WERE NOT USING THESE PRECAUTIONS. I GOT THE RUN AROUND. THAT RESIDENT LATER WAS COUGHING UP LARGE AMOUNTS OF SPUTUM. I'M WORRIED THAT THIS THING ON MY CHIN MAYBE MRSA. THE DOCTOR GAVE ME AN ANTIBIOTIC WHICH TOOK THE SWELLING DOWN. THE BUMP IS STILL THERE. I HAVE NEVER HAD ANYTHING LIKE IT BEFORE. WE ALSO HAVE RESIDENT WHO HAVE C-DIFF AND VERY LITTEL PRECAUTIONS ARE TAKEN THE EVEN LET THEM SHARE BATHROOMS. WHAT SHOULD I DO DOES ANYONE HAVE ADVISE?

I'm a 41 year old mother of 4 small children, I started developing absesses about Thanksgiving time, one went away fine the second needed to be opened and drained and responded to Keflex the third grew to a major infection in my Thigh in 3 days on the fourth I was hospitalized given vacomyicin and told it was mersa, my husband has had absesses also, I am really scared after reading all the comments, what are the precaustions, will I get it again, should my husband and children be tested, and am I still contagious, my own father wouldn't hug me today after not seeing me for 6 months. Please share any websites to visit or any and all info, I feel ignorate about what I have.

Hello everyone:

We are documentary filmmakers from Canada, who travelled to Tbilisi, Georgia last October, to film the process of phage therapy, as a possible alternative to antibiotics, in light of the problems with antibiotic resistance.
We learned of the success of Fred Bledsoe's case (patient from Indiana,) regarding the succcessful treatment of his diabetic foot. He was looking at amputation in an American hospital but in Georgia, his foot was saved. (under rather primitive conditions,in this poor country) Another North American with MRSA that was treated was Alfred Gertler from
Toronto. He suffered from Osteomyletis (bone infection) and was facing amputation in a Toronto hospital. His foot was saved in Tbilisi. (There is a lot of information on the internet on Phage Therapy in general and these cases)

If anyone would like information on how to receive treatment in Tbilisi, please contact Yana Samkaradze at the Phage Therapy Centre in Georgia. Her email is yanasamk@yahoo.com. Phone is: 995-32-231616. You can pass my name along as the source of your information.
We will be returning in mid February to do more filming.

Best of luck to you.

Vanessa Dylyn
White Pine Pictures
Toronto
416-730-5580
www.whitepinepictures.com

i have mrsa of my left breast but my left shoulder has been hurting so bad and noithing helps it. my dr. while in the hospital says its arthritis but it started with my breakout which i later to be called mrsa. how do i get someone to check to make sure its not mrsa? please help me i am very scared.

Feb.23 2004 My son is in the hospital from a steel sliver and it got infected, and now has mersa. They say cause he waited to long to come in. But now they want to put a stent in his arm , can any one tell me why?

This must more common than I was lead to believe. I took my 17 year old daughter to the doctor for a "boil" on her upper thigh. They took one look at it and sent me to a surgeon. He admitted her to the hospital to lance it (it was the size of a quarter at this time). This was on a Thursday and she came home from the hospital on Friday. On Monday, the upper part of her leg was red and inflamed and "boil" now was the size of a pancake. I took her back to the surgeon and he admitted her again. She had surgery to drain this on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. She was sent home on Sunday with home health nurses scheduled to see her every day to administer IV antiobiotics (my house looked like a hospital for 3 weeks). She had a port in her neck and I had IV's in my refrigerator. She missed the first 3 weeks of her senior year due to MRSA. She has a terrible scar on her thigh and states "I am not going to wear shorts this summer." We live in Alabama so you know it's bad when she will not wear shorts as hot as it gets. Thanks for letting me vent.

My husbands fellow worker just died of staph infection can you please tell me how it can be transfered to another person....Can you get it by riding in the vehicle he drove or touching his jacket? i am very worried....Thank you

Gwen please e-mail me my daughter (18) was just in the hospital with MRSA for five weeks and is still on IV medicine. We too live in Alabama and am curious where you live in AL.

Opps my email is lsutigerinbama1@aol.com

My boyfriend is in a Florida jail. He just called me today to say that all the inmates are under isolation due to four people being diagnosed with MRSA. He wanted me to go online and see what I could find out about it because we had never heard of it.
Much to my surprise, I am reading all of these horrible stories of how this is ruining peoples lives and I agree with all of you
that more needs to be announced to the public on this bacteria.
Furthermore, if another country already has a cure, the FDA needs
to step up to the table and pass this drug. Or will they wait until more people die or lose everything they have due to loss of employment. It's a shame and I hope my boyfriend does not
contract this bacteria. God Bless to all of you out there that
are having to live with MRSA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

First noticed a boil on my back two weeks after getting a tattoo in Miami. When I returned to Pensacola I also visited family in the hospital very frequently. A couple days later, on FEB 29th, I noticed a boil on my left inner thigh (which I ignorantly squeezed and poked with a needle). The boil had become so bad the next couple of days I couldn't walk on my leg. There was a red swollen area around the head of the boil the size of a steak. I saw my dermatologist on the following Tuesday. He prescribed clyndamycin and asked for a follow up Thursday.

The next visit, the site had not cleared up but had gotten worse and had a fever of 103.9 and a low blood pressure. He sent me to my primary care physician, who admitted me to the hospital.

There I was injected with vancomycin twice daily from Thursday (03/04/04) until Monday (03/08/04). My primary care physician discharged me on oral antibiotics - Septra (a sulfa drug) to clear up the remaining infection.

It's been a few days and it hasn't cleared up yet. It left a pencil eraser-sized hole in my leg with tunneling a couple inches towards my groin. In a couple of hours the wound care center will clean it out and dress it...but I've got questions concerning a tough spot 2 inches from the hole. My primary care physician says it may need to be drained at which they'll probably have to somehow cut. I'm becoming increasingly worried upon reading all the information online. My situation wasn't pleasant, but not as bad as others I've read. I sincerely pray this doesn't become a recurring problem.

I've also got questions regarding the bacteriophage mentioned above. Is there anyone else with success of the bacteriophage treatment? I was able to find useful information about it at:

http://news.scotsman.com/latest.cfm?id=2263816

Praying for healing for us all

I am a 20 year old female Marine.In october I had surgery on my left ankle, in December I began getting these large boils in different places on my body. I was seen in the er, it was lanced and stuffed with gauze. I returned for 5 day and had the packing changed and that was it FOR THEN... two weeks after that I got another.. I went to the NAVAL HOSPITAL CAMP PENDLETON and was given antibiotics. I did a follow up my area clinc and my don't prescribed a different antibiotic. In early Feb I found out these infections are Called Staphylococcus Aureus. I have recieved over 8 different antibiotics and nothing seems to work. I seen 6 docters each with a diffent answer, but no one know a cure. I have read online that this is deadly.. I don't kow what else to do the docters here to seem to be able to help!!! please email me with any information that my help.....

My brother started getting sores on his legs last summer and went several times to the dr they said he had a spider bite gave him meds sent him home,this all took place after a short time in the county jail the others in jail with all broke out to
any way I have Lupus and I broke out with theses sores upon visiting my dr and convincing her that I did not believe this to be spider bites she did a antirobie test sure enough it was mrsa I drug my brother to her and his was the same thing I was given 5 days of vancomyacin developed an alergy and could not finish the tx a month later I was broke out again a new oral drug called zyvox was given this drug is suppose to replace IV drug vancomycin it worked 14 days later My blood was clean of mrsa this was dec9 2003 it is now march 14 and I some how have been reinfected tonight i am researching why I read on the Iowa department of public health site that a carrier of mrsa won't be sick and could have colonization of the mrsa on there skin and in nasal passages if some one with an open wound or a compromoised immune system such as myself touches this person they could get infected they could also get infected if the nasal passages are bad in the carrier and the carrier sneeses
this is a bad bad bug and I thank the good lord every day that I am alive because I don't think I will be for long more people with lupus die from secondary infections than any thing else this info can be found through the lupus foundation
On another note I pray that all the people suffering from this illness can find some peace and healing in there lives and that there will someday be a cure God Bless all of you

This has been an interesting year so far! I started off the year with a nice Staph Aureus infection in my face (jaw). It was painful! They treated me with a shot of Rocephin 500mg and a prescription of Augmentin 875mg 2 times a day. It was gone. Then I got another one in my nasal cavity. I just thought the one in my face hurt! This one spread to my eye and showed no reaction to Rocephin. (1000mg) The same prescription of Augmentin killed the one in my nose, also moving to around my eye. Killer pain!
This was all in January. Here we are in March, and my wife just got out of the hospital with MRSA. She got it in the "spider bite" format. We were eating out on Valentines when she felt a bite on her side then later on her stomach. This all got very infected and she went to the doctor and he lanced and put in a drain or "wick". He prescribed her Augmentin 875mg like mine. This was to keep her on something while he was screening for MRSA. Turns out on her visit from Friday she was way worse and was dehydrated. He admitted her Friday evening Feb 20. She stayed until tues the 24th. She was SICK! The wound on her stomach was in bad shape and it had to be cleaned and packed daily. It was actually rotting and they had to cut off dead skin. I felt very sorry for her. She was on Vanctomicin during her stay in the hospital. They sent her home with some sulfa drugs. By the way she is also nursing a 7 month old. Vantomycin is safe to nurse with. the Sulfas were also safe. She is doing well now. I hope this crap dont come back! It is costing me a fortune! Just today, the baby has staph (impetigo) in his nose. What a bummer. Dont know what to do... We have cleaned everything! Any suggestions? We bathe in bleach frequently and bleach everything else. We want this to go away!

Hi, I am a 25 year old graduate student in New Orleans, La. I first came in contact with MRSA in May of 2002. I was teaching in a public school and I developed a boil looking bump next to my belly button that started out like a red dot. I tried to squeeze it and it turned into a swollen, inflamed abcess with a hard center. It was very painful. I went to the ER at Oschner Hosp. in Jefferson, La. The ER doctor did not perform a culture; he did lance it and drain it. He packed it with gauze and gave e a shot of Ancef and perscribed 500 mg of Keflex. The Keflex helped clear it up but about 2 weeks later I had another outbreak on my arm. I went back to the same hospital and the same ER Doctor saw me again and treated me with the same meds. About 2 months later, I had another outbreak of MRSA on my right buttock area. It was a painful lesion with fever in it. I tried to treat it myself with Keflex for about a week to wear I could barely sit down because of the swelling. I did not want to go to the hospital because I had no insurance at the time and I already had outstanding hospital bills from the other occurance. Finally, I could not take it anymore, I went to East Jefferson Hosp. The ER doctor immediately called for an incision and drainage, which left a scar. He infiltrated t with Lidocaine with Adrenalin and packed it with gauze. Finally, this doctor ordered a culture since I told him the other hospital kept misdiagnosing it as insect bites. It came back as MRSA resistant to Keflex. Keflex does not treat MRSA. When the results of my culture came back the ER immediately called me to come back to place me on another antibiotic. They gave me Cipro. The Cipro helped heal it, but I had another occurance about a few months later. Finally, my mother who is a Registered Nurse contacted a friend of hers who is an Infectious Disease Dr. He saw me and recommended a combination of antibiotics that worked for me for about a year because I never got another infection until now. He recommended Rifampin 300 mg twice daily for 10 days and Sulfameth 800/160 twice daily for 10 days and Bactroban ointment to apply to the wound and nostrils 2 times a day. I never got another infection for a year; however, the Dr. did say that once you are exposed to the virus you can get it again years later even after effective treatment. He wanted to try Rifampin and Sulfameth first before Zyvox or IV Vancomycin. For months now I have felt tired and worn out. I am always extremely tired. My doctor perscribed me B-12 shots to administer to myself once a week. They help some but not a lot. This week I felt fever, headaches, and flu like syptoms. I noticed two days ago, I had a red, pimple like sore on my right buttocks. Today, it is inflamed and appears to look like a MRSA INFECTION. Immediately, I am applying Bactroban ointment because I always keep a supply at home and I started myself on Bactrium. It is very painful and I am depressed about having this outbreak. I feel sick and do not want to go to the hospital because I had a friend that stayed in their a week recently for an outbreak on his arm. I am in school and do not have time to be in the hospital. So, I don't know, I can understand everyone else's frustration because it makes you feel dirty and diseased. I don't want another scar. I am going to treat it myself and let my mother look at it. I probably will contact my doctor and see what he suggests because my mother is his nurse and says there is an enormous amount of people flooding the office with MRSA and people do not want to except that they have it. They swear it is a insect bite. My advice wash hands, take baths, clean bed linings, and be careful to wash your face area twice daily because if you get a lesion on your face it will scar. My mother said plenty of women have gotten it on their face and had to get lanced because it was huge and they are scarred for life. They need to find a vaccine for this horrible epidemic.

It's me again. Just an update. My daughter got a wicked surprise for her 18th birthday. She developed another boil not 4 inches from the first one on her thigh. However, mom was on the ball this time and we immediately went to the infectious disease doctor (the heck with primary, surgeon, etc.). He immediately gave her 2 IM antiobiotics and started her on oral Minocycline. This stuff makes her sick but it beats the alternative, MRSA. I asked him if this was going to be an ongoing thing with her and how do you get it, etc. He said basically the same thing as D Collier said, some one carried it and you can get it by touching something they have touched, etc. Now if I can find out who this is..... My mother always says that you take care of your children all of their lives. I guess having a child with MRSA it may take longer.

See above. The above occurrence was in January 2004. Today, we went back to the doctor with the 3rd "boil" on her inner thigh. We went to the primary but had surgeon and infectious disease doc on speaker phone and all 3 of the doctors at the primary in the same room. All were bumfuzzled about why my child keeps getting these things. (I swear we bath and clean.) Apparently, this stuff must stay in her system and is building up a resistance to the antiobiotics. (She is already allergic to penicillin drugs.) Well, this place today was cultured and back on Minocycline and Septra DS. Minocycline makes her violently ill but strict instructions were given about taking it - yada yada yah. Mom gets to be a slave to a teenager basically and she is to lay still. If the culture shows this is again MSRA, guess where we are going? Yep hospital inpatient time again. (My room is going to be padded!) Yes, you have to have a sense of humor or you will blow your brains out. I asked nine billion questions about how you get this and why no one else but her in our family has gotten it (there are about 10 people coming and going in our house at all times). 2 of my brothers gets boils all the time but they don't get this mess. I've had one and I checked out ok, but not my kid. People, pray for us, ok???

Hi, I want to say how wonderful it is to speak with other people who are going through the same things. My Mother and Father both have been battling with MRSA sores for two years now, also my 2 year old daughter has become infected. I am a R.N. and the fact that there is no answer besides take the medicine and wait for the next outbreak of sores to appear is no longer an answer for me.

My little one has have 6 sores total all of which had to be drained with "wicks" placed in them. Last night was the latest one and during the procedure (she was sedated this time, twice we did it with a local,) she had to be intibated because the medication caused a reaction in her little body. I almost lost my daughter not from the MRSA itself but because of the TREATMENT for it that WILL not guarentee me that she will not be covered from head to toe with the battle scars of the diease.

I wish to become involoved in joining or starting a support group for people who suffer from MRSA as well as lobbying the medical community to address it in the proper manner.

My email is Mia_Seraph@hotmail.com if anyone is interested or just needs to talk. This is such a lonely diease...
Thank you.

I had a close friend die from mrsa last summer and the thing was it was preventable. I think that has been the hardest part dealing with it over the last year. The doctors think he contracted it through an open gash on his arm but they were still unsure when they took him off the respirater. We watched him get sicker and sicker and it wasn't until he was very ill that he finally went to the doctor. When they first put him in the hospital we were told that he would only be in there over night for observation but then the infection attacked his spine and from there it branched out. In the after math of it all I look back and realize that it would have only taken a doctors visit and he may still be with us now. This infection can kill so make sure to watch it carefully.

Please help, I have a brother with MRSA he has had it for six years he has been in real pain and felt like a 150 year old man he is only 47 yrs old, it is in his groin area he had an open wound in it and he contracted MRSA while in hospital he has all the high tempretures and his white cell count is high, sometimes it is hard for him to move and his legs and feet are bad with it, right now he has symtoms of colone cancer it may be something different we are waiting on him getting tested, he feels it has moved to his throat his throat he is wandering if there is a viral infection that would infect the throat yet have no pain at the inside of your throat. I would appreciate if anyone can help out there we really NEED it.

My brother is in the hospital now for what has finally been diagnosed as MRSA. He originally went in for a spider bite! I am amazed at how many entries I have read about people who thought they had a spider bite!! You don't have to be a doctor to realize when someone comes in with a spider bite, if they didn't see the spider, maybe it wasn't a bite! Maybe all insect bites should first be tested for MRSA!!! Duh! I am so mad right now!! It seems like doctors are being real hush hush about the whole thing too, maybe they're afraid their patients contracted it in their hospital (meaning dirty hospital with lax rules about washing hands and equipment!). My sister went to see my brother and the nurses told her she could or could not wear gloves to touch him, it was up to her! What??!! My sister had no idea of the seriousness of this infection, and she has small children! She did touch him, and drank from his water glass! Isn't it the health care provider's responsibilty to inform patients and their loved ones of all risks and possible outcomes of infectious disease? Gee, I wonder how it gets spread in a hospital, hmmmm. Anyway, I am frustrated with the lack of communication and seemingly easy going attitude from doctors and nurses about a disease that has no definitive cure and can kill you or cause amputation.

I am 21 and all my life have been in very good health. I am in the navy and About six months ago while out on deployment, living on the ship, in close living quarters with about 450 other people, I first noticed what looked like a small pimple near my belly button. I tried to pop it but nothing would come out, it slowly got bigger and more painful over the next couple of days. When it did pop a rediculis amount of pus came out, it was discusting and not fun. It went away and i thought nothing of it. but then about two weeks later i got another one on the other side of my belly button. and it went the same way. I still did not see the docter because i was too embarrassed and didn't realize the seriousness of what was going on. both of those boiles healed just fine but about a week later i got a boile on my neck and then one just above my eye. I finally went to see the docter, all he did was tell me i had ingrown hairs and gave me kaflex. I also had a couple of very small boyles on my legs that weren't very serious and went away within a couple of days. after olive that was gone and i thought i was fine and healthy again, about a two months later i got another one on my nose. I went to the hospital for this one and had to have minor surgery to drain the pus. the docters took cultures and and gave me augmentin. and released me from the hospital. about three days later i recieved a message from the docter that said the culture revieled that i have m.r.s.a. and if i get any more infectoins to see him imedietly. well since then i have been doing everything i can to prevent me from having to pay another visit to the hospital, it has been about three months since my last outbreak.
now every time i have any kind of tiny pimple or small cut, or any tiny little thing on my skin that i even remotly think might get infected i clean it with peroxide or alcohol, and I wash my hands like 10-15 times a day. and take vitimin c every day. so far i am doing goood and have not had any other breakouts, but just last week my girlfriend got a large boyle on her cheek that was exacly like the ones i had. I am so worried i gave her mrsa, even though it has been three months since my last outbreak with it. I am so scared she has what i had, and i am scared that i will get it again. now she understands why i always have a bottle of peroxide around, and she has started using it quite often also. I don't know if peroxide is the answer but it seems to be doing the trick for me so far.
I have never been a religius person, but now every day i prey that nobody else has to go through what i went through. I prey that i don't spread this to anyone else that i work with or any one else in this world for that matter. my story seems very minor compared to the others i just read, but trust me i now realize how seriouse this matter is. now that someone i love may have mrsa also, and most likly got it from me, i realize just how seroius this is. for any docters out there don't take this lightly. my pryres go out to every body out there with mrsa.

I am absolutely amazed that the topical "cleaning" solution for MSRA has never been posted anywhere in the "so-called" medical advise sections by respected Doctors. I was bitten by a spider, a "spiney-orb weaver" and it resulted in all the apperances as the typical brown recluse bites. After 3 days of Cipro doing absolutely nothing, I insisted on an IV antibiotic "cocktail" every day for 4 days. In the meantime, after self-medicating the flesh-eating wound with Bactine, to no avail, the Doctor told me of a solution to be made in my kitchen. Please pass this along to everyone you know with a MRSA related infection. It is the ONLY SOLUTION TO KILL THE STAFF. 1 qt distilled water, 2 teaspoons of CLOROX BLEACH, and 1 teaspoon of salt. Believe it or not, it does not burn. Soak a sterile gauze in the solution and let it sit on the wound. Repeat with another sterile gauze, wiping any debris. Soak a third gauze strip and tape it down to your skin or I had to wrap an ace bandage to hold it onto my leg. Do this 2 or 3 times a day, and you will cut the healing time and will kill any remaining staff on contact. My scar is minimal, with no indentation.

About a year ago, I noticed a pus-filled bump on my hip after I had my baby boy. I thought it was an insect bite so I ignored it. Then I got another one and thought maybe a brown recluse spider bit me, so I went to the doctor. The doctor swore he saw the bite marks on me. He drained the bites, packed it, and prescribed Augmetin. I took a full course of Augmetin and it calmed the bites. I shaved under my arms a couple of days later and the bumps came back, but this time under my arms. One was the size of a golf ball. They were very, very painful and I felt irritated and sick. I went to see a different doctor. This doctor said I had boils and they could come and go. She said she didn't know where they come from. She didn't take a culture but she prescribed me 2 different antibiotics, about 3 courses, and guess what - they didn't work. I stopped taking the medicine. I continued to have the bumps. I went to see a dermatologist. He prescribed an antibiotic and at this time the boils were not fully active, so he told me to come back when I get another bump. Well, I did - I went back, he took a culture, and he told me I had a specific strain of staphyloccocus aureaus. He prescribed an antibiotic, which I refused to take. By this time, I had lost faith in antibiotics. The dermatologist called me back about two months later and I had to ask him what specific strain of staph. He said MRSA. During this time I had been doing some research in natural alternatives to bacterial infections. I have read about everything from echinacea to garlic. I went to see a herbologist. She told me to take probiotics (to put the good bacteria back into my system that the antibiotics took from me), lymph gland cleanse, liver cleanse, Viral Immune Herbal Capsules. Well, the bumps slowed down but did not completely leave. They are more under control. I read about changing diet. So I try to eat more fruits and less fried foods, less red meats, and more green veggies. And definitely more water. On February 28th I went to a meeting about a natural food which my cousin invited me to attend. It was on Aim Products, Barley (a green plant rich in nutrients) and a Herbal FiberBlend (cleansing of the colon and parasites). I have been taking that everyday with water and juice. I have more energy, more bowel movements, my face has no acne, and I feel more healthy. Still, I get these boils that come and go. But they are much more controlled. I told the Aim Product Representative that was at the meeting about MRSA. He told me that he would contact a natural alternative MD if they didnt clear. Well, he called him and the doctor suggested I take Colloidal Silver. Depending on the ppm (parts per million) would depend on how much you would consume. Well, I have been taking that for about a month now. No more boils in my armpits, none on my stomach, and they had just about cleared on my buttocks and hip. I stopped taking colloidal silver last week because I thought the Mrsa was just about gone. I have been eating cake, cookies, and more fried foods than usual. Guess what! Boils reappeared on my buttocks. So the representative suggested I continue taking the colloidal silver for another week. I immediately went back to the health food store to get more colloidal silver. I am now ingesting colloidal silver 1 teaspoon 3-4 times a day, which I will increase daily. I had two big bumps come on my hip and I applied the colloidal silver to the sores and they are healing quickly. I am going to increase my intake, continue taking barley green grass, and I am going to continue taking colloidal silver and go back to eating the way I should. I believe it should also be consumed with water. I have faith that this is going to work. I continue to do research on colloidal silver. I have read good things about this "natural antibiotic" and I have already witnessed for a short time that it can work. My friend told me she told it for a skin infection and it cleared in two weeks. I really believe that I stopped taking colloidal silver too soon before the bacteria was completely out of my system AND I started eating the wrong foods like sugar and fat. It is very irritating and I am disgusted that I now have marks on my body. But I am grateful I still have life and the knowledge I need to move on and tell others about it. I will definitely keep everyone posted on my wellness! And I suggest to everyone on this page that are still having problems with MRSA to first demand a culture from your doctor, if you are taking antibiotics - put the good bacteria back into your system by taking a probiotic or eat yogurt that contains the active culture, ask questions, eat the right foods and drink plenty of filtered water that will help flush your system, do research on alternative natural foods that help heal the body, consult a MD before taking anything, and most importantly Pray to God! If you want to talk email me at edivisions@yahoo.com. Thanks!

I had a very painful MRSA infection on my buttock in early March with incision and drain, and while waiting for culture results, was put on several antibiotics that were not sensitive to the bacteria. Then took the Septra DS for 14 days along with hot packs to the area. Had to cancel knee surgery because of this. Rescheduled the surgery for May and two nights before spiked a fever and noticed a large red area in my groin where there may have been an ingrown hair. So another incision and culture for staph and cancelled surgery again. Now I am concerned whether to even have the knee surgery, wondering if I will get another infection after surgery. Also saw the 60 Minutes segment on MRSA last weekend; maybe doctors will be more aggressive in treating it.

I can't believe how bad MRSA has gotten. I'm 29 years old and just had surgery on my pancreas on April 9th...I've been in and out of the hospital now for a month. The last time I went in with a fever of 104, they ran all kinds of test tring to see what was going on and found MRSA in the wound of my pancreas. I've had a drain tube now for 4 weeks and the drainage when they frist sent me home from the hospital looked bad but they had said it was nothing to worry about...now it's MRSA. I'm being treated at home by a home health agency with IV antibiotic, Vancomycin and Cypro, 2 times a day. I'm terrified with the stories I have read but now I know I'm not alone. I also have 2 small child which I worry about transferring this to. Also I read in one of the entries above that Cypro doesn't treat MRSA, is this true? I'm glad I ran across this, it's been helpful and brings me to make a list to ask the Doctor about when I go back in to see him tomorrow. Please know that each and everyone of you are in my thoughts and prayers.

Sept. 2003, My son tore his ACL in a high school football game.
6 days later he had reconstructive knee surgery to repair the ACL, MCL, and miniscus. 5 days after surgery he became very ill with extream pain in his leg and a 104 temp. His surgeon put him on oral antibiotics and Advil for 24 hours until lab tests came back. The next day he was back on the operating table to sew down the bersa of his knee which had staph, and also to flush the knee with antibiotics, and make sure the knee was sterile. His knee was 3 times the size of a regular post op knee at that time. 3 days later and no break in the fever and 5 other types of oral antibiotics my son was not getting any better. More lab tests and another 24 hours of waiting he was back to surgery to flush knee. This time the surgeon said the Staph had spread to the knee joint and he wanted to bring in a team of doctors from Infectious Desease. There was a chance that I.D. would want to undo the knee surgery, then treat the infection, and then redo the knee surgery after the infection was gone. wow.. Thank God we did not go that route. They immediately put a PIC line for IV in his arm to his heart, and started him on CEFTRIAXONE (ROCEPHIN) for a period of six weeks, which we gave him at home. It was 10 days before he started feeling any better. Just last Friday 5/7/04 he had to go back for surgery #4, to remove 2 of the screws from his knee because they were backing there way out of his knee. There was a major concern on my part that if we went back in to take out these screws, could some of this staph be hideing and spread when air hits it? Well it's Thur. 5/13 and I am glad to say my son is doing fine, (thank God). I just wanted to share this story with everyone because the worst thing about going through any of this, is to think you are the only ones going through this alone. I am by no means a "HOLY ROLLER", but I believe all the prayers were answered.

Does anyone know where to get vancomyicin online? My doctors have tried anti-biotics with out luck. now I must get another swab done! The first one already confirmed the neg. staph! Man I am dying here! fever neck and head ache! What is this world coming to when they would rather you die than to treat you???
if anyone knows more about vancomyicin and where to get it please respond-
thanks Karen

Karen, stick around here long enough and you'll run into any number of online spammers trying to sell their supplies of vancomycin. I suggest you check the front page ( http://drizzten.com/blog ) of my website every morning before 8:30 central time, as that's when I delete the spam. You're bound to find someone selling it.

Or you can get a prescription. Your call.

Like most people,i'm sure, I stumbled along this website researching MRSA. I am amazed how many people have been affected with this. I live in Metairie, LA.
My husband got a boil in the groin area back in Jan. It got so bad he went to the hospital...they said it was just an in-grown hair. The next day it got worst and went to his primary care doctor. He lanced and drained it and gave him a prescription of Septa. After the lab results came back he was notified it was MRSA. Of course he didn't ask any questions...like can it spread and what is it?
A couple of days later I recieved a boil on my buttock. I thought it was just a pimple or something. It went away on it's own so I ignored it.
Then in March my husband got another one on his thigh. That's when I started freaking out and doing a little bit more research on this. That's when I realized MRSA is a form of staph. This eventually went away and being the stubborn person that he is, he never went back to the doctor.
Well 2 weeks ago he got another one on the back of his thigh. This got really swollen and red. So he started taking Septa again. A week after his I got a boil in my arm pit.
So I decided to go to my dermatologists to get it checked. The lab reslults came back as a resistant bacteria. So now it's been since Jan and we are still dealing with this disease!!!
I was put on Bactrum (sulfameth - generic) for 10 days and was given ointment for my nose. My husbands leg still does not look good so he is going back to his doctor on Monday.

All I know is they need to find somrthing to treat this!!! I do not want to live with this forever. Good luck to everyone!

After reading about so many peoples' sufferings from MRSA I feel obligated to share what I have found out. On Oct. 11, 2002, 3 days after my baby was born, my father discovered, after being admitted into the hospital with a raging fever and sores that appeared on his body, that he had MRSA. They kept trying to treat it with Cipro but told us that it was not a cure. I visited my father numerous times while he was in the hospital and when he was back home. Then I started getting boil like sores that were so painful. I really got concerned and knew something was up when my husband got a sore on his leg. Because of the knowledge I had obtained about MRSA we raced to the Infectious Disease Doctor. He told us that now there is a cure for MRSA and it's ZYVOX. We took the antibiotic for a week and meanwhile I had to wash everything in hot water and bleach wherever possible. He said bleach kills everything. I applied bleach to the countertops, doorknobs, tubs, showers, floors and anywhere else that it was feasible. Unfortunately, our baby has started getting sores, about 1 every 6 weeks since January. The only thing I can think of is that he got infected over at my father's house. I am waiting for the pediatric infectious disease doctor to call and tell me when I can bring my 19 month child in. I have purchased an over the counter surgical scrub found at Walgreens Drug Store and I wash him down with that every evening in that it will kill the staph on the skin. The doctor had my husband and I doing that for 2 weeks. What I was told was to take the Zyvox, wash linens and underclothes in hot water and bleach, use the surgical scrub all over my body once a day for 2 weeks and practice scrupulous hand washing. My husband and I have remained MRSA free for several months now. Unfortunately, the doctor also said that it is possible to get infected all over again and that this is on the rise. Good luck to all.

Please help us understand this type of staph infection much more. What medicines seem to work the best on adults and children?

My 70 year old mother went to the ER(in West Virginia) on Tuesday April 27th, 2004 and was diagnosed with a bladder infection, slight dehydration and maybe(they weren't sure)a little pneumonia...she was taken to the CCU(cardiac care unit)because ICU was packed with patients.She was given 2 units of blood on Wednesday April,28th because her hemoglobin was low due to her loss of blood in her urine from the bladder infection. She looked better on Wednesday during her blood transfusion and was sitting up talking and laughing...I called the hospital to check on her Thursday morning 6 am before going to work...she was fine, they said....at 8 am(only 2 hours later)they were calling me and saying that she had taken a turn for the worse and I needed to tell them what code to use on her, if I wanted her on a respirator???? I had NO idea what they were telling me...I rushed to the hospital and was given the run around by ALL hospital staff....I told them to do whatever needed to be done to save my mom's life until I could be told and could understand what was going on. Finally, after hours of asking what happened, I was told my mom had MRSA.....how did she get it? What is it? No one would answer me. I asked them for information about it and was given a simple infection control booklet about proper hand washing. I had my family look up info on the internet about it and bring it to me. I finally understood why I was told nothing about MRSA. MRSA was given to my mom in the hospital and since my mom was elderly, with a weak immune system, she was a prime candidate to get this deadly infectious disease. My mom was placed on a respirator on Saturday, May 1st. and appeared to be getting better..she was taken off of the respirator on Friday, May 7th and talked with us and had us laughing because of her raspy voice and her usual funny nature...we had great hope for her recovery. At 12am that night an RN told me she accidently gave my mom the wrong medicine because the DR. had not changed the order since removing her from the respirator..she was very agitated and could not rest the remainder of that night into the next day, which was Saturday, May 8th..her oxygen level and blood pressure were dropping rapidly and a decision to put her back on the respirator was needed. Her Dr.'s said that her lungs were infected and were becoming enlarged and if put back on the respirator, she would end up in a nursing home and, at best, he would give her 6 months to live...and she would suffer. We decided not to put her back on the respirator,but to let her die. She died at 2:38pm on Sunday, May 9th.Mother's Day and we buried her on her 71st. birthday, Wednesday, May 12th,2004. I am haunted and find it very difficult to accept my mother's death. I am not sure if I ever will be able to accept anything about this. After reading some of your stories, I see that I am not alone. If anyone has any advice for me, I'd gladly accept it because I don't know what to do or how to move on...thanks for listening.
Kelly Turkoly (Barbara Greenlee's daughter)
Glencoe, Ohio 43928

Hi everyone-
I hope I have not been duked! I found vancomyicin on the net. But I heard from another member at this site that vancomyicin doesn't come in pill form! Really nervous about what I'll get in the mail... if anything.
If anyone else has any experiance with this medicine in pill or iv form please write too me and tell me your story.
Thanks

i would like some info on how long you are considered contagise. and has anyone ever been completely cured? my daughter got this in jail and is constanly trying to hang all over her kids. fights break out cause i am trying to protect them from getting this. she won't stay in one room and is constanly scratching. making me a nervous wreck. i am more afraid for the kids. she will be going back to jail soon but in the mean time i have to worry about the kids. and everyone in the house. is there a test of some sort that the doctor can give before the breakouts starts? if anyone knows anything please let me know. this is all new to us. and i pray the kids don't get it. i am so sick of smelling bleach but it is the only thing that seems to kill the germ. and going behind her to try and clean is almost impossible.

I've been reading many of your comments as I've been researching MRSA and want to know how it is perceived by those who have had to live with it. Or are living with it. This is for those people that are angry about not being able to get a cure. It's unfortunate but what has happened is that with the overprescribing of antibiotics many viruses and bacteria are becoming immune because their will to live is as strong as ours. Options are running out, pharma's can't keep up. Even if they do find something, immunity by MRSA is swift. MRSA is not just a "dirty hospital" disease anymore either (though those who have acquired illness because of that have every reason to be angry). There is a cMRSA which is community acquired simply because of close contact situations. AND bitch about conditions and situations that you feel are threatening, a professional should be more concerned for your health. If worse comes to worse take matters into your own hands the best you can.

Your doctor is just a pawn of pharma's who encourage overuse of antibiotics to acquire more profits (and we've been conditioned during this century to follow this train of thought).

My nephew has MSRA, and has been in the hospital in Petaluma, CA for 11 days. It started on his arms, after getting a tattoo. He had blisters and a fever. It then went to his face and he had pus in his lymph nodes and sinuses. They had to lance the inside of his upper lip to drain it. He has been having very high fevers every night; the highest was 105.3. His feet and legs are now very swollen and sore. The infectious disease dr said it was a bad reaction to an antibiotic he was taken, so he was switched to another. She said the swelling and fever would go down in 48 hours, but it hasn't. If ANYONE has any doctors we could talk to, or any information at all, I would really appreciate it. These folks in Petaluma don't seem to know what they are doing and he's just getting worse. Thanks for listening and I hope to hear from you. My email address is raine59@hotmail.com.

A dear friend of my daughter has MRSA and has been treated - but still has occasional outbreaks. Am I being overly protective by keeping her away from this friend - especially during outbreaks?

I work in a hospital and never thought I would pass MRSA to my son. My son is 2 years old and he got boils and the doctor took a culture and said it was staph. The doctor relunctly forgot to mention it was MRSA staph-- not the normal staph, even when the tests said it was MRSA she still treated it with standard medicine for staph -- not the medicine he needed to combat MRSA. I am pissed and should sue the hell out of them. It wasn't till months later and 5 different outbreaks that I put two and two together and asked my doctor if it was possible that my son didn't have spider bites but MRSA. Why yes he does have MRSA the test a year ago says he does. I was speechless of the stupidity from the statement. I said to her, "Why in the hell is he taking Keflex-- that is not recommended for MRSA?" But she just looked at me like I was being an alarmist and that MRSA was no big deal. She had me going to a pediatric surgeon and dermatologist to find out what the cause was of the boils and all along it was the MRSA-- not a spider bite.

Sadly, the colonization of the bug over the year has made it harder to treat with antibiotics. If I would have known earlier that it was MRSA instead of normal staph-- this could have been prevented. Now a precious little 2 year old boy has to live with scars on his leg from the ignorance of a pediatric doctor to MRSA and that it is different than normal staph and requires different medicines.

I LIVE IN A SUBURB JUST SOUTH OF DALLAS TEXAS. ALMOST 3 YEARS AGO, I BEGAN BREAKING OUT WITH LARGE ABSESSES ALL OVER MY BODY. I AM DISTRAUGHT AND FRUSTERATED. THIS DISEASE HAS CHANGED MY LIFE FOREVER. I AM NO LONGER ABLE TO ENJOY EVERYDAY LIFE. I AM A 36 YEAR OLD MOTHER OF THREE. I PRAY DAILY THAT I WILL LIVE LONG ENOUGH FOR MY NOW 5 YEAR OLD DAUGHTER TO REMEMBER ME. I KNOW THAT SEEMS DRASTIC, BUT FOR ME THIS IS LIFE. I AM DESPERATE FOR HELP AND INFO. I HAVE SEEN DOCTORS ALL OVER THE DFW AREA, AND BEEN IN MOST OF THE HOSPITALS AS WELL. EVERYONE HAS A DIFFENT EXPLANATION AND CURE. SO FAR NOTHING HAS WORKED. I HAVE BEEN ON SO MANY ANTIOBOTICS, THAT I AM NOW EITHER ALLERGIC TO OR THE MRSA IS RESISTANT TO ALL OF THEM. MOST RECENTLY I BEGAN SEEING AN INFECTIOUS DISEASE SPECIALIST WHO ASSURED ME THAT AFTER 21 DAYS OF A MEDICATION CALLED ZYVOX, THAT THE DISEASE WOULD BE PUT INTO REMISSION. I WAS OFF THE MEDICINE FOR LESS THAN A WEEK AND MY LUNGS BEGAN TO FILL WITH FLUID, I HAD TO SEE MY REGULAR DR. FOR THE NEXT WEEK TO RECEIVE EMERGENCY BREATHING TREATMENTS. I HAVE NOW FINISHED A SECOND PERSCTIPTION (6 WEEKS) AND AM ALREADY SEEING SIGNS OF THE INFECTION RETURNING. I HAVE HAD IN EXCESS OF 80 OPENLY ACTIVE BOILS AT ONE TIME. I AM UNABLE TO WORK IN ANY CAPACITY, AND MY IMMUNE SYSTEM IS SO SHOT. I AM TERRIFIED TO BE ANY WHERE, WHERE THERE ARE A LOT OF PEOPLE. I AVOID PUBLIC EVENTS AND EVEN FAMILY EVENTS BECAUSE I AM SO PARANOID THAT I WILL BE EXPOSED TO SOMETHING I WON'T BE ABLE TO SHAKE. ALSO, PEOPLE WHO KNOW ABOUT MY CONDITION, TREAT ME LIKE THE LEAPER OUTSIDE THE CITY WALLS. I NEED HOPE. PLEASE IF YOU HAVE ANY INFO TO HELP...GET IN TOUCH. MY DOCTORS ARE SCRATCHING THEIR HEADS AND MY TIME IS RUNNING OUT.

I LIVE IN A SUBURB JUST SOUTH OF DALLAS TEXAS. ALMOST 3 YEARS AGO, I BEGAN BREAKING OUT WITH LARGE ABSESSES ALL OVER MY BODY. I AM DISTRAUGHT AND FRUSTERATED. THIS DISEASE HAS CHANGED MY LIFE FOREVER. I AM NO LONGER ABLE TO ENJOY EVERYDAY LIFE. I AM A 36 YEAR OLD MOTHER OF THREE. I PRAY DAILY THAT I WILL LIVE LONG ENOUGH FOR MY NOW 5 YEAR OLD DAUGHTER TO REMEMBER ME. I KNOW THAT SEEMS DRASTIC, BUT FOR ME THIS IS LIFE. I AM DESPERATE FOR HELP AND INFO. I HAVE SEEN DOCTORS ALL OVER THE DFW AREA, AND BEEN IN MOST OF THE HOSPITALS AS WELL. EVERYONE HAS A DIFFENT EXPLANATION AND CURE. SO FAR NOTHING HAS WORKED. I HAVE BEEN ON SO MANY ANTIOBOTICS, THAT I AM NOW EITHER ALLERGIC TO OR THE MRSA IS RESISTANT TO ALL OF THEM. MOST RECENTLY I BEGAN SEEING AN INFECTIOUS DISEASE SPECIALIST WHO ASSURED ME THAT AFTER 21 DAYS OF A MEDICATION CALLED ZYVOX, THAT THE DISEASE WOULD BE PUT INTO REMISSION. I WAS OFF THE MEDICINE FOR LESS THAN A WEEK AND MY LUNGS BEGAN TO FILL WITH FLUID, I HAD TO SEE MY REGULAR DR. FOR THE NEXT WEEK TO RECEIVE EMERGENCY BREATHING TREATMENTS. I HAVE NOW FINISHED A SECOND PERSCTIPTION (6 WEEKS) AND AM ALREADY SEEING SIGNS OF THE INFECTION RETURNING. I HAVE HAD IN EXCESS OF 80 OPENLY ACTIVE BOILS AT ONE TIME. I AM UNABLE TO WORK IN ANY CAPACITY, AND MY IMMUNE SYSTEM IS SO SHOT. I AM TERRIFIED TO BE ANY WHERE, WHERE THERE ARE A LOT OF PEOPLE. I AVOID PUBLIC EVENTS AND EVEN FAMILY EVENTS BECAUSE I AM SO PARANOID THAT I WILL BE EXPOSED TO SOMETHING I WON'T BE ABLE TO SHAKE. ALSO, PEOPLE WHO KNOW ABOUT MY CONDITION, TREAT ME LIKE THE LEAPER OUTSIDE THE CITY WALLS. I NEED HOPE. PLEASE IF YOU HAVE ANY INFO TO HELP...GET IN TOUCH. MY DOCTORS ARE SCRATCHING THEIR HEADS AND MY TIME IS RUNNING OUT.

I have been struggling with MRSA since April of 2004. I contracted it from my ex-boyfriend. I have been going to doctors repeatedly, but nobody seems to have any anwers for me. I've been put on Augmentin and Clindamycin, but they don't help. The soars keep coming back. I have been referred to dermatologists twice, not sure why.
When I had my first soar, it was on my cheek near my nose and eye. My eye swelled shut. It was ugly and painful. I went to the E.R. and they never detected that it was MRSA. They didn't even bother to take a culture. They put me on an antibiotic I.V. and prescribed me some Augmentin. They even gave me a CAT Scan (more money down the drain).
I have been back and forth to different doctors, but they don't seem to have any answers. I had one even tell me that he couldn't treat me as he was looking thru a medical book.
I went to the E.R. today thinking I would have more luck, knowing that I had MRSA and would be able to give the doctor more info, but it still didn't help. They took another culture and prescribed me more clindamycin and am being referred to an infectious disease doctor. Hopefully next week I will have some answers when I see this doctor.
I am frightened because I feel that I am being ignored. I'm not sure how serious this is and am wondering how sick I am. I'm wondering if I'm ever going to get the help I need. I don't have insurance at the moment. I am in between jobs. It has killed my savings account. Does anyone have any answers?? If anyone else is scared, and wants to talk please write. I'd like to hear about it and maybe help some how.
I have never heard of MRSA until my ex-boyfriend got it. This is a terrible infection and I feel for all of you who are going thru this.

kellyjoy73@hotmail.com

Hello,
We are from SW Florida and my family just went thru a not so fun ordeal, very similar to the previous letters, over Memorial Day Weekend! My 8yoa daughter came to me on Friday with a very red and hot site that covered almost her whole right forearm,she also had a high fever 103.9, which she said was a very small "pimple-like" spot she had popped a few days before. Saturday morning I took her to a medical clinic which lanced the site and gave her an injection of rocephin and perscribed a 500mg Augmentin dose 2 times a day. Sunday morning I found the redness had gone up to her shoulder and immediately took her back to the same clinic, which the doctor there told us to take her to the ER. We did and they admitted her and started her on IV antibiotics Rocephin and cultured the site. The ER physician seemed to be very knowledgeable of the seriousness and called in a Pediatric Orthopedic Surgeon. The surgeon took her into surgery that night and left the site open packed with gauze and wrapped in a cast like splint. She was kept in the hospital on IV Vancomyacin every 8hrs and had another surgery on Wednesday to clean an debride any dead tissue, still with the Vancomyacin, she then had another surgery on Friday, when they finally stitched up the 6 inch cut on top of her arm, with drains. Friday My oldest daughter 10yoa came to the hospital to see her sister and she had a small "pimple-like" spot on her left outer thigh, I asked the doctor to look at it and he immediately admitted her too for Vancomyacin IV. We were also being seen by the infectious disease doctor that was on staff at the hospital, I think if it were not for her great knowledge in MRSA we would still be dealing with this. She told us that MRSA is found in areas that physicians prescribe antibiotics for illnesses that do not respond to antibiotics, like the common cold or viruses, the dioctors give us medicine because we want something and it makes us feel better when we are taking something for being sick, even tho it is not going to help. This causes bacterias to become resistant to the normally used antibiotics. She also said that MRSA is found in many places and some people can have it and not get an infection and that if she cultured 100 people she would probably find 60 people out of the 100 to have the bacteria on their skin. Bathing with antibacterial soap and washing hands often helps keep it from infecting, you can get infected with MRSA just by a scrape, insect bite or even a pimple that you have squeezed, causing an open area in the skin for the bacteria to get into. She told us that once having the bacteria you and your household can become "colonized" with it and become reinfected more easily. My oldest daughter thankfully did not have surgeries, and both were released on the Monday after Memorial day with oral Clyndamyacin for a week. The infectious disease doctor gave our whole family 2 perscriptions 1) a salve called Mupirocin to put inside our nostrils for 5 consecutive days a month for 3 months and 2) Hibeclens (antibacterial wash) for all of us to shower in 3 times a week. She said this would help to break the colonization, we also got antibacterial cleaner and scrubbed the whole house: walls, floors, all of the furniture and bedding with it. After reading all of the stories previously, I feel very lucky to have the doctors we did!! I hope this can help anyone that is going thru this to stop the return and pain of MRSA. I also agree with the previous persons that said this should be given more attention, and the public better informed, it is very serious and the doctors told us that it is not an uncommon occurance to lose a limb or life to this silent bacteria!!! GOOD HEALTH AND SPEEDY RECOVERIES TO ALL!
If I can help anyone more just e-mail me. I'll be happy to give DR's names and any info I can.

I never new so many other people had MRSA. Last november I had an allergic reaction to a med, and my lips swelled up, its happened before so i didnt think too much of it. I went to work not even thinking that they could get infected. i work in a health care setting were there is mrsa around, and i must have been vulnerable enough becuase the swelling didnt completly go away, and i got impetigo which can be caused by mrsa. I went to the doc and he gave me keflex, it came back, he gave me zithromax, it came back, he put me on keflex for 1 month, i didnt even last that whole month before it was back, i was seeing a new doc at that time, she sent some samples to the lab and i went home. i looked on the internet about treatments of mrsa and i came across tea tree oil. i have never tried an alternative med before, but i did, and it was working. the doctor called me a few days later saying i had mrsa, and i would probably have to be admitted to the hospital. i went to see her to show her the tea tree oil was working, and she was great about it, she said she would let me try it for a while so i could avoid going to the hospital. i went back 3 weeks later and she took swabs from several parts, my nose, mouth, i didnt have it, and as far as she could tell i wasnt a carrier either. that was in april she told me i beleive, and its july now and i still dont have it. i wanted to avoid giong the the hospital at all costs, the antibiotics used have such horrible side effects. i know tea tree oil isnt for everyone, but it worked great for me, i diluted it about 7 drops per gallon of water- it doesnt take alot. and you cant ingest it, so i had to be careful when putting in on around my mouth. i did put it in my nasal cavity to make sure i wouldnt be a carrier.

There is a phenomenal new all-natural product that balances and supports your immune system that many of you might want to check out. Here is the website: www.mylegacyforlife.net/IChooseHealth

I am a healthcare professional that was bitten last year (2003) by a brown recluse spider on three seperate locations (knee, groin, and hip). When I was first bitten my entire right leg was overcome with Cellulitis and I was admitted after three days and three trips to the ER where the Doctors failed to treat the cellulitis as a problem. Once admitted I underwent surgical debridement of the areas and was put on IV Vancomycin. I was discharged on day 5 and was off work for several months. Within a month of the debridement I abscessed in my hip and this process recurred for 8 more times. Each time it abscessed a culture was obtained that showed MRSA as the infectious agent and I was placed on Keflex (PO) by my primary care physician. Throughout this process I was hospitalized on 3 occasions and surgically debrided in the MD's office on all the other occasions. I finally was referred to a different ID person and she had me bath in Phisohex and apply Bactroban to all affected areas and my nares. I had about 2 months of abscess free living when recently my groin became infected again. I was treated this time with IV Vancomycin, Rifampin, Clindomycin, Bleach baths, and Bactroban. Is there any hope in getting rid of this germ? As a healthcare worker (RN) I am seriously considering leaving the profession and doing something that doesn't place me at harms way. Does anyone else have any similar experience with this germ or has anyone had any positive treatment?

WOW!
scarey world we are living in these days. i am so sorry for people suffering from this crap. i have a friend who has this , she is also diabetic. i worked for the dr who debrided her wounds several times i assisted. now my oldest daughter 29 has suddenly broke out in strange pimply rash on both legs, drs say they dont know what it is. then my grandaughter starts getting red bite marks all over her. they look almost like flea bites . some are very large and swollen. no fever in the baby and they will go away for a time then suddenly reapear. can someone tell me if i am over reacting or could this be a symptom of mersa? also my 19 yr old just became a cna in a nurseing home and what kind of precautions should she be taking besides the usual hand washing glove wearing ? she just told me of an incident at this home of a pt. dying and none of the RNS would tell any of them what was the cause of death but they were totally sterilizing everything in her room even the lifts. strange since this friend of mine had also been in this home for two months to recoup from abdominal wounds that wouldn't heal due to her mersa infec. someone with some knowledge of symptoms could you drop me a line? thank you so much and i pray that the universe takes care of all of you physically and spiritally............thanks susie

hey me again susie, just wanted to post my email so if anyone of ya's has any good tips or info agin please drop me a line. thanks and peace to everyone..........susieqqq@hotmail.com

does anyone know how long MRSA stays contagious? i had a wound in my groin with it in it.......how long should i be alarmed?

WOW is right! About 2 weeks ago I developed a boil on my lower back, my husband drained it for me,a couple days later another one showed up on my lower back again,that one als went away with no treatment, eight days ago I developed another one on my back right on my shoulder blade, I did the hotpacks to relieve the pain, when this boil developed a head my husband drained that one also, this time it got bigger, I was in so much pain I couldnt move my arm or shoulder, I am the mother of 3 active little ones. I went to my dr and he lanced the boil, it was 2 and a half inches deep OUCH! he did a culture and I just found out today it is mrsa! I had to go in and have it re-checked and my doc ended up extending the incision because it has gotten bigger, it is now across my back and in my breast, this is the most painful thing I have experienced, it is very depressing. I was put on 3 antibiotics keflex,bactrim,rifampin. can anyone tell me if these meds worked for them, I am sitting here thinking of all these awful things that can happen to me and it is very scary. thank you!

After reading your postings,everyone now I am really concerned.And in need of more info from others that may help me to understand. I have had many sores/abcesses on me for a year. I have seen my primary care dr.,seen a dermatologist and after seeing another doctor for the second visit,she culture the large sore on my face and diagnosed me with MRSA.Now I am taking to take cyldamycin and use Phisonox scrub showers for two weeks,then I was sent on my way.Is this something I will deal with forever, these hurt cause lumps and scaring and I feel so tired all the time along with weird weakness at time,no energy half the time. Please anyone who could lend me a voice or thoughts,please tell me how to deal with such a thing????
Thanks-Marcy.

Just found out that I have MRSA, thought I had stumbled into a nest of Brown Recluse spyders.
Nasty stuff. I also thought that I had gotten some kind of grit in my ears, I put peroxid in and it looked like blood comming out. Went to the Dr. She took a samlple of the ooz and I go back in the tomorrow for blood test.
I have been Diabetic for about a year, that I know of, so these nasty holes in my leg had me freaked out.
I had Staph, of some kind,never told, in my spine from an epodural block, few years back,could this all be related?
Also have hep C, from massive blood transfusions, after gunshot to the gut,1981.
I have survived mainly by questioning the Dr's oppinion's, hope to get as much imformation on what is going on with my body as possible to help the Dr. cure this new mess.
I was given smz/tmp 800-160 tabs. sulfamethoxazole with trimethoprim-oral,also,bactroban nasal ointment never heard of this and hope it is that simple but after reading all this, I had better be ready!
I am 54 and in Houston,Tx. Feel sick and a little out of it.
My tempeture runs a steady 96.3, so I am not sure what temp. is a fever for me, today it was 98.4
Also retaining water in my legs from this infection.
I seem to have two types of spots, one start's out like a pimple and gobs of dark blood comes out first, then it turns to nasty white/grey/yellow. The other one, the skin just slides off and leaves just a red circle. Don't want to sound to crude but someone else may have this. The blood in my ears, I don't know what to think, Dr said that would be OK as it was just around and not on the ear drum.
This is all to freaky for me.
Thank You Rick

I have been a healthy guy all my life, besides the occasional soar throat and cold every couple of years during the winter months. By the way, I am from Northern VA area resident, male , 25 years old.
I woke up one morning with a white puss redish blisters in my groin area which quickly spread to 3 to 4 same size and diameter pimples by close of business (COB) that day. It frankly scared the hell out of me and I went to my primary care provider asap. He came back and said it was folliculitis. He put me on Augumentin for 10 days. I had no idea how long the medicine should take to react with the skin infection, so I waited 4 days. No improvement, actually it became worse and took on a rash form.Also, I had a lymph node infection at the base of my penis which I applied hot compresses. The infection finally bursted and it was niagra falls. That finally healed with no scaring. Yea, fun stuff!
I got back to mr. assmunch PHD. and he says the rash is nothing more than a yeast infection caused from sweating and stress. I am not familiar with doctors and I agreed with him cause I thought he knew his shit. He didn't even take a culture.He puts me on Levaquin for another 10 days with a jock itch cream. (MRSA Still isnt in my vocabulary yet)
The next 3 days I am thinking positive thoughts and hoping its getting better but still no sign of improvement. However, it seemed to stop spreading. Then a miracle in disguise appeared, my girlfriend of 5 years found one on her leg. This alarmed me and being a fairly 2+2 = 4 kinda guy I ran us both to the emergency room. I skipped my doctor and went to the ER. That was the miracle I neeeded. Her minor bump was drained and cultured. Yup, MRSA. I on the other hand had to have surgery on my leg to remove an infection 1 inch into my thigh and some into my quad muscle. They cut me inch wide. They removed all the infection and packed me up good with gauze. I had to replace the gauze for 3 weeks. They didnt stich me up. Instead, they let it heal from the inside out to prevent any further infection being trapped inside.
They put me and my girlfriend on Doxycycline for 10 days. It took away in 4 days my extensive rash and blisters. Its been about a month and I have had smaller blisters under my right armpit. I was put back on Doxy but just had them come back. Well, thats my story. As I type this message, I have two little bastards under my arms. I use a germ killer and spray on deoderant to control them. Has anyone else used Doxycycline - better results?

Well, I have written a few months back about this craziness in my household and we have been through a total of about 8 episodes now. What I have learned is that this stuff has a mind of its own. You can be perfectly healthy and get it out of the blue. the problem in a multi person household is that there can be a carrier and the carrier may or may not get it! What has to be done is, when NOBODY has anything, they must ALL get a nasal swab done in order to find the carrier.
My wife has had MSRA about 5-6 times now. Ranging from basic home treatment to hospitalization for 5 days. I have had it 2 times in my nose/eye and in my cheek. She has had it all over her abdomen. We treat at home with Clorox and Bactroban. If needed the doctor has given us refills of Ryfampin & ??? They work together is all I know. Vancomycin was used in the IV at the hospital. I had good luck with 950 mg Augmentin and 1 GRAM injection of Rocephin. I put Bactroban in my nose atleast 1-2 times a week to prevent it. (It stays in your nose) If anyone has any questions for me, I would be glad to help. THIS IS SCARY... I want it to stop! Jeremy from SE Texas

Hi I am a mother of 7 children. On July 18th I took my 6 & 7 yr old to the military hospitalER because of what I thought was just an infected spider bite. They where daining pus and just kept refilling for 2 days prior. The ER doc. put them both on Zithromax (they are both allergic to cillian and sulfa drugs) and sent them home. On Tue my 1yr. old had one the same on his leg. By Wed my 7yr, old daughter's was clearing up, but my 6yr old son's was just getting worse and he could hardly walk on his leg. So I took my 1 & 6 yr olds back in and this time saw a doc who decided to cut them open and drain & pack them. We are still doing this daily trip to the doc with the 1 yr old to repack and on Sat. my 6yr old was cut about 2-3 inches in length by a surgeon to drain better. He was put in the hospital for 2 days and came home yesterday. He had no IV's but just oral meds, but the trip on wed. the doc. swabed them both and it came back MRSA. They are so traumatize by this and have been given tylenol w/codine to take 30 min prior to them packing or dressing the wounds. We have to dress my sons 3 in. gape in his leg ourselves at home every day after his showers and They say this can be weeks of this. They don't have specalist here and we are limited in med. personel due to deployment to Iraq. The surgeon didn't even knock him out before cuting into him, just did som numbing, but he still felt it. I had to help hold him down. While he was in the hospital another peson was admitted with the same thing. So that makes 3 cases here just in the last week and my daughter probably had the same thing. We are in Fort Leonard Wood MO. and I haven't heard of this til now but here it is 3 cases maybe 4 in less than a week. I am trying to push the hand washing and won't let my 2 sons out to play with others, but how long will they have to do this for. I don't want others infected but they are so tire of being inside. They seem to be on the mend, butI would never wish this on anyone. We are believing and praying for a full healing of this. If anyone wants us to pray for them too feel free to e-mail me your name and age at leder7@hotmail.com . If the doc had not swabed and tested them on wed. we still would not know. If only the doc. 4 days earlier had known to do this. Every one should be more aware of this. Our doc. said it is on the rise here because military doc. tend to over prescribe antibiotics and has left this area more supseptible (sp?) to MRSA here. No one has even mentioned testing the rest of us later to see who might be a carrier. I have ordered a strong spray that can be used in surgery to begin using on all of us. I just don't want to become a germ-a-phob. Blessing to all of you out there dealing with this, and keep us in your prayers that none of the rest of the family will get this. LL

I AM A 33 YEAR OLD MOTHER OF 2 I'VE JUST LOOKED UP THE WORD MRSA STAPH AND WAS I SO SUPPRISED I WOULD HAVE NEVER THOUGHT I HAD SOMETHING SO SERIOUS I WENT INTO THE HOSPITAL IN JAN.FROM WHAT I THOUGHT AND WAS TOLD WAS A SIMPLE SPIDER BIGHT I STAYED IN FOR A WEEK THEN WAS ABLE TO GO HOME I NEW IT WAS SERIOUS BUT NOT UNTIL NOW DO I KNOW HOW SERIOUS IT IS I HAD TO GO BACK TO THE HOSPITAL AND THATS WHEN I FOUND OUT THE NANE OF THIS THE SAD PART OF THIS IS I DIDNT FIND THIS OUT FROM MY ON DOCTOR SHE BRUSHED IT OFF LIKE DONT WORRY ITS JUST A BITE IT JUST SO HAPPEND THE DAY SHE WASENT THERE AT THE DOCTORS OFFICE I HAD TO SEE ANOTHER DOCTOR AND I THANK GOD BECAUSE THATS HOW I FOUND OUT I JUST WANT TO THANK EVERYONE FOR TELLING YOUR LIFE STORIES IT HAS HELPED ME TO REALY UNDERSTAND THIS MUCH BETTER

my husband has lost 3 toes due to mrsa this happened back in 2002 the disease got in his bones and started eating them away. while he was on vanco treatment 2 times a day for 6 weeks and complete bed rest then i started getting boils oh god are they ever painful finally the decided to check me for mrsa after i started researching mrsa and asked them to check me for it now after 2 yrs here we go again its back in his toe and boils on my face and neck we lost everything we had the 1st go round so here we go again miserable and depressed i also work in a hospital looks like they would send me home on antibiotics until i got over this

I have been plagued by boils as well. I had a boil that started to come up on my face as soon as I saw that black dot come up I broke open the shell of a egg and placed the shell of the the egg just big enough to cover the boil and left it on. The egg glues it to the boil somehow preventing it from getting bigger. My doctor recommended using a type of wound tape but I can not remember what kind. Anyway, The egg shell worked and it did not get any bigger and went away without leaving me a scar. Use this at first sign of boil and keep on as long as possible. I think I kept it on a few days luckily I did not have to work. I saw this on another board and it worked. Hope this helps to prevent some scars. I now have them under my armpits six month later so hopefully someone will come up with a cure.
Barb

hey my daughter has a doctors appointment tommorow to have a culture done on a risen that i belive is mrsa. Im so glad that other people share there stories because i would have not known anything about mrsa infections my daughter has had risens throughout the past year here and there and has had 2 of them lanced and neighter dr. mentioned any thing about mrsa we are going to reqest that they check for that tommorow thanx to you all also if anyone can email me about how to keep the outbreaks down and to keep my house free of the germs please do so.

My daughter, age 34 has ulcerative colitis, endometriosis,chronic sinus pain and asthma. She had the colon surgery and has a J pouch. The ulcerations are still on the small remaining part of her bowels. She had sinus surgery a few months ago and has never felt well. After 10 weeks her MD finally said she had MRSA. Her 2 year old baby also got it.
My question is ===perhaps there might be a relationship between all these ailments , namely the MRSA staph. She is presently in the hospital here in Tampa. An infectious disease MD is on the case. Each of her MDS is a specialist in one area and it seems that no one can see if there might be a common thread with her diseases. Michelle

My husband is in prison. There is a huge out-break of MRSA. He developed a large bump on his neck, and assumed it was a unusual acne pimple, and POPPED it.
Can anyone tell me if that is what spreads it to your blood, or was it ok to do that? How long are you cantagious? My 19 month old daughter and I had a contact visit with him today, the same day the sore appeared. If we do not develope any symptoms, how long should we wait to have contact with him again? Click on my name below, and it with take you to my e-mail. Thank you.

MY BONES HAVE ROTTED FROM THE INSIDE OUT, STARTING WITH THE HIP AND SPREADING OUTWARD. CROCODILE/ALLIGATOR SERUM (THE CLEAR LIQUID THAT SUSPENDS THE BLOOD PLATELETES)IS SOMETHING THAT WILL WORK, BUT NEEDS TO BE TESTED FOR COMPATABILITY AND DOSE BEFORE MAINSTREAM USE
P.S IM COMIN FOR ALL THE MOTHERFUCKERS THAT FUCKED ME AROUND.
PPS.
IT STARTS WITH A CORPORATE EMPIRE AND ENDS WITH UFO'S

I don't know why you felt like posting that comment, but I don't see much relevance to the topic of this post, Sir. Maybe you could elaborate without the ALL CAPS YELLING and innuendos of evil business conspiracy?

My diabetic daughter has had chronic outbreaks of the infected 'boil'like sores for about eight years.She has run the gauntlet of medical people and they immediately zero in on the fact that she is diabetic-not the infection!She is,of course,fed up and on the point of severe depression.I found this site by accident and have pointed out that she is not alone with this horrible thing and that there are others who are trying different things.My question is to anyone who has tried Colloidal Silver.I would be gratefull if you could share your findings with me about its use.

I had MRSA Staph over a year ago. Mine like most of yours started with the diagnosis of a spider bite in February 2003, which was treated with an antibiotic, it subsided. And approx six weeks later I had what was diagnosed as an abcess on my knee - another antibiotic, it cleared up and within six weeks - another one appeared on my arm. The saga continued on six week intervals until July 2003. At this point armed with information from the internet I MADE my physician culture the newest lump. Within 24 hours we knew I had MRSA and I insisted on being treated by a CDC (Center for Disease) doctor for this infection. ***I did this for 2 reasons First to get it reported on a national level. Without it being reported, the CDC does not know the extent of the outbreaks. Second to get myself treated by the "experts" in this field. Since I am allergic to Sulfa based drugs - we treated it with Bactroban ointment in my nose daily, And I took showers daily in Hebiclens (Available over the counter @ Walmart. - you have ask for it at their Pharmacy tho.) We continued this From August 03 thru December 03. ( I should tell you that after starting this aggressive routine I had no more outbreaks, so in October we decreased the daily routine to every other day. November 2X's weekly and in December weekly. For the New Year,I stopped the routine and was pronounced clear and have remained un-infected thru today. A full year later. I feel very fortunate to have found someone who was knowledgable and aggressive in dealing with this. PLEASE GET THESE CASES REPORTED TO YOUR CLOSEST CDC CENTER and insist on being treated by an expert. Some other foods for thought - I now use anibacterial dish detergent. Dial soap has a new liquid soap that is 4XX 's more effective as an antibacterial ( it's the foaming one - @ Walmart again). I use white sheets & towels & everyone has been designated their own set. These are washed weekly in clorox. During the week I make several 2 trips throughout the house and spray Lysol ( kills staph and strep) on doorknobs,sofas, beds, pillows, toilet seats and anything your hand touches. Weekly, my kitchen is cleaned using a bleach solution and our bathrooms using the ORIGINAL lysol cleaner ( the one in a small brown glass bottle). It's strong so wear rubber gloves. I carry lysol wipes everywhere, and I use them any time I feel uncomfortable. I never want that Bacteria again! Is painful and H*** to get rid of. Will keep you in my prayers.

Another note...My CDC doctor told me this MRSA staph is prevalent in the soil and can be contracted by gardening without gloves. So be careful not to handle potting soil or garden without gloves.

Two of my daughters and two grandchildren has the MRSA Staph infection, which came from all the sand around our home after the floods in Mingo Co. Wv back in May, One daughter and her son and her husband are being treated for this infection, But the other Daughtre and her Daughter are not being treated hear in Wv, ARH, the Hospital my daughter went to gave her one antibotic tablet and told her to place ice on the boils, I don't think this is the proper procedure to treat this infection. What should we do?
Randall Newsome

I hope nobody minds, but I copied a post that I thought was important and re-posted it THIS IS AN IMPORTANT ONE. I havent seen any topical home remedies. This one works! Try it!!! THANKS TO PAM WAGNER!!! This is what the hospital uses believe it or not!:
I am absolutely amazed that the topical "cleaning" solution for MSRA has never been posted anywhere in the "so-called" medical advise sections by respected Doctors. I was bitten by a spider, a "spiney-orb weaver" and it resulted in all the apperances as the typical brown recluse bites. After 3 days of Cipro doing absolutely nothing, I insisted on an IV antibiotic "cocktail" every day for 4 days. In the meantime, after self-medicating the flesh-eating wound with Bactine, to no avail, the Doctor told me of a solution to be made in my kitchen. Please pass this along to everyone you know with a MRSA related infection. It is the ONLY SOLUTION TO KILL THE STAFF. 1 qt distilled water, 2 teaspoons of CLOROX BLEACH, and 1 teaspoon of salt. Believe it or not, it does not burn. Soak a sterile gauze in the solution and let it sit on the wound. Repeat with another sterile gauze, wiping any debris. Soak a third gauze strip and tape it down to your skin or I had to wrap an ace bandage to hold it onto my leg. Do this 2 or 3 times a day, and you will cut the healing time and will kill any remaining staff on contact. My scar is minimal, with no indentation.

fighting mrsa for over 2 month now. got terribly wrong treated the first few weeks. finally got correctly diagnosed by a doc who is very familiar with that mrsa thing, the meds which work now are:
smz/tmp double strength plus nasal bactrima and local cream of the same name to kill the germs tree times daily and 2 times in each nostril. these germs munching under the skin once the get under there.
good luck

in addition
wash your self 3 times daily with a surgical scru. change clothing, bedsheets twice and wash everything many times over. best at at 95 celcius or bleach.
wash your hands every time you touch yourself. all this for two week. its exhausting but it works.

I have MRSA and have had it for nearly two years. Not having the money to have it treated, I took several herbs and have kept it in remission by taking 3 grams of garlic capsules per day. If I should forget for a couple of days, I get the beginnings of an oversized pimple that grows rapidly. Taking the garlic dries it out completely.

I thought I just had a mosquito bite in my armpit, but it itched and hurt so bad. It developed into a large boil. After two weeks it went away, but then I woke up one morning with 3 lumps in my armpit. It was killing my arm and I had trouble breathing. I went to the doctor and he drained it and discovered it was MRSA. He still didn't understand how I could be getting all these boils. I asked him if this would cause me to have trouble breathing - He just replied, "I don't know. You probably need an inhaler." He gave me tetracycline for 10 days. The boils seem to be gone or very small, however I feel very tired all the time and I still have trouble breathing.

For the past 18 months I have been researching the effects of essential oils on methicillin resistant staphyloccus aureas and have very successful microbiology lab test results. I personnally have not taken an antibiotic since 1979 and made the decision to "put my money where my mouth is" and remortgaged my home in order to formulate and produce two products made from the oils that worked best in-vitro. My website went live two weeks ago (end August 2004) and I invite your readers to take a look at www.fighting-back.com. This is early days, and sometimes I think I must be mad to be taking on the medical profession - but they are very blinkered and I have always been a maverick, treating my own children for every childhood ailment,so when I first became aware of the mrsa problem I saw it as a challenge. Anyone who uses my products and finds them helpful, please let know as I would really appreciate the feedback. Maggie Tisserand

Hope this helps anyone suffering with MRSA . . .

Read article on "Garlic Compound Beats Antibiotic-Resistant Bug"

Microbiologist Dr Ron Cutler, based at the University of East London, claims that the garlic compound allicin not only kills established varieties of MRSA, but also destroys the new generation of 'super-superbugs' that have evolved resistance to Vancomycin and Glycopeptides, the powerful antibiotics widely considered to be the last line of defence against MRSA.

Allicin can cure patients with MRSA-infected wounds within weeks, according to a paper to be published early next year . . .

Info about cure for MRSA found at the following URL address:

http://www.youngagain.com/allicin.html

Friday, September 17, 2004 commentary:

Garlic conquers superbugs that breed in hospitals overrun by prescription antibiotics - Info on MRSA as well -

Go to: http://www.superfoodsnews.com/000661.html

Related Reading: An ingredient in garlic may offer one of the best defences against hospital superbugs, research shows. The compound is
said to be effective even against highly resistant strains of the notorious MRSA bug, which has claimed many lives. Tests by Dr Ron
Cutler, a microbiologist, showed it can cure patients with MRSA-infected wounds "within days", he said. Allicin, which occurs naturally in garlic, not only killed known varieties of MRSA,
but also new superbug generations resistant to
"last-resort" antibiotics such as vancomycin. Plant compounds have evolved over millions of years as chemical defence agents against infection. MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) causes 2,000 deaths in UK hospitals each year, mainly by infecting surgical wounds.

Source: http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/health/story.jsp?story=476684

My son was bitten by a brown recluse spider on June 4, 2004. He has been in & out of the hospital 7 times now, and spends at least a week in patient. He has no insurance, therefore is not able to get his own infectious disease doctor, however the doctors at University Hospital in Louisville, Ky are good and do a great job, but when he leaves the hospital the ball is dropped because they have no good aftercare. The clinic they use is useless. You can't call a doctor about anything going on or get any answers. If you go to the er you have to wait until you are really really sick to get anything done. I don't believe the medical community knows what it is dealing with .

Last year my dad was in the hospital and a couple weeks after returning home he got bad boils everywhere. Then I got it, then my brother, and finally my mom. My dad has had recurrent outbreaks and I have as well, all though each outbreak is farther apart and less severe than the pervious. We all had cultures and it came back resistant staph areus. It is resistant to keflex, Augmenten, penicillin, and several more drugs. It keeps coming back and this is really annoying. How can I get rid of this once and for all? I have heard of using an antibiotic ointment in the nostrels but how many times a day and for how long should I do this? Anyone know please email me. PS: I have a 7 month old and I think he has gotten this too.

I am taking a microbiology class and was doing research and stumbled upon this site. I also work in a nursing home and have a four year old son. I had no clue that Mrsa is that contagious. This is the first time I'm hearing it's not just for old people and people with lowered immunities. Last week I found that we have a patient with Vrsa. I've been treating her in physical therapy for about a month now. This is disturbing because one day I'm touching her and treating her and the next day I find that we need gloves, gowns, and masks to be near her!! I'm freaking out because I thought I'd still be fine because I don't have a lowered immunity. Next time I get any little cuts or "ingrown hairs" I'll probably be racing to the Dr. Thanks for the heads up. I have to do a presentation at school and work and people will definatly know more than they've been led to believe.

When my daughter was 9 days old she was diagnosed with an mrsa staph infection. This was an abcess under her chin going from ear to ear,she had surgery done and 3 oz of infection were drained and she was then packed full of 4 feet of gauze. She stayed in the hospital recovering for 16 days. She was put on chlyndomyacin and vancomyacin for 14 days. After returning from the hospital my husband has had 13 different mrsa staph in fections and i have had about 7 , every time seems to be in a different spot ranging from the face to the buttox. Our daughter is now 20months old and she has had three more mrsa staph infections, and each one has been on her buttox. And every time she has them lanced and drained and then packed, only to return to the doctor to have more done. It is very frustrating and she has had so many tests done on her. She has an infectious disease doctor but that doctor tells us that if when she gets them and they do not colonize to not worry. It is when they colonize and break out in them that you have to worry. But we worry either way, I just wish these things would stop.

I Have MRSA AND CAN NOT GET RID OF IT I BEEN TO 3 DOCS. AND GOING TO ANOTHER i am so sick of it it hurts so bad it is on my hands and moving around my body i am trying to find out more and been reading so much on it i guess we all just should get together and go to the white house and stand there mybe and i say mybe they will do something i know i am not giving up i have 2 great girls and i will see them get old thank you for your time and God bless.

Miami Beach, Florida..49 year old male in good health
I went to the emercency room with severe back pains
was admitted with Pneumonia...then an abcess behind my lung
After 2 days rushed into intensive care and put on a
resporator...with a high fever..mrsa Staph went thru my
system..Vaious organs began to shut down...large abcess
formed on my face..I came very close to dying.
I was treated with vancomycin during my whole hospital
stay (another anibiotic was added for a short while..think
it was gentamicin)..which broke my fever..I spent about
3 weeks in intensive care..
another 4 weeks recovering and physical therapy.
Recovered very well..with exception of major loss of
hearing in one ear..and some balance problems.

my eight year old son had a lump come up on this leg in early sept last month and took him to er and the dr said it was staph infection so he prescribed meds and told me to just put hot compresses on it he gave him augmentin after about a week on the meds he had went to his fathers fro the weekend and his father had took him to the er where he lives and they have to drain and pack the lesion on his leg he was in extreme pain with it .well after he had been home with me the er called me and told me that the culture had come back as mrsa and that the meds he was on would not work so they changed him to smz/tmz 800 ml so he took those meds and we had changed his bandgage 3 times daily and put a ointment bactroban on it .well it healed up but he just came from his dads yesterday with the same kind of lump like it formed before on him again so i took back to the er because he was crying and he said it was worse than the one before so the dr ask me what was wrong i told him and he said it needs to be popped so it can drain so all he did was just squeezed it really hard and he screamed when he did that the child was in pain.he said it was'nt that bad well that was like the last one i found it was'nt that bad at first either .why is my child getting these like this they said he was on the highest antibotic out .will he keep getting mrsa for now on ?he is only eight.his dads family were the first ones to give this dam diease to everyone .they keep it all around there home and don't treat people the way they should treat them.

Wow I am really astonished that more news of this infection hasn't been posted or aired on the news to warn people!!! after reading everything that everyone has said I am honestly really scared!!! Well I wil start off saying that I first saw these large boil looking absysses on my fiance about 2-3 months ago. He is only 20 and he figuered it was from the concrete that he works with. Well soon it became very large and painful so we went to a nearby clinic (neither of us have health insurance) and he paid $120 just so some one could squezze all of the pus out for him write him a perscription for keflex and send him on his way!! Scince then he has noticed several more, still figuering it had something to do with the concrete he just blew off going to the doctor and would let them heal on their own well a couple off days ago he talked to one of the guys that he works for and he informed him that his brother had ended up in the hospital, and the doctors diagnosed it as a staph infection. only after this guy had gone to several other doctors including the clinic that my fiance went to just to be mis- diagnosed as an absyss. Well about the same time my fiance was telling me about this I noticed the same large red hard bump on my upper thigh. I am trying to convince my fiance to go to the hospital and tell them everything we have learned so hopefully it will not spread any further, but he is so stubborn and insist that is will go away on it's own. I am so scared to lose him I love him so much and he has had it for months now. He is a really strong person, but I don't think he will make it through something like this without going to a doctor. Maybe he is just worried because we don't have the money or insurance.....please if anyone has any ideas it would help!!!

I have also been diagnosed with MRSA! It seems to be becomming a major problem all over the U.S. I've been reading some VERY interesting stuff regarding MRSA, check out:
http://www.nfid.org/publications/clinicalupdates/id/staph.html

This is from 1998, but still has some interesting findings. Also can look at www.cdc.gov for info on MRSA.

Myself, I have a boil on the top of my pinkie finger, started out as a small burning sensation. Three days later, the whole side of my hand felt like it was on fire, and there was a boil where the whole thing started. I'm currently being treated with Clindy (Clindamycin) and Bactroban (swab the inside of the nose twice a day for five days) to "de-colonise". My boil is slowly getting better, so maybe I'm winning the war, ya think? Also, my baby girl had a skin abcess on her inner thigh, she was hospitalized for three days, and given iv clindy and Ancef cocktail, her's healed right up.

All I can say after reading all the above posts is "my god!" I never knew that MRSA was such a widespread problem, and that there were so many different manifestations of it! I also have e-mails in to a few Epidemiologists regarding treatment, I'll let y'all know what I find out...

With Love,
JP

My name is Christie and I am from Florida. My daughter will be 3 in Feb. She has been battling with MRSA since she was 18 months. It took a very long time for me to convince all of my doctors that she did not have a diaper rash or 15 spider bites on her tushy. At one point she had 9 active boils in her groin area. They were so bad she could barely walk. However, after finding a great Infectious Disease Doctor, she was placed in the hosptial on IV Vinc..for 6 days. That was July 17, 2004. All of the sudden she is developing a strong rash irritation on her butt again. I am not sure when to run to the hospital and when to wait it out anymore. This is just driving me crazy. I want my daughter to live a normal life. So I am looking for help. Her current fevers only run around 100 - 100.5 and the rash has no puss as of yet. Is there anything they could do this early in the stage? I would appreciate any feedback.

Okay, everyone! I have a few updates here, so pay attention!! Depending on where you are in the world makes all the difference in the type of MRSA that you get exposed to. For instance:
I reside in the central San Joaquin Valley in California. Here, the most common version of MRSA that we see is VERY responsive to the following A/B's: Clindamycin, Septra, Gentamicin, Tetracycline, Rifampin, Synercid, and Linezolid. Also, the nasal de-colonisation with Mupiricin is getting great results!

IF YOU SUSPECT YOU HAVE MRSA, consult a doctor who deals with Infectious Diseases, or an ENT (Ear, Nose, and Throat) specialist. MRSA most commonly colonizes in the nasal passages, travels systemically, and can show as skin eruptions (abcesses) that more times than not go "tunneling". THAT's what makes them so much of a pain in the arse.

CHRISTIE!! Sounds like your daughter's problem MIGHT be environmental, in that she keeps coming in contact with the s. aureus bacteria somewhere in her living environs. As your little baby joy is just that, DO NOT WAIT! Take her to the doctor, and MAKE SURE YOU TELL THE DOC that she has been treated for MRSA in the past!! This is VERY important in pursuing a cure!! Ask him/her about "de-colonisation" with Mupiricin (Bactroban) nasally for everyone in the household. And I DO mean EVERYONE! All it takes is one person in the household to retain the inactive bacterial colony to re-introduce it once the "coast is clear". Have the doctor do a swab. Lab results are KEY to treatment! What they will do is 1)Attempt to grow a culture. 2)Test the culture (look at it under a scope) and see what it is. 3)If it is s. aureus (Staphylococcus Aureus), submit it to suceptibility tests with the 'cillins. If it tests positive for a substance called "Beta-Lactamase", then it is MRSA. Then they will submit it to response tests with the other a/b's. The one that it is MOST suceptible to will have the LOWEST MIC (mcg/mL) numbers. Like I said before, MY MRSA's lowest numbers were for Clindamycin (<0.25), and Synercid (<0.25). THAT's what you wanna hit that bad bug with! Also, look into G.I.'ing the house, from top to bottom. More in my next post!!

With Love,
JP

Some additional info for your perusal:

Amox/Clavulanic Acid: >4/2
Ampicillin: >8 BLac
Amp/Sulbactam 16/8
Cefazolin: >16
Ceftriaxone >32 (Now THAT'S RESISTANCE!!

This is just a sample of my labs, your's will look something like this if it is MRSA, the numbers might be different though.

If your child under 5 is suspect for MRSA re-infection, or if they show with skin abcesses or eruptions, BY ALL MEANS!! Get them in to be seen!!

JP

I got these things on and off for three months after a trip to the hospital for Colonscopy. I cant believe the pains they are giving me its terribel and I feel terrible everytime one starts I get a fever and it blisters up it is hot and really red and painful. Went to doctor again today got more antiobiotics please anyone with some help on this email me. He got me on doxcycline for 1 month. Please write it started on my buttocks and then my breasts and now my stomach.

Mona, have they swabbed any of the boils and tested them for MRSA?

JP

I came across this site while researching MURSA induced Septic Arthritis, of which I have one more week of a 6 week course of IV Vancomycin left in a long and frightening journey with MURSA a passenger. Reading the posts has been a true learning experience for me: reading everyone's story is humbling...I thought I had learned all there was to know! My "manic ride" with MURSA began with a steroid injection for an rheumatoid arthritis flare in my left shoulder. In pain BEFORE the injection, I was in no way prepared for the pain AFTER. The injection was done by the ortho surgeon I worked for, and it was performed the same as previous injections done by my Rheumatologist. Anticipating relief pain, and expecting no complications, I stubbornly ignored the unusal symptoms of continued pain and loss of movement. Since we were busy opening a new ortho Ambulatory Surgery Center, I blamed my extreme fatigue and "under the weather" feeling on the long hours. 2 weeks later, unable to ignore the worsening symptoms, I had my routine labs ( meds for RA require them) and was seen the next day by my rheumatologist. One look at my labs, then at me, she told me I had septic arthritis (temp of 103.6, also had a measles like rash quickly spreading body wide) and she was sending me directly to the E.R. for additional tests and she would follow to tap the shoulder, drain it and culture it. After reading your posts, I feel lucky to have a doctor who was quick to take steps to diagnose. Needless to say, I was admitted, culture proved positive for MUSA, and blood cultures proved positive also. Docs told me that another 24-48 hours and major organ involvement...and death would have been likely. I underwent agressive lavage of the joint to remove infectious material, then had a Groshong Catheter placed for long term IV antibiotic-Vancomycin being the flavor of the day. Though placed in a private room, the staff didn't seem intent on using Universal Precautions...gloves, masks, e.c.t., nor was my family warned. I can only assume it was due to my infection being isolated. Not one to be held hostage in a hospital, I insisted on discharge on the 6th day, and began my daily trips to the Infusion Center for 24 hour "fill up's" of the infusion pump. Shortly after discharge, I developed large, painful, boil like lumps in my "ladies private place"...which came and went without intervention. I never mentioned it to the 3 docs on my case, choosing to ignore the "lumps"...until reading all the posts! As I type this, I sit very carefully because yet another of those painful lumps has taken up residence. I've already been told the CDC's take on "MURSA carrier's," and my docs explained that aspect and the probability of me being one of those lucky people. Being on meds for the RA, meds that compromise the immune system (methatrexate and prednisone) puts me, and all those who take these meds, at increased risk for infections of any kind. As I said, this site has given me food for thought, and I plan to not only mention the lumps "down there," but ask if they too, could be MURSA related. If incision and drainage, with culture is the only way to confirm it, then it's one I will insist on. This site has also prompted me to further question the risk of exposure to family and friends, if and what I should be doing to prevent it. Although the concensus is that I'm a carrier, I still wonder if there is a possibility that I was exposed to it in some other fashion, and the chips just happened to fall in the right order. One more thing I plan to question. The important thing for all of us that are, or have dealt with MURSA, is education. Knowing the enemy is the first line of defense. Thankfully, we have access to the Internet, and terrific sites like this. The CDC is sharing more and more info and it's my understanding that they are beginning to make a concentrated effort to track this nasty, life changing invader, and provide more info to the public. As with any government entity, it may be long in coming, so WE have to take what info and tools we find and be aggressive with our doctors, the CDC, and sites like this, to not only educate ourselves, but share any info we find and support each other in any and every way we can. I'm not sure how this web site discussion began and have just began to explore the other pages. It's a delightful experience! The majesty of free speach and the resulting statements from the sites creator gives us a front row seat to his "one, two...and even 3" knockout punches at politico's, arbitrary law's and the plight of the "little man." GOOD JOB! His forum gave us a place to vent against the often disinterested medical community, questionable medical practices and the ignorance and condencending attitude of some doctors in relation to MURSA. Having worked in both the medical and administrative side of the health care field for over 17 years, I have to say there ARE good docs out there and if unable to find one, YOU have to become your own advocate and be aggressive in your search for control or cure of MURSA. One voice is only a whisper...many voices are a shout. Thank you, Drizz, for giving us a bandstand to shout FROM.
Jacquie

I got a MRSA infection on my right thigh and went to the Dr. He surgically drained it and took a culture just to make sure it was in fact bacteria and not a spider bite. It came back MRSA, but by the time we knew this it was healing well. About a week later, knowing what I had, I took my son to the pediatrician for a lump on his bottom (almost in the crack). He is only 16 months now. His was MRSA and he was placed on Clyndamicin and the Dr. drained it by squeezing it as it was starting to drain a little on it's own just when he touched it. This all happened several months ago and nobody has had any problems since. Should we be worried it will still come back? I'm very scared one of use could need surgery or something one day and get an MRSA infection at that point if it is still active in us. Am I a carrier now? If I become pregnant could I pass this on during pregnancy to my baby?

DON”T BELIEVE YOUR DOCTOR!
DON”T BELIVE THE TESTS!
CHECK IT OUT ONLINE BEFORE YOU BELIEVE ANYTHING THE DRs SAY!

I am at home on the mend from my second round with Impetigo. My Infectious Disease specialist swears to me that I don’t have MRSA but what do you think….
I had a raw spot under my nose from a cold. It wouldn’t heal. After about a month I noticed small bumps around it. I thought it was nothing. I went to the dr because a friend of mine said she had had a staph infection and that it can be serious. I went in and they diagnosed it staph/impetigo. She prescribed Augmenten and Neosporin. It was a section under my nose about an inch wide. Over the weekend it became red and inflamed and it grew in size. It also caused a rash to spread down my neck and chest. I went to the ER where they told me I was allergic to Augmenten and gave me benadryl and switched me to Clindomyacin. They also prescribed Bactoban. They gave me benadrly and Clindomyacin IV and prescribed pills and ointment. They also referred me to the Infectious Disease doctor and instructed me to come back if it did not stop spreading right away. I was back in a couple of hours because of the rapid spread. It went from a small 1 inch section being infected to a large portion below by nose that spread down the side of my lip and covered my chin. The second time I went in they gave me Vancomyacin IV, took a culture, and again referred me to the specialist. I hardly slept that night and counted the hours until the doctors office opened. At my appointment with the specialist she confirmed that I needed the Vancomyacin and told me the results from my culture did not indicate that I had MRSA. This was all the information I was given. I was on Vancomyacin IV twice a day, at two hours a session, for two weeks. It took ten days for it to even look better and for my face hurt less. It did stop growing right away with this drug. By the time I was done with the two weeks the infection had cleared up about 95%. I saw my specialist and she said it looked great and told me to continue for three days with Clindomyacin and Bactroban. Two days later I noticed a bump that looked like an insect bite on the infection site. I did not think anything of it. The next day there was another. I called the doctors office and told them this. She said to continue with the Bactroban, I told her this had started to cause more itching so she said to use Neosporin. I did so and was in the ER within an hour. The infection was hot and red and burned. The ER doctor said I was allergic to Neosporin. He said to clean it off and it would be fine. I told him about the two bumps and he said that was probably the infection and he prescribed me Keflex and DID NOT CONSULT MY SPECIALIST. I went home and washed it off. When I dried it off it was weeping again so I rushed to the ER to try and stop this thing before I was back where I started! I saw the same ER doctor and he said I should be optimistic about it and that it would be ok. He called my specialist and she said to take Clindomyacin again, not Keflex, and use Bactoban. The doctor sent me home. I returned an hour later and insisted he call her back and tell her I NEVER STOPPED TAKING CLINDOMYACIN and I was watching the infection grow minute by minute. She repeated that I should take the Clindomyacin and use Bactroban. Discouraged, scared, and worried I went home with a two inch portion of my face covered with the infection. The next morning it was still spreading and was oozing/weeping profusely. I went to the Express Way at the Hospital and was seen by a PA. I felt like she was the first person who took me seriously. She called my specialist and they put me on Zyvox. I was bothered by the fact that my specialist had still not come in to see the infection but was telling the doctors what to do over the phone without even looking at me! By the time I went in to her office Monday morning the infection was back to the size it was the first time, down the side of my lip and my chin. It was oozing profusely and looked worse than the first time. The doctor acted surprised that it looked so awful. She again told me that I tested negative for MRSA and that she probably pulled me off Vancomyacin too early. She was confident the Zyvox would do the trick. I asked why the switch to a pill and was told that was what the insurance would cover, first IV, then a pill if it reoccurred. I got the impression that she didn’t see an infection like mine all the time, she even took a picture of it. I was skeptical and scared but went home and tried to be optimistic. I have been on Zyvox for four days now and the oozing has stopped. It dried up and I scrapped off the crust this morning. It is dry and looks red/pink and rough. There are still dots here and there too. It hasn’t changed much in size. It looks a lot better and I anticipate that it will be gone within the next two weeks. My doctor is keeping me on the Zyvox for an entire month.
I felt uneasy so I started looking up this infection on line. I was shocked by what I found. After reading other people’s stories I am relieved that I was given the right medicine and it is working. I do feel that a couple of things were overlooked though and people aren’t educated about this infection.
Again my dr thinks I do not have MRSA, maybe it isn’t, but even the strains of staph that are not MRSA are starting to look scary. Besides that, Vancomyacin and Zyvox are commonly used for MRSA. If I don’t have it then why am I being treated with the medication that are used to treat MRSA?
Another issue I have is that I was given no information on how to keep from spreading this disease. One doctor told me that the Bactoban made the infection not contagious to others so not to worry about it. The specialist was at least honest and said it is hard to say who will get it and how it is spread exactly, but I will tell you she didn’t get too close and she used lots of antibacterial handwash when she was in the room with me. I had to ask specific questions of her to get any information at all about how to keep it from spreading to my family. I would have appreciated some direction instead of being left to figure this out myself. It frightens me to think that my one year old daughter could get this.
Oh, and did I mention that I am an elementary school teacher. I was told I did not have to report this infection to parents and was actually encouraged not to say anything about it by administrators and doctors. But have been instructed by the specialist to not go to work until she clears me to. I am on a sick leave for the next two weeks if in fact the sores go away I can go back to work.
I am going to try the ideas I have read about here. I am going to use Clorox and Lysol spray in the house all the time. I am also going to clean bedding twice a week with Clorox and wash towels after each use. I was told to use Hibicleanse for three days after the infection dried up. I did that the first time I got this infection and I will do it for longer this time.
Overall, I am thankful for the drugs, the little bit of advice I was given, and for the healing. But I still have so many questions that leave me wondering about this???????

I currently have a MRSA infection in an abdominal wound. It began 3 years ago after emergency colon surgery. MRSA was diagnosed in the hospital, but the treatment failed. It is colonized in the mesh that was in place from a previous surgery. The wound has never healed. I have to bandage this sometimes several times a day. It has ruined the quality of my life. I was advised that it is impossible to cure because it's colonized in the mesh. It seems to drain all of my energy. The doctors have said the only solution is to remove the mesh and reconstruct the abdomen. Abdominal reconstruction is a lengthy (up to 3 surgeries) and risky process. Has anyone had a similar experience or first hand knowledge of this? Are there any other alternatives I should look into? I am pleased to see a web site like this and I have been seeking as much information as possible.

I first had a place come up on my right index finger in August 2004. My doctor put me on cephlex.... within 2 days my finger was hugely swollen, burning and throbbing. They lanced it, told me to continue antibiotics. LAst Thursday, I woke up and the same finger (but opposite side of my nail) was swelling. I called the dr's office, found out my dr was no longer employed there. My sister recommended hers, and I got in that morning. In the two hours it took to get an appt - my finger swelled up about 3 times it's size, became hot, red streaks, and pus was starting to build up around the nail. Disgusting. This new dr lanced it, took a culture, and yesterday told me I have MRSA. She put me on Cipro, and told me to wash my hands alot. That's all! I have a 10 year old, 11 month old and a husband that I'm worried I've infected. Is Cipro going to be effective? I'm going to do a bleach cleaning, get the antibacterial rinse, and do bactroban swabs in everyone's noses, just to be sure!

More info as I have been researching,,, can't sleep because of the Zyvox!
First, my hubby has been looking up drug side effects and such and please make sure you do too! The doctor gave me no idea of what I could/couldn't eat on these meds or possible side effects.
Found out about cultures: If they take a culture of your sore/MRSA infection after you are on antibiotics then it can be inaccurate. The antibiotics will alter the results and you may not test positive for infection/colonization. This explains why I was told I had staph/impetigo but my cultures were never able to grow anything. I was lucky enough to be given IV antibiotics on my second trip to the ER and a culture was taken a few days later.
Also, after reading LOTS I see that some possible natural remedies to ward this off are:
collodial silver (many uses)
tea tree oil (topical, NEVER INJEST!)
apple cider vinegar (injested)
garlic (injested)
I am excited to try all of these things.
QUESTIONS I HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO FIND ANSWERS FOR:
Remedies appropriate for children
Chances of giving this to unborn children
Should we be avoiding the hospital and other places that have a high chance of carrying MRSA?
IF ANYONE HAS MORE ANSWERS OR WEBSITES FOR THIS PLEASE POST OR RESPOND TO ME!! I DON'T TRUST MY DOCTOR ANYMORE!!
Thanks and GOD BLESS!
Mari

First, please allow me to caution EVERYONE against just "not trusting your doctors". I'm NOT saying that you should just invest 100% of your trust in a clinician blindly, but to just not trust doctors anymore is just downright irresponsible! There ARE good clinicians out there, who deal with these issues quite often. My FNP that I see regularly was QUITE good at dealing with the MRSA problem that I had, knew how to treat the wounds, and how to prescribe WHAT she knew to prescribe, based on solid lab results.

What you need to do is to build a good working relationship with a doctor you can trust. Feel them out on different issues of health, and look for honesty and genuine concern for your wellness. There ARE some real "winners" out there, who care more about what the insurance companies will give them in reimbursements, or what kind of premiums that their drug company reps are bringing to the office this month! But then again, there are also those doctors that, in spite of all the rampant capitalism out here, still will see patients even if all they can give as payment is a basket of corn or a bag of wheat; those clinicians that are content to accept whatever MedicAid or MediCal will pay them (which is not much in MediCal's case!)

Be safe, be responsible, and be well. I stand (well, post) here as a success story, cured of MRSA because of timely doctor visits, good medicine, a great FNP, a reputable lab, and a bit of due dilligence. (It kind of helps that I also did my fair share of research on treatment options , and discussed these thoroughly with my FNP!) So know that MRSA is beatable...

I HAD A SURGERY LAST YEAR IN DECEMBER AND SINCE THAT SURGERY I HAVE BEEN HOSPITALIZED SEVEN TIMES. I FEEL SO TIRED ALL THE TIME
THE DOCTORS SAY IM DEPRESSED. I HAVE THESE HUGE BOILS ALL OVER MY UPPER LEGS , BUTT , AND UNDERARMS THE DOCTORS SAID BAD SKIN.
I HAVE ALSO BEEN DIAGNOSED WITH R.A AND LUPUS. I AM ONLY 23 WITH 2 CHILDREN AND I HAVE MORE PROBLEMS THAN A 80 YEAR OLD.
MY SEXUAL RELATIONSHIP WITH MY HUSBAND IS SHOT BECAUSE OF THESE BOILS. NOW MY ENTIRE FAMILY IS COVERED WITH THESE BOILS AND IN CHILDREN IT COULD CAUSE DEATH. MY 2 GIRLS ARE 6 AND 2 YEARS OF AGE. NOW I HAVE A NEW DOCTOR WHO I TOLD THIS STORY AND YESTERDAY HE TOOK A CULTURE TO BE TESTED FOR MRSA.
PHISODERM LIQUID SOAP ! ! ! WILL HELP SLOW THE INFECTION WAY DOWN. WHILE IN THE SHOWER SOAP UP FROM FACE TO TOES IN PHISODERM
SOAP AND LET IT SIT FOR 10 MINUTES BEFORE RINSING. THE SOAP HAS 2% ACID TO HELP WITH THE INFECTION. PHISODERM IS PRETTY MUCH SOLD EVERY WHERE , BUT I KNOW FOR SURE AT WALGREENS PHARMACIES.
SOAP COMES IN FACIAL WASH FOR ACNE AND A BODY WASH AS WELL , EITHER OF THESE WILL HELP. IF ANY OTHER INFO IS FOUND PLEASE EMAIL ME WITH RESULTS.

My husband has what I think look like boils on several areas of his buttox. He doesn't have them anywhere else on his body and we are really unsure what they are. They are red and purpilish colored, and range from the size of a pencil eraser to the size of a dime. They don't really come to a head, they usually just start out small until they get larger and uncomfortable and go away, leaving scars. We have no idea what these boil type things are and would like some feedback if this sounds fimialar to anyone.

Thanks

I work in the medical field and after a battle with skin infections I asked my Dr. to test me for MRSA. What a surprise that the culture came back positive for MRSA. I thought that I had a problem with fleas because I "had" 2 cats, and I thought the sores I was getting were flea bites but didn't itch. Then I noticed that they started to hurt and looked more like a spider bite but with no sign of being bit, like a point of entry. One started on the top of my ankle the size of an eraser, then I got a huge one the size of a golf ball on my cheek, which was extremely painful. My dr. treated me for a staph infection but never cultured me. Then I got sores on my head, some were the size of dimes and others were the size of golf balls. This made it extremely difficult to lay on my back because it hurt my head. On my dr.s visit I asked for them to take a culture for MRSA because I work with many patients who have it. After a long battle with this infection, I still have some crusting on my scalp from drainage of the infection. When this first started I felt tired with headache, dizzy, and I ran a low temp of 99.0-99.9 and I was nausiated in the morning. After 2 months of leviquin 800mgs a day for ten days each for a term of ten days I'm still feeling tired, blurred vision, and my bones as well as my muscles are aching especially in the joints. I've experienced heaviness in the chest and some fluid retention which is probably causing the joint pain. I also have three children and 2 of them have experienced wounds that looked like spider bites. My 8 year old son had swollen lympnodes about three months ago and the dr. couldn't figure out why and asked if he had been biten on the legs because the nodes were swollen in the groin area. After him being treated with antibiotics his symtoms went away but now he is having a difficult time with his sinuses and severe headaches. I'm having him cultured as well as my other children because they have been exposed to MRSA from myself. The process of finding answers is tiring in its self and no one seems to have a definite answer for my questions, not even my dr. I'm in my thirties and I feel like I'm old, the pain isn't going away and the thought of getting more scars from the carbuncles scares me. My face once unscared is scared forever. At work the MRSA has spread from one patient to the next. Seems like one comes off of percautions and another one picks it up. I'm using proper percautions like I always have. What is eating at me is the fact that others might not be. I would really like to know, " HOW DID I GET IT?" And now that I have it, "AM I GOING TO GIVE IT TO HEALTHY PATIENCE WITH LOWERED IMMUNE SYSTEMS?" I find it difficult to become close to people or to be touched. I don't want to spread it as well as catch something else because of my immune system being so terrible. If anyone would like to talk about it, I'm interested. BEWARE, it's in northern new york! Good luck to everyone with MRSA and my prayers are with each and every one of US!

i got this funk. im on levaquin and bactroban ointment. its nice to see a site like this, anyway im going to try the collodial silver along with a good diet lots of garlic.well from the sounds of it i guess you need to be a clean freak these days.i didnt know it was this contagious until i read all these testimonials.well im gonna go clean the house and chase my garlic pills with a shot of bleach. ha-ha - seriously good luck to everyone and feel free to email me - im sure with Gods help i will beat this thing.The LORD is my light and savior i shall fesr no one or anything.im in florida but its in hawaii too hollar if you want at- susieg27@bellsouth.net-im 22 and still feel healthy till the abcesses come back my question to you all is when its ''dead'' can or will it stay ''dead''???? does anyone know because i get a diffrent ansewer from every physician. its a crazy world these days ohh well ill keep on praying for us all!!!!!!!!!!!!

Listen to what Ericka K said above.

It's colloidal silver that's gonna get
the job done. I've done the research.

Check it out further at http://www.silvermedicine.org
probably the best place to start your research.

And doesn't anyone here believe in paragraphs ?
Everything in one paragraph makes it difficult to
read.

My son caught MRSA while in OSU Hospital earlier this year(Columbus, OH) after a surgery due to their neglect (Peritonitis, due to a feeding tube misplacement)while in hteir care (in their MICU area), which was life threatening. He was in the hospital for over 2 months for their errors. Additionally, he has a stomach wound that will not heal and will always be at risk for further infection outbreaks and issues related to MRSA and their poor care and lack of sterile techique.

WHY?! Not following their own guideline AND simple sterile procedures.

Ihave been going through pain for about 4 mounths thinking these where damn spider bites. diffenert kinds of course brown recluse aggressive house spider what ever the doctor imagines. Finally I got sick and tired of all these scars so i changed doctors and first thing he does is he is test me for mrsa and so now after reading all these stories im scared to death I don't know what to do i mean im only 14 and im all scared up from something THAT could have been cured along time ago I just want to say sry to all that have to go thouogh what i am and thank you to all thoughs doctors that made a good guess i mean if it could lead to something this serious why not test it????????? well thank you for listening to me greev>>>>

My husband has become infected with this bacteria. He has the same symptoms and he was just dianosed today plus the doctor said I have it too, just not as bad. I've only had one small abcess on my leg. We've beeen given Bactroban Ointment and a Bactrium DS pill perscription. It is very painful to him and in the time span of a month, he's had 4 on his shoulder/back, one AWFUL one under his arm, and three more are forming on his underarms. The first doctor told us it was just a boil and gave him 3 days antibiotic. By the time we got to the second doctor, the underarm one was the size of a golf ball and so painful. The doctor had to cut it open and drain it. The question I have is, where have we gotten this? Neither of us have ever had surgery (we're in our early 20's), blood transplants, or the like. I do, however, have an outside cat. He's a tom and has gotten in some fights. A year ago he had an abcess and I was told it was just from fighting and giving an antibiotic. It went away. Then two months ago another abcess popped up on the cat. It drained, then another swelled up and drained, then another. So he had three all in one spot that came up in a week. A week after that was when my husband started getting his. Our doctor says he's 80% sure we got it from the cat. Can this be true? If so, where did my cat get if from? Can someone please help. I don't want to put my cat down if it's not possible he started this bacteria.

I had what I thought was a spider bite on my neck. Within a couple of days I was running fever, lymph glands were swollen and the place where the "bite" was had grown all down my neck and into my ear and around the side of my face! The doctor said it was staph, I took mega doses of antibiotics for 2 weeks. After I was off of them for a week it appear again on my chin, so I have been on antibiotics for 2 more weeks and now I have really painful sores in my mouth. This stuff is relentless! So back to the doctor again! What to do?

I have been battling a staph for about 3 months now.. I had a culture done to find out that it was a skin staph... I was placed in Penicillan and it kept on coming back, and so I took matters into my own hands with not having enough money to run back & forth to the Dr...
I applied Desitin that contains Zinc Oxide, and I've seen a great improvement within 24 hrs... Call me silly, but it's working for me...
If anyone tries this & it works for them, please email me to let me know...

i was wondering if you could get staph infection from having oral sex with someone that has it?

can someone send me the answer to trick49ski@cs.com thank you

I AM AN HEALTHCARE WORKER AND HAVE SINCE TRANSFERRED FROM THE TRANSPLANT UNIT IN WHICH I WORKED FOR 5 1/2YRS. IT WAS FIRST DIAGNOSED AS A PERI-RECTAL ABSCESS AND IT KEPT SPREADING FROM VAGINALLY TO LEG AND-SPOUSE. I WENT FROM CIPRO TO LEVAQUIN TO FLAGYL THEN AFTER GIVING MYSELF A CULTURE BACTRIN DS. NEITHER WORKED (4 EPISODES). IT WAS A COWORKER THAT ADVISED ME TO EAT GARLIC AND GUESS WHAT IT WORKED. MY PROBLEM IS THE SCARS THAT REMAIN=WHAT CAN WE DO FOR THEM? THEY ARE VERY UGLY AND THERE ARE TOO MANY TO CUT OPEN ON THE REAR.

I AM AN HEALTHCARE WORKER AND HAVE SINCE TRANSFERRED FROM THE TRANSPLANT UNIT IN WHICH I WORKED FOR 5 1/2YRS. IT WAS FIRST DIAGNOSED AS A PERI-RECTAL ABSCESS AND IT KEPT SPREADING FROM VAGINALLY TO LEG AND-SPOUSE. I WENT FROM CIPRO TO LEVAQUIN TO FLAGYL THEN AFTER GIVING MYSELF A CULTURE BACTRIN DS. NEITHER WORKED (4 EPISODES). IT WAS A COWORKER THAT ADVISED ME TO EAT GARLIC AND GUESS WHAT IT WORKED. MY PROBLEM IS THE SCARS THAT REMAIN=WHAT CAN WE DO FOR THEM? THEY ARE VERY UGLY AND THERE ARE TOO MANY TO CUT OPEN ON THE REAR.

I read the other post about garlic and wanted to share my experience
For a few months I had a co worker with boils that I suspect were MRSA. He wouldn't talk much but the problem was such that he had been taught to drain and pack his boils and the antibiotic wouldn't work. He made several comments about staph infections that make me feel he had MRSA. When I met him we were taking the same antibiotic. I have a cyst that tries to get infected sometimes and they prescribe the antibiotic at the first sign.

After I changed to another job site the cyst swole up and drained. I put bandaids on it and they slightly tore the skin around the cyst. These sites got infected. Suddenly I had infected scary lesions.

I tried over the counter antibiotic ointment and only created more sites for the infection with more bandaid problems.

Finally I applied slices of garlic over the lesions and they scabbed over and have healed. I am currently treating the site of the cyst with oil and minced garlic. The garlic slices do have a slight blistering effect but evidently killed the infection.

I am also going to start eating several cloves of garlic every day after reading the above post.

Vitamin C orally and topically seemed to have some effect but not as good as the garlic.

I don't know if what I am dealing with is MSRA. I do know that I was possibly in contact with it and that ordinarily I am infection resistant.

I just got insurance on my job and hate to go to a new Dr. with this. I'm thinking of going to my old Dr. who knows my health history.

I think there would be panic if people knew how commen this is getting. CDC does have MRSA info on it's site... I checked.

My brother in law (who doesn't live with us) had his 1st MRSA infection on his knee 2 years ago. Last year, my whole family of 4 caught it at the same time. Mine in the nose, my husband on the arm, and my daughter on her thigh. My husband and I got it for a 2nd time a few weeks ago. Unfortunately, my 3 year old son is on his 10th infection since his first outbreak last year, ranging from his legs, thighs to his stomache, back and chest. We've seen 3 difference medical specialists and they are clueless. My PERSON RECCOMENDATIONS are to spot it as soon as it starts to appear, clean the area and then apply bactroban 3 times a day. Instead of soap, I use a prescribed skin bacteria cleanser. This has prevented more than half of the infections to become painful, swollen and filled with puss. I've also noticed that causing an open wound will cause an infection and if not treated as I mentioned, it will quickly spread. I am no medical expert, but have been very observant of my son's conidtions.

I'm sorry for those with mrsa.my dad went in the hospitail tuesday 7th of dec.2004. he was sick fever 106..they told us that he had mrsa three days later.after telling us that he had mrsa they said he had 24 to 48 hours to live.but they said it wasn't from the mrsa that he had only 24 to 48 hours.i don't believe them.my dad got real sick didn't respond to nothing.after 5 days of being there my dad died dec 12 of 2004.that was in monroe michigan.the infection got in his blood streem and they couldn't do any more for him... Hurt and lost in michigan Kim

I had the infamous spider bite about a month ago. It got really painful, and full of pus, causing me to get a fever. I went to the ER and they put me on ceflex for 7 days, figuring it was a spider bite. I never saw the spider. It did clear up, but this weekend, I started feeling feverish again, and lo and behold, the same spot, my left inner wrist, had the same blistery bite look, with itching and pain. My goodness! After reading these posts, I am really concerned. I am a nanny for a 3 year old and a 10 month old! I don't want to spread this to them or my own family members. I am staying home tomorrow to go and get this cultured. Then I will begin garlic treatment. Internally and externally.
I will keep you posted.
The Nanny

It's Monday morning Dec. 20th. I just got back from the ER. The doctor lanced this bump on my wrist and took a culture. The results will be ready in 2-3 days. He,and I want to make sure it is not MRSA. He prescribed Clindamycin, saying it will get rid of bacteria, including, MRSA.
We'll see.

My Nanny job is on hold now. The parents don't want me to come back until the results are found. I don't want those baby's to get this, whatever it is.

I am a 35 year old female in Dallas, Texas. I have been suffering from these supposeed "boils" for a few months now. It is so awful. I am so glad, (I think) to learn I am not the only one. I have been diagnosed with spider bites, infected pimples, and on and on. I continue to get these painful "boils". Last week I was in terrible shape with one that came up as a little "pimple" right on my scar from a c-section after the birth of my daughter from 12 years ago. It was so incredibly painful, that I missed work for three days. I could not wear pants or even panties it hurt so bad. I had to lie to my work and tell them I had strep throat as I am too embarrassed to state I have a boil keeping me from work. This is really really bad stuff. This morning I am looking for a doctor and I plan on printing this page and carrying it with me, along with a copy of the front page of the Dallas Morning News dated December 15, 2004 speaking of the infection spreading in Texas, so maybe I can get the right treatment. I have rheumatoid arthritis as it is which is an immune disease and I have real problems with staying healthy as it is. I am very concerned that if I do not get proper treatment soon, I am going to be in the hospital or even worse!!! If anyone knows of a good doctor in the Dallas area they would suggest or anyy other comments feel free to contact me at TexasTrina2004@yahoo.com.
Thanks
Trina

I am back working with the children. I really miss them, and the family misses me. We are just going to take one day at a time, and I am just keeping the infamous "spider bite" well-covered.
Will keep you posted.
The Nanny

This is the first time that i have been really introduced to mrsa, my grandaughter has lupus and often has bouts with mrsa and we are all afaid that she might not be able to live in the last two years she has been admitted to the hospital time and time again. i live in chicago, if anybody has any information or anything that could help her please do, she is twenty three years old and very ill. we are seriously desperate in chicago.
so anybody that knows what we need to do please email me. have a merry christmas.

i started out about a week before halloween with what they said was a spider bite that had gone into my blood and i had become septic. they kept me in the hopital for a week and then sent me home with 2 weeks antibiotics. within 2 days of finishing these antibiotics i woke with marks on my forhead that resembled someone dragging a lit cigarette across my head. they gave me more antibiotics and then 2 days after finishing them, i developed this very large sore pusy bump on my temple. i finally went to a different dr and he cultured it and came back as staphylococcus aureus methicillin resitant. they say they believe i got it in the hosptial while being treated for the spider bite. he put me on sulfameth/trimethoprim 800/160 tabs. the side effects from them are HORRIBLE! the day after i finsished them i got withdrawal like symptoms. now today(12-22-04) they took many tubes of blood to see if the stuff is gone and to check something called gamma gobulin. when they took the blood it made me dizzy, my mouth numb, and see spots. i swear, i dont know how much of this i can take. has anyone else had a medicine that has proved to work for them? they now say i am immuned to antibiotics and have to really watch it so i cant catch anything because of lack of anything to treat it with. and the tests might still come back i still have it or need medicine for these other tests. how can the place that is supposed to be so clean and make you better make you so sick?

O.K.
I worked all of Monday of this week, and only three hours Tuesday because I was really feeling bad. My culture results came back on Wednesday positive for Staph infection. I really don't think they tested the sensitivity of it. Anyway, up until yesterday evening, I had been taking Clindamycin.

No changes had taken place in the "bite" area on my wrist. I was starting to get really achey and lethargic. I called the ER nurse and she said to get back in asap, I could be going septic. I couldn't get in until about 8:30. By then my neck was so painful and stiff, and I was feeling really weak.

I didn't have a fever, but I felt like one was coming on. So after a long wait, I finally see the doctor. She hardly listened to a thing I said, and asked me if I am an IV drug user, because she couldn't figure out why this spot was on my wrist. I told her NO! Look at the rest of my arm, smooth as silk, I am not a drug user, period!

So she goes out to figure out what to do. She comes back and asks if I had the culture done here, I told her yes, just Monday and the results came back today!

So here, the doctor couldn't even find my culture results, so she attempts to put me back on Ceflex. My husband told her, No Way, she was already on that, and it obviously didn't work! So the nurse comes back with Levaquin. She tells me to stop the Clindamycin, and start on 1 tablet a day of the Levaquin.

I asked her how it will affect my body. She said it shouldn't, just don't take any dairy products with it. So I reluctantly took the tablets with a prayer.

As soon as I got home, I went to the internet to read about this drug, and Oh my goodness! According to what I read, it is like a poison. Just read these posts:

A guy's story:
http://www.rxlist.com/rxboard/levaquin.pl?read=1375

These people tell you why they took Levaquin, and their side effects:
http://www.askapatient.com/viewrating.asp?drug=20635&name=LEVAQUIN

So after reading this info, I said there is no way I am taking that stuff. So I never filled the prescription! I did wake up with a HORRIBLE charley horse in my left leg. I NEVER get a charley horse!

I went into my vitamin cabinet and pulled out the Garlic caps, echinacea, goldenseal,olive leaf, acidophillus, vitamin C, Bragg's Vinegar, and I had some Essiac Tea in my fridge.

Every 2 hours, I take 2-3 cps of each of these. The tea, I sip on throughout the day. I made a mixture of honey, bragg's vinegar, olive oil, olive leaf, goldenseal, echinacea, and cayenne pepper. I mixed these into a paste and that is what I put on my "spider bite". It has already started to flatten.

I feel drained at this moment, but my energy is starting to come through. I refuse to keep going through medicines and such that are literally taking the life out of me. I am making my body, such that bacteria can not exist in it. I have read that the more alkaline you make your body, then disease cannot exist and grow. So I am juicing every piece of fruit and veggies that I have in my home, and drinkin' it like it's Strawberry Quik!

Here are some sites you might want to check out:

http://www.thewolfeclinic.com/reclaimbooklet.html

http://www.frazmtn.com/~verhoeff/healthy_tmm.htm

http://www.regaininghealthnaturally.com/Sickness_and_Disease/Acid_&_Alkaline_Balance_in_the_Body.shtml

http://www.wildernessfamilynaturals.com/

I really hope this helps someone out there. I will keep you posted on how I am doing.

The Nanny

you know they had a phsyciatrist comje in ask me if i was an iv drug user also and then ask me if i hear and see things that arent really there. mine started on my wrist also. i am scared of needles and if im hearing and seeing things that arent really there i aboviously dont know they arent really there. i think these people are the ones that are lost.(drs)

So.. This appears to be pretty weird stuff!!! I am a longterm care nurse, I had been out of the loop for a few years. I started working in march in a 21 bed dementia care unit, at that time 15 of 21 residents had unusual rashes, from Jan of this year until now the staff and residents have been treated 3 times for scabies, and been diagnosed with every thing from dry skin to contact dermatitis. Looked like and responded like a fungus for a minuite. I have had my right foot infected so swollen I couldnt walk, was told it was althlets foot, had an unusual case of walking pneumonia with in 2 weeks of the foot, have had for months unusual, painful bumps which turn into deep wounds on my face, hands, arms, and legs, most reciently on my bum which was the only time I was told about MRSA. so now 21 of 21 residents have it and 21 of 38 staff members not including extended families, we were to begin treatment on 12/24 but the facility decided to ask for a second opinion on the Dx... its expensive to treat every one.This is apparently not unusual, Please help to educate your community. all those antibiotics being given for every little thing, we are going to end up a population of oozing bacterial funk if we dont stop the spread of this thing, THANK YOU I needed to share my story

Hi.
I am feeling really good right now. I have been taking my herbs faithfully throughout the day, and I also sliced garlic cloves and put them on my "spider bite" keeping it there for the whole day.

The garlic is very strong, and has literally eaten away at this pus-filled bruise. It flattened out in a matter of a couple of hours. I still feel little pockets of stuff, but I just keep putting the garlic on along with the herbal mixture I mentioned earlier. I will keep doing this until this monstrosity is gone!

I feel good, no pain, no fever, and energetic.

I am not suggesting any alternative treatment for anyone. This is working for me at the present, and it's after reseaching all of my options, natural and otherwise. I chose the natural way to heal. That may not work for you.

I'll keep you posted.
The Nanny

I had back surgery Nov 12 2004 lower lateral laminectomy for a L3 4 disc herniation. went to work the following monday. Worked two weeks when on Thanksgiving I wasent feeling well. I sent my family to have their dinner. fell asleep 3 hrs later I woke up and had no feeling in my lower legs. I was in worse pain then I had from the sugery. I needed to call 911 to be transported to the ER.
103.3 temp called for a direct admit to the hospital three days and three antibiotics later I was discharged to be called back the next day to be told that I had MSRA.
two weeks in a private room. and a Pic line I am still on IV antibiotics for another 7 days... I fel for anyone who gets this it is almost 2005 and I am not much better...

my father just died from mrsa and i am madder than heck and im planning on trying to do something about this but we cant do it alone we need all of you who are mad about hospital giving it to our loved one if you want to help in this fight contact me at teresakalkas@hotmail.com please i need each of your help

Hi, I am glad to know that I am not alone. I found out about a month ago that I have MRSA. I was in the hospital for 4 days. The surgeon that operated on me told me that they couldn't find any atibiotcs to treat me. I now have it again.
I am doing alot of research and I think this is very scary. I hope that everyone is ok.
Dallas Tx

I have some experience with my grandma and mrsa.She contracted it after a kidney was removed.One minute shes fine,the next she is isolated and had to have a treach. put in to breath.Fter having bloods clots DVT and Pulmonary embolism.I have these knots under my skin.Doctors act like they dont know what they are?Also have boils come up the size of softballs.and my lower legs get infected.My doctor says a staph infection.Is this Mrsa.I have had what appears to be a yeast in my body.breaking me out,pain and itching.And have been treated 3 times in 3 mo.send advice please.

Any help would be appreciated. My 12 year old son has had over 50 (Yes fifty) dinner plate size boils in the last 18 months. His first was June of last year. He came home from 4H camp with a red bump on his right rear end cheek. Within 2 days it was the size of a plate. I took him to the local er. They lanced and packed it. Administered antibiotics. Within a week he had 2 more. He was diagnosed with MRSA. We have had some success with clindimyocin and the myo ointment. The boils contine. He has a pediatrician, dermatologist, allergist and an immunologist. None of these people seem alarmed. He has had cultures of his nose taken when he does not have a "boil". The culture came back no sign of MRSA. Every boil is cultured and everytime it is MRSA. Any help out there? Thanks for your time in advance. My email is kraftwrap@yahoo.com

Hi! I am the parent of a 6 year old girl who got her first "spider-bite" on August 8, 2004 of course finding out later it is MRSA. As of today we have had 8 cases. I am so frustrated about this. My poor child has suffered so much with this and I could not get a very good answer from any of the 3 different doctors that we have visited. Yesterday, I had enough and took her to the Childerens Hospital in Birmingham, Alabama and they opened it and drained the infection and sent us on our way with Septra med with 3 tsp twice a day for 10 days. But this is the case everytime. We are always given meds and then it goes away but always returns. Basically they told us there is no cure and she may have to be on meds the rest of her life and of course the rest of us can get it too. So far we have not gotten it. I pray we don't becuase I have a 3 year old too. Lets hope they can find something soon to cure this.

The same thing has kind of happened to me. I had what I thought was an insect bite on my calf, and then it grew until I went into urgency care to get it looked at. The first guy I went to gave me some antibiotics and said to apply heat, so i did taht for a bit. It got worse and a few days later I moved up to college so I was really in a pickle. The infection grew past the area he outlined so I went into urgency care Kaiser Group Health up near my college. Then this new guy says that it's either a brown recluse or a hobo spider, and that there's nothing they can do to treat it, exept just let it turn into a bleeding ulcer then treat it.

I wasn't feeling very confident in either of their responeses, so luckily today I went in to our campus health services, and the doctors there immediately said it was staph. They said it didn't look to good but it is still treatable. They told me to keep on the antibiotics and heat applying, then they gave me a shot in my hip. I have to go in tomorrow for another shot. Do you guys think there's anything else I can do to stop it? What if it's resistant to the bacteria?

hello, i just had a baby and and some how i ended up with mrsa. and the doctors made a coment that you can only get this from the hospital.what can i do about this. i dont think a doctor or hospital should get away with this.

I was in the hospital dor two weeks before the birth of my daughter. I breast fed my daughter. I was never so week for do long in my whole entire life. I ended up getting boils first just one then over the cousre of two years they are chronic and spreading. I at first would do th bentonite clay packs to pull and drain and put hydrogen peroxide on them but they keep coming back. I have tried some essential oils and collodial silver which is a natural antibiotic with no side affects. That seemed to help the out breaks. I eat lots of raw garlic. I am beginning to eat more raw garlic and detoxify my body. I think that the only reason I haven't got really bad yet is because of the natural remedies I use. I am sick and tired of having this skin condition that can be spread so easily and make me uncomfortable. I am determined to get rid of this for good. I am in alaska and it is hard to get this one product but it is food grade hydrogen peroxide 35% that works. It can be taken internally starting at one drop a day in water but it kills infection inside and then externally you can bathe in it. It also helps when I took bentonite clay bathes with salt but only sea salt it draws and heals.. Reading everyones stories helps me realize that doctors make things worse with giving oyu antibiotics that seem to be feeding the virus or staph. One thing i know is that it is in the blood stream and that is why it returns and to use blood purifying herbs like milk thistle to support the liver and red clover and burdock root. We need to boost our immune systems and use collodial silver 500ppm and garlic. When i do what is right for my body i have no outbreaks but if i stop it happens again. this is all i have to say and i hope everyone gets better please tell me is this works for you or if something else ahs worked for you

hello! i cant believe how common this awful thing actually is. thought i'd post an update. today i was back at the dr with another painful boil type thing this time on the left side of my forhead. the dr says that staph lives on the skin of everyone but just some people have problems but he cant figure out why it is only going for my forehead and the one time on my wrist (the supposed spider bite) this time he has prescribed sulfameth/trimethoprim 800/160 tabs twice daily (same as last time) then he added rifampin 150 mg once daily, says it gives the sulfa a boost, hydrocodone/apap 2.5mg/500mg tabs. i hope this finally gets it. in between this time and last time a couple of weeks ago i was taking herbs. if anyone finds a miracle cure (i wish) let us know.

On the issue of treatment, I know a frequent treatment choice is Clindamycin/Bactrim/Rifampin, and some strains are growing resistant even to Vancomycin, but I read Zyvox has been shown in some studies to be the most effective. Doctors may be reluctant to prescribe it because of a fear of strains growing resistant to it as well and it is rather expensive ($1200 for a 10-day course of treatment), but it's available in IV and pill form and might be the best bet. Would be interesting to know if it affects reinfection/recurrence rates, though.

I have been battling some sort of skin infection since April of 2004. It first started as a pimple on my lower abdomen area and turned into a huge boil that came to a head. I went to the immediate care and after waiting 2 hours to be seen, I was told it was a spider bite, and if it got worse in the next day or two, to go to my family dr. It got much worse as did the pain, went to my family dr and she said that it was a staph infection and put me on Keflex. Two days later the pain had gone into my leg and the numbness started. I went to the ER and they lanced and drained it. That was painful, and put on several different antibiotics. I have not had a flareup in a while, until just a few weeks ago....I just had surgery (breast reduction) and had an outbreak on my stomach, once again, I was put on antibiotics (keflex and cleocin), it cleared up until just three days ago, when about 20 "spots" showed up. Just got back from the dr and she said that it was MRSA and that I needed to see the infectious diseases dr. asap. Honestly, I am scared.

I FEEL SO SORRY FOR ALL THOSE WHO HAVE POSTED AND THOSE WHO HAVE NOT BUT DO SUFFER FROM THIS EPIDEMIC. IT IS TRULY ONE OF THE MOST HIDEOUS DISEASES WHICH IS SPREADING WORLD WIDE. MRSA AND OTHER VARIENTS ARE UNCHECKED AND IGNORED BY UNTRAINED OR IGNORANT AND OR ARROGANT MD'S AND FARCESICAL INSTITUTIONS SUCH AS THE C.D.C. IN WASHINGTON. IRONICALLY THESE PEOPLE AND VARIOUS GOVERNMENT GROUPS ARE IN CHARGE OF OUR LIVES IN WHICH WE SOMETIMES FOOLISHLY TRUST AND LOOK TO FOR OUR SAFETY AND WELL BEING. (9/11?) MANY DOCTORS ARE JUST TOO STUPID TO RECOGNISE EVEN THE SIMPLEST PROBLEMS AND SOMETIMES THEY EVEN ACCIDENTALLY KILL PEOPLE (THEN COVER IT UP ) ON A WEEKLY OR DAILY BASIS. THIS FACT IS FROM PERSONAL EXPERIENCE AS A REGISTERED NURSE. DO NOT TRUST MD'S AS MOST ARE FULL OF SHIT. FIND AN MD WHO HAS EXPERIENCE WITH MRSA AND THE CURING OF THE DISEASE AND ALL ITS POSSIABLE VARIENTS. DO NOT BE AFRAID TO ASK THEM OUTRIGHT , BEFORE YOU SPEND YOUR HARD EARNED, SHORT SUPPLIED MONIES, IF THEY HAVE EXPERIENCE IN TREATING THIS DISEASE. IF THEIR AWNSER IS NO (THANK THEM FOR BEING HONEST) THEN ASK THEM TO RECOMEND A DOCTOR WHICH IS FAMILIAR WHITH THIS DISEASE AND ITS PROCESSES. IF A DOCTOR LIES TO YOU AS SOME WILL OR IF HE MISDIAGNOSIS THE FACT THAT YOU HAVE MRSA, REPORT IT TO YOUR SENATOR OR LEGISTATOR, AND ESPECIALLY YOUR STATE BOARD OF MEDICINE BECAUSE THE SYMPTOMS OF MRSA ARE EASILY RECOGNISABLE AND ARE PROVABLE BY LAB TESTING BY ANY LICENSED MD IN AN EMERGENCY ROOM OR OTHER COMPETENT MEDICAL SETTING (PROVIDED THAT YOU HAVE NOT USED ANTIBIOTICS PRIOR TO YOUR LAB WORK AND/OR CULTURES). THEN GET AN EXCELLENT LAWYER AND SUE THE CRAP OUT OF HIM/HER FOR YOUR EXTREME PAIN AND SUFFERING BECAUSE OF THE MD'S BLATANT MALPRACTICE. THIS WILL NOT ONLY MAKE PHYSICIANS MORE ACCOUNTABLE (JUSTIFYING THEIR GREAT EXPENSE, AND FRANKLY TEACHERS SHOULD BE PAID MORE THAN MD'S , THEIR JOB IS OFTEN MORE DIFFICULT) BUT IT WILL ALSO HELP TO BRING NEEDED GOVERNMENTAL INTEREST BY WAY OF LITIGATION AND COMPLAINTS. WRITE THE C.D.C. AN ANONOYMOUS LETTER AS WELL, TELLING OF YOUR EXPERIENCES WITH THIS DEADLY EPIDEMIC AND HOW IT HAS EFFECTED OR RUINED YOURS AND YOUR FAMILYS LIFES. GET TOUGH, WE ALL NEED TO TAKE ACTION, YOU OR YOUR CHILDREN OR FAMILY OR FRIENDS CAN DIE FROM SIMPLE AND EASILLY TRANMITTED INOCCULATION OF MRSA. (THOSE ESPECIALLY AT RISK ARE THE IMUNO COMPROMISED, YOUNG GENERALLY UNDER ONE YEAR, THE VERY AGED AND ANY FRIENDS OR FAMILY WITH HIV/AIDS, LIVER, KIDNEY,ORGAN DISORDERS RHUMATIOD ARTHRITIC,LUPUS PATIENTS, DISORDERS OF THE ENDOCRINE SYSTEM OR LYMPHATIC SYSTEMS SO ON AND SO ON, BASICALLY ANYONE WHO IS NOT EXTREMELY HEALTHY,LIKE WELL RESTED,WELL FED, OLDER CHILDREN OR YOUNG ADULTS. ALSO IT IS OF MY OPINION, AGAIN FROM EXPERIENCE THAT ANYONE WITH THIS INCIDIOUS DISEASE BE STRICTLY QUARANTEENED FROM THE PUBLIC AND ESPECIALLY THEIR LOVED ONES INCLUDING PETS. PERHAPS UNTIL YOU ARE CURED AND ARE NO LONGER A CARRIER YOU SHOULD POSSIBLY HIRE A LAWYER AND FILE FOR DISABILITY OR WORKMANS COMPENSATION. YOU TECHNICALLY ARE LIABLE FOR THE SPREADING OF DISEASE INTO THE POPULATION, HOWEVER AS I HAVE STATED THIS DISEASE MRSA,VISA,VANCO,ORSA WHATEVER YOU OR THE LAB CALLS IT IS A SERIOSLY HUGE AND EPIDEMICAL DISEASE. YESTERDAY IN A CALIFORNIA JAIL SYSTEM IT WAS REPORTED THAT OVER 70 PERCENT OR SO OF THE INMATES WERE INFECTED WITH A 'SKIN INFECTION' AND THAT THEY HAVE NOW SPREAD IT TO THE COMMUNITIY THROUGH SIMPLE CONTACT. THAT IS A VERY LARGE AMOUNT OF INFECTED AND OR CARRIERS....CALIFORNIA OFFICALS HAVE YET TO NAME THE BUG BUT GUESS WHAT, ITS GOING TO BE MRSA ,PROBABLY THEY WILL NOT IDENTIFY IT BECAUSE OF POSSIBLE LITIGATION, JAILS ARE THE FIRST MOST BACTERIOLOGICALLY POPULATED OF THE INSTITUTIONS, HOSPITALS ARE THE SECOND MOST...TRUST ME. THE DISEASE SPREADS QUITE RAPIDLY AND IS EASILY TRANSMITTED. I LIKEN IT TO THE PLAGUE OF THE MIDDLE AGES WERE POSSIBLLY ONE THIRD OF THE POPULATION WILL BE INFLUENCED BY IT TO SOME DEGREE, THIS IS ONLY SPECULATION I HOPE BUT HOW MANY AND HOW EASILY HAVE YOU INFECTED AND CARRIED OR TRANSMITTED MRSA AND ITS RELATIVES??? THE SYMPTOMOLOGY (PRESENTING SIGNS) ARE AS FOLLOWS IN SIMPLIFIED TERMS.... FIRST YOU USUALLY GET A VERY SMALL PIMPLE IN MOST CASES IT SEEMS TO START ON THE LEGS BUT CAN START ON THE ARMS AND OR BODY . I THINK SOMEHOW SINCE THE ORGANISM DOESN'T LIKE LIGHT OR ESPECIALLY OXYGEN AS IT STARTS OUT AS A BUG THAT IS..([ THIS IS WHY PEOPLE LIKE THE PERSON IN ALASKA HAS HAD SOME LIMITED SUCCESS WITH HYDROGEN PEROXIDE, HOWEVER H202 IS NOT RECOMENDED AS A TOPICAL TREATMENT( ON SKIN OR ESPECIALLY ON OPEN SORES)IN FACT IT IS DETROMENTAL TO THE COMPOSITION OF SKIN ITSELF BECAUSE HYDROGEN PEROXIDE IS AN ACID...ACID IS NOT GOOD FOR SKIN BUT I KNOW WHAT YOU WENT THROUGH AS I MYSELF HAVE USED HYDROGEN PEROXIDE (H202) AND MUCH STRONGER ACIDS ON MYSELF IN AN ATTEMPT TO IRRADICATE WHAT I HAD HOPED BUT KNEW WASNT A LOCAL SKIN INFECTION,,,IT IS SYSTEMIC WHICH MEANS IT CAN AFFECT YOUR WHOLE BODY I ASSUME AND WHICH IS PROVEN BY NOT ONLY MY EXPERIENCE BUT OTHER PATIENTS AND FELLOW BLOGGERS ON THIS SITE...I ESPECIALLY AM TROUBLED AND SORRY FOR THE PERSON WHO HAS EXPERIENCED HEARING PROBLEMS AND BALANCE PROBLEMS THAT MUST TERRIBLY SUCK ASS, VIO CON DIOS MY BUD!!!])...ORIGINATED OR IT ORIGINATES IN AN AREA WHICH IS OFTEN COVERED BY CLOTHING, LATER THE LITTLE BITCH WILL POP UP ANY WHERE IT SEEMS...SO LETS RUN NAKED IN THE SUN !!! THAT WOULD WORK BUT DID YOU NOTICE ALL THE FOLKS FROM FLORIDA ...THAT THEORY IS SHOT TO HELL...( I THINK IT STARTS IN THE WATER SYSTEM??? BUT WHAT ABOUT THE GUY IN ALASKA??? BIG CITIES LIKE THE CRAP HOLE I LIVE IN SEEM TO HAVE A HIGHER INCIDENCE OF INFECTION AND CARRIERS .. IS IT IN THE WATER??? I DONT KNOW BUT A BUNCH OF PEOPLE WITH IMUNE DIFFIENCIES DIED A WAYS BACK IN 1998 WHEN OUR WATER TABLE IN THE GREAT LAKES WAS MASSIVLY POLUTED BY HUNDREDS OF YEARS OF HUMAN SEWAGE POST SOME DUMB ASS DEEP TUNNEL PROJECT...NOBODY BUY A FEW SMARTIES KNEW WHAT WAS UP WHEN THE IDIOT ENGINEERS GOT THIS "GREAT" IDEA TO WRECK THE BEDROCK PURIFICATION FILTERING SYSTEM BY BLASTING TUNNELS AND CAUSING CRACKING THREE TO FIVE HUNDRED FEET OR SO BELOW THE GROUND SURFACE AND AS I SAID CAUSING HUMAN WASTE TO ENTER A PREVIOUSLY SAFE WATER TABLE AND RESEVOIR,..THE POLITIANS AND GOVERNMENT DIDNT CARE JUST SOME HIVERS AND AIDS PEOPLE AND OLD PEOPLE WHO WEREN'T WORKING ANYWAYS, NOT CONTRIBUTING TO THE MACHINE...THE ORGANISM WAS CALLED CRYPTOSPORIDIUM...IT WAS EVENTUALLY BLAMED ON SEAGULLS...MORE CRAP...SEAGULL CRAP...RIGHT!! BY THE WAY FLORIDA HAS CRAPPY WATER TOO...MIGHT BE FARFECTHED..BUT...ANY WAYS THIS PIMPLE FORMS ,,IT LOOKS LIKE ANY OTHER VERY SMALL INFECTED HAIR FOLLICULE..THEN OFTEN AND I DONT KNOW BUT I PICK AT STUFF AND WITH A SLIGHT SCRATCHING OR SQUEEZING IT SEEMS TO BURROW DEEP DOWN INTO YOUR TISSUES...SEEMINGLY TO SKIP YOUR FAT LAYER...BUT I DONT HAVE MUCH ANY MORE ...WHICH SEEMS TO BE A BENEFIT..AS I NOW FIT INTO VERY OLD HIPPIE JEANS FROM HIGH SCHOOL DAYS IN THE 1970S ..I WAS #223 NOW I WEIGH #152 ONE MINUTE AGO.. I KIND OF QUIT WEIGHING MYSELF...IT MATTERS LITTLE ANYMORE BECAUSE IM NOT FAT...ANYMORE ITS A GREAT WEIGHT LOSS PROGRAM. ONE GOOD SIDE EFFECT AND ACTUALLY IT MAKES ME QUITE HAPPY SO I FIGURE I CAN GET A JOB AS ALLIGATOR BOY AT THE CIRCUS DUE TO MY CONDITION OF MY SKIN!! I REALLY THINK MRSA IS BORN IN THE PROBLEM OF POPULATION EXPLOSION IT SEEMS... LIKE AN AGE OLD EGYPTIAN PLAGUE. ANYWAYS THE PIMPLE STARTS OUT SMALL AND GOES DEEP BUT STILL IS RATHER SMALL IT SEEMS TO SKIP THE FAT LAYER AND ATTACHES ITSELF TO YOUR MUSCLE LAYER LIVING IN THE PREFERED REALM OF A BASICALLY OXYGEN DEPRIVED ENVIROMENT... THEN IN THE FIRST INFESTATION THE PIMPLE ONCE MIGRATING DEEPER USUALLY POST SCRAPPING OR PICKING A STRANGE ANNULAR (ROUND) RED RING FORMS AROUND THE ZIT ...IF YOU ARE SMART WHICH I AM NOT YOU LEAVE IT ALONE DESPITE YOUR URGES ...BUT IF YOU MESS WITH IT EXAMINING, POKING, AND MOST FOOLISHLY SQUEEZING IT LIKE ALL THE OTHER ZITS IN YOUR CHILDHOOD BY WHENCE YOU WERE REWARDED WITH A SATISFYING PUSS... WRONG!!! SORRY.. FORGIVE ME A PUSEY EXTRUSION OF CREAMY GOO !!! (WHICH HEALED IN A FEW,LIKE TWO DAYS)... IF YOU NOTICE THE RED RING RASH BUT NOT REALLY...ITS ACTUALLY A LOCALIZED SKIN INFECTION IN THE UPPER LAYERS OF SKIN ABOVE THE GETTING BIGGER PIMPLE (ITS CALLED CELLULITIS ,MOST DUMB ASS DOCTORS WILL NOTICE THIS, MY WIFE WAS ADMITTED TO THE CITY HOSPITAL WITH THIS DIAGNOSIS BY SOME EAST INDIAN WITCH DOCTOR FUCK WHO FAILED TO NOTICE AND TREAT THE HUGE UNDER LAYING ABSCESS APROX. SEVEN INCHES WIDE BY NINE INCHES IN HER ABDOMEN..(THAT REMINDS ME WE WILL SUE THAT BASTARD TOO IF WE LIVE) HER ABSCESS IS STILL THERE ONE AND ONE HALF YEARS LATER ...IMPRESSIVE CELLULITIS EH??? HER WHITE COUNT WAS AROUND 35K DUMB ASS DOCTOR...BY THE WAY MOST RELIGIOUS EAST INDIAN DOCTORS BELIVE THAT WHATEVER YOU GET YOU DESERVE IT DUE TO YOUR PREFORMANCES IN PAST LIVES....BOTH HER AND I AND ALL OF YOU MUST HAVE BEEN SOME MOTHERFUCKERS BACK IN THE DAY!!!) THE SKIN INFECTION THAT STARTED OUT AS A CIRCLE THE SIZE OF A DIME OR SO (CELLULITIS) QUICKLY ALMOST HOURLY WILL INCREASE IN SIZE..UNTIL YOUR BODY OR ANTIBIOTICS STOP IT. IT THEN WILL CHANGE SHAPE WHICH IS DUE TO THE FORCES OF GRAVITY...IN FACT IF YOU EXAMINE THE "RASH" (ANOTHER BULLSHIT TERM IN GENERAL AND MEANINGLESS TERM USED BY DUMBASS DOCTORS) YOU WILL NOTICE THAT IN FACT IT SEEMS TO BE MOVING IN THE DIRECTION IN WHICH THE EXTREMITY IS DEPENDANT...GENERALLY THE RED RASH SEEMS TO MIGRATE TOWARDS THE FLOOR DEPENDANT ON WHICH WAY YOU ARE SUFFERING IN YOUR BED OR CHAIR OR CRYPT...(DEPENDANT GET IT?? THATS WERE SOME SMART MD CAME UP WITH THE WORD) SOON IF YOU SEEK MEDICAL TREATMENT OR START GOBBLING ANTIBIOTICS PROCURED FROM FLEET FARM OR THE FEED MILL OR SOME OTHER ANIMAL HUSBANDRY SUPPLY HOUSE.....OUR MEXICAN GROCERY STORES USED TO SELL THEM OVER THE COUNTER UNTIL THEY WERE RAIDED FOR KILOS OF COCAINE WHICH WERE MISSED SOMEHOW BUT THEY WERE ARRESTED FOR SELLING ANTIBIOTICS TO PEOPLE WHO ARE ILLEGLES AND ARE AFRAID OR HAVE NOT MUCH MONEY IN WHICH TO GIVE TO THE DUMB ASS DOCTORS DRIVING CARS THEY KNOW NOTHING ABOUT OR WORSE MESSING WITH PEOPLES LIVES USING A "CRAFT" THEY DONT REALLY KNOW OR CARE ABOUT...ANYWAYS THE ANTIBOTICS COURSE IS TOO SHORT OR JUST THE WRONG KIND ..BUT ALAS THE REDNESS GOES AWAY SLOWLY AND YOU FEEL OK TO GO TO YOUR SHITTY JOB AND INFECT SCORES OF OTHER PEOPLE...ESPECIALLY THOSE OF US IN THE FOOD INDUSTRY...FAST FOOD..TWO BILLION INFECTED I MEAN SERVED... BUT THERE'S THAT WEIRD PIMPLE OR UNBROKEN ABSCESS WHICH HAS A VERY HARD RING AROUND IT...YOU TRY TO GET SOME REWARDING PUSS OUT OF IT...CAUSE THATS WHAT THE DOCTOR DOES HE FUCKS WITH IT AND WHY SHOULDN'T YOU?? SO YOU DO BUT YOU NOTICE THAT BESIDES A HARD RING OF TISSUE WHICH INCIRCLES THE ORIGINAL LESION YOU NOTICE THAT THE CENTER OF YOUR GETTING BIGGER STILL PIMPLE, THAT IT IS POSSIBLY CHANGING COLOR BECOMING BLACK AND LOOKING LIKE THE SMALLER VERSION OF A VOLCANIC CRATER...THE DEPRESSION IN THE CENTER OF YOUR GROWING PIMPLE IS BECOMING MORE CONCAVE AND MORE DEPRESSED AND ALSO IT IS NOW POSSIBLY BLACK WHAT WE CALL NECROTIC OR DEAD...IN MEDICINE BLACK EQUALS DEAD ,,,LIKE THE BLACK PLAUGE...WELL AT LEAST IT'S NOT THAT...YEAH...I WOULD BE LONG DEAD AS WELL WOULD MY WIFE, MY CHILDREN, MY BROTHER, MY MOTHER, AND ONE OF MY DOGS.... I WAS INIATIALLY INFECTED AND HAVE SPREAD IT TO SIX HUMANS (SOME IN THE FAST FOOD INDUSTRY)AND A DOG. ANYWAYS I HAVE HAD OVER 200 OF THESE SOMETIMES QUITE LARGE BUGGERS...i HAVE BEEN SICK BEYOND BELIEF...I HAVE DIAGNOSED MYSELF AFTER GOING TO THE HOSPITAL 6 TIMES..I HAVE NOT YET HAD THE PROPER TREATMENT IF THERE IS ONE...IM SORRY GARLIC ..IM NOT A BELIEVER...MY WIFE HAS SEVEN LESIONS BESIDES THE ONE IN HER ABDOMEN... HER COMMON PLACE IS UNDER HER ARM PITS...I'M MUCH LUCKIER I SEEM TO HAVE THE MOST PLEASURE GETTING THEM IN MY ANUS...I RECENTLY HAD THREE IN MY ANUS YOU KNOW LIKE ARROUND IT,,,BIG FUN AND IT WAS CHRISTMAS SO I HAD A SMALL ONE JUST FOR FUN ON THE END OF A HEMMOROID THREE PLUS ONE BABY KIND OF DEAL...I HAVE HAD THE SMALLEST PIMPLE ON MY KNEE CAP THAT I HAD TO FUCK WITH WHICH CAUSED IT TO INCREASE IN SIZE APROX. 5 TIMES ITS ORIGINAL SIZE I COULD NOT WALK FOR THREE OR FOUR WEEKS I CAN'T REMEMBER BECAUSE I WAS DELERIOUS WITH FEVER...THE BEST THING TO DO IS SLEEP...SOMETIMES I SLEEP FOR 48 HOURS AT A TIME...THATS WHY IM UP KNOW.....I QUIT WORKING CAUSE SOMEHOW IT DIDNT FEEL RIGHT TO BE A CARRIER...I AM IN FINANCIAL RUIN....SOMEHOW I THINK AND SO DOES MY WIFE THATS ITS QUITE FUNNY....I DONY KNOW WHY....MAYBE I HAVE A FEVER AGAIN

im doing a prodject on this staph infection and i've had the same but never did anything about it because im scared to be pu t in the hospital im only 13 but ive been in the hospital before and my mom left me there so now im in foster care but i was just looking on here well i hope yall get well!!!!!!!!!!!!
;> ;< bye

If you are suffering from recurrent boils or abscesses especially if they are located in the armpit, groin, vagina, buttocks, or other inverse areas, you may have a condition called Hidradenitis Suppurativa.

You can find more info regarding HS and MRSA on this page on my website:
http://www.frontiernet.net/~ruthb/HidradenitisSuppurativa.html

or Visit HS USA at:
http://www.hs-usa.org

Take care all!
Ruth

About 20 years ago I had to go to the emergency room with a hugh, painful "boil" on the back of my upper leg. It had to be lanced and they placed a drain in it. At that time the Doctor told me that I was a "Staph" carrier and to put the common antiobitic cream...Neosporin...just inside my nose. I have been doing that all these years, especially if I go the the Drs office, hospital or fly. I have not had any more major outbreaks since that time. I had boils on myu "butt" from the time I was a little girl.

My dermatoligst has told me that I have a condition where my hair follicules get infected every so often and has me on a "stand by" prescription of Erthrocin 500 mg, twice a day and Tetacycline 500 nmg once a day for a 10 day lengh of time.

Between the antoibitics and the neosporian in my nose, I have a really good handle on these boil outbreaks. I may end up on the antiobitics about 4 -5 times a year.

I am a contant hand washer and use that hand stuff called Purell, after I have been in a store, befor I eat out etc. I have leaned NOT to touch my nose in anyway and I try not to scratch!!

So far....so good!

Susan

"im doing a prodject on this staph infection and i've had the same but never did anything about it because im scared to be pu t in the hospital im only 13 but ive been in the hospital before and my mom left me there so now im in foster care but i was just looking on here well i hope yall get well!!!!!!!!!!!!
;> ;< bye"

Holy slap. That's so evil of her....I was twelve when I had MRSA, but didn't go to the hospital. I would nearly attack anyone who tried to mess with the MRSA on my arm, so it remained unpicked and went away. Luckily it was two weeks before school started....I had to go to registration with an Ace Bandage on my arm so no one would see the infection....And, heh, it cleared up two days before school. 'Course, it may come back again. Who knows?

I say that the worst place to be is in war, the second worst place is the hospital.

I recently was hospitalized for what appeared to be a "spider bite" on my ankle.What started out as a "spider bite" turned into a large extremely painful bump with a huge whole in the center, filled with pus. After 6 days and numerous sleepless nights, I was diagnosed as having MRSA. I was immediately put on 2 antibiotics: Timentin and Avelox (intravenously). Immediately the swelling subsided, and the pain went away after only 3 days. I have been out of the hospital for 2 days now, and my ankle feels much better. I have a follow-up on Thursday of this week, but the it appears as though this medication worked. I am currently taking Avelox 400mg tablets, once a day for a period of 10 days. I will follow-up after my appointment.

Update: My son, now 19 months old just got his second outbreak. He got a boil on his thigh and one on his hip. The Dr. drained the one on his thigh. He was given an antibiotic shot and an antibiotic prescription. The culture came back MRSA again. The infectious disease control Dr. said to clean him daily with Hibiclens from the neck down and use Bactroban cream on the sores. Also, we are to use warm compresses and cover anything draining. We meet with him in person in another week or so for the first time. At that time he may change his antibiotics if needed.

My question is, if the lab results come back that it is susceptible to certain antibiotics, why if you use one of them doesn't it stay gone? Will it just stay dormant in your body, or are you getting reinfected from the environment you previously contaminated? I just got a small one again also on my leg, but it seemed to heal fine on it's own without treatment. I'm pregnant, so I really don't need this stuff. Good luck to all.

I feel I must share my story with the rest of you in hopes that it might bring hope and help to someone else. My story is so much like all the others that I have read on this site. I have had 4 different "outbreaks" of MRSA infections and my husband two in less than a year. It started with my husband and boils on his legs, he has a strong immune system but it eventually became too painful and he went to a doctor (Dr. G) who treated him with Doxycycline which is a tretracycline drug, however, he did not culture the abcess. Then a few days after he was done with his antibiotic I developed an abcess which by the time I was seen by a doctor was a serious infection. I ended up being hospitalized for 3 days, received a PICC line for Vancomycin to be administered through for 10 additional days. I was then told that after that course of medication I would be clear of it.(by Dr. S) Not the case. My husband developed more boils on his legs was put back on the same antibiotic he first was for an additional 10days. This all took place in February. I had a second abcess in July, my husband's returned in August, I got a third in September and a fourth in December. Each time they became more painful and seemed to grow faster. I've had them near my inguinal gland on my leg, buttock, under arm and face. I've been treated with Ciproflaxin, Flagyl, Rifampin and Doxycycline. I've used Hibiclens soap and neosporin ointment at the advice of my doctor(Dr.G). After last case I was told that it was colonized on my skin and I would always have these outbreaks. Well, to those who have experienced the pain of these infections that's not something you want to accept. Without insurance I have been limited on medical care but managed to save enough and convince an infectious disease doctor (Dr. L) to see me, (I had been turned away on two occasions for lack of insurance.) My visit was today and though I don't have the answers I want, I do feel like what I was told could very well be the best that's out there and might help someone else so here goes. According to this doctor: Once infected with MRSA you do not rid yourself of it, it remains on your skin, if your immune system is working properly and the staph does not find an entry point into your skin you will not be infected only a carrier. If you suffer from an autoimmune deficiency disorder than you will continue to have infections. The skin abcesses are not life threatening but if it is not treated properly and goes to your blood it could be, other conditions such as artificial limbs, art. heart valves, etc. also are at risk of getting infected. For MRSA infections of the skin once it is cultured AND IT NEEDS TO BE CULTURED the doctor will know what antibiotic will work against it. Vancomycyn IV was used for my first case either because it had gotten to my blood which I don't know for sure or because it had the highest susceptibility rate. The other times expensive medicines were prescribed unneccessarily because the cheaper Doxycycline was actually the better drug - higher susceptibility rate. The next step in my case if I understood it correctly is to have a test done that will tell whether my gamma globulin level rises like it should on it's own when an infection is present and to rule out any autoimmune deficiencies that I might have that I'm not aware of. Either the later would be treated which would help my system to fight off the infection on it's own or I would need shots every several months to boost my gamma globulin in order to control the MRSA outbreaks. My visit today cost a nice $355 with no lab tests done so until I get insurance I will have to just maintain fighting each abcess. I was given a 4 month (prescription) for Doxycycline and Bactroban to use on actual wounds. My face abcess (3 wks later) is still not completely gone so she wants me back on the antibiotics until it's clear. I don't know if this information is helpful to anyone but I share the pain and frustration of so many of you out there and it's so hard to find answers that perhaps this might lead some one in the right direction. Society needs to be aware of this dangerous bacteria. I was told today that over the last year and half community acquired MRSA has risen to 40% of all cases in GA and 80% of all cases in CA with the remainder being the old hospital acquired. Also spider bites are rare and are almost always a misdiagnosed MRSA infection according to same dr.
Also my abcesses seem to start deep and come to the surface not as a skin infection on the outside but I was told that those of us who have been colonized with MRSA that it enters your body through any opening (cut, scrap or even a hair follicle) and then goes where ever it wants too.
Another bit of advice I was given treat your body like a stranger, wash your hands frequently, the humorous example I was given by Dr. L, "sometimes you touch your nose, or scratch yourself and then maybe touch your mouth or rub your face and don't really think that much about it but if you scratched my butt or nose you'd go wash your hands, wouldn't you?" That paints a pretty clear picture of treating your body like it's a stranger.
I wish everyone out there the best of luck with winning against this "bug" especially to all the children my prayers are with you all. God Bless you. Tina

I had an infection on my ankle back in thanksgiving. It grew big, I went to a doctor, she didn't tell me what it was or anything, just gave me some keflex. Well after a while it got big and pussed and everything, but it went away so I thought it was gone. The red/purple mark never went away though.

Around New Years I got a huge one on my calf (Same calf as my ankle) and was like, oh, well I've had one of these things before, no prob i'll just go back in. So the guy I went into gave me some more keflex, and ignored me when I told him about the one on my ankle. So the sucky part is he draws a circle around the wound, and says come back in if it grows past it.

The sucky part is I leave the day after that to go to college. So now I'm at college, no car, no insurance for any of the places up there other than Group Health, and it starts growing. People are looking at it and saying it looks like a brown recluse bite. So I look up stuff and that and get hella scared. I called the nurse back at home and told her it was growing outside the circle, but she said I'd be fine, and not to come to a doctor. So in a few days the thing is just grown out of control.

I notice that there is actually a large red rash taht has spread all the way down to my foot almost. I'm so freaked out at this point, not knowing what the hell to do or what it is, thinking I'm going to die, heart racing, in massive pain. In my freaked out state I convince someone to give me a ride into group health at like midnight. Now I go to this place (Very unclean, mind you.) and I see a doctor. He doesn't even look at it very long, and is like, "Oh yah, seen these before, it's a hobo spider bite. We can't do anything for it but let it turn into a bleeding ulcer, then we can treat it and it'll be over with. We can't tell how big the ulcer will be, it could be really small, or big. Your biggest problem will just be people being freaked out when they look at your leg, but you'll be fine." And when I talk about antibiotics, he says it won't do much for it, they are just to make you feel safe and think something is being done (Which is a horrible fucking thing to say, he's probably one of the reasons bacteria gets so resistant if he thinks thats how antibiotics should be prescribed out.) So he says just come back in when it ulcers.

So I go home, and I honestly don't know what the hell to believe. I was really close to just accepting his answer, but he just seemed like a dumbass, so I decided to go to yet ANOTHER doctor the next day, and I'm glad I did. This doctor was the university doctor, and the only one that knew what the fuck they were doing. They saw and were like "Oh, shit. We need to get this treated immediately." And as I'm telling them about how it all started and it might be a spider bite and all this, they're all like, "This isn't a damn bug bite. This is a staph infection." These were also the first doctors to actually get it cultured. So they gave me a shot in my ass, took my blood, and I came back in for a few more shots in the ass the next few days, and got some topical antibiotics and was told how to treat staph. So it luckily started to show some improvement.

The lab results finally came in one day and it turned out to be MRSA, and they explained to me just how god awful this thing is. Turns out it was resistant to the keflex I'd been taking, and they figured Septra would be able to finish it off. So I switched to the septra, and it's gone down.

It got to the point where now it's kinda like the one on my ankle, it's flat, but theres still like redness there. I went back in and they said that it was fine, and that since the wound had sealed over I didn't need bandaids anymore. So I was finally relieved. Although I'm still not sure on why theres still marks on the places I had them.

Now the part that's freaking me out lately is that I have these little pimples forming all over the same calf, and they feel a lot like the other one did at the start. I'm so fucking scared that they might all be staph, how the fuck am I suppose to fight this off? Might I also add it's so fucking hard to get a good doctor these days? All they care about is fucking money it seems, the only good ones are the ones that actually care about you, like the ones that identified it as staph. It seems like no one could care less what happens to me right now, and it's the worst feeling I've ever had in my life. If I can't stop this thing, I'm as good as dead. It's a freaking cancer I swear.

I wouldn't wish MRSA on my WORST enemy, even the doctor that told me to do nothing. May God have mercy on anyone's soul that contracts this shit.

I had back surgery l5-s1 dec 12th with the hardware put in to stabalize the fusion i am hoping for. 10 days later i went and had the staples removed and it was very swollen bu the doctor said that was normal. 2 days later it started seeping after it had seemed healed. i went to the er with a fever, vomiting and pain.
they took a cuture gave me an antibiotic and sent me home. the next day the dr on call for mine called and said i needed to get to the hospital right away and have the incision opened because I had mrsa hospital infected staph. I was in shock as I thought i was doing well. I live near Portland Or and the infection committee Dr came to see me in the hospital. He said although staph is very comon in hospitals in our area 66% of all the staph is now this horrible mrsa. I was put on Vanco and a wound pump. I was in the hospital a week and it was amazing that they knew very little how to take care of me but say they get this all the time. I am home taking vanco infusions twice a day for 8 weks. maybe more i am not sure. I have this awful wound vacuum pump hooked into my back that draws out gunk and is supposed to heal my open wound in half the time. It seems to be working as I was told it would take 12 weeks to heal and i am on my 4th week and it is 2/3 healed. every other day a nurse comes and has to pull out the sponge and drain and put in new. That was so painful in the beginning but not so bad now. the vanco has me nauseus all the time and very weak whenever i try to do anything. I have a pic line in for the infusions moring and night. I was told that we wont know if the med worked until i am finished with it. if it did not i have to be opened up again and the hardware taken out which will ruin the fusion i needed in the first place. then i am not sure where i will be. I was reading the posts and this is the first time i heard that it could come back. i am terrified now. and also they told me not to worry about my family getting it unless they touched my open wound with a wound of theirs. but so many others say their whole family get it. any info on this would be appreciated. I have been told that all the hospitals in the Portland area are dealing with mrsp and nothing can be done to clean it up! how can a person find out statistics of hospitals to see how much of it they usually have and if other states are better. I would have gone to washington had I known they had a lower rate of this. You never hear about this in the news and yet it is an epidemic ruining peoples lives as well as their families. they can expose people at work according to these posts i have read. I am really frightened and am thinking of going to the media. any ideas on statistics or whatever would help. please email me at tonis.pets2@verizon.net. oh yeah they even say we can infect our pets! where will it stop?

I had lumbar surgery on Dec. 23 , 2004.All appeared well and I was walking 1-2 miles per day two weeks later.The surgical scar healed very well except for at the very top where there appeared to be a red pimple and small amounts of drainage.Over the next week I began to have chills and night sweats,low grade fever,swelling and tenderness at the incision and general malaise.I went to my neurosurgeon at the 3 week after surgery point due to this complication and he immediately sent me to St. Luke's Hospital (NOT THE SAME PLACE WHERE I HAD THE SURGICAL PROCEDURE) in Houston for a CAT scan to determine the size and scope of the obvious infection.It appeared to be very localized,just under the skin at the L3-4 area.After this test I was admitted to the hospital for IV antibiotic treatment (Vancomycin)after first receiving a swab for a culture. Three nights and four days later I was feeling much better and the culture results were that it was a non-MRSA staph infection and was treatable with Dicloxacillin.
I received a ten day supply and started feeling much better though the wound still had an ever-so-slight discharge.Four days after finishing the ten day supply of Dicloxacillin I started to feel tired and as if the low grade fever had returned.

Forgot to mention that I was seen by an Infectious Disease specialist (MD) during my hospital stay as well as afterwards.Apparently there is so much infection occurring in and out of hospitals that St. Lukes Hospital has one on site attending to patients every single day of the week.

I made an appt. to see the Infectious Diease doc again and he diagnosed little or no infection but due to my low grade temp prescribed 15 more days of Dicloxacillin.I was still feeling tired and with a low grade temp after 5 days of taking the Diclox. when I began taking high doses of Vitamin C (GOOD QUALITY VIT.C)on the advice of a chiropractor.Between 6-10,000 mg per day.Within two days I started to feel much better and after six days of continuing with the antibiotic and the Vit. C am feeling pretty good.I am hoping all will go well after dropping the Dicloxacillin.Reading the posts on this site has me very nervous.I hope the docs. I am working with know what they are doing.The scar/wound is totally closed and no red bump whatsoever.The vitamin C really seemed to help my body join in the fight.Will keep you posted.

In April 2004 I had a hysterectomy. Three weeks later I had a painful lesion appear on my back. Went to the ER was told that it was a fiddle back spider bite. The doctor prescribed an antibiotic and pain med. Over the next few weeks the sore did not heal and I started getting them on my arms and legs. Went to my family doctor. He also said they appeared to be spider bites. I asked how in the world could I have this many bites and my husband who shares the bed with me have nothing. He did not have an answer. I was put on more antibiotics. Pain became worse one weekend so I went to a walk in clinic. They also said spider bites. They changed my antibiotcs to avalox. Took this medication for the 10 days as prescribed and no help. Needless to say this past year has been a nightmare...After researching and begging the doctors for help and not receiving anything from the high priced doctors that I have been seeing for the past 18 years I decided to go to a free clinic. When this doctor first looked at my sores she immediately said we need to get a culture, I believe this is a staph infection. That was the first week of January 2005. The culture came back MRSA Staph...(this is the same disease that I had researched on the internet and took the information to my family doctor and he said he didn't think I had that and just stuck all of the papers that I had taken time to research and stick them in the back of my medical file. He then lectured me as if I were not taking my medication he gave me, and insinuating that I were a hypocondriac.(I NO LONGER SEE THIS DOCTOR). Anyway, I was given three different medications in January. 2 weeks ago they started me on iv vancomyacin (spelling may be wrong). I took this everyday for 8 days, the doctor reviewed my lab tests and told me that my body was dumping the medicine too fast and it wasn't doing any good. He said he wanted me to try a drug called Zyvoc. This medication was 1897.35 for 28 pills (a 14 day supply). I do not have medical insurance, so my doctor told me of a drug plan that Pfizer has going, and that I should call them to see if I qualified for the medication. I called and within 5 minutes had the information to take to the pharmacy to receive a 1 month supply for 5.00. I don't know if this is helping much or not. My sores seem to be drying out some but I have 2 new ones that started yesterday. I have a couple of questions for anyone that has this disease. I have been having terrible pain in my neck and lower back ever since I started taking the Zyvox. I asked my doctor and he said could possibly be a side effect, but he wasn't sure. I also have a terrible headache constantly, severe pain in my arms and back where the sores are. Just wanted to know if anyone else has taken this medication and experienced the same things....Thanks for any help

My mother has orsa staph infection in her lung and just found out today. She was hospitalized last week with pneumonia and was cultured but released before the results came back. She was positive today. Her doctor is acting like it is no big deal. My daughter came back positive as a carrier today also. I am getting my daughter treated but what is the use if Mom is not being treated. I feel like I am at wit's end. I need advice!!!!
Jen

i just came back from the ped doctor....for my 10 year old girl...i had mrsa last year....i still have little bumps but they seem to go away on their own.

i will start taking garlic

zevox has worked the best for me ....now my kid

good luck

My sister has been battling a severe MRSA infection. For the past three years or so, she has had numerous mysterious infections. Once she gets over one problem, something else hits her. About two months ago she was admitted to the hospital with large and very painful boils, a rash, etc. Finally they diagnosed her with an MRSA staff infection and she has probably had it for quite some time. While in the hospital, the MRSA invaded her lymph system and was close to invading her organs. She was on a cocktail of four very strong antibiotics and very slowly began to improve. Her doctor told her that she came close to dying. After being released from the hospital, she continued her course of antibiotics. She never did feel well or completely recover. Just as soon as the antibiotics were finished, the boils, rash, and horrible sickness came right back in full force. I live across country from her so I asked her if she wanted to try some herbal stuff since she was so sick. She said she would try anything, as the antibiotics were NOT working. I am not a doctor or a nautropath and I do not have anything to sell. I’m just an individual who has had good luck with herbal remedies and worried about my sister. I had no idea if they would help her or not, but it was worth a try and we were getting REALLY desperate. When she got my package, she immediately began taking everything that I sent her. In four days her very large and painful boils were almost gone. She also had two open sores which she had for two years. They are almost gone. She also used something called bactryn (sp) on them as well. So I’m going to share what I sent her, and maybe it will help someone else. She is still very sick and weak, but is improving and was able to get out of the house for a few hours, go to the store, etc. She seems to be on the road to recovery and she said it was a “miracle” that the boils cleared up. Maybe when she feels up to it and can get to a computer, she can post on this forum as well. So here is what I sent her, and maybe it will work for someone else like her, who has totally run out of options. And of course, feel free to research all of these things for yourself.

2 bottles of Colloidal Silver – She takes about 4 oz. in the morning and 4 oz. in the evening. I make it myself because its cheaper, but you can buy it in health food stores.
Olive Leaf Extract – 2 tablets three times a day – This is supposed to kill viruses and bacteria.
Oregano Oil – 2-4 drops two times a day. Mix with small amount of water and pour it down your throat. It’s very strong and will burn your lips. This is supposed to be a natural antibiotic. Has an oregano after taste but it’s not bad.
Pau De Arco – 2 tablets three times a day. This is supposed to strengthen immune system and is a natural antibiotic.
Garlic pills – 2 tablets three times a day. Natural antibiotic.
Sambucol - Get this at health food stores. It is black elderberry extract and is amazing stuff. 2 tsp per day.
Powdered buffered vitamin C. – two tsp. dissolved in water per day.
Coconut oil – 3 Tablespoons per day – supposed to help kill bacteria and viruses and is good for you. Find something to mix it with and get it down.
Cinnamon – 1 tsp per day. Cinnamon helps with a lot of stuff and is anti bacterial and viral.
Probotics – take two three times per day, before or with meals as directed. After taking antibiotics all the good bacteria in your stomach have been killed off and your digestion is shot. This helps repair you system.
Papaya Enzymes or other enzymes to aid digestion.

Good luck and I would like to hear from anyone who is helped by any of this. gdmblm@yahoo.com

Hello all,
I felt I had to tell my story, if nothing else but to get it off my chest and hopefully help someone else along. My mother is 61 years old, somewhat overweight, high blood pressure, but otherwise quite healthy. She had been wanting to have breast reduction surgery for many many years and finally decided to do it. On Jan 19th she underwent a 5 hour surgery, alot of breast tissue was removed. She was kept overnight and released the next day. She seemed to be healing well, her surgeon found no problems, however she said things felt very tight and the swelling was quite (in my oppinion) extreme. On Feb 8th she started not feeling well, very very tired and showing flu like symptoms. Within 2 days the swelling had increased to almost double in size. She developed a high 103 fever, vomiting, and dehydration. I took her back to her surgeon, at first look he knew she had a infection in both breasts. He drained both in which he got over 16 ounces of fluid from both. Her potassam level bottomed out. She was hospitalized immediatly. An infectious deaseae doctor was called in and between blood tests and cultures, it was determined she had MRSA. The only antibotic that will treat MRSA is Vancomycin, by IV. They put a PIC line in her arm which is a IV line that goes into the main auotery to the heart. All her incissions started to turn to boils and started draining constantly. The doctor would drain the breasts about every other day to try and releave the pressure. The cream given for the open wounds is silvadine, which is used for burns. It has an antibotic in it as well as some pain releavers. She finally came home from the hospital on Tues Feb 22nd. We now have a home care nurse come in twice a week and she is taking the vancomycin daily by IV through the PIC line. I have been cleaning and dressing her open sores three times daily with saline and sterile gauze, pushing on the open sores to push out as much of the pus as possible then heavily coating each wound seperatly with the silvadine. I make sure I use a seperate piece of gauze and a different Qtip with each wound. ALSO WEAR GLOVES AT ALL TIMES. Then I am covering each with light weight absorbent pads and then taking a tubular gauze and tying it around her waist to hold all the gauze in place. Trying not to to use any tape at all anymore. The tape is starting to cause new blisters. So I try to find other ways to hold things into place. I was not aware of how contagious this is until recently and also am now understanding that this may reoccure at a later date for her. I will be asking these two questions to her doctors. I am now somewhat concerned for my family, as my mom is now staying with me through her recovery and I am handling most of her care. In the meantime I have been very careful with all contaminated bedding, dressings and so forth. She seems to be actually starting to feel alot better, but it seems as one sore starts to heal she develops another. So it's a battle. I have my fingers crossed and have been doing some praying. But thanks to everyone for all you stories. All seem to have a little more info. Good luck to all of you

Is there an over-the-counter topical solution available?
I went to the doctor after trying to treat this boil like invasion in my armpit area. He said "it looks like MSRA, however we will have to take a culture and be sure" He put me on an antibiotic that he said would not take care of MSRA until the 36-72 hours to grow the culture were up. That was yesterday morning....I spoke to a client of ours, who is an Emergency Pyhsician and said that MSRA is prevailant in our area. He should have went ahead and put me on the triple anti-biotic therapy and the scrub as well as the nasal topical solution....However, until I get word from my doctor that it is MSRA, I would like to be putting something on this thing.

Help!

Laurie in Texas

It all started out for me as cellulitus while i was in Army Ranger School. I has treated for an infection on both of my wrists in November 2004. It went away and then on a month long training event, it came back and this time is was in both of my arm pits. It was some of the worst pain I have ever had. I am worried that it will come back once I get back out into the field for more training. What can I do to get rid of this??? Somebody help!!!!!!

Im wondering why I would have an infection where I had C-section 4 months ago I had one a week after giving birth now it feels like it again its very red and theres a smell and it hurts inside. You can email me direct at angeli2996@netscape.net

i was living my everyday life when i found these two spots on the back of my leg under my buttocks. i didn't think nothing of it-everybodys thought spider bit- pimple. see i work at an mental institution.i have never been sick. never been to the hospital. when the spots got bigger i thought it was nothing and started picking at it. that week i could hardly walk. i couldnt sit. the pain was getting worse.i just couldnt understand what was wrong. i also was forming a small one under my armpit. i finally went to the ER and was told that i had mrsa he started the treatment right then and there.i am happy he didnt wait for the culture because it came back positive and i would have cried if i had to be in pain until it came back. i cant lie i'm scared. and shocked all in one. i have never been sick in my life and now i have something for the rest of me life. that's crazy. i have three children and lord knows i dont want one of them to have this. the pain is horrible. one of my children is hanicap(mentally retarded) she already has a hard life. you hear people say it will be ok but it feel nasty and i ask why me. i never knew anything about mrsa. i just was going to work to earn money for my children. now my life is going to change. i pray for all that have this. and i dont understand. why

I first heard of Mersa on Jan 7th of this year. We are a family living in Pennsylvania. Both of my disabled parents live with me, my husband and our 3 adult sons.

Both of my parents are fighting for their lives and I'm afraid we're losing. I never heard of Mersa. When we found out Dad had it we figured he got it from the hospital. When mom wound up getting it, I got scared. I wondered if it was contagious, is it in my house? Do I now have it since I was treating mom's wound? That's when I began checking on the internet for more information and found this site. I had no idea it was that contagious. I'm calling my doctor tomorrow to be tested.

In a matter of 3 short months I may be losing both of my parents to this Mersa infection.

For each and everyone who has posted on this website, my prayers are with you. God bless us all!

For some details about what we're going through, read below:

My dad had gone into the hospital before Christmas 2004 for congestive heart failure. He was in about a week but was home by Christmas eve. He began running an extremely high fever, very weak, lethargic and tired. We had a visiting nurse coming every other day to treat his legs which were oozing from his body retaining too much fluid (this was an ongoing problem). He was very overweight. On Jan 3rd he was admitted to the hospital for tests to be run to determine what was wrong. All that week he became more and more lethargic and slept all of the time. By Wednesday he was non responsive. Friday, January 7th, 2005 we were informed that he had a mersa infection that had entered his blood stream. It had caused a vegetative growth on his heart valve and the valve was not closing. This was causing the blood to pump forward but also to flow back.

We were also told that 2 pieces of this vegetative growth on his heart valve had "flecked" off and traveled to his brain causing him to have 2 strokes.

The doctor called and wanted an immediate answer from my mother if she wanted to have open heart surgery for him to replace the valve. He had no guarantees of what my dad's condition would be after the surgery. She felt as though the surgery needed to be done to give him every chance possible for survival. The doctor at this hospital recommended to go to another hospital who had more experience with this type of operation. Dad was sent to the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia on Jan 7th. Great doctors and nurses by the way, especially Suzanne who is an outstanding nurse who has been caring for Dad!

Surgery was done on Jan 9th but Dad had 2 more strokes before the surgery. He made it through surgery ok but he is on complete life support, has a tracheotomy, is now on dialysis and responds to nothing.

We were going every weekend to visit (we live 1 1/2 hours away) until 2 weeks ago. Our entire household came down with some type of cold that knocked us all down and we didn't want to give Dad any chance of getting pnuemonia.

In the meantime, I noticed a small circle on the bottom of mom's left foot, the size of a dime. It was flat to the skin, not raised, not oozing, just a black circle. Mom is in very bad health to begin with, overweight, diabetic, 1989 heart by-pass surgery, she's on dialysis for the past 2 1/2 years, she recently went blind in her left eye and is quickly losing sight in her right eye and has had 3 toe amputations on the left foot. We went to the family doctor who prescribed antibiotics (leviquin - not spelled right) and instructed us to go to the wound care center. We've done this many times before. Due to being diabetic her wounds heal slowly.

The wound grew to the size of a quarter, then a half dollar then it was half her heal. All black. Within 3 weeks time. We were going to the doctor on a weekly basis and I was changing her bandages daily. She wasn't oozing or anything but we were putting medicated patches on the wound so that when it softened up it could be debreeded. It smelled terrible and I kept asking if this was normal and was told that it was the medicated patches. She had a fever earlier in the day and then by night we couldn't get her warm enough. Monday, March 7th, 2005, Mom was admitted into the hospital for her wound. The doctor's there suspected gangrene and wanted to do some tests.

Wednesday, March 8th, I got a phone call from the doctor that they needed to do an emergency amputation of her foot. The infection was real bad and they didn't want it to spread into the blood stream. Her foot was removed last night. Today, while in the hospital, a doctor who deals with infections informed me that mom had Mersa in her foot but it did not get into her blood stream. More of her leg will have to be amputated in the next few days but it all depends on how she reacts to the antibiotic (vancomyacin). If she responds well, they will remove the leg from below the knee. If not, they will have to go above the knee. Did Mom get Mersa from Dad? Is it in our house? Will the rest of my family get this infection?

I called the University of Pennsylvania today to check on Dad and was told that the vegetative growth was back in his blood stream. We were hoping that with the heart valve replaced, along with dialysis and antibiotics, the infection had been eliminated. It wasn't. We will be losing Dad very soon.

I have been taking an elderly couple to a state hospital to visit their handicapped granddaughter, I was doing this for a year, my husband and son began to develope boil like symtoms I believe I was a carrier, I had a boil on my finger, and only had it one time so I believe I am a staph carrier, I quit doing this for fear of caring a staph to my family, at any rate my husband and son continue to break out periodically with boil like symtoms so I finally got a culture for my husband and it is a "staph- Aureus" but before the dermatologist got the results she went ahead and ordered K-Flex, because I do alternative medicine I was very hesitant, I want to get to the problem, we never take antibiotics so there is called the "superbug" our culutre is becoming more and more immune to antibiotics, and in our case is because of what the Dr. did to my husband, prescribed antibiotics without proper identification. Since we never use Dr.'s she was shocked tohear that we never did antibiotics so I wanted to share with you how serious being immuned i have a list of the resistant antibiotics from the lab report if you want to email me but I really want to share from my heart the real natural cure that pharm. reps and the traditional health do not want us to know. I always use "collidial silver with grapeseed and that always cured any problems we had such as colds, but I did not use it in a complete cycle like you would with traditional antibiotics, since antibiotics kill "good bacteria as well as bad" you need to put back the good bacteria by using "pro-biotics, since all the bacteria is being killed with all the synthetic antibiotics, your immunity has no defense. Since I am not sick and I do all this it can explain why I am a carrier but have no effects...you can get the "Collodial silver" at health food stores or go to the websites and read what this cures but bottom line people do not want us to know. In some third world countries, you do not pay your doctor until you are healed. Unfortunately, in us, we only "coat" the problem and not cure it, and with all the drugs, you get side effects which lead to another drug to cure the side effect.. I will keep you posted for my son and husband, I want to make sure they will test fully for the MRSA staph, please try the probiotic to use for those who choose to use conventional method of antibiotics. I cured my daughter of all sinus infections doing this along with the colloidal silver, once the fungus was gone she never had a sinus infection again because she was so over treated with antiobiotics, she had no immunity.
for more info go to webiste biophysica.com God bless to all of you. Beth

I have researched for the past three days and came up with the following that I must share with all involved concerning MRSA. First of some of the readings, I read above this site, what you can do first, first of all, all hospitals, LTC facilities are to report patients who have the MRSA and isolate, also the CDC is keeping a tight knitch on this not to panic the public, but now if you see commercials, they are starting to stress the logan"if you are sick stay home and wash hands" you will see a guy in a space suit to avoid being contaimenated. Anyway, it has come to conclusion that the Collodial Silver is the key I found a testimny in Europe who contaced the staph from surgery same ordeal of traditional treatment of antibiotics he got the silver and he was totally cured!! I have website links for you all to do your own research, but this is what the pharm reps and industry does not want us to know, in fact they are developing a strain with silver to combat the staph, very very political my heart goes to all of you and our family who has this MRSA, I will let you know the progress, once our culutre is done, and begin the doses and return for another culture. I just cut pasted articles of what I found email me if you want more sites great research. Email me if you need more. superiorelect@aol.com BEth
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More... Sovereign Silver™ - Dosage Information

We recommend 1 or more teaspoons daily or as directed by a health care provider.

Maintenance dose: Once a day or every other day.

In the presence of others with compromised immune systems: 3 times a day.

When immune compromised: once every 15-30 minutes while acute, then reduce to once every 1-2 hours.

Long-term immune crisis: 4-7 times a day.

Never dilute with water and always hold under tongue for 30 seconds before swallowing, preferably away from food and water. No less than 5 minutes before drinking or eating, no less than 45 minutes after drinking or 1 1/2 hours after eating.

How many sprays or droppers = 1 Teaspoon?

50 vertical sprays = 1 teaspoon (5 ml)

30 fine mist sprays = 1 teaspoon (5 ml)

6 (2 oz/60 ml) droppers = 1 teaspoon (5 ml)

5 (4 oz/120 ml) droppers = 1 teaspoon (5 ml)

5 (8 oz/240 ml) droppers = 1 teaspoon (5 ml)

Note: Although the dropper only fills up half-way with 1 squeeze, this is considered to be 1 dropper.

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Our Product:
Why Sovereign Silver

Silver Species

Comparative Analysis

Benefits of Silver

History of Silver

Dosage Information

Safety

News
Particulate vs. Ionic Silver – The End of the Debate

The premise that ‘particulate’ (elemental) silver is the only true colloid and that only it is effective as an antimicrobial was spurious from the beginning.

See all news articles »
Events
December 02, 2005

NNFA - SOHO
Orlando

See all events »Argentyn 23
Our Professional Formulation

More Information coming soon...

More... An Indepth History of Silver

Posted with permission from Dr. Eric J. Rentz. In recognition of his elegant style and rich content.

Historic Perspectives on Clinical Use and Efficacy of Silver
by Eric J. Rentz, DO, MSc

Prior civilizations
Since ancient times silver has been highly regarded as a versatile healing tool. In ancient Greece, Rome, Phoenicia, and Macedonia, silver was used extensively to control infections and spoilage. , Hippocrates, the “Father of Medicine,” taught that silver healed wounds and controlled disease. Around 400 B.C. he listed as a singular treatment for ulcers “the flowers of silver alone, in the finest powder.” Herodotus describes how the King of Persia carried with him boiled water in silver flagons to prevent sickness. In 69 B.C., silver nitrate was described in the contemporary pharmacopoeia.

The popularity of medicinal silver especially arose throughout the Middle East from 702 A.D. through 980 A.D. where it was widely used and esteemed for blood purification, heart conditions, and used to control halitosis.

Paracelsus (circa 1520) extensively used silver medicinally, and later Caradanus, Pareus, and Sala also used it. For example, Angelus Sala used silver nitrate to successfully treat chorea, tabes dorsalis (syphilis), and, it is doubtable, epilepsy. These crude and inferior forms of silver were reported by Sala to rarely cause the bluish-hue skin discoloration (argyria) due to overuse. It is widely thought that during the Middle Ages silver utensils and goblets contributed a bluish-hue to the skin-tone of the upper class, resulting in the term “blue-bloods.” Plausibly, “born with a silver spoon in his mouth” was coined during that time for the same reason, as an attribute for describing the good fortune of being healthy more than being wealthy. Blue-bloods were noted to have been afforded a measure of protection from the rampant plagues common to Europe in those centuries.

During the wars with Napoleon, the armies of Tsar Alexander used water casks lined with silver to clean drinking water from rivers and streams. This practice by the Imperial Russian army was continued through World War I and by some units in the Soviet Army in World War II.

Raulin recorded the first description of the water cleansing effect by silver in 1869. He observed that Aspergillus niger could not grow in silver vessels.

Modern Research using the Scientific Method
In 1861, Thomas Graham found that certain solutions would pass through a membrane and others would not. He found a stable, intermediate state of matter, and was able to describe it. Graham’s discovery was that substances could enter a solution in such a manner that they exhibit characteristics that are quite different from those of a true solution. He applied the term “colloidal” (from kolla = glue) to this intermediate state, as glue, gelatin, and related substances were the most obvious to him as being in this unique state.

The Swiss botanist von Nageli recorded one of the amazing discoveries of the nineteenth century in 1869. Von Nageli coined the term “oligodynamic” to describe the microbiocidal properties of a metal hydrosol (e.g. copper, silver and tin) at minute concentrations. , In 1884, Crede introduced the use of 1% silver nitrate for the prevention of ophthalmia neonatorum. By 1897, silver nitrate began to be used in America to prevent blindness in newborns and is still used today. , By 1910, Henry Crookes had documented that certain metals, when in a colloidal state, had strong germicidal action, but were harmless to human beings. The oligodynamic concept has motivated the development of many antimicrobial processes and products.

One of the water purification developments that took place in 1928 was the development of katadyn silver, described as a porous metallic, spongy mesh that attempts to maximize surface area. This silver meshwork also contains a small quantity of gold or palladium. Katadyn silver has been used inside flasks, storage containers and with water filters.

During the last century, advances in pharmacological manufacturing methods sought to harness this time-valued strategy expressed in nearly all silver formulations. Yet early manufacturing methods rarely created high quality, homogenous oligodynamic Ag +. Nevertheless, more than 96 different silver medicinals (many used intravenously) were in use prior to 1939, as documented by The Council on Pharmacy and Chemistry of the American Medical Association. ,

A project begun at the State University of New York by Robert Becker and associates involved a silver nylon product in the early 1970’s. This project was originally instigated in order to find an electromagnetic shield. Instead, it lead to the revolutionary discoveries by Becker of silver’s unique antimicrobial properties, and his discovery that silver ions could induce fibrocytes to dedifferentiate into stem cells and back again. One of Becker’s research associates, A. Bart Flick, continued work in this area for professional and commercial applications. As a result, Flick has filed patents in 1994, 1996 and 2000 for silver-based wound dressings that are far superior to anything that has ever been available before. He has also obtained approval for these dressing from the US Food and Drug Administration. Because of the success of these silver dressings, many other medical product manufacturers have filed for their own parallel products.

In the early 1970’s silver topical salves, such as silver sulfadiazine, provided superior control and prophylaxis in severe burn cases. Today, multiple drug resistant (MDR) microbes are challenging this formulation’s effectiveness, but we shall review how state-of-the-art silver protocols and formulations offer superior protection against microbial strategies for acquiring resistance.

To date, absolute microbial resistance to medicinal silver has not been scientifically established. Several studies indicated that some bacterial species have physiological mechanisms that circumnavigate silver’s toxicity. , , , Although it is clear that some pathogens have mechanisms to survive exposure to silver, these mechanisms are limited when compared to higher life forms. Herein lie all the clues necessary to identify strategic silver therapeusis that pathogens are unlikely to survive.

It is probable that pathogens lack sufficient defense mechanisms to circumvent the toxic effects of silver ions when oligodynamic silver is delivered in sufficient, physiologically compatible quantities. In fact, the “apparent” resistance of microbes to silver was mistakenly made by many who failed to notice and identify: (a) insufficient oligodynamic Ag + particle concentrations, (b) inadequate protocols, or (c) improper procedures. Reports that multiple-drug-resistant (MDR) pathogens (i.e., MRSA and Acinetobacter spp.) were truly resistant to silver proved to be erroneous. Grier stated, “Some so-called Ag + resistant microorganisms may result from an apparent neutralization of the metal’s inhibitory action or other assay artifacts. These include the presence of chelators such as serial amino acids, constituents of hard water, different buffers, light, incubation temperature, and particularly, soluble components of trypticase soy agar (TSA) and tryptose glucose extract agar (TGE).”

With the advent of antibiotic therapy, medicinal silver products fell largely into disuse (circa 1940 -1945), with the notable exceptions of topical silver salves and neonatal eye drop preparations. These salves advanced the science of “silver salt-derived” Ag + delivery and effectiveness in the mid 1960’s. Then, during the mid 1970’s, several papers were published that utilized electrically activated silver probes as delivery systems for targeted oligodynamic Ag + strategies. The interest in such strategies continues to grow to the present, with high efficacy being obtained for viral vectors such as HIV, and resistant bone and dental infection.

Sufficient defense capacity to mitigate morbidity clearly exists in higher organisms, including humans (with the exception of medically benign argyria). Zhao and Stevens state that, “With the rise of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, silver is re-emerging as a modern medicine because all pathogenic organisms have failed to develop an immunity to it (Ag +).”

In vitro Studies

The medical literature of the early 20 th century regarding silver provides an important cautionary lesson from the past. Previous scientists, who were either supporters or detractors of silver medicinals, typically expressed equivocal knowledge and misapplied context because they failed to recognize silver speciation. This fault undermined their definitive knowledge about silver. Correct and in-context discernment of silver’s Therapeutic Threshold remains illusive to most investigators even today. This “box” perception about silver will continue to lose its limitations as technology continues to prove itself outside of that box in the coming decades.

Clinical reports on silver medicinals began to flood into the various medical journals worldwide at the start of the last century. Initially, the Journal of the American Medical Association took a negative position. But within 11 years, a true revolution in medical practice with silver medicinals occurred that did not subside until the U.S. government’s purchase of the patent rights to penicillin (circa 1940). Throughout this time period (1920 through 1942), JAMA articles were replete with oral (per os) and intravenous clinical reports of the efficacy and side effects of silver medicinals. In tandem with research in America, Great Britain published prominently in such respected journals as The Lancet and the British Medical Journal. ,

Perhaps the first definitive attempt to comprehensively evaluate the efficacy and variety of silver medicinals was published by the Department of Pharmacology of the Medical School of Western Reserve University, Cleveland, circa 1923. In terms of efficacy, this landmark study arguably established “silver nitrate” as the benchmark for all silver medicinals. Unfortunately, the excitement this study produced simultaneously placed at risk subgroups of patients susceptible to symptoms of argyria. Had the technology then existed to create vast surface areas with “pure hydrosols of oligodynamic Ag +” not only would such products have revealed their greater potency over that of silver nitrate; but also, argyric thresholds would have been nearly impossible to attain during any course of therapy. Oligodynamic (picoscale) surface area enables maximal exposure of silver particles in the least amount of volume, thus achieving potency several orders of magnitude over suspensions of much higher ppm- silver speciations (which necessarily manifest inferior surface area exposures). In other words, technology today can produce smaller quantities of silver that are vastly more potent than was ever historically possible. The result is a dramatic elucidation of the Therapeutic Index, resulting in unprecedented safety, efficacy, and dimension to protocol parameters.

For example, beginning in 1970 at the University of Wisconsin, under contract from NASA to determine the biocidal effects of silver, researchers were able to determine that lethal effects of silver ions could be reliably reproduced at concentrations of only 250-ppb when exposed to infectious agents over two hours or less in vitro. These researchers even found that even 50-ppb over four hours or less achieved a significant biocidal effect. The University study with laboratory-produced silver ions worked extremely well, although the extinction times were long. Follow-on investigations of these early silver medicinals failed to exert adequate lethal effects upon antibiotic resistant infectious organisms. However, as technology advanced, these highly resistant organisms were again found to succumb to the lethal effects of new silver medicinals. Additionally, extinction times proved to be dramatically lessening.

In vivo Studies

At the height of its popularity (from 1900 through 1940), a fair estimate of humans given intravenous silver medicinals worldwide exceeded several million. The shear scale of its utilization defined and confirmed silver medicinals as effective anti-microbials.

During my training as a medical student, I had an opportunity to witness several of my elder attending physicians using various silver formulas in their clinical practice. It was fascinating to me that silver medicinals were widely used by one generation of clinicians, yet this therapeutic approach simply ended by my generation. Why? In terms of safety and efficacy, was there a justification for abandonment of this approach?

One recent and noteworthy in vivo study published in the Journal of Clinical Ultrasound (2000) reported on a protocol involving puncture, aspiration, injection, and re-aspiration (PAIR) with silver nitrate directly into hepatic hydatid cysts with beneficial long-term results. Other preliminary evidence in vivo suggests that both hepatitis-C virus (HCV) and HIV , and other viral vectors, as well as in vitro studies on herpes, and the worst bacterial scourges (i.e., antibiotic resistant disease vectors) may become events of the past via the judicious and strategic use of a state-of-the-art silver medicinal and delivery system. , , , , , , ,

Antimicrobial coatings for the inside and outside of medical catheters using silver have been developed for latex, polyurethane and Teflon devices. These silver coatings are very effective at blocking bacteria, such as E coli and S aureus, from entering the body along a catheter pathway. , ,

At the present time, in vivo studies concerning the efficacy of oral (per os) and intravenous use of state-of-the-art picoscale oligodynamic Ag + are just beginning. Given the high technology formulated silver product now available, this promises to be an exciting time. Concerning inferior grade silver [salt] medicinals, or “large particle size (i.e., 0.1 microns or larger)” colloidal silver preparations, it may be said that unless educational initiatives are undertaken, history is apt to repeat itself -- needless iatrogenic events with such products will gestate a new wave of preventable argyric cases.

Thomas Graham was a physical chemist honored as the founder of colloid chemistry. He is known for contributions to diffusion phenomena in liquids leading to the colloidal state; he coined the terms “colloid” and “dialysis.” Graham also contributed to the understanding of gas diffusion, including the law that the velocities of gases are inversely proportional to the square roots of their densities.

Since a colloidal solution is not a true solution, it is preferably termed a sol.

More information is available from the US FDA on Silverlon® or the company that manufactures this dressing product.

See the following section heading – In vitro Studies.

Bechhold, H, Colloids in Biology and Medicine, NY, D. van Nostrand, 1919; p. 364-76.

Thompson, NR, Comprehensive Inorganic Chemistry, Pergamon Press, Elmsford, NY, 1973; Vol. 5, Chapter 28.

Hippocrates, “On Ulcers,” 400 B.C.E.; translated by Francis Adams, © 1994-2000: http://classics.mit.edu/Browse/browse-Hippocrates.html

Blakeney, EH, [ed] The History of Herodotus, translated by Rawlinson, G; London.

Cumston, CG, History of Medicine, A.A. Knoff Co., NY, 1926; p. 216.

Charcot and Ball, Dictionaire Encyclopedique des Sciences Medicals, P. Asselin, Sr. de Labes, V. Masson & Sons, 1867; 6:68-74.

Gettler, AO, Rhoads, CP, Weiss, S, “A Contribution to the Pathology of Generalized Argyria with a Discussion on the Fate of Silver in the Human Body,” Am J Pathol, 1927; 3:63151.

Hill, WR, Pillsbury, MA, Argyria: The Pharmacology of Silver, The Williams & Wilkins Company, Baltimore, 1939; p. 2.

Raulin, J, Sci Nature 11 (1869):93, Berk (3) Abstract 1.

Berk, RG, “Abstracts of articles on oligodynamic sterilization.” The Engineer Board, US Army Corps of Engineers [Project WS 768], Fort Belvoir, Virginia.

Von Nageli, KW, Denschr Schweiz Naturforsch Ges 33 (1893):174, Berk (3) Abstract 5.

Crede, KSF, Ber Klin Wochenschr, 1901; 38:941.

Zhao, G, Stevens, SE, “Multiple Parameters for the Comprehensive Evaluation of the Susceptibility of Escherichia coli to the Silver Ion,” BioMetals, 1998; 11:27.

Sykes, G, “Disinfection and Sterilization” 2 nd Ed, (1965) Spon, London.

Tobler, T, Schweiz Med Wchnschr, 1922; 52:774.

Hill, WR, Pillsbury, DM, Argyria: The Pharmacology of Silver, The Williams & Wilkins Co., Baltimore, 1939; p. 169.

Voigt, J, Ztschr f d ges exper Med, 1926; 52:33-40.

Hall, RE, Bender, G, Marquis, RE, “Inhibitory and Cidal Antimicrobial Actions of Electrically Generated Silver Ions,” J Oral Maxillofac Surg, 1987; 45:783.

McHugh, GL, et al., “Salmonella typhymurium Resistant to Silver Nitrate, Chloramphenicol and Ampicillin,” Lancet, 1975; 1:235.

Summers, AO, et al., “Metal Cation and Osyanion Resistances in Plasmids of Gram Negative Bacteria,” In: Schlessinger, edit. Microbiology, Am Soc Microbiol, Washington, DC, 1978.

Bridges, K, et al., “Gentamicin and Silver Resistant Pseudomonas in a Burn Unit,” Br Med J, 1979; 1:446.

Hamilton-Miller, JM, Shah, S, Smith, C, “Silver Sulfadiazine: A Comprehensive in vitro Reassessment,” Chemotherapy, 1993; 39:405-9.

Grier, N, “Silver and Its Compounds,” In: Disinfection, Sterilization and Preservation, S. Block, edit. Lea & Febiger, Philadelphia, PA, 1983, p. 385.

Fox, CL, “Silver Sulfadiazine – A New Topical Agent,” Arch Surg, 1968; 96:184-8.

Becker, RO, Spadaro, JA, “Treatment of Orthopaedic Infections with Electrically Generated Silver Ions,” J Bone Jt Surg, 1978; 60:871-81.

Etris, S, “Clinical Experiments Show Silver Compound Can Help AIDS Patients: Researchers Say Silver Oxide Offsets AIDS Loss of Immune Response,” In: The Silver Institute’s Silver News – February-March 1998; www.silverinstitute.org

Kim, TN, et al., “Antimicrobial Effects of Metal Ions (Ag +, Cu 2+, Zn 2+) in Hydroxyapatite,” J Mater Sci Mater Med, 1998; 9:129-34.

Berger, TJ, et al., “Electrically Generated Silver Ions: Quantitative Effects on Bacterial and Mammalian Cells,” Anti Microb Agents, 1976; 9(2): 357-8.

Zhao, G, Stevens, SE, “Multiple Parameters for the Comprehensive Evaluation of the Susceptibility of Escherichia coli to the Silver Ion,” BioMetals, 1998; 11:28.

Hill, WR, Pillsbury, DM, Argyria: The Pharmacology of Silver, The Williams & Wilkins Co., Baltimore, 1939; p. 169.

Duhamel, BG, “Electro Metallic Colloids, Etc.,” The Lancet, January 13 th, 1912.

Simpson, WJ, Hewlett, RT, “Experiments on the Germicidal Action of Colloidal Silver,” The Lancet, December 12 th, 1914; p. 359.

Sanderson-Wells, TH, “A Case of Puerperal Septicemia Successfully Treated with Intravenous Injections of Collosol Argentum,” The Lancet, February 16 th, 1916; p. 258.

Fuller, AW, “Epidemic Encephalitis of Severe Type,” The Lancet, July 24 th, 1926; 2:172.

“Colloidal Solutions and Artificial Enzymes,” Brit Med J, February 3 rd, 1912; 6:252-4.

Marshall , CR, Killoh, GB, “The Bactericidal Action of Collosols of Silver and Mercury,” Brit Med J, January 16 th, 1915; 1:102-3.

Roe, AL, “Collosol Argentum and its Ophthalmic Uses,” Brit Med J, January 16 th, 1915; 3:104.

Morris, M, “The Therapeutic Effects of Colloidal Preparations,” Brit Med J, May 12 th, 1917; 1:617.

Pilcher, JD, Sollmann, T, “Organic, Protein and Colloidal Silver Compounds: Their Antiseptic Efficiency and Silver-Ion Content as a Basis for Their Classification,” The Journal of Laboratory and Clinical Medicine, 1923; p. 301-10.

Cliver, DO, et al., “Biocidal Effects of Silver: Contract NAS 9-9300 Final Technical Report,” University of Wisconsin, February 1970; p. 5.

In vitro investigations published on letterheads from Departments of Microbiology, Pathology, Infectious Diseases, Immunology, and Biology. Etc… from such universities as: Johns Hopkins, Northwestern Univ. Medical School, Queen’s University, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Georgetown University Medical Center, NYU Medical Center, University of Nebraska, University of Massachusetts, etc…circa 1996-1998.

Ibid.

Odev, K et al., “Sonographically Guided Percutaneous Treatment of Hepatic Hydatid Cysts: Long-Term Results,” J Clin Ultrasound, Nov-Dec 2000; 28(9): 469-78.

Etris, S, “Clinical Experiments Show Silver Compound Can help AIDS Patients: Researchers Say Silver Oxide Offsets AIDS Loss of Immune Response,” In: The Silver Institute’s Silver News – February-March 1998; www.silverinstitute.org

Dean, W, et al., “Reduction of Viral Load in AIDS Patients with Intravenous Mild Silver Protein – Three Case Reports,” Clinical Practice of Alternative Medicine, Spring, 2001.

Tokumaru, T, Shimizu, CL For, “Antiviral Activities of Silver Sulfadiazine in Ocular Infections, “ Res Com Chem Pathol Pharmacol, 1974; 8(1): 151.

Chang, TW, L Weinstein, “In vitro Activity of Silver Sulfadiazine Against Herpesvirus hominis,” J Infect Dis, Jul 1975; 132(1): 79-81.

Becker, RO, Spadaro JA, “Treatment of Orthopedic Infections with Electrically Generated Silver Ions,” J Bone Jt Surg, 1978; 60-A: 871.

Chu, CC, et al., “Newly Made Antibacterial Braided Nylon Sutures. 1. In vitro Qualitative and in vivo Preliminary Biocompatibility Study,” J Biomed Mater Res, 1987; 21:1281.

Dietch, EA, et al., “Silver-Nylon Cloth: In vitro and in vivo Evaluation of Antimicrobial Activity,” J Trauma, 1987; 27:301.

Haeger, K, “Preoperative Treatment of Leg Ulcers with Silver Spray and Aluminum Foil,” Acta Chir Scand, 1963; 125:32.

Marchant, RE, Miller, KM, Anderson, JM, “In vivo Leukocyte Interactions with Biomer,” J Biomed Mater Res, 1984; 18:1169.

Modak, SM, Sampath, L, Fox, CL, “Combined Use of Silver Sulfadiazine and Antibiotics as a Possible Solution to Bacterial Resistance in Burn Wounds,” J Burn Care, July/August, 1988; 9(4): 359.

Spadaro, JA, Becker, RO, “Some Specific Cellular Effects of Electrically Injected Silver and Gold Ions,” Bioelectrechem Bioenergetics, 1976; 3:49.

Webster, DA, et al., “Silver Anode Treatment of Chronic Osteomyelitis,” Clin Orthop, 1981; 1961:105.

Shvets, I, DeLaurentis, M, Beard, RB, Pourreyzaei, K, Trans 20 th Annual Meeting – Society for Biomaterials, Boston (1994).

DeLaurentis, M, Shvets, I, Beard, RB, Pourreyzaei, K, Trans 20 th Annual Meeting – Society for Biomaterials, Boston (1994).

Beard, RB, DeLaurentis, M, Pourrezaei, K, Adrian, S, “Stimulation, Recording Potential and Antimicrobial Medical Catheter Coatings,” Metal-Based Drugs Vol 1, 5-6 (1994):445-458, Freund Pub House Ltd, London.

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© 2005 Natural-Immunogenics Corp. All Rights Reserved.

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News
Particulate vs. Ionic Silver – The End of the Debate

The premise that ‘particulate’ (elemental) silver is the only true colloid and that only it is effective as an antimicrobial was spurious from the beginning.

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December 02, 2005

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More... An Indepth History of Silver

Posted with permission from Dr. Eric J. Rentz. In recognition of his elegant style and rich content.

Historic Perspectives on Clinical Use and Efficacy of Silver
by Eric J. Rentz, DO, MSc

Prior civilizations
Since ancient times silver has been highly regarded as a versatile healing tool. In ancient Greece, Rome, Phoenicia, and Macedonia, silver was used extensively to control infections and spoilage. , Hippocrates, the “Father of Medicine,” taught that silver healed wounds and controlled disease. Around 400 B.C. he listed as a singular treatment for ulcers “the flowers of silver alone, in the finest powder.” Herodotus describes how the King of Persia carried with him boiled water in silver flagons to prevent sickness. In 69 B.C., silver nitrate was described in the contemporary pharmacopoeia.

The popularity of medicinal silver especially arose throughout the Middle East from 702 A.D. through 980 A.D. where it was widely used and esteemed for blood purification, heart conditions, and used to control halitosis.

Paracelsus (circa 1520) extensively used silver medicinally, and later Caradanus, Pareus, and Sala also used it. For example, Angelus Sala used silver nitrate to successfully treat chorea, tabes dorsalis (syphilis), and, it is doubtable, epilepsy. These crude and inferior forms of silver were reported by Sala to rarely cause the bluish-hue skin discoloration (argyria) due to overuse. It is widely thought that during the Middle Ages silver utensils and goblets contributed a bluish-hue to the skin-tone of the upper class, resulting in the term “blue-bloods.” Plausibly, “born with a silver spoon in his mouth” was coined during that time for the same reason, as an attribute for describing the good fortune of being healthy more than being wealthy. Blue-bloods were noted to have been afforded a measure of protection from the rampant plagues common to Europe in those centuries.

During the wars with Napoleon, the armies of Tsar Alexander used water casks lined with silver to clean drinking water from rivers and streams. This practice by the Imperial Russian army was continued through World War I and by some units in the Soviet Army in World War II.

Raulin recorded the first description of the water cleansing effect by silver in 1869. He observed that Aspergillus niger could not grow in silver vessels.

Modern Research using the Scientific Method
In 1861, Thomas Graham found that certain solutions would pass through a membrane and others would not. He found a stable, intermediate state of matter, and was able to describe it. Graham’s discovery was that substances could enter a solution in such a manner that they exhibit characteristics that are quite different from those of a true solution. He applied the term “colloidal” (from kolla = glue) to this intermediate state, as glue, gelatin, and related substances were the most obvious to him as being in this unique state.

The Swiss botanist von Nageli recorded one of the amazing discoveries of the nineteenth century in 1869. Von Nageli coined the term “oligodynamic” to describe the microbiocidal properties of a metal hydrosol (e.g. copper, silver and tin) at minute concentrations. , In 1884, Crede introduced the use of 1% silver nitrate for the prevention of ophthalmia neonatorum. By 1897, silver nitrate began to be used in America to prevent blindness in newborns and is still used today. , By 1910, Henry Crookes had documented that certain metals, when in a colloidal state, had strong germicidal action, but were harmless to human beings. The oligodynamic concept has motivated the development of many antimicrobial processes and products.

One of the water purification developments that took place in 1928 was the development of katadyn silver, described as a porous metallic, spongy mesh that attempts to maximize surface area. This silver meshwork also contains a small quantity of gold or palladium. Katadyn silver has been used inside flasks, storage containers and with water filters.

During the last century, advances in pharmacological manufacturing methods sought to harness this time-valued strategy expressed in nearly all silver formulations. Yet early manufacturing methods rarely created high quality, homogenous oligodynamic Ag +. Nevertheless, more than 96 different silver medicinals (many used intravenously) were in use prior to 1939, as documented by The Council on Pharmacy and Chemistry of the American Medical Association. ,

A project begun at the State University of New York by Robert Becker and associates involved a silver nylon product in the early 1970’s. This project was originally instigated in order to find an electromagnetic shield. Instead, it lead to the revolutionary discoveries by Becker of silver’s unique antimicrobial properties, and his discovery that silver ions could induce fibrocytes to dedifferentiate into stem cells and back again. One of Becker’s research associates, A. Bart Flick, continued work in this area for professional and commercial applications. As a result, Flick has filed patents in 1994, 1996 and 2000 for silver-based wound dressings that are far superior to anything that has ever been available before. He has also obtained approval for these dressing from the US Food and Drug Administration. Because of the success of these silver dressings, many other medical product manufacturers have filed for their own parallel products.

In the early 1970’s silver topical salves, such as silver sulfadiazine, provided superior control and prophylaxis in severe burn cases. Today, multiple drug resistant (MDR) microbes are challenging this formulation’s effectiveness, but we shall review how state-of-the-art silver protocols and formulations offer superior protection against microbial strategies for acquiring resistance.

To date, absolute microbial resistance to medicinal silver has not been scientifically established. Several studies indicated that some bacterial species have physiological mechanisms that circumnavigate silver’s toxicity. , , , Although it is clear that some pathogens have mechanisms to survive exposure to silver, these mechanisms are limited when compared to higher life forms. Herein lie all the clues necessary to identify strategic silver therapeusis that pathogens are unlikely to survive.

It is probable that pathogens lack sufficient defense mechanisms to circumvent the toxic effects of silver ions when oligodynamic silver is delivered in sufficient, physiologically compatible quantities. In fact, the “apparent” resistance of microbes to silver was mistakenly made by many who failed to notice and identify: (a) insufficient oligodynamic Ag + particle concentrations, (b) inadequate protocols, or (c) improper procedures. Reports that multiple-drug-resistant (MDR) pathogens (i.e., MRSA and Acinetobacter spp.) were truly resistant to silver proved to be erroneous. Grier stated, “Some so-called Ag + resistant microorganisms may result from an apparent neutralization of the metal’s inhibitory action or other assay artifacts. These include the presence of chelators such as serial amino acids, constituents of hard water, different buffers, light, incubation temperature, and particularly, soluble components of trypticase soy agar (TSA) and tryptose glucose extract agar (TGE).”

With the advent of antibiotic therapy, medicinal silver products fell largely into disuse (circa 1940 -1945), with the notable exceptions of topical silver salves and neonatal eye drop preparations. These salves advanced the science of “silver salt-derived” Ag + delivery and effectiveness in the mid 1960’s. Then, during the mid 1970’s, several papers were published that utilized electrically activated silver probes as delivery systems for targeted oligodynamic Ag + strategies. The interest in such strategies continues to grow to the present, with high efficacy being obtained for viral vectors such as HIV, and resistant bone and dental infection.

Sufficient defense capacity to mitigate morbidity clearly exists in higher organisms, including humans (with the exception of medically benign argyria). Zhao and Stevens state that, “With the rise of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, silver is re-emerging as a modern medicine because all pathogenic organisms have failed to develop an immunity to it (Ag +).”

In vitro Studies

The medical literature of the early 20 th century regarding silver provides an important cautionary lesson from the past. Previous scientists, who were either supporters or detractors of silver medicinals, typically expressed equivocal knowledge and misapplied context because they failed to recognize silver speciation. This fault undermined their definitive knowledge about silver. Correct and in-context discernment of silver’s Therapeutic Threshold remains illusive to most investigators even today. This “box” perception about silver will continue to lose its limitations as technology continues to prove itself outside of that box in the coming decades.

Clinical reports on silver medicinals began to flood into the various medical journals worldwide at the start of the last century. Initially, the Journal of the American Medical Association took a negative position. But within 11 years, a true revolution in medical practice with silver medicinals occurred that did not subside until the U.S. government’s purchase of the patent rights to penicillin (circa 1940). Throughout this time period (1920 through 1942), JAMA articles were replete with oral (per os) and intravenous clinical reports of the efficacy and side effects of silver medicinals. In tandem with research in America, Great Britain published prominently in such respected journals as The Lancet and the British Medical Journal. ,

Perhaps the first definitive attempt to comprehensively evaluate the efficacy and variety of silver medicinals was published by the Department of Pharmacology of the Medical School of Western Reserve University, Cleveland, circa 1923. In terms of efficacy, this landmark study arguably established “silver nitrate” as the benchmark for all silver medicinals. Unfortunately, the excitement this study produced simultaneously placed at risk subgroups of patients susceptible to symptoms of argyria. Had the technology then existed to create vast surface areas with “pure hydrosols of oligodynamic Ag +” not only would such products have revealed their greater potency over that of silver nitrate; but also, argyric thresholds would have been nearly impossible to attain during any course of therapy. Oligodynamic (picoscale) surface area enables maximal exposure of silver particles in the least amount of volume, thus achieving potency several orders of magnitude over suspensions of much higher ppm- silver speciations (which necessarily manifest inferior surface area exposures). In other words, technology today can produce smaller quantities of silver that are vastly more potent than was ever historically possible. The result is a dramatic elucidation of the Therapeutic Index, resulting in unprecedented safety, efficacy, and dimension to protocol parameters.

For example, beginning in 1970 at the University of Wisconsin, under contract from NASA to determine the biocidal effects of silver, researchers were able to determine that lethal effects of silver ions could be reliably reproduced at concentrations of only 250-ppb when exposed to infectious agents over two hours or less in vitro. These researchers even found that even 50-ppb over four hours or less achieved a significant biocidal effect. The University study with laboratory-produced silver ions worked extremely well, although the extinction times were long. Follow-on investigations of these early silver medicinals failed to exert adequate lethal effects upon antibiotic resistant infectious organisms. However, as technology advanced, these highly resistant organisms were again found to succumb to the lethal effects of new silver medicinals. Additionally, extinction times proved to be dramatically lessening.

In vivo Studies

At the height of its popularity (from 1900 through 1940), a fair estimate of humans given intravenous silver medicinals worldwide exceeded several million. The shear scale of its utilization defined and confirmed silver medicinals as effective anti-microbials.

During my training as a medical student, I had an opportunity to witness several of my elder attending physicians using various silver formulas in their clinical practice. It was fascinating to me that silver medicinals were widely used by one generation of clinicians, yet this therapeutic approach simply ended by my generation. Why? In terms of safety and efficacy, was there a justification for abandonment of this approach?

One recent and noteworthy in vivo study published in the Journal of Clinical Ultrasound (2000) reported on a protocol involving puncture, aspiration, injection, and re-aspiration (PAIR) with silver nitrate directly into hepatic hydatid cysts with beneficial long-term results. Other preliminary evidence in vivo suggests that both hepatitis-C virus (HCV) and HIV , and other viral vectors, as well as in vitro studies on herpes, and the worst bacterial scourges (i.e., antibiotic resistant disease vectors) may become events of the past via the judicious and strategic use of a state-of-the-art silver medicinal and delivery system. , , , , , , ,

Antimicrobial coatings for the inside and outside of medical catheters using silver have been developed for latex, polyurethane and Teflon devices. These silver coatings are very effective at blocking bacteria, such as E coli and S aureus, from entering the body along a catheter pathway. , ,

At the present time, in vivo studies concerning the efficacy of oral (per os) and intravenous use of state-of-the-art picoscale oligodynamic Ag + are just beginning. Given the high technology formulated silver product now available, this promises to be an exciting time. Concerning inferior grade silver [salt] medicinals, or “large particle size (i.e., 0.1 microns or larger)” colloidal silver preparations, it may be said that unless educational initiatives are undertaken, history is apt to repeat itself -- needless iatrogenic events with such products will gestate a new wave of preventable argyric cases.

Thomas Graham was a physical chemist honored as the founder of colloid chemistry. He is known for contributions to diffusion phenomena in liquids leading to the colloidal state; he coined the terms “colloid” and “dialysis.” Graham also contributed to the understanding of gas diffusion, including the law that the velocities of gases are inversely proportional to the square roots of their densities.

Since a colloidal solution is not a true solution, it is preferably termed a sol.

More information is available from the US FDA on Silverlon® or the company that manufactures this dressing product.

See the following section heading – In vitro Studies.

Bechhold, H, Colloids in Biology and Medicine, NY, D. van Nostrand, 1919; p. 364-76.

Thompson, NR, Comprehensive Inorganic Chemistry, Pergamon Press, Elmsford, NY, 1973; Vol. 5, Chapter 28.

Hippocrates, “On Ulcers,” 400 B.C.E.; translated by Francis Adams, © 1994-2000: http://classics.mit.edu/Browse/browse-Hippocrates.html

Blakeney, EH, [ed] The History of Herodotus, translated by Rawlinson, G; London.

Cumston, CG, History of Medicine, A.A. Knoff Co., NY, 1926; p. 216.

Charcot and Ball, Dictionaire Encyclopedique des Sciences Medicals, P. Asselin, Sr. de Labes, V. Masson & Sons, 1867; 6:68-74.

Gettler, AO, Rhoads, CP, Weiss, S, “A Contribution to the Pathology of Generalized Argyria with a Discussion on the Fate of Silver in the Human Body,” Am J Pathol, 1927; 3:63151.

Hill, WR, Pillsbury, MA, Argyria: The Pharmacology of Silver, The Williams & Wilkins Company, Baltimore, 1939; p. 2.

Raulin, J, Sci Nature 11 (1869):93, Berk (3) Abstract 1.

Berk, RG, “Abstracts of articles on oligodynamic sterilization.” The Engineer Board, US Army Corps of Engineers [Project WS 768], Fort Belvoir, Virginia.

Von Nageli, KW, Denschr Schweiz Naturforsch Ges 33 (1893):174, Berk (3) Abstract 5.

Crede, KSF, Ber Klin Wochenschr, 1901; 38:941.

Zhao, G, Stevens, SE, “Multiple Parameters for the Comprehensive Evaluation of the Susceptibility of Escherichia coli to the Silver Ion,” BioMetals, 1998; 11:27.

Sykes, G, “Disinfection and Sterilization” 2 nd Ed, (1965) Spon, London.

Tobler, T, Schweiz Med Wchnschr, 1922; 52:774.

Hill, WR, Pillsbury, DM, Argyria: The Pharmacology of Silver, The Williams & Wilkins Co., Baltimore, 1939; p. 169.

Voigt, J, Ztschr f d ges exper Med, 1926; 52:33-40.

Hall, RE, Bender, G, Marquis, RE, “Inhibitory and Cidal Antimicrobial Actions of Electrically Generated Silver Ions,” J Oral Maxillofac Surg, 1987; 45:783.

McHugh, GL, et al., “Salmonella typhymurium Resistant to Silver Nitrate, Chloramphenicol and Ampicillin,” Lancet, 1975; 1:235.

Summers, AO, et al., “Metal Cation and Osyanion Resistances in Plasmids of Gram Negative Bacteria,” In: Schlessinger, edit. Microbiology, Am Soc Microbiol, Washington, DC, 1978.

Bridges, K, et al., “Gentamicin and Silver Resistant Pseudomonas in a Burn Unit,” Br Med J, 1979; 1:446.

Hamilton-Miller, JM, Shah, S, Smith, C, “Silver Sulfadiazine: A Comprehensive in vitro Reassessment,” Chemotherapy, 1993; 39:405-9.

Grier, N, “Silver and Its Compounds,” In: Disinfection, Sterilization and Preservation, S. Block, edit. Lea & Febiger, Philadelphia, PA, 1983, p. 385.

Fox, CL, “Silver Sulfadiazine – A New Topical Agent,” Arch Surg, 1968; 96:184-8.

Becker, RO, Spadaro, JA, “Treatment of Orthopaedic Infections with Electrically Generated Silver Ions,” J Bone Jt Surg, 1978; 60:871-81.

Etris, S, “Clinical Experiments Show Silver Compound Can Help AIDS Patients: Researchers Say Silver Oxide Offsets AIDS Loss of Immune Response,” In: The Silver Institute’s Silver News – February-March 1998; www.silverinstitute.org

Kim, TN, et al., “Antimicrobial Effects of Metal Ions (Ag +, Cu 2+, Zn 2+) in Hydroxyapatite,” J Mater Sci Mater Med, 1998; 9:129-34.

Berger, TJ, et al., “Electrically Generated Silver Ions: Quantitative Effects on Bacterial and Mammalian Cells,” Anti Microb Agents, 1976; 9(2): 357-8.

Zhao, G, Stevens, SE, “Multiple Parameters for the Comprehensive Evaluation of the Susceptibility of Escherichia coli to the Silver Ion,” BioMetals, 1998; 11:28.

Hill, WR, Pillsbury, DM, Argyria: The Pharmacology of Silver, The Williams & Wilkins Co., Baltimore, 1939; p. 169.

Duhamel, BG, “Electro Metallic Colloids, Etc.,” The Lancet, January 13 th, 1912.

Simpson, WJ, Hewlett, RT, “Experiments on the Germicidal Action of Colloidal Silver,” The Lancet, December 12 th, 1914; p. 359.

Sanderson-Wells, TH, “A Case of Puerperal Septicemia Successfully Treated with Intravenous Injections of Collosol Argentum,” The Lancet, February 16 th, 1916; p. 258.

Fuller, AW, “Epidemic Encephalitis of Severe Type,” The Lancet, July 24 th, 1926; 2:172.

“Colloidal Solutions and Artificial Enzymes,” Brit Med J, February 3 rd, 1912; 6:252-4.

Marshall , CR, Killoh, GB, “The Bactericidal Action of Collosols of Silver and Mercury,” Brit Med J, January 16 th, 1915; 1:102-3.

Roe, AL, “Collosol Argentum and its Ophthalmic Uses,” Brit Med J, January 16 th, 1915; 3:104.

Morris, M, “The Therapeutic Effects of Colloidal Preparations,” Brit Med J, May 12 th, 1917; 1:617.

Pilcher, JD, Sollmann, T, “Organic, Protein and Colloidal Silver Compounds: Their Antiseptic Efficiency and Silver-Ion Content as a Basis for Their Classification,” The Journal of Laboratory and Clinical Medicine, 1923; p. 301-10.

Cliver, DO, et al., “Biocidal Effects of Silver: Contract NAS 9-9300 Final Technical Report,” University of Wisconsin, February 1970; p. 5.

In vitro investigations published on letterheads from Departments of Microbiology, Pathology, Infectious Diseases, Immunology, and Biology. Etc… from such universities as: Johns Hopkins, Northwestern Univ. Medical School, Queen’s University, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Georgetown University Medical Center, NYU Medical Center, University of Nebraska, University of Massachusetts, etc…circa 1996-1998.

Ibid.

Odev, K et al., “Sonographically Guided Percutaneous Treatment of Hepatic Hydatid Cysts: Long-Term Results,” J Clin Ultrasound, Nov-Dec 2000; 28(9): 469-78.

Etris, S, “Clinical Experiments Show Silver Compound Can help AIDS Patients: Researchers Say Silver Oxide Offsets AIDS Loss of Immune Response,” In: The Silver Institute’s Silver News – February-March 1998; www.silverinstitute.org

Dean, W, et al., “Reduction of Viral Load in AIDS Patients with Intravenous Mild Silver Protein – Three Case Reports,” Clinical Practice of Alternative Medicine, Spring, 2001.

Tokumaru, T, Shimizu, CL For, “Antiviral Activities of Silver Sulfadiazine in Ocular Infections, “ Res Com Chem Pathol Pharmacol, 1974; 8(1): 151.

Chang, TW, L Weinstein, “In vitro Activity of Silver Sulfadiazine Against Herpesvirus hominis,” J Infect Dis, Jul 1975; 132(1): 79-81.

Becker, RO, Spadaro JA, “Treatment of Orthopedic Infections with Electrically Generated Silver Ions,” J Bone Jt Surg, 1978; 60-A: 871.

Chu, CC, et al., “Newly Made Antibacterial Braided Nylon Sutures. 1. In vitro Qualitative and in vivo Preliminary Biocompatibility Study,” J Biomed Mater Res, 1987; 21:1281.

Dietch, EA, et al., “Silver-Nylon Cloth: In vitro and in vivo Evaluation of Antimicrobial Activity,” J Trauma, 1987; 27:301.

Haeger, K, “Preoperative Treatment of Leg Ulcers with Silver Spray and Aluminum Foil,” Acta Chir Scand, 1963; 125:32.

Marchant, RE, Miller, KM, Anderson, JM, “In vivo Leukocyte Interactions with Biomer,” J Biomed Mater Res, 1984; 18:1169.

Modak, SM, Sampath, L, Fox, CL, “Combined Use of Silver Sulfadiazine and Antibiotics as a Possible Solution to Bacterial Resistance in Burn Wounds,” J Burn Care, July/August, 1988; 9(4): 359.

Spadaro, JA, Becker, RO, “Some Specific Cellular Effects of Electrically Injected Silver and Gold Ions,” Bioelectrechem Bioenergetics, 1976; 3:49.

Webster, DA, et al., “Silver Anode Treatment of Chronic Osteomyelitis,” Clin Orthop, 1981; 1961:105.

Shvets, I, DeLaurentis, M, Beard, RB, Pourreyzaei, K, Trans 20 th Annual Meeting – Society for Biomaterials, Boston (1994).

DeLaurentis, M, Shvets, I, Beard, RB, Pourreyzaei, K, Trans 20 th Annual Meeting – Society for Biomaterials, Boston (1994).

Beard, RB, DeLaurentis, M, Pourrezaei, K, Adrian, S, “Stimulation, Recording Potential and Antimicrobial Medical Catheter Coatings,” Metal-Based Drugs Vol 1, 5-6 (1994):445-458, Freund Pub House Ltd, London.

Our Product | Our Lab | Q & A's | Testimonials | Library | Links | Contact | About Us | Order Online
© 2005 Natural-Immunogenics Corp. All Rights Reserved.

Website Design and Hosting by Radical Webs Inc, Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Our Product:
Why Sovereign Silver

Silver Species

Comparative Analysis

Benefits of Silver

History of Silver

Dosage Information

Safety

News
Particulate vs. Ionic Silver – The End of the Debate

The premise that ‘particulate’ (elemental) silver is the only true colloid and that only it is effective as an antimicrobial was spurious from the beginning.

See all news articles »
Events
December 02, 2005

NNFA - SOHO
Orlando

See all events »Argentyn 23
Our Professional Formulation

More Information coming soon...

More... An Indepth History of Silver

Posted with permission from Dr. Eric J. Rentz. In recognition of his elegant style and rich content.

Historic Perspectives on Clinical Use and Efficacy of Silver
by Eric J. Rentz, DO, MSc

Prior civilizations
Since ancient times silver has been highly regarded as a versatile healing tool. In ancient Greece, Rome, Phoenicia, and Macedonia, silver was used extensively to control infections and spoilage. , Hippocrates, the “Father of Medicine,” taught that silver healed wounds and controlled disease. Around 400 B.C. he listed as a singular treatment for ulcers “the flowers of silver alone, in the finest powder.” Herodotus describes how the King of Persia carried with him boiled water in silver flagons to prevent sickness. In 69 B.C., silver nitrate was described in the contemporary pharmacopoeia.

The popularity of medicinal silver especially arose throughout the Middle East from 702 A.D. through 980 A.D. where it was widely used and esteemed for blood purification, heart conditions, and used to control halitosis.

Paracelsus (circa 1520) extensively used silver medicinally, and later Caradanus, Pareus, and Sala also used it. For example, Angelus Sala used silver nitrate to successfully treat chorea, tabes dorsalis (syphilis), and, it is doubtable, epilepsy. These crude and inferior forms of silver were reported by Sala to rarely cause the bluish-hue skin discoloration (argyria) due to overuse. It is widely thought that during the Middle Ages silver utensils and goblets contributed a bluish-hue to the skin-tone of the upper class, resulting in the term “blue-bloods.” Plausibly, “born with a silver spoon in his mouth” was coined during that time for the same reason, as an attribute for describing the good fortune of being healthy more than being wealthy. Blue-bloods were noted to have been afforded a measure of protection from the rampant plagues common to Europe in those centuries.

During the wars with Napoleon, the armies of Tsar Alexander used water casks lined with silver to clean drinking water from rivers and streams. This practice by the Imperial Russian army was continued through World War I and by some units in the Soviet Army in World War II.

Raulin recorded the first description of the water cleansing effect by silver in 1869. He observed that Aspergillus niger could not grow in silver vessels.

Modern Research using the Scientific Method
In 1861, Thomas Graham found that certain solutions would pass through a membrane and others would not. He found a stable, intermediate state of matter, and was able to describe it. Graham’s discovery was that substances could enter a solution in such a manner that they exhibit characteristics that are quite different from those of a true solution. He applied the term “colloidal” (from kolla = glue) to this intermediate state, as glue, gelatin, and related substances were the most obvious to him as being in this unique state.

The Swiss botanist von Nageli recorded one of the amazing discoveries of the nineteenth century in 1869. Von Nageli coined the term “oligodynamic” to describe the microbiocidal properties of a metal hydrosol (e.g. copper, silver and tin) at minute concentrations. , In 1884, Crede introduced the use of 1% silver nitrate for the prevention of ophthalmia neonatorum. By 1897, silver nitrate began to be used in America to prevent blindness in newborns and is still used today. , By 1910, Henry Crookes had documented that certain metals, when in a colloidal state, had strong germicidal action, but were harmless to human beings. The oligodynamic concept has motivated the development of many antimicrobial processes and products.

One of the water purification developments that took place in 1928 was the development of katadyn silver, described as a porous metallic, spongy mesh that attempts to maximize surface area. This silver meshwork also contains a small quantity of gold or palladium. Katadyn silver has been used inside flasks, storage containers and with water filters.

During the last century, advances in pharmacological manufacturing methods sought to harness this time-valued strategy expressed in nearly all silver formulations. Yet early manufacturing methods rarely created high quality, homogenous oligodynamic Ag +. Nevertheless, more than 96 different silver medicinals (many used intravenously) were in use prior to 1939, as documented by The Council on Pharmacy and Chemistry of the American Medical Association. ,

A project begun at the State University of New York by Robert Becker and associates involved a silver nylon product in the early 1970’s. This project was originally instigated in order to find an electromagnetic shield. Instead, it lead to the revolutionary discoveries by Becker of silver’s unique antimicrobial properties, and his discovery that silver ions could induce fibrocytes to dedifferentiate into stem cells and back again. One of Becker’s research associates, A. Bart Flick, continued work in this area for professional and commercial applications. As a result, Flick has filed patents in 1994, 1996 and 2000 for silver-based wound dressings that are far superior to anything that has ever been available before. He has also obtained approval for these dressing from the US Food and Drug Administration. Because of the success of these silver dressings, many other medical product manufacturers have filed for their own parallel products.

In the early 1970’s silver topical salves, such as silver sulfadiazine, provided superior control and prophylaxis in severe burn cases. Today, multiple drug resistant (MDR) microbes are challenging this formulation’s effectiveness, but we shall review how state-of-the-art silver protocols and formulations offer superior protection against microbial strategies for acquiring resistance.

To date, absolute microbial resistance to medicinal silver has not been scientifically established. Several studies indicated that some bacterial species have physiological mechanisms that circumnavigate silver’s toxicity. , , , Although it is clear that some pathogens have mechanisms to survive exposure to silver, these mechanisms are limited when compared to higher life forms. Herein lie all the clues necessary to identify strategic silver therapeusis that pathogens are unlikely to survive.

It is probable that pathogens lack sufficient defense mechanisms to circumvent the toxic effects of silver ions when oligodynamic silver is delivered in sufficient, physiologically compatible quantities. In fact, the “apparent” resistance of microbes to silver was mistakenly made by many who failed to notice and identify: (a) insufficient oligodynamic Ag + particle concentrations, (b) inadequate protocols, or (c) improper procedures. Reports that multiple-drug-resistant (MDR) pathogens (i.e., MRSA and Acinetobacter spp.) were truly resistant to silver proved to be erroneous. Grier stated, “Some so-called Ag + resistant microorganisms may result from an apparent neutralization of the metal’s inhibitory action or other assay artifacts. These include the presence of chelators such as serial amino acids, constituents of hard water, different buffers, light, incubation temperature, and particularly, soluble components of trypticase soy agar (TSA) and tryptose glucose extract agar (TGE).”

With the advent of antibiotic therapy, medicinal silver products fell largely into disuse (circa 1940 -1945), with the notable exceptions of topical silver salves and neonatal eye drop preparations. These salves advanced the science of “silver salt-derived” Ag + delivery and effectiveness in the mid 1960’s. Then, during the mid 1970’s, several papers were published that utilized electrically activated silver probes as delivery systems for targeted oligodynamic Ag + strategies. The interest in such strategies continues to grow to the present, with high efficacy being obtained for viral vectors such as HIV, and resistant bone and dental infection.

Sufficient defense capacity to mitigate morbidity clearly exists in higher organisms, including humans (with the exception of medically benign argyria). Zhao and Stevens state that, “With the rise of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, silver is re-emerging as a modern medicine because all pathogenic organisms have failed to develop an immunity to it (Ag +).”

In vitro Studies

The medical literature of the early 20 th century regarding silver provides an important cautionary lesson from the past. Previous scientists, who were either supporters or detractors of silver medicinals, typically expressed equivocal knowledge and misapplied context because they failed to recognize silver speciation. This fault undermined their definitive knowledge about silver. Correct and in-context discernment of silver’s Therapeutic Threshold remains illusive to most investigators even today. This “box” perception about silver will continue to lose its limitations as technology continues to prove itself outside of that box in the coming decades.

Clinical reports on silver medicinals began to flood into the various medical journals worldwide at the start of the last century. Initially, the Journal of the American Medical Association took a negative position. But within 11 years, a true revolution in medical practice with silver medicinals occurred that did not subside until the U.S. government’s purchase of the patent rights to penicillin (circa 1940). Throughout this time period (1920 through 1942), JAMA articles were replete with oral (per os) and intravenous clinical reports of the efficacy and side effects of silver medicinals. In tandem with research in America, Great Britain published prominently in such respected journals as The Lancet and the British Medical Journal. ,

Perhaps the first definitive attempt to comprehensively evaluate the efficacy and variety of silver medicinals was published by the Department of Pharmacology of the Medical School of Western Reserve University, Cleveland, circa 1923. In terms of efficacy, this landmark study arguably established “silver nitrate” as the benchmark for all silver medicinals. Unfortunately, the excitement this study produced simultaneously placed at risk subgroups of patients susceptible to symptoms of argyria. Had the technology then existed to create vast surface areas with “pure hydrosols of oligodynamic Ag +” not only would such products have revealed their greater potency over that of silver nitrate; but also, argyric thresholds would have been nearly impossible to attain during any course of therapy. Oligodynamic (picoscale) surface area enables maximal exposure of silver particles in the least amount of volume, thus achieving potency several orders of magnitude over suspensions of much higher ppm- silver speciations (which necessarily manifest inferior surface area exposures). In other words, technology today can produce smaller quantities of silver that are vastly more potent than was ever historically possible. The result is a dramatic elucidation of the Therapeutic Index, resulting in unprecedented safety, efficacy, and dimension to protocol parameters.

For example, beginning in 1970 at the University of Wisconsin, under contract from NASA to determine the biocidal effects of silver, researchers were able to determine that lethal effects of silver ions could be reliably reproduced at concentrations of only 250-ppb when exposed to infectious agents over two hours or less in vitro. These researchers even found that even 50-ppb over four hours or less achieved a significant biocidal effect. The University study with laboratory-produced silver ions worked extremely well, although the extinction times were long. Follow-on investigations of these early silver medicinals failed to exert adequate lethal effects upon antibiotic resistant infectious organisms. However, as technology advanced, these highly resistant organisms were again found to succumb to the lethal effects of new silver medicinals. Additionally, extinction times proved to be dramatically lessening.

In vivo Studies

At the height of its popularity (from 1900 through 1940), a fair estimate of humans given intravenous silver medicinals worldwide exceeded several million. The shear scale of its utilization defined and confirmed silver medicinals as effective anti-microbials.

During my training as a medical student, I had an opportunity to witness several of my elder attending physicians using various silver formulas in their clinical practice. It was fascinating to me that silver medicinals were widely used by one generation of clinicians, yet this therapeutic approach simply ended by my generation. Why? In terms of safety and efficacy, was there a justification for abandonment of this approach?

One recent and noteworthy in vivo study published in the Journal of Clinical Ultrasound (2000) reported on a protocol involving puncture, aspiration, injection, and re-aspiration (PAIR) with silver nitrate directly into hepatic hydatid cysts with beneficial long-term results. Other preliminary evidence in vivo suggests that both hepatitis-C virus (HCV) and HIV , and other viral vectors, as well as in vitro studies on herpes, and the worst bacterial scourges (i.e., antibiotic resistant disease vectors) may become events of the past via the judicious and strategic use of a state-of-the-art silver medicinal and delivery system. , , , , , , ,

Antimicrobial coatings for the inside and outside of medical catheters using silver have been developed for latex, polyurethane and Teflon devices. These silver coatings are very effective at blocking bacteria, such as E coli and S aureus, from entering the body along a catheter pathway. , ,

At the present time, in vivo studies concerning the efficacy of oral (per os) and intravenous use of state-of-the-art picoscale oligodynamic Ag + are just beginning. Given the high technology formulated silver

Beth I just wanted to say youre a real asshole for posting such long bullshit so nobody could find the good information were really looking for! Next time just post a link you damn idiot!

To everyone else I hope its getting better for you.

Please be careful if you take rifampin. I had a MRSA infection on my thigh in Feb. 2004, was in the hospital for 5 days on on Levaquin for 3 weeks. Had another MRSA infection on my other thigh in Oct. 2004, had to had the boil drained (surgery) was in the hospital for 8 days and was put on vancomyacin and rifampin for 21 days. THEN, IN EARLY DECEMBER I started feeling very sick tired run down, like I was getting a flu but much worse. My doctor kept on taking blood tests and CAT scans because my liver enzymes were getting higher and higher. Anyway I wound up in the hospital for 37 days with acute hepatitis. My doctor felt it was drug induced heaptitis from the Rifampin plus the Lipitor and Macrobid I was taking for bladder infections. On my last day in the hospital a rheumatologist saw me, sent me for extensive blood work and definitely diagnosed my problem as LUPUS. She said the hepatitis was Autoimmune hepatitis.
Nevertheless, my primary doctor and I think the Rifampin played a big part in all of this.

Hi everyone. I contracted MRSA about a year ago from who knows where. The first two sores i had were mistakenly diagnosed as brown recluse bites, and became very nacrotic. I have continued to get the boils in waves of about 4 or 5. Everytime my doctors have perscribed a combo of septra and rifampin (with the exception of the first two---which got so bad, that my body was turning septic...thus the ole vanco and hospital stay--yuck). Even in between these outbreaks, however, i feel really tired and worn down---almost unable to perform the simplest tasks...is this normal??? I sleep A LOT. Are the drugs working? Do i just keep re-contracting this (i've done EXTENSIVE de-colonization regiments)? Definitely getting agitated/concerned. It's affecting my college progress---which is very upsetting...anyway...any answers? lemme know.
thanks...and 2 all the people going through this---i feel ya

Hi to you all. I contracted MRSA in the fall of 2000 after abdominal surgery. I was re-admitted to the hospital 14 days post-op with the raging fevers, and dehydration. My electrolytes were so screwed up that normal saline (injected to flush the IV lines) burned like liquid fire. The nurses thought I was crazy. Before this happened, my blood vessels were close to the surface, a very easy stick for lab work. During my hospitalization and since, my vessels roll, are small and deep. Some are even knotted in appearance on the surface. There has never been any improvement, and in fact my vessels worsen a little each year. If anyone has had any of these problems, and wants to compare notes, please email me at mtnivey@aol.com
Thanks for sharing.

Last week my hubby was diagnosed with mrsa! Well the boil like sores he had was the same sores i have been getting for 25 years! I have been to hundreds of doctors and noone knew what the problem was, they would give me antibodies(not the right ones) and then want to do surgery without knowing what was wrong! When the dr. told hubby he was putting both of us on antibodies that was targeted for MRSA because this is what he suspected i almost fainted! I was a paramedic for years(after i already had the infection)Had been tested through physicals etc and checked out fine (don't think i was tested directly for mrsa) and never thought this is what the boils were under my arms. I have horrible scars, i will not wear sleeveless shirts etc. I now and getting them under my breast etc! This is the most horrible thing, I always wondered how i dealt with the pain of these things for 25 years! Now that we know what it is , i am even more scared! We are both on the first script of sntibodies(day 6) and i am sick every day from it! Feel like i am prego again!!!
Hope everyone here gets better and i am so glad to found this site!!!

I have been a microbiologist for 20 years, my opinion is that the best therapy for the future lies with Bacteriophage therapy. Bacteriophages are viruses that replicate and kill bacteria - simple as that, the 'poorer' regions of Russia have little or no problems in their hospitals with MRSA. Their hospitals look grubby, but they have an incredibly low level of post operative infections.
Tijuana Mexico will soon have its own Phage Therapy centre (early 2005) check it out, also check out the amazing reports of MRSA being 'cured' by bacteriophages.

Sorry guys forgot the link

phagetherapy@phagetherapycenter.com

from Florida to Washington, it has spred quickly.I live in tacoma WA.I found out a friend has M.R.S.A. AND WANTED TO KNOW MORE ABOUT THIS NASTY KILLER.The second day of my research an ex-girlfriend stopped by for no reason and told me of her 6 week battel with M.R.S.A.After reading this website I am afraid to be around my friends.The mall seems like a terrable place to get an infection if the nasil passages are the carrier or receptor.I do believe the collidal silver might help topicly or spraying up nostrils.I will pray for a quick reform of our govermnents slow and lack of compassion way of dealing with these epidemic and life changeing new infections.If you think you are infected or even might be,please get to the doctor and demand a test for MRSA before you infect your family and friends.It seems that early detection is a large factor when healing of this epidemic type of infection.

I did not know so many people have this. My doctor just told me last week that it was becoming more common, but I didn't believe him. I got my first case of MRSA at the end of January and let it go because I wasn't sure what it was. I finally was talked into going to urgent care, but was given a antibiotic and wound culture, and sent home with another antibiotic. I was called a few days later and was told I needed to take something stronger. That still didn't work, so my regular doctor put me on yet another antibiotic. When that still didn't work, I called my dr. and was told that there was nothing that they could do for me anymore. Not even telling me where to go or who to see. Now, almost 2 months later it is still pretty bad, and now I've given it to my sister. We're now both seeing an infectious disease doctor, but hers is getting better because they caught it sooner and wicked it. Now, because of everything that they have given to me and stopped me from taking, I might have a case of bacteria in my intestine.
At least I don't feel so alone with this now. Hope everyone gets better soon!

Ive been reading the stories on MRSA from this site, I just happened to find this site by looking for schools,anyway my son was 6 yrs. old when he came in contact with MRSA he was one of the first person to get this the first time he was put in the hospital at childrens he spent 3 weeks there, it started with a sore like a pimple on his knee and I didnt think much of it he went away for the weekend and when I picked him up on a Sunday he was doubled over with pain in his stomach and a fever of 105 and his knee swelled up to the size of a golf ball I rushed him to the hospital and they found posion in him so they drained it he spent the night there then went home the next day. At this time they didnt know what it was, then within a week or so his butt was hurting I checked him and he had sores all over his but and the pain started in his stomach again, by the time we got him to the hospital he had a total of 30 sores on his butt and legs at this time he was admitted for 3 weeks at this time they had done tests on him and cheacked over his body and found a huge scar under his arm pitt and asked what happened? I told them a couple months prior to the sores he fell on a city yard fence and it cut him 3in deep and ran through his chin at this time they did a test on him for MRSA and came back positive this happened in 2003 on Easter and he`s been in and out of the hospital at least 5 times and at one point they did surgey on a sore on his butt and packed it with 3ft of packing when he was released they had a nurse come to the home to remove some packing every day now I can honstly say he hasnt had a bat for about 7 months thank god! But now my husband has came in contact with it from my son he he`s been in the hospital 3 times for this and we found out this is highly contagest, Right now Im trying to get a attorney for this matter because the fence he got cut on is out dated and has wire across the top,but the doctors didnt have very much info. on this in 2003 just a sentence in the medical books they did give him bacorban for the nose because the virus lives in the nose and intervien Vicomiscon not sure how to spell that one! anyway I just wanted to tell my story to

Ive been diagnosed with having staph infection and conbinations that doc's call growth of normal slora skin. I remember that at age 12 my apendix had to be removed and was told i could of got this infection in the hospital.
My infection is maintained on my ass and are extremly uncomfortable and eventully will always erupt.
Today im going back to my dermatologist for IM ROCEPHIN 1GRM injection 1 time only they say will cure this problem I have Im now 22 and hope to have cosmetic surgry to remove the damaging scars that is skin deep in the area. Im told that I have to keep in mind they will come back and can grow painfully back threw the scars.

I dont know how I came upon this page but I am certainly glad I did.Feb2004 i had a "hairbump" then grew like a softball went 2 the er they lanced it gave me bactrium n sent me home. An hour later I passed out. Two days later my entire left side is swollen n hot n my temp wont go down my vision was double i was givin up. They admitted me for surgery that night but no one is tellin me the "patient" anything. When i awaken from surgery I still dont know anything..Im thinkin i had a spider bite or hair bump that got infected. But then Im n a hospital room alone i have no insurance so its strange 2 me. I cant have any vistors with no explanation. Not one nurse will tell me whats wrong with me. Finally I talked a nurse who was takin my vitals n the middle of the night can she plz tell me what was happenin 2 me. She brought a mirror so I could see my surgery wound it was 5 inches wide n bout 6 inches deep mayb.She hadn't seen my chart so she wasnt much help but at least then I knew some of what was happenin.Six days into my hospital stay my mom comes to see me she's an LVN she looks at my chart and asks me did i know i was n isolation? no I did not. She tells me that i was born with an immune disorder and i already knew my kidneys were displaced and im bipolar so my heart sank. The doctor that trearted me wouldnt explain mrsa or tell me how i got it. It's been a year now with my immune system the way it is it s not going away anytime soon. Im covered n spots I feel like a leper.Just when some start to finally heal more show up. Im not on any type of medicaid so Im fightin a losing battle hear they always show up and I mean im covered from head to toe . Its spread to my 3yr old daughter but her immune system is ok so she doesnt look like she has it.I did talk to one doctor n he said it colonizes like remission but mines never seems to go away so i stay n the house as much as possible because i feel contagious and contaminated. I can go outside anyway because when i sweat it gets into my sores n burns takin a shower the scabs come off thats painful and without financial help to live as sanitary as possible im losing this fight but i no longer feel so alone. Sumtimes i feel like an aids patient like i have the same outcome beacuse i cant shake this mrsa and i cant get medicaid to manage it either

well, it has been about 10 weeks now since my last antibiotics and so far so good. i still get little wierd sores but i wash the hell out of them with antibacterial wash, then i peroxide then wickedly, then i antibiotic cream them and they seem to heal up without turning big and painful. but at my last visit with the infectious disease dr he told me that once you get it you can never really get rid of it, you just have to keep it under control. now i really do want to find a lawyer, since they informed me i will never be rid of what they have given me. i have gone septic twice and i worry which one will be the last. your heart and organs can only handle that so many times. so im thinking if they have given a death sentence they should pay to raise my little kids. they will never have the same mother back, i am always so burnt out. has anybody been able to get some information on a lawyer that will handle something like this or is it a hopless case?

Was first diagnosed with staph on 10/1/04 and then MRSA on 10/19 (I was hospitalized for an auto accident on 9/17, but docs SWEAR I must have picked up MRSA from a community source -- not hospital). Since then I've had 8 separate episodes and have been on all the penicillins, vancomycin IV, Zyvox, Levaquin, Dicloxicillin, and three courses of Doxycycline w/Rifampin. I've been seeing an ID doc, but he keeps telling me there is nothing they can do. My fiance contracted the MRSA on my 6th recurrence and is on his 3rd treatment. For some reason, my ID doc thinks that we could be being re-exposed, 2nd "expert" thinks it is just not getting out of our systems. Any advice would be appreciated -- we have found nothing that helps -- the boils and abscesses are intolerable, the flu-like symptoms are also pretty bad.

We have noticed, however, that it seems like after about 1 week after the antibiobics are finished and life gets back to normal and we start getting more physically active that the infection pops back up again -- almost as if we didn't resume normal activities or physical exercise, the MRSA stays dormant. It took 6 weeks for the last episode to reaccur. And for 4-5 weeks I was not very active due to new PT on my neck, shoulder and upper back. After I was released to normal activity and picked up the physical exercise (we were both very active with biking, running, etc. before the MRSA) the infection came back IMMEDIATELY. In fact, I made an appt over the weekend to see physiatrist because I felt so bad I thought I had reinjured by neck and shoulder. By Monday morning after Saturday afternoon, I was covered in boils, abscesses and running fever.

My physiatrist actually prescribed a high does of vitamins, B complex, Malic acid, acidopholous (plus "shake" of yogurt, berries, bananas, fruit juices, flax once a day), maca (for energy) and goji berries (very expensive and have to be shipped, but apparently extremely high in vitamin C and a variety of anti-oxidants). Will see how this homeopathic treatment works during this 3rd round of Doxycycline and Rifampin (which is not working as well it did first two times) and post again if have success.

Also wanted to post that fiance and I have both had Rx bactrim nose swabs for 14 days each time. FINALLY, doc actually cultured our nasal passages last week after 8th recurrence -- guess what? NO MRSA! Apparently, we are not colonized with the MRSA as docs seem to think is so common.

Apparently, one of us -- more than likely me due to hospitalization 7-10 days prior to first outbreak -- contracted the MRSA through an open wound since neither have had a recent surgery.

Also, again with the spider bites -- even after I was diagnosed with MRSA, my fiance went to doc and told him my history when a boil errupted on his leg -- they still insisted treating as a spider bite until it would not heal.

Has anyone been prescribed daptomycin (Cubicin)? Apparently was taken off the market for a period of time, but is specific for MRSA, more specifically skin lesions and sepsis, not pneumonia MRSA or organ infection.

Do these staph infection ever go away? I've had six outbreaks, like many of you, was initially misdiagnosed, the first MD didn't even take more than a glance at the huge boil and prescribed Augmentin, of course that did nothing. My condition escalated and ultimately-but only after becoming very aggressive with my primary physican-did I get Vancomycin. I thought I was "cured", but no, went hiking, scratched the front of my shin, within the week, literally in 24 hours the infection spread (alarming rate). Put on more anti-biotics, again, should have been cured and I had another outbreak this time on my left rear thigh. I just finished yet another round of anti-biotics. What does the future hold? Not six weeks doesn't go by that I don't have another outbreak!!! I'm so upset by this, I've entertained suicidal thoughts. I'm active, athletic, healthy, no health problems until this, why? I wasn't in any hospital, prison, I don't have HIV, I'm not a drug user, I don't fit any of the groups that are considered high risk.
Not having decent health care (damn HMO's) nor getting any answers is truly frustrating and discouraging.
BTW-I did have MRSA-not sure if any of the recent outbreaks were, MRSA, they certainly were staph infections, ones that spread fast and aggressively.

Another question....if we all keep being put back on these anti-biotics, over and over again, won't we become totally anti-biotics resistent?
So basically, this is almost a death sentence, what do you think? WHat are the long term effects of anti-biotics? What "good" bacteria are they killing off? Why is the medical profession so ignorant?

After reading the comments on this site, I am convinced we are just the tip of the iceburg of this epidemic. I just found out that I too have MRSA after a diligent dermotologist cultured an infection. My general practioner treated me three other times with keflex, which seemed to do the trick, however another seemingly random infection would occur just a couple of weeks after the last. I am now healing from my fifth severe boil. The first appeared as a spider bite, just like many of the others have testified on this site. I had an instinct that there was more to this as both of my sons had terrible boils before me, but they were able to heal on their own. We figured theirs were somehow related to their football equipment. I questioned my doctor about this, but she dismissed it. I should have followed my instincts. In retrospect, I absolutely should have had a culture done on the spot. I have spent countless hours researching MRSA over the last several days. I have disinfected my entire house from floor to ceiling as I am suspicious that my husband and two sons and I are somehow unkowingly hosting this resilient staph in our home. The infectious nature of this bacteria increases the likelyhood that we have probably been cross-contaminating each other for months without even knowing it. From what I have learned, it appears it is possible to rid yourself of MRSA, but it takes much dilegence. My culture determined that tetracycline would fight this infection, so I am hopeful that extreme deligence, an immune boosting diet and other anti-bacterial measures will work against MRSA. I am now waiting for the result of a biopsy done on the most recent boil and I promise to report back with what I learn. I have taken many notes from previous postings on this site and I'm thankful that others have taken the time to share what they have learned.

Small correction to postings about Phage Therapy Center: the contact email address is mailbox@phagetherapycenter.com and their web site URL is http://www.phagetherapycenter.com. In addition, Phage International's web site, http://www.phageinternational.com, contains a large amount of general information about bacteriophage therapy.

A Phage Therapy Center clinic, staffed by Georgian physicians, will open in May, 2005 in Tijuana, Mexico.

My father had (even though the Dr's said he didn't) MRSA. He had surgery on his heart where they had to replace 12" of his aorta. He had to stay in the hospital for over 90 days. About 6 months later, he was told he had a staph infection in his lower back resulting from his long hospital stay. The infection (staph) stayed in his system from his surgery and settled in his spine. The doctors (thank god) had enough snap to do nuclear medicine in the area. No other test showed anything. Well he had surgery and was put on vanco. After three months the pain was not getting any better, so the doctor decided to go in again. This time they did a laminectomy and discectomy--which I questioned as to why they did not do that in the first place to make sure it was out of the area---but what do I know--ARGH!! Anyway, this time he was placed on vanco for another three months. Now you must know one thing about vanco--IT IS EXPENSIVE! Over $100.00 a day and medicare will not cover it unless you are in the hospital. Thank God my dad could afford it---what do others do that cannot? Well it has been a year now--no more infection--YEAH!! BUT.... the pain is still there and this once active man is now on a walker and pushing everyday to get up and try to lead a normal life.
I totally agree with the overuse of antibiotics and Dr's prescribing them even for some things that just need to run their course. Something needs to be done on research also. Out of all the medicines that are introduced each year, only about 2% are antibiotics. If we do not keep up with the new versions of MRSA--this infection will for sure be our doom. I also agree that everyone that enters the hospitals needs to be tested for MRSA and that the hospitals need to REALLY make sure that the staff is aware of just how serious this can be. I cannot tell you how many times when my dad was in the hospital, that the nurses and even the DR's would come into the room and would leave without even washing their hands. I called one Dr. on it one day. DUH! You would think that even knowing the wound they were touching was staph infected, that they would want to totally clean up. This has been over a two year ordeal, but things are looking up. Good luck to everyone who has had to go thru this. Try vancomycin -- but also remember--it is your LAST RESORT as there are not very many new drugs in the works.

Rec'd results from cultures of last outbreak 2 wks ago -- only "boils" showed MRSA. No other staph was present on my or my fiance's body. They did nose swabs, ear swabs, mouth swabs, skin cultures and vaginal culture for me. Apparently infection is (as OB/GYN suggested) living in our lymph or skin system. We are not community carriers -- the bacteria is not colonizing on the outside of our bodies and is not showing up in blood. Now we are at a complete loss -- we do not have to reinjure ourselves for the infection to start up in boils and/or abscesses. We are both now refusing ALL antibiotic treatment. To our knowledge the only antibiotic we have not been treated with is Cubicin and for some reason no one will prescribe it. We are now (at advice of 2 different docs because they are at a loss to explain)on homeopathic, preventative treatment. Series of particular foods, with vitamin therapy and herbs and occasional prescription pain reliever -- actually seems to be working much better than any of the antibiotics used in the past. Also, found out that mother-in-law does not have MRSA colonization. She has never had any outbreaks even though she is a dialysis patient and has frequent skin breaks. Therefore docs pretty much ruled out MRSA colonizing in house or among pets. We have disinfected though and continue to do so.

I HAVE RECENTLY FOUND OUT THAT MY GIRLFRIEND HAS CONTRACTED MRSA. EVEN THOUGH WE LIVE SEVEN HOURS AWAY I STILL CARE FOR HER DEARLY. I HAVE BEEN DOING ALOT OF RESEARCH AND I HAVENT FOUND ANYTHING THAT HAS SAID IT IS CUREABLE, IS IT?

GOING CRAZY IN FLORIDA!

Hard to reply to posts on this blog-- it reads like a long roll of paper. I did find several things of interest though. I am a microbiologist, and I have had several staph type infections from minor wounds since Feb 2005-- its a tough bug and hard to beat. Never had infections before. Like Texas fire ants, you can only hope for control. This bug may have a way to hide until you stop treatment-- then it comes back. This has happened to me several times after I thought the cut was healed. Infection can occur as late as 13 days after an injury. The hiding effect is in the pathology literature abstracts.

The treatment I found on this blog, and it seems to work on my latest outbreak strain is "Dakin's solution.":

"In fact, its a great old surgical antiseptic invented long before antibiotics, and still used, is Dakin's solution, which is basically 1/10th strength Clorox, with a little boric acid or salt. You put a little on a wound from a sprayer bottle, and just run it in over the tissue. Dead tissues disolve, and live tissues (with the proper defensive enzymes) get much less septic.
With new strains of Staph floating around, I suspect doctors are
going to get better (re)aquainted with Dakin's solution." --

Steve Harris, M.D.

I use 1 Qt water, 2 Teaspoons of bleach and 1 Teaspoon of salt. Soak gauze and keep it on the wound until it appears healed-- if pain and readness returns then retreat. Zinc Oxide ointment for diaper rash also seems to be benificial for times you can't be covered in gauze.

My husband got MRSA starting with boils on his knee, then one in his groin area. After the one in his groin area healed (?) he has had 8 months of excruciating pain in his hip joint which Dr.s are saying is arthritis. However, he never had it before the MRSA. Then about 6 months ago, I got a bite? on my inner thigh which ended up being MRSA. We have both been on all kinds of antibiotics, but keep having outbreaks every couple months. My HUGE concern is this... We are expecting our first grandchild in a couple weeks, and are terrified that we will give it to the baby. We are very cautious about washing hands, etc., but if it is still in our body, is the baby safe? Anyone with help for us, please email me at crossp@sbcglobal.net

Interesting abstract I found on staph's virulence-- took me a long time to find. Also read staph can colonize your pets as well as your family members! I also read MRSA is equal or even less virulent than run of the mill CAS staph-- good news unless you have it heheh.

Its a tough bug to beat, it has 12 or more tricks to defeat the body immune response, one is breaking down H30 (peroxide). I find its a good way to test for staph, if a wound fizzes explosively
its prob a staph infection. Wash peroxide off right away as it can damage healthy tissue.

Right now I use Dakin's solution on gauze; or Betadine ointment on any scrapes and sores. On small cuts I wash them well and use "New Skin" liquid (its like super glue) and its clear plus waterproof.

"Small Colony Variants - Another Mechanism by Which
Staphylococcus aureus Can Evade the Immune response and Antimicrobial Therapy:

Christof von Eiff and Karsten Becker.

Abstract (this is technical):

In the past, most studies have addressed the problem of antibiotic-resistant infectious diseases from the standpoint of classic forms of antibiotic resistance mainly founded on the possession of resistance genes. However, bacteria such as Staphylococcus aureus may have additional mechanisms for resisting therapy that extend beyond these classic mechanisms.

In patients whose acute infection initially responded to antimicrobial treatment and which recured after long disease-free intervals or with infections that persisted despite appropriate antibiotic treatment, small colony variants (SCVs) of S. aureus were recovered. A wide variety of bacterial species are known to form SCVs, but in particular in staphyloccoal infections a
renewed interest due to SCVs emerged in the last decade following the first description as dwarf-colony or G variants, since an association of the occuurence of S. aureus SCVs and persistent and relapsing infection was described. SCVs are a naturally occuring subpopulation which may be identified in the microbiological laboratory as nonpigmented, nonhemolytic, slow-growing pinpoint colonies. In addition, the often relatively unstable SCVs demonstrate a number of other characteristics that are atypical for S. aureus making the correct identification difficult, including:

reduced a-toxin production, delayed coagulase activity, failure to use mannitol and increased resistance to aminoglycosides and cell-wall active antibiotics. Most characteristics of the SCVs can be tied together by a common thread, which is alterations in electron transport.
S. aureus SCVs from clinical material are commonly auxotrophic for menadione and hemin, which are key co-factors for the formation of menaquinone and cytochromes, respectively, and are thus important components of the electron transport chain. While studies with clinical isolates of SCVs suggested a link between
persistent infections and electron transport defective strains or thymidine-auxotrophic SCVs, a defined hemB mutant mimicing the SCV phenotype provided additional evidence for these connections. In a model of endovascular infection to determine the intracellular persistence, it was demonstrated that > 200-fold more hemB-mutant cells persisted intracellularly after 24 or 48 hrs incubation relative to the parent strain.

The intracellular location of the SCV phenotype may shield this subpopulation from host defenses and antibiotics, thus providing
one explanation for the difficulty in clearing S. aureus SCVs from host tissues."

A word on Dakins solution for staph treatment.

http://yarchive.net/med/dakins.html

Beware of supermarket bleach or Clorox, all the bottles I had here were no good after several weeks of storage-- it breaks down quickly in the heat. You need to mix it fresh every day and keep it cold (in the fridge). I am working on a test for strength, but if it does not smell like bleach, its no good!

The broken down bleach will only irritate your skin and provide little benefit as an antimicrobial. I am looking into the powder which keeps in the dry for many years.

http://www.tps.com.au/pools/chlorine.htm

If you get the solution too strong, or its a sensitive area your skin may begin to itch. If this happens rinse the wound with dilute vinegar, then apply a soothing ointment like Desitin. Even if the infection is gone, it may take a couple of days to heal if the skin gets irritated.

If the sore is on thick skin you may try a crushed garlic poltice-- leave it on for 30 min or so, it may burn for a few minutes, but it gets rid of the staph. I now take garlic pills BID and have not had a bad infection, cold or flu since. I also use fresh garlic in cooking. Garlic contains many compounds, the action of all of these is not known.

Just wanted to update -- three weeks since last outbreak ended and I believe the natural approach is working best -- started using it one week into antibiotic cocktail (for the 8th time). Have a yogurt shake (natural yogurt) w/pineapple, banana, dark berries, maca powder (hard to find but believe has really improved my energy and immune system), local natural honey every day; 1/2 cup mixed goji berries and almonds 1 time a day; AT LEAST 15-20 8 oz cups of water; V8 juice; acidopholus; vitamin E; garlic; malic acid; every other day a B complex and an A&D. The goji berries are very high in vitamin C so I don't take that supplement. I've gone back to the gym (against doc as he thought I picked it up there -- without any kind of injury vs. hospital after I was in a car wreck -- yeah right) for 1 to 1 1/2 hrs a day of intensive cardio and weight training. Very limited refined sugar intake, but do eat dark chocolate.

I've had some small bumps reappear and immediately scrub them with the bleach solution -- even cuts and scrapes -- and then apply alternating raw honey and crushed garlic -- the most recent bumps have stayed very, very small. I believe the MRSA is in my lymphatic system and will stay until my body either reacts to it or a new drug is developed. At best I feel the only thing to do is control the outbreaks.

Also saw online reference to MRSA in pets -- most commonly dogs that suffer from skin infections -- so far have not seen in any pets -- but do have a cat that suffers from "rodent bite," but has for over 6 years and vet says that is not even close to same thing. Said more common for dogs to catch from humans as opposed to vice versa.

there was an article in yesterdays sioux falls argus leader about how the mrsa is becoming widespread in iowa.

I've had great success with acupunture in relieving the pain in my abcesses and boils and creating faster draining. The acupuncturist places needles around each infection, and within hours I see a dramatic difference in healing. A great alternative to drugs to relieve pain and speed up healing. As to the MRSA itself, now experimenting with a course of Zyvox, after taking Keflex (which my Infectious Disease doctor confirms WILL NOT work), Rifampin, Levaquin, Minocyclene, etc. If your Family Doctor seems to be stabbing in the dark or prescribing antibiotics that don't treat MRSA, get a referral to an Infectious Disease specialist ASAP. Am also about to experiment with Chinese medicine, and curious to try natural cures discussed above. I read that essential oils like oregano are successful because they are more complex than antibiotics and the staph bacteria cannot build resistance as easily, if at all. Make sure you get Oregano vulgaris, and not the food kind, as it is usually Oregano marjorum that is found in supermarkets. Wild Oats carries oregano oil that retails $20 a bottle, but a little goes a long way so it's fairly cost effective. I'm hoping a combination of western and natural / eastern treatments will do the job! Thanks to all for sharing stories and advice, this site is a great support network!

Burn Treatments?

Last week I got three 2nd degree burns on my hands while cooking dinner of greens, garlic and spices in a fry pan-- wet collard greens splattered some hot butter. Given my recent history I was sure they would get infected. One blister on top of my left pinkey was the size of a kidney bean, it came up that evening. The ones on my right hand didn't appear for 24hrs or more. Consulting the net, first-aid advice was: apply cold water soak for 15 minutes, and dress blisters-- do not break them!

After about 4 days the blisters went down then they broke. Treatment was wash hands with soap and water, rinse blisters with very dilute bleach solution or Listerine, then apply Betadine cream(ointment)before dressing with gauze. The dead skin came off in about a day leaving a red sore spot. I had to pull some of it off with sterile tweezers. I treated the red and raw skin with the disinfectant(s) and then applied Spinco burn pads one night. During the day I used either the Betadine or gauze wet with disinfectant. Dressings were changed at least twice every 24 hrs.

I am planning a trip to the ocean in a couple of days. Now I can protect the healing skin with new-skin liquid, or with Curad spray bandage. It will sting for a bit until it dries but is waterproof. The whole healing process took about 10 days, never saw a sign of infection. The burns were most painful for a few hours after the blistered skin peeled off, the Spinco pad soothed the stinging quickly.

I have also had a few scratches this month and a shaving rash, one thorn scratch or scrape on the back of my leg became mildly infected because I overlooked it at first; it looked minor, was scabbed over so I just dabbed a little iodine on it a couple of times. The shaving rash and scratch responded to dilute Clorox (1 teaspoon per quart)in a couple of days. I also used Desitin ointment on my neck.

The most important thing may be, don't leave even a minor wound cleaned and disinfected for more than 10 minutes; never break the chain of treatment-- this bug never sleeps and can grow rapidly.

I am still researching how to get rid of it, or 'uncolonize' myself. I guess, in some ways, its like cancer as we talk there of 5 year survivals or remissions.

My husband and I have been having these mystery spots for about 6 months now. We both have had several bigger than golf balls and I had one on my thigh that was bigger than a cantaloupe. Talking about the worst pain I have ever endured! It was tested and was staph. On the last episode I had with the "mystery spots" I was tested for MRSA by my doctor. The tests came back negative!!?? Now, I am so upset because my little girl (less than 2 years old) has one on her bottom and it has gotten so much bigger since yesterday! She is going to the doctor tomorrow and I'm getting her tested. Could MRSA tests be a false negative and my family really have this terrible ailment??

Recovering from MRSA - What worked for my sister

I put a post on this site on February 17th about my sister. She had been battling numerous infections, and was finally hospitalized with severe boils and nearly died with MRSA. It had invaded her lymph system and was close to invading her organs. It took an IV drip of 4 very powerful antibiotics, including Vanymycin, to stop her infection from spreading. But all the antibiotics did was just stall the infection, not get rid of it. Once she got home from the hospital and off the drugs, the MRSA came back with a vengeance.

Since her MRSA was obviously resistant to antibiotics, I sent her several natural remedies as a last resort. She had gotten really bad sick again and had seven or eight large boils under one armpit and about nine under the other one. The boils were so painful all she could do is lay in bed with her arms folded tightly. After two days of taking what I sent her, the boils started to go down. By day four they were about pea sized hard little lumps, almost gone, and did not hurt. She has been to the emergency room, in the hospital, to numerous doctors, told it was in her head, etc. and nothing has helped. She was very highly agitated that no one in the medical community told her that she could take natural remedies and colloidal silver and her boils would go away.

My heart goes out to all of you who are suffering from this terrible plague. It seems to me that the doctors really don't know what to do about the MRSA, half the time are not even diagnosing it correctly, and it's being kept out of the mainstream media to keep everyone from panicking. The sickness, the lack of medical help, the cost, pain, and depression really got to my sister. If you have reached the end of your rope, why not give the natural route a try. The way I see it, if nothing else is working and you are dealing with constant infection, what do you have to lose by trying this stuff? You can get it all at GNC or any other health food store, and probably spend less for everything together than the cost of one prescription of high priced antibiotic. I use GNC as an example, since they are just about everywhere.

Every person is different and reacts differently to herbs, drugs, etc. Its up to you to research all this for yourself if you are on any other medication, etc. Im not a doctor nor do I pretend to be one, but Im just relaying what helped my sister literally come back from the edge of death....... She has been sick for so long and her immune system is still down. She is not out of the woods yet, but she is alive and well, functioning at almost normal levels.

Here is what she is taking. I sincerely hope it will help some of you.

Colloidal Silver – She takes about 4 oz. in the morning and 4 oz. in the evening. I make it myself because its cheaper, but you can buy it in health food stores.
Olive Leaf Extract – 2 tablets three times a day – Available at GNC or health food store
Oregano Oil – 2-4 drops two times a day. Mix with small amount of water or food, very strong. - Available at GNC
Pau De Arco – 2 tablets three times a day. Natural antibiotic - Available at GNC or health food store
Kyolic Garlic pills – 2 tablets three times a day. Natural antibiotic. You can get these almost anywhere.
Sambucol liquid or Black elderberry extract pills - 2 tsp per day of Sambucol or take 4 -6 black elderberry pills per day. GNC
Powdered buffered vitamin C. – two tsp. dissolved in water per day. Grocery store, GNC
Coconut oil – 3 Tablespoons per day – kills bacteria and viruses and is good for you. GNC
Cinnamon – 1 tsp per day. Cinnamon helps with a lot of stuff and is anti bacterial and viral. Grocery store or you kitchen cabinet.
Probotics – take two three times per day, before or with meals as directed. This helps repair your digestive system destroyed by antibiotics. GNC
Papa enzymes or other enzymes to aid digestion. GNC

Good luck to all of you and I hope this helps someone.

While in the hospital for cardiac catheterization and stent placement, my friend contracted what doctors first said was MRSA and later indicated was mSsa - "susceptible" instead of "resistant" staph. He was treated with Vancomycin and Gentamycin at first (both by IV), and then switched to Nafcillin, including 10 days of IV Nafcillin every 6 hours, via a portable pump after he returned home. One nurse has commented that "he had the infection already on his skin" and that "it takes 12 days for the infection to develop" - he contracted the infection in the vein where the IV was inserted when he was in the emergency room. The cardiologist brought in an infectious disease specialist, who brought in a surgeon, who removed an 8-inch section of vein where the infection was present. The initial response to his complaints of pain at the IV site was for the nurse to offer warm wet wash clothes to relieve the swelling and pain!
I would appreciate hearing what others' experience has been, re: response from medical professionals. What should have been a 3-4 day stay turned into 10 days, and at twice the cost to his health insurance and him (co-pays and deductible).

I'm going thru my second round of MRSA, I'm misrible. My dermatologist found this and sent me to the CDC and Infectious desease control . I'm on Zyvox (for infection), Zonalon ointment(applied in the nose), Mupirocin ointment and atarax for the itching. I am allergic to Sulfa which was their first choice of treatment. My daughter and son also have this. We've traced it back to a hospital in Barstow Ca. My son was there last June with a broken ankle.

Hi i got mrsa about a month and a half ago. I do not have insurance and I am self-employed, I went to the doctor because my first symptoms was a pimple at the base of my penis and small red bumps that were on my testicles. My doctor got blood and urine test thinking I had an std, it came back negative, she was startled and told me she didnt know what could it be. I saw a news article on cnn about two highschool kids who died of mrsa and sugested to my doctor she took a sample. I got a lession at the base of my anus that is oozing, I have never experience so much pain in my life, I am very tired and have no energy it feels like life was zaped out of me. The test results came back positive for mrsa last friday. She admitted that in a thousand years she wouldnt suspected it was mrsa. She started a treatment of the drug DOXYCYCLINE-HYCLATE it is in pill form twice a day for forteen days, she sugested that I go see an infectious diseas specialist, my question is this a correct treatment for mrsa or should I insist in vanctomycin intravenous? please respond anybody who knows? God bless.

About 8 months ago , my boyfriend and I started breaking out in abcesses. One was misdiagnosed as a spiderbite...This occurrance was on Thanksgiving. Since then , between my boyfriend and I, we have had about 15 - 20 incidents of the same thing and countless emergency room visits and doctors appointments. These things start out the size of a small pimple and within 24 - 48 hrs , they become huge abcesses that are red and weeping sores filled with puss (r.e. Staph infection.). A few days ago , my boyfriend got one on his arm that limited the use of his arm and also his hand. He went to the doctor and was put on antibiotics. I finally have become sick of dealing with the pain and frustration and started looking for solutions over the internet and began reading about mrsa. I talked to my dad , who is an e.r. doctor in oregon and expressed my concern that we may be dealing with mrsa. My boyfriend had his follow up visit with his doctor and his lab results from the culture that was taken were positively identified as msra. It is current belief that we may both be mrsa carriers and are passing this back and fourth between the two of us. We were improperly diagnosed so many times and have been put on antiobiotics so many times that I am beginning to wonder if it will ever go away. Right now , I have a sore growing on my shoulder and my boyfriend may have another growing on his face. His doctor told my boyfriend to treat it as if we have fleas and to sterilize everything and we have been using hibicleanse for ages, which honestly only seems to irritate the skin even more. I spend so much time bathing and cleaning and washing our clothes and bedding. I am becoming so frustrated. Why did'nt they culture this in the first place , instead of putting us on antibiotics that have no effect? And does'nt that make it more difficult for our bodies to fight off future infections? Why are things like this not being cultured the first time instead of turning it into a long drawn out matter , when if done right the first time, would'nt there be more hope for quicker recovery? Sometimes I wonder if it is pure ignorance , laziness , or a way to milk more money out of us and our insurance carriers. My boyfriend and myself have both missed a lot of work because of mrsa and I am beginning to lose hope. the infection seems to clear up briefly with antibiotics , but always comes back rapidly. I feel dirty and contaminated and ashamed of the situation....Also scared. This is also affecting my relationship with my boyfriend because he has become insecure and seems to think that I blame him and am going to leave over this and does not realize that my love for him is uncondititonal and that, in a way , maybe this is bringing us closer. Unfortunate as the situation is. I have also been greatly offended my the medical staff I have had contact with because I ( and my boyfriend also) have been accussed of being drug users , which neither of us are , and been treated rather rudely . I feel that a great deal of the problem is either ignorance or that a great deal of people in the medical profession are getting burned out and just do not care in the greater metro areas. Are they forgetting that they took an oath to help people? Is this ever going to go away ? And I am beginning to wonder if we are going to live through this epidemic. At least 2 of our incidents were nearly fatal and we were still misdiagnosed for months on end. I used to be healthy , and until moving to the city of Portland, never had I seen anything as scary as this. I wonder how many people are going through this and I am willing to bet that it is only going to get worse as time passes and more people are not recieving the proper treatment and continue to spread this to others. I am willing to do just about anything to treat this ....Whether it is homeopathic....Or another antibiotic...ect.ect.....If anyone has any suggestions....Please contact me . My e-mail address is serrasfallenangel@hotmail.com If anyone has a solution that seems to work....please let me know. I want this battle to end. I have tried bathing my entire body in hibecleanse , taking multiple antibiotics, last time , they had me on two at once , I have changed my diet , sterilized every inch of my house....I have been surgically cut open....I have had to drain multiple infections all over my body....I have medical bills that I may never be able to pay off... The year before Before this incident began, my son was in an accident that put me over $30,000 in debt from medical bills. Now, I have added at least $3,000 to that in expenses from this mrsa. I cannot afford this. I need a solution to this problem.I am so scared that it is hard to even sleep at night...And stress does not help...For some reason,stress seems to make it spread faster. I am determined to find a solution before mrsa takes my life. I am 25 years old and have a lot of things I would like to accomplish in my lifetime .....Beating MSRA being one of them.

I first posted a message several weeks ago, after learning I have been dealing with MRSA since last November. After 5 difficult outbreaks, I was feeling as desparate as everyone else. I was finally cultured, which determined that the particular strain of MRSA was sensitive to tetracycline. I took a full month course and used many of the methods I learned about on this site to try to get rid of it. I have been free of any new infections for a month now. I've even had some suspicious looking "bug-bites" or "pimples" appear, which went away without any problems. What a relief. I recently met with an infectious desease doctor to arm myself with more information. Here's what I know: 1)staph lives in your nose - you HAVE to swab the inside of your nose twice a day for two weeks with an antibiotic ointment. Everyone in your home should do the same. Without this step, you could still harbor the staph even after your infection has healed. 2) Treat any scrape, bump or injury right away as if it's an invitation for infection. Cover with antibiotic ointment and a bandaid until healed. 3) Disinfect your surroundings. Wash towells after every use. Lysol spray comes in a formula which claims to kill MRSA. Spray it everywhere and often (except on your skin). 4) You can contact staph on shopping carts, shaking hands, borrowing someone's pen, just about anywhere. Many, many people carry it without being affected by it. The problem occurs when it finds an opening. 5) It's not a death sentence. My doctor told me you can harbor it for the rest of your life, or you can rid yourself of it and never be affected by it again. You have to be a warrior. Most importantly though, be on guard. Recognize the symptoms early and try to keep your immune system healthy. Eat well and stay stress free. Best of luck!

I have had two MRS bounts in the past year. Both on my thighs. The first one was treated with Levaquin and I was in the hospital for 5 days. The second time - 8 months later - I was in the hospital for 8 days and they had to lance the boil. I was put on an IV Vancomyacin and Rifampin - pill form 2 times a day. Two months later I was again in the hospital - this time for 5 1/2 weeks with severe hepatitis which my doctor feels was caused by Rifampin. a month after that I was diagnosed with Lupus, which the rheumatologist feels weekened my immune system and that is probably why I got MRSA.
WARNING - If you are given Rifampin ask a lot of questions. It definitely can cause hepatitis. 5 1/2 weeks is a very long time to be in the hospital. I woundn't wish it on anyone

My son has been diagnosed with MSSA but they are treating it like MRSA. He is 6 years old, and we first noticed about 6-7 spots that looked like spider bites. Well, after the first day the bites started to weep clear fluid. Then they turned into bumps spreading all over his arm, which then turned into blisters. Again the weeping and large sores. The doctor did a culture at the ER and stated it was strep bacteria. Well the strep turned into staph then went into cellulitis over a 3 day span. This infection, seemed to be moving very quickly. We found out after the first day the doctor prescribed Zithromax, and Bactracin not to use it due to the culture coming back and to us amoxicillian, and mucipron. The very next day I took my son back into the doctor's office due to bumps and break outs all over the body. Again, they changed the medication to Keflex and were using Acidophollus for good bacteria. Two, day later again back into the doctor 2 shots of a cocktail in the each cheek of the buttocks. One day later the ER being admitted into the hospital for IV drips of Vancl, and Clindomycin. It looks like the Vanclomycin seems to be the most vigurous of treatments, the Clindomycin was not helping at all. 5 days later my son is still in the hospital, the doctor told us they were treating it like MRSA, however now we are being informed that myself and husband are going to have to have bleach baths, antibiotic nose treatments, no oral given to us. My son, if and when he gets to come home will do the same as above however he will take an oral form of Vanclomycin which is a new oral medicine for outpatient treatment. Good Luck everyone.

wow. i totally didn't think other people were getting medicine resistant staph infections like i was. i was so scared to talk about it b/c i thought people would think i'm dirty or something. apparently its a HUGE outbreak nationwide. anyway, just so you know i recently got a STY-it turns out some of those are also caused by staph infection.

It is enlightening and a great relief to read everyone's comments here! Here is my story which is still unfolding...
I live in Leander, Texas which is a short commute away from Austin. My 16 yr old son saw his primary care doctor for his 'spider bite' (on 5 May) and was prescribed Septra but this didn't stop the infection from growing. His fever climbed and I knew the 'bite' looked like nothing I'd ever seen before. So I started Googling for staph infections and spider bites and found mrsa. I called his doctor back and asked for a Mrsa culture and he readily agreed, though peeved I would attempt to 2nd guess him. When we arrived for the culture the following morning 6 May he took one look and said "hospital". The bite had tripled in size and had a purpley look to it. My son was immediately admitted to the ER where we waited 6 hours for an operating room (St. David's Hospital, Austin, TX). During this time the ER doctor looked at the oozing sore (that had swollen my son's leg to almost twice its normal size) and told us he recognized it as MRSA. Said that his daughter's HS (Westlake?)closed their gym due to uncontrolled MRSA. Then he put my son on a broad spectrum IV-antibiotic drip called Unasyn. It has beta-lactam antibiotics in it which are not effective against mrsa, and I believe it has another antibiotic in it.... then we waited while they left the wound oozing and uncovered, the door open, with mutiple people coming in periodically to check on him. What a mad house! They finally admitted him to his own room while we waited for an OR. All the while his wound was open, dripping on the floor, on the sheets. I was flabbergasted at the disregard they showed for his nasty oozing abscess. I asked 2 nurses if it should at least be covered and each of them said it needed to be open to drain. So, my son eventually went to surgery while my husband and I waited. No one gowned or gloved themselves during his stay except for one nurse who showed me how to dress and pack his wound. As far as I can tell they never did a culture of the wound so the hospital had no clue though maybe suspected it was MRSA. Test results take 48 hours so we found out it was MRSA AFTER the weekend at the hospital and being discharged! Also, wound care instructions I received were so vague, and did not stress enough how contagious this is. The nurses on duty at St. David's were openly stressed, and said the hospital was so full that they were sending people to other hospitals for surgery. There were 6 patients to one nurse, with 2 of those patients post-surgery care. Only one nurse-tech and the floor cleaning person actually used the cleanser dispenser at the door upon entry and exit. Nurses did not use it... We stayed at St. David's the 6th and 7th of May and couldn't wait to leave on the 8th! There were several other problems at the hospital which I am going to address with appropriate authorities when I get more time on my hands.
Right now I've been packing a 3 inch wide almost 2 inch deep draining wound on his thigh and he's missed the SAT, AP exams, finals and various activities at the end of his Junior school year. HS officials finally admitted to me that they had 2 other MRSA infections on their wrestling team. The District Nurse's Office notified athletes' parents by letter but ... not the rest of the school! Football and sports are at the heart of most Texas high schools so the fact that my son is not an athlete means we had no clue MRSA was active at his school. The District Nurse says the school bought a Klorman system to disinfect the benches and mats in the training areas, but did they think to disinfect the cafeteria tables, toilets, sink areas, tables and chairs? What was their policy for addressing and following up the problem? As far as I've been able to discern they have nothing in place.
Shall I mention also that the restrooms are appalling and filthy at LHS. I've spoken to several students and they avoid using them because of the filth. Imagine this at your child's high school! Parents should have at least been told this was going on. If there were measles or chickenpox, or even headlice, they would have let us know. And now to add insult to injury, I've learned that another high school in a wealthier part of the district, several miles away, had 4 MRSA football team cases several months ago and their entire campus was notified. Our 2 high schools share facilities and a stadium! Why was Leander treated differently than Cedar Park? I also had to learn about MRSA at LHS through a local Walgreens pharmacist while looking for sodium chloride as a wound cleanser and soak agent. I called the LHS Lead VP/Principal and she said she didn't know for sure, then she recalled an incident but she didn;t know if it was at the Middle School or the High School.. The school nurse seemed clueless too, as well the Attendance Clerk. So I also called the Texas Dept of Health Infectious Disease Control but they do not collect stats on high school MRSA infections... she invited me to call my State Representative. And also to file an OSHA complaint against the hospital, when all I wanted was a sample Infectious Disease Control Guideline for Texas High Schools. She said she'd call me back if she finds something like that. Don't Texas High Schools need to formulate a coherant plan to sanitize the entire school after an infectious disease incident, train custodians on proper use of cleansers, encourage hand washing, follow-up, etc etc?
Back to my son's case: the surgeon saw my son for his follow-up visit and still had no clue if he had MRSA. I had to tell him because he hadn't seen the report faxed by the primary care doctor from the previous week. He spent several minutes telling us how when he was a boy in Mexico they poured some powder in his bite wound on his thigh and he has a divet in it. Why would I want to know that and what difference does it make?! Now we have a referral for an infectious disease specialist in Austin and I had to insist that we get in this week. Otherwise it would've taken 2 more weeks to get in. My son's antibiotic ran out 2 days ago and I wanted him to continue on Septra until at least he sees the Specialist. So his primary care doctor called it in for him. The Infectious Disease Clinic is fully booked and is seeing at least 2 MRSA cases a day! So I've decided to insist on nasal cultures no matter what. We don't need to have this stuff passed back and forth between us if we can at all help it.
Meanwhile there are 2 golfball sized lumps under my son's armpits and they were draining white pus before the thigh lesion even started to be a problem. The lumps are going away but his arm is still very sore and he can't lift it above shoulder level. We've told this to every doctor he's seen so far but no one has addressed it. He's had sores on his body since late last Fall which I thought were simple acne, until he showed me his chest and back. He has eraser-head scars all over his body and I suspect he's had this more than just a few months. So until we fully know what's going on I've decided not to send him back to school for now... there are only a few more days of school left. He's always been a healthy kid.
I know this is a long entry, but I wanted to share my experience specifically. We have increased his Vitamin C, zinc and echinacea and want to understand more about how this bacteria got an opportunity to invade his body. Is his immune system compromised and thats why this bacteria got to him? As you see, we still have questions. Meanwhile if I didn't have the web and all of its informative public health sites I wouldn't have known as much as I do today. Not one doctor gave us a fact sheet which would have been easy to print from the CDC or TDH website! Ive learned to get my son (and now the rest of the family)to shower in Hibiclens and we only use paper towels for hand drying. Towels and sheets are washed daily. Clorox is used after each tub use. Antibacterial soaps and gels are at each wash station and now we wipe counters and sinks daily with clorox wipes. It's been an exhausting experience to say the least.
All I can offer is my own experience and encourage people to keep asking questions of their doctors. Whatever you do, insist on a culture so your doctors know exactly what kind of drugs will fight it best. In our case, even though we have access to health insurance and a variety of doctors I suspect that my son may still not be getting targeted treatment for his specific condition. I'm hoping our visit to the Infectious Disease Specialist with more specific tests will yield more answers....

Be well, stay positive,
Patty M. in Leander, Texas

HI,
I JUST READ YOUR STORY. MY 9 YEAR OLD DAUGHTER HAS SOMETHING TERRIBLY WRONG WITH HER RIGHT NOW. ALMOST 2 WEEKS AGO SHE HAD A SMALL (LIKE THE END OF A PIN POINT) PIMPLE LOOKING DOT ON HER LEFT INNER THIGH. IT IS RIGHT ABOUT IN THE UNDRWEAR LINE. I KINDA SCRATCHED OVER IT AND DISREGUARDED IT. THE NEXT MORNING IT HAD THE EXACT HALO YOU DESCRIBED AROUND IT. ABOUT THE SIZE OF A SILVER DOLLAR. SHE SAID IT MIGHT HAVE ITCHED A LITTLE BUT THAT WAS IT. NO OTHER SIGN OF SICKNESS. I THOUGHT IT MIGHT HAVE BEEN A MOSQUITO BITE OR A BITE OF SOME KIND. EVEN THOUGHT IT MIGHT HAVE BEEN A INGROWN HAIR. I GAVE HER SOME BENADRYL AND SHE WENT TO SCHOOL HAPPILY AS EVER. UPON PICKING HER UP AND GETTING HOME SHE SAID IT HURT. I LOOKED UP BUG BITES AND A FEW OTHER THINGS AND FIGURED IT WAS ONE OF THESE MINOR THINGS. I GET BOILS OCCASIONALLY (4 IN MY LIFE.) UNDER ARMPITS. DOC SAID FROM SHAVING. I THOUGHT IT COULD EVEN BE ONE OF THOSE BEING IT WAS IN A AREA THAT SWEATS AND GETS RUBBED AROUND A LOT WITH A ACTIVE CHILDS DAILY PLAY. I HAD SOME ERETHRAMICIAN AT HOME THAT WAS MINE SO I LOKED UP THE DOSE AND STARTED GIVING IT TO HER SINCE THATS WHAT I FIGURED THATS WHAT THEY WOULD GIVE HER ANYWAY FOR A SKIN INFECTION. SEVERAL HOY SOAKS LATER SOME PUSSY LOKING STUFF DID COME OUT BUT NOW THE HALO WAS LIKE THE SIZE OF A CORN TORTILLA (GOOD EXAMPLE HUH...) AND THE CENTER WAS ALMOST LIKE A PURPLE. I FIGURED IT WAS FROM TOUCHING IT AND THE HOT BATHING. NEXT MORNING LOOKED A LOT BETTER. NO FEVERS EVER OR ANYTHING. BY THE END OF THIS DAY IT WAS WORSE LOOKING. I FIGURED IT WOULD BE LIKE ANY BOIL I GOT AND IT WOULD DRY UP AFTER STUFF CAME OUT. WELL I CALLED AND MADE A DOC APPT. COULDN'T BE SEEN TILL THE NEXT DAY AT 2 :00PM. I TOOK THE APPT. LATER THAT NIGHT SIMETHING TOLD US TO TAKE HER TO THE EMERGENCY. WELL THANK GOD BECAUSE THERE WAS A SECONDARY INFECTION 2 1/2 INCHES DEEP. THEY SAID SHE WOULD HAVE BEEN GONE BEFORE SHE EVER MADE IT TO THE DOC APPT. SO THEY DRAINED IT AND PACKED IT. NOW IT HAS BEEN REPACKED TWICE AND IN THE MORNING SHE HAS TO GET IT DONE AGAIN. SHE REFUSES AND PAIN KILLER SHOTS SO IT DOING IT FREE OF PAIN KILLERS, BLESS HER HEART!!! THEY PUT HER ON ZITHROMAX THE 5 DAY ANTIBIOTIC AND AUGMENTIN FOR 10 DAYS. SHE HAS HAD A COUPLE OF LOW GRADE FEVERS ON AND OFF BUT NOTHING BAD. I HAVE NEVER EVEN HEARD OF MSRA. I HAVE NO CLUE WHAT IT IS. I DO KNOW IT SOUNDS LIKE THE SAME EXACT THING YOU GUYS HAD REGUARDLESS OF WHAT IT WAS. CAN I ASK WHAT EVER BECAME OF IT? OR ANY OTHER DETAILS YOU CAN GIVE ME WOULD BE SO HELPFUL. I AM SO SCARED FOR HER. SHE HAS BEEN WEAK AND HAS ONLY SRARTED TO HOLD DOWN FOOD WHICH IS GOOD. I DO SEE IMPROVEMENT. DID THEY TELL YOU WHAT THE LONG TERM EXPECTANCIES WERE OF THIS? IF IT CAN RETURN? HOW LONG WAS THE HEALING PROCESS? ANY INFO YOU GOT I WOULD LOVE TO HEAR. LIKE I SAID I HAVE HAD BOILS SO I AM REALY SCARED TOO. WELL THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME IN ADVANCE IF YOU CAN HELP. PLEASE E-MAIL ME AT MY ADDRESS. THE ONE I AM USING IS MY MOMS PER I AM AT HER HOUSE AT THE MOMENT. MINE IS: nanasmom001@cs.com

THENK YOU SO MUCH,
SHANNON

What a nightmare a Commuinity-Acquired MRSA infection has been for myself and my wife(we are both 23 and recently married.) Late last fall, she began having boils on her legs. Her physician gave her several rounds of Augmentin, which would clear them up, but they would immediately return upon stopping the medication. This went on for several months. Then, in mid March, she began to have pain in her elbow, which became quite severe. The same Doctor that prescribed the Augmentin diagnosed this as tendonitis, as did a visit to the E.R. the next day.

On March 12, 2005, the pain in her elbow had become even more intense, and it was swollen 3 times its normal size. She was also running a temperature of 104 and seemed to be breathing shallow. I immediately returned her to the ER. A sonogram of her arm shocked us all (including the doctors) when it revealed a small blood clot. Of course, she was immediately admitted. Anti-clot medicine and the liquid form of Augmetin were immediately administered. Her white blood count was nearly 20,000, temperature continued to spike and she wasn't greatly improving.

Finally, an infectious diseases doctor was called in. Blood cultures were done and revealed MRSA. Vancomycin was started and surgery was done to clean the infection from her arm. Rifampin was given orally. Within two days of starting the Vanco, she was showing signs of improvement. She was discharged from the hospital and continued IV Vancomycin therapy for six weeks due to the severity of the joint infection. The clot in her arm was caused by the severe inflammation from the infection, and the lack of movement in her arm that resulted from it.

After intensive physical therapy, weekly bloodwork and 6 weeks of Vancomycin, she is clear of the MRSA and has regained full use of her arm. She has been off the antibiotics for three weeks now.

My wife and I are both college-educated, physically fit accountants, who live in a nice suburb of Atlanta. She has no signs of any other underlying disease that would have caused this (some 70 blood tests were performed in the hospital.) We are both very clean people. We think she most likely picked this up either in a hot tub or from a massage therapist, both of which were encountered in the week or so before developing the first boil.

According to her infectious diseases doctor, she simply got unlucky, but most of all, should not have ever been prescribed the Augmentin on the initial boils without culturing them for MRSA. The many rounds of Augmentin most likely set the stage for the infection to become so invasive and severe.

So all in all, MRSA caused her boils, a joint infection, systemic sepsis and a blood clot, which showered her lungs. I believe the entire cost of this episode was approximately $75,000 (including hospital, doctors, therapy, home IVs etc...) Thankfully, Blue Cross is picking up most of the tab.

Good luck to all of you who are battling this. I can sympathize with your worry, your pain and frustration. We were told that the key to therapy is complaince...don't ever miss a dose, bathe in the Phisohex, use the Bactarin etc...

Im concerned. After reading all of these posts, Im very concerned now. A best friend of mine has the staph infection, which has basically destroyed her body leaving her handicapped. I was visiting her alot lately and was told that me or my children would not get her infection unless she had an oppened wound or we did and we touched somehing with the virus on it, well after reading this , I m not going near my poor friend and she is sick and has an open wound right now, my two infants have already been exposed to her and Im nervous now because my one oldest child who is female already has a scrape on her knee and has a cold, she was around her when she had the open wound, im so worried right now its not even funny. Where can I find the facts about how this disease is transferred, its obvious its alot mroe dangerous than is being let on! Im scared. Anyone can email me at gothgenie@yahoo.com thanks so much...Kori~

God bless everyone who has contracted this disease. I also was misdiagnosed as a so called spider bite. since jan/20005 I have had 5 outbreaks. Now my husband gets these so called spider bites.We're afraid of passing this to our children. we've been to the hospital the dr's keep given us the run around like they're hiding something. This is an big epidemic that needs to be taken serious. I just went to Walmart and brought garlic and zinc pills that's how desperate I am. cause none of the antibiotics that the doctor prescribes works (Keflex).I stumbled across this website and it's amazing how many other people are being treated the same way. I hope this comes to the media so everyone can be educated on this horrible disease. What is the world coming to? There's more to it the dr's and hosptals are not telling us the truth this is spreading worldwide fast. I'm scared. By the way I'm from Pennsylvania. Shanita

God bless everyone who has contracted this disease. I also was misdiagnosed as a so called spider bite. since jan/20005 I have had 5 outbreaks. Now my husband gets these so called spider bites.We're afraid of passing this to our children. we've been to the hospital the dr's keep given us the run around like they're hiding something. This is an big epidemic that needs to be taken serious. I just went to Walmart and brought garlic and zinc pills that's how desperate I am. cause none of the antibiotics that the doctor prescribes works (Keflex).I stumbled across this website and it's amazing how many other people are being treated the same way. I hope this comes to the media so everyone can be educated on this horrible disease. What is the world coming to? There's more to it the dr's and hosptals are not telling us the truth this is spreading worldwide fast. I'm scared. By the way I'm from Pennsylvania. Shanita

My young son has had several localized outbreaks on his stomach over the past few months. Fortunately each outbreak has quickly responded to Bactroban. I worry though about what will happen when the cream is no longer effective. My son has a g-tube, and it seems to start in that area first. I'm not sure when he actually contracted MSRA, but I work at a children's hospital (but no patient contact) and he has regularly been cared for at a different children's hospital since he was 9 months old.

I am the author of a previous posting regarding my wife's recent MRSA infection and hospital stay.

I would reccommend any of you who are not getting results from your antibiotics to visit an infectious diseases physician. They all seem to be extremely familiar with this bacteria and how to treat it. According to the I.D. doctor I know, MRSA is currently "whats hot" in their profession.

Continuing to take antibiotics that are not capable of totally ridding it from the system only set the stage for further and more severe infection.

People need to start using safeguard soap with antigermicid and deodorant with triclosan. Hippies are trying to band it with dyer consequences. If a hippy wants to bathe in tea tree oil and get mrsa so be it but dont take away a germicide from us who know better. MRSA is everywhere and it's here to stay. Every time someone takes antibiotics for a cold or doesn't finish there medicine it gets stronger. It's on every

Continued- It's (mrsa) on every toilet, knob, handle, rail, phone, workout equipment we use. It's always been there and always will. Bleach and disinfectants kill it and routine disinfecting will keep bact. levels low. So will multiple hand washing a day with antibacterial soap. Keeping all cuts clean and covered will help also. Staph is a bacteria not a virus so it is easier to kill. They say a third of the population has it in their nose at any point in time and it is also in the soil. It's truly unavoidable. Running to an herbologist isnt going to help either. No amount of vit-c or garlic pills are going to affect it. Disinfecting and bact. soap are the answers.

Have posted several times -- natural remedies did not help, have had two more major outbreaks (10 separate in all since 9/04) and am scheduled for complete work-up at ID Dept with Emory Med Center in Atlanta -- excited that there might be help there. Last round of antibiotic cocktail proved very debilitating and had to cease after 10 days. Please ask your docs to genetic test strain if possible. One local ID doc said testing was not necessary as it was expensive and rarely hospital-acquired (despite mine occuring within 10 days after hospitaliation); other ID doc said he had not heard of genetic testing (did not go back). Apparently, although several docs insisted mine was community-acquired, it is believed it may be an off-shoot strain from hospital-acquired MRSA. Also, even CDC admits community-acquired CAN be acquired in hospital or treatment setting. Don't let these guys get off the hook so easily. During my hospitalization for treatment of MRSA, I had to ask nurses to use gloves and wash hands. It's ridiculous.

HELLO IT'S ME AGAIN SINCE LAST MONTH I'VE HAD 4 MORE OUTBREAKS. I DON'T KNOW WHAT ELSE TO DO. I FEEL LIKE WHY ME? WHAT DID I DO TO DESERVE THIS.IT'S CRAZY THE THING THAT GETS ME IT'S NO CURE FOR THIS(MRSA). SOME OF THE REMEDIES HAVE HELPED THANK YOU ALL BECAUSE IF IT WASN'T FOR THIS WEBSITE I WOULD BE ALL ALONE WITH NO ANSWERS. YOU ALL HAVE REALLY BEEN REALLY STRONG WE'RE ALL FIGHTING SOME THING THAT IS HERE TO STAY.I JUST HOPE ONE DAY THEY FIND A CURE FOR THIS. SO I JUST SIT HERE AND WAIT FOR MY NEXT OUTBREAK BECAUSE KEFLEX ITS NOT THE ANSWER. MY HEART GOES OUT TO THE YOUNG BABIES THAT'S CONTRACTING THIS IT'S SAID WHEN US AS PARENTS CAN'T PROTECT THEM. MAYBE WE ALL NEED TO GO TO WASHINGTON AND RAISE HELL MAYBE THAT'S WHEN OUR VOICES WILL BE HEARD. GOD BLESS

I'm SCARED. I found this by typing in a general search for "staph and Houston". I think my husband has MRSA. He first had a pimple on his nose that turned into a large boil, it caused pain throughout his face. He works a lot (truck driver). It "grew" very quickly. Within 2 days or less it had swollen his entire left side of his face and blurred his vision. When we got into the emergency room, they took him directly in ( this was extremely unusual ) and proceeded to give him a humungous and painful shot in his behind. Lanced his nasal passage and used a vaccuum to suck out the pus, there was a lot of it. They prescribed some anti-biotics and gave strict warnings for him to take them all, which he did. I didn't think much of it..I thought "things like this happen, he picked at it and got it infected". But now, in my mind, I keep seeing the doctors stern face, she was very serious.

A few weeks later, he got another boil on his arm (quarter size) and it made a "red line" up his arm like a spider bite. I need to say that for a long time now, he's had small sores on his arms that he complaines "itch and burn and grow under the skin" (his father has even accused him of drug use because of this!). I always thought that it was either the dry concrete he worked with (maybe folliculitis?) or that he was "exaggerating" the symptoms. After reading all the above testimony, I now believe him. So, for the second one: He went into another emergency room where they took blood, and told him that it was "one of the worse staphs they had seen" but another medical person there told him they had a entire floor dedicated to staph infections in our area?!? *confused* They gave him another huge shot, some more anti-biotics, Bactrum I think, and sent him home with instructions to wash often, use anti-bacterial soap etc. He took that round, too.
He now thinks he has one trying to form on his face! It's not swollen up as much as other, but we are really scared because he has heard rumour just today, that one of his co-workers has died from a staph infection?????!!! And then I find this blog! **I'm totally freaked out and he's AT WORK right now**

Could this get into his organs or mine and kill us?

I have had "boils" off and on for many years now that I have attributed to ingrown hairs, as they always are on my bikini area. Could I be a carrier? I'm not one to run to the doctor everytime something is wrong. But, I did notice the "cluster" effect mention above on the last "ingrown hair" I had. I treated it with OTC meds (camphophenique and neosporin).

We have a 4 yr old child, this scares the bejeezus outta me!
I tend to my mother who is already immune comprimised with Cancer.

I already bought my hubby the antibacterial gel and have encouraged him to use it, OFTEN. Along with anti-bacterial body wash. DO I begin washing my sheets EVERY day in bleach? We don't have health insurance! We are going to take pro-biotics (I already have some) -and I guess we'll buy and take Collidial Silver and I'll have him wash in the Dakin's Solution (If it doesn't work, what have we lost?) I am almost afraid for him to see another doctor, that writes another prescription, just to see the infection come back stronger? But if it means our health we will pray to find a way to pay $1800 or whatever the super antibiotic and infectious disease doctor costs us :(

Why is there only ONE small news story in our area about what is obviously a Nationwide epidemic?

http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/health/042805_13health_mrsa.html

The story doesn't even sound like they are taking it as seriously as they should! The doctor in the story says 20 cases in April. I know of about 5 recent "staph infections" personally, and I'm not a socialite!

I am open to any information that anyone is willing to provide! I honestly will be praying to God that what I've read here is not not nearly as widespread as it seems and that I've heard. Why isn't the medical community crying out?! I don't mean to sound paranoid, but (now, for god's sakes I am) IS MEDIA ATTENTION BEING PURPOSELY REDUCED? It is my sincere prayer that all that I've read here, heard rumour about in my community, and personally experienced, is purely concidental. Know that you all - everyone of us - will be in my prayers.

My boyfriend was diagnose with MRSA Pneumonia. He was treated with vancomycin for 2 weeks and then released from hospital. He has now (2 weeks later) been told that the MRSA is back, twice as strong as it was before, and he will be going back to hospital tomorrow.
Does anyone know what can be used to treat him?

To "Confounded in Texas" and "doffie": I understand your fear. When I initially found this website I was absolutely terrified. You have to know that YOU CAN BEAT THIS. You'll just have to be very vigilant. I recommend you see an infectious desease doctor right away. You will learn what you need to know to quell your fears. I've been without infection for over three months now, which doesn't seem like long, but I've had many suspicious spots show up that look like the other infections I had (five in all.) I believe the treatment I went through worked well. I will always be on guard now, but there are measures you can take to control this. Best of luck!

In RE: to Doffie, MRSA pneumonia.

It sounds to me as if your boyfriend was not treated long enough with the Vancomycin. My wife was on Vanco for 6 weeks for a joint infection...surely the lungs would require at least that long. My guess would be to run the course of treatment longer (i.e. 6 weeks). If the Vancomycin doesn't work (which has only occurred a handful of times in this country,) there are other options, such as Linezoid and a Rifampin combination.

To everyone else who is not getting this successfully treated, CONSULT AN INFECTIOUS DISEASES PHYSICIAN. Family doctors, while aware of MRSA and staph in general, usually can't hit this stuff how it needs to be hit.

It really makes me angry and sad to hear that this is happening to so many people. I am getting so tired of doctors blowing me off and saying that I just have a "bite" or "a little staph infection". THe pain is sometime unbareable. I have missed countless days of work because of my MRSA. I have done everything, from lysol to hebacliense(sp), washing clothes over and over and nothing will make it stay gone. My boyfriend gets the horrible bumps also. We both have taken antibiotics with no avail. It effects our relationship. We both have a hard time getting close to one another when an abcess is present, and we live together. I love him and would never leave him but what is it going to take to get rid of these? Please email me if you know of any remedy or antibiotic that is actually working against this. The constant pain is getting to me! blondiegirl_024@hotmail.com

To Ang: Are you swabbing the inside of your nose religiously with antibiotic ointment? The staph LIVES in your nasal passage so if you are not treating it there, you will continue to have outbreaks. I hope you find some relief!

SAW NEW ID DOC AT EMORY IN ATLANTA - Decided to take matters into my own hands and forego local ID docs. Doc at Emory did have some new info -- MRSA is NOT everywhere, cannot live very long (matter of hours) without colonization and does not appear everywhere. Even community acquired outbreaks they have traced have generated from an original clinical setting. Five weeks since last outbreak, but doc at Emory believes may be colonized in pets (they get it from us, not us from them unless they contracted at vet hospital -- again from a human). Very prevalent in UK and Europe among vet hospitals and animals. Am to continue with vitamins and Hibiclens wash (although doc recommended possible Rx strength Physahex (sp?)). Family has been cultured both nasally and rectally (vaginally for me) and all are negative for colonization. Only husband and I have had outbreaks. Problem is it is EXTREMELY difficult to find a vet to culture for colonization in animals. If we have another outbreak (10 for me, 2 for husband), we will be forced to take pets (many) to UT Vet hospital or Emory Med center for cultures to rule out colonization.

Again, vitamins and herbal remedies are great for boosting immune system, but we have continuously since last outbreak at first of May used only paper towels to dry hands and wipe counters in kitchen, bathe in Hibiclens, use antibacterial soaps and bathe animals (excluding cats) in anti-bacterial (generally used for mange which we were told is a type of staph) soap, wash all clothing with bleach, change bedclothes every 1-2 days and clean household surfaces with bleach or clorox spray AND always use a good moisturizing lotion (Aveeno) to keep skin moist and not let it dry out and develop cracks in skin. I'll continue to post if any changes develop.

DID NOT APPLY FOR US BUT MAY BE HELPFUL. Doc at Emory stated that problem in gyms is not necessarily the equipment, but use of showers and changing areas. Good idea to use wristbands to wipe sweat -- I soak mine in an antiseptic and have used Listerine as a face wash since I was a teenager (mother told me it would prevent acne and worked). Also, they are seeing rash of MRSA outbreaks in high school students. Again, usually traced to clinical setting, but apparently many high school kids trade gym clothes (forgot theirs, use someone else's) and towels more often than others, especially, again in high school sports, wrestling, basketball, not so much football.

I TOO THINK I HAVE THAT MSRA, IN JANUARY WHILE WORKING OUT I THOUGHT I HAD PULLED A BUTT MUSCLE (GLUT) BECAUSE IT WAS ACHING. THEN BY THE THIRD DAY I WAS COUGHING, CARRYING A FEVER AND CHILLS AND I COULD NO LONGER EVEN DRESS MYSELF THAT MY CO-WORKERS HAD TO HELP ME GET DRESSED. (SINCE I WAS WORKING OUT OF TOWN MA.) THE NEXT DAY I COULD NOT LONGER HANDLE IT THAT I WENT TO AN ER AND THE DR THERE TOLD ME I HAD HURT MY LOWER BACK AND NEEDED THERAPY. SO I CAME BACK HOME TO SEE THE COMPANY DR WHICH TOLD ME I HAD AN ABCESS THE SIZE OF A BASEBALL THAT NEEDED TO BE DRAINED. SO I CALLED MY PCP AND HE HAD ME PUT IN THE HOSPITAL TO HAVE IT DRAINED, I WAS THERE FOR FIVE DAYS. THE FIRST ANTIBIOTICS (CLINDAMYCIN) DIDN'T WORK UNTIL THEY SWITCH TO FLUVOXAMINE. THEN MY FEVER OF 103-104 DEGREES SUBSIDED. THEY LET ME GO HOME. SIX WEEKS LATER IT STARTS UP AGAIN. SO THEY GIVE ME ANOTHER FIVE DAYS OF FLUVOXAMINE. SUBSIDED. BUT TIL THIS DAY I STILL HAVE IT, IT OPENED UP AND DRAINS AND DRAINS TO NO STOPPING. NOW I'M THE ONE THAT HAS TO WEAR A PAD OF HOW BAD THE DRAINAGE IS.

Hi i am 17 and i just recently got out of the hospital. i broke my hand in a fight and waited two weeksto tell any body after i told my dad that it was broke i went to the emergency room and they put my hand in a cast the next day i went to a doctor and he said that they he would have to do surgery on it two days later to break the bone back in place i went to sameday surgery and they had to go in and break it and put pins in and cast it up after i had it on for a couple o0f days i went swimming with my cousin at a creek called potters ford after that in my cast my had started hurting and burning real bad i didnt do any thing about it and when i went back to him to get it off he looked at me and said go to the hospital right now i need to do surgery on it tonightso i went up there and had my surgery where they drained it out the docter told me that it looked real bad and they still had to do another surgery on it after the next surgery the doc told methat i had to stay there for a while with a deep cut in my hand which they had to put a drainage system in everyday finally the doctor told me that they was gonna have to put a cathator in my arm going straight to my heart and so they tryed to do that 4 different time and they couldnt get it in so i waited in my room for the doc and when he came in he said that they was going to have to put one in my chest going straight to my heart the next morning the doc came and got me and took me to surgery they werent going to put me all the way out but the pain was extremely bad so they put me all the way under vwhen iwoke up they had a long cord hangin from my chest they took me up to my room and gave me some pain killers cause my collarbone was hurtin i only had to spend a week and three days in the hospital and i still have to go up to the hospital three times a day to get my hand dressing changed and antibiotics they said i would have to keep it in for six weeks my hand is closing up real nice the wound nurse says but now it looks like its comin back in my hand its starting to get swollin again i hope its not infected again the doctor hasnt said anythingabout me wrestling next year or not so i hope that everything is ok but when they did the surgery they said im lucky it wasnt in the bone cause i wouldnt have a hand anymore so im just glad i was lucky

To Jimmy: Do you know for certain if you have MRSA? You might want to rethink wrestling if you do. According to my doctors at Emory one of the fastest growing infection rates is among high school athletes and gym students, more so among basketball players and wrestlers. You definitely need to be sure the infection is gone as well as any colonization so that you don't pass it to anyone else. It could also be dangerous for you to risk reinfection.

A post above made this statement "MRSA is NOT everywhere, cannot live very long (matter of hours) without colonization and does not appear everywhere." I guess Im a little confused about what is actually meant by "live very long without colonization." What exactly do you mean by that?

Everything that I am reading says that MRSA does live for long periods of time on the surface of many things. Check out this recent June 7th article from Australia.

Superbugs can survive for weeks: study
June 7, 2005 - 6:29AM
The mutated, drug-resistant "superbugs" that have caused an increasing number of hospital infections and deaths in Australia and around the world can live for weeks on bed linen, computer keyboard covers and under acrylic fingernails, US researchers reported.

The study supports other research that shows super-strict hygiene is needed to battle the bacteria, some of which are now nearly impossible to kill even with the strongest antibiotics.

A team at sanitation-services company Ecolab Inc dabbed methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) onto samples of bed linen, keyboard covers and acrylic fingernails.

MRSA could be detected eight weeks later on acrylic fingernails, six weeks later on computer keyboard covers and five days later on bed linens, the researchers told a meeting in Atlanta of the American Society for Microbiology.

"The results of this study clearly demonstrate the need for frequent hand washing and environmental disinfection in health care settings," said researcher Kris Owens of Mendota Heights, Minnesota-based Ecolab.

Staphylococcus aureus is usually harmless and very common, found on skin or in the noses of about 30 per cent of people. It can cause stubborn problems such as rashes and boils and an infection is often mistaken for a spider bite.

In hospitals, MRSA can cause serious and sometimes deadly infections, including necrotizing fasciitis or "flesh-eating" disease. It resists almost everything but an intravenous antibiotic called vancomycin.

A study at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago, published in April, found that computer keyboards can contaminate the fingers, bare or gloved, of a nurse or doctor, who could then transfer bacteria to patients.

Other studies have shown that, despite the importance of hand-washing, doctors, nurses and other health-care workers often fail to do so or do not wash thoroughly.
© 2005 AAP

That information was given to me by the ID specialists at Emory Medical Center in Atlanta, and quite frankly I DO believe it to be accurate.

Live very long without being able to colonize on some type of living host -- 4-6 hours was the timetable I was given.

LISTEN: ON JUNE 17, 2005, THE FDA ANNOUNCED APPROVAL OF A NEW

ANTIBIOTIC TO FIGHT MRSA CALLED TYGACIL. UNTIL YOU CAN GET

SOME, YOU SHOULD GO ON BACTRIM. THE MRSA GERMS DON'T RECOGNIZE

IT!!

Hello everybody,
please check this site out, http://www.georgiapromo.info/virus.html,
MRSA bacteria is treated in Georgia almost one century!
I am writing a book about it.

Hello everyone. I've had MRSA for a year now thanks to the ignorance of my doctor and financial troubles. I had it all over my legs and lower body and part of my abdomen. All the drugs i've tried so far are: tetricycline and sulfa/meth. I've also tried manuka honey and tea tree oil with a small bit of sucess but it just came back. Once i couldn't sleep and stayed up for over 24 hours. Then befroe i finally went to sleep in put a lot of manuka honey on all the spots. When i woke up the next day after having slept over 16 hours, i had all sorts of small spots where i thought i had gotten rid of it. I panicked and went to my dermitologist. The best he could do was perscribe the sulfmeth drug and told me to keep using iodine and washing with bleach solution. It doesn't exactly seem to be working. Just keeps it at bay. For the past 2 weeks though I've been using garlic juice mixed with a little water. At first it burned a lot but after that reapplying it doesn't seem to burn as much. I used nothing but garlic on my abdomen and it seems to be working slowly but surely. I'd definately recommend it first because it's commonly available and cheap unlike those $30 allicin creams. I usually use about half the cloves on a head of garlic twice a day. I DON'T reccomend taping a piece of garlic to your skin though. I've only done it twice and every time it ethier left a wound enflamed and red or made my skin all red and irritated with spots (don't know if the spots are due to staph or gralic though). If you can afford the small container of allicin (i used allimax once) it really does help and doesn't smell bad at all.

Also, I've been searching around the web a lot over this and found an article about using essential oils to fight mrsa: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/4116053.stm

Notice the date? Dec 21,2004

I then stumbled upon this article dated very close to that one and it comes out of manchester too hmmm :)

The effect of essential oils on methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus using a dressing model [edited by Drizzten to return page to normal width]

It just seems such a darn good coincidence : two oils kill mrsa instantly....grapefruit seed extract/citricidal and geranium show the mnost activity agasit mrsa.

I haven't tried it yet but i'm definately going to order some!!!

Another thing i really wish i knew how to get is Bdellovibrio. It's a bacterium that feeds on other bacteria and doesn't harm humans:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/3442671.stm
A lot of Pharm. companies seem to want to clone and make drugs out of it etc. But it seems to me you can use it "raw" without all that modification. It'll just die after it can't find anymore bacteria.

There's also these wipes which i haven't tried:
http://www.hygieia.uk.com/acatalog/Hy_Shield_Ultra.html
http://www.inca-products.co.uk/

BugEx uses grapefruit seed extract btw ;)

Hope this helps someone. I'll post if the grapefruit seed & geranium extract works for me or doesn't. But i really believe it will if the university of manchester wants to hide the names of those essentail oils so badly.

***IT IS ALL OVER! MRSA WILL SOON BE DEAD***

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IF YOU DON'T BELIEVE ME,SEARCH BOTH (GOOGLE)

SORRY, I MISPELLED 2nd DRUG, IT' BACTRIM, BUT ASK YOUR DR. ABOUT TYGACIL, NEW FOR MRSA (SEARCH BOTH ON GOOGLE)

man oh man.
i thought the three spots on my cheek were acne (i get a few spots now and again, but nothing major). after weeks of trying to treat the (increasingly) painful things with everything from Neturogena to Proactive, i gave up and went to the dermo. i was really at the end of my rope and couldn't stand to look at myself in the mirror.
he took one look at the blister-like things on my face (one of which had pussed and crusted over. ewww) and promptly put me on Biaxin (clarithromycin) for two weeks. it seems i had a staph infection on my face, which, duh, wasn't responding acne treatments.
within days, the infected bumps started to calm down. i still have the red marks, but they're healing. i'd highly recommend taking clarithromycin (even though it's kind of a nasty drug -- it messes with your sleep and is hard, hard, hard on your stomach), wiping down twice a day with a cotton pad soaked in a half-hydrogen peroxide/half-water solution (disinfects without drying) and putting on a topical antibiotic ointment as well. i also washed everything that had touched my face, threw out a bunch of (contaminated) makeup and soaked my makeup brushes in rubbing alcohol. so far, so good. anyway, just thought i'd share in case someone is experiencing something similar.

OH My Gosh!
I had 2 break outs (boils) on my bumm last week.
I was told it is staph and treated with cipro, then switched to bactrim.
I AM ALLERGIC to any penicillan family drug, and worry about the effectiveness
of today's medicines for this.
I see my doc tomorrow and will ask him if I have MRSA. How scary.
Good luck to you all, and your families!

UPDATE *** I consider myself very lucky to not have the MRSA strain.
This is a wonderful and helpful site - I wish you all the best.

I just found out that i have staph infection. i was pregant and just had my baby he was a month early and had premature lungs so he has been in the hospital almost two weeks. i had a pimple like sore on my leg when i had him on a wensday morning and by friday morning it was bigger than a golf ball and extremly hard the doctor had to cut it out and give me antibiotic. he also did a culture and a week later told me i had staph infection. so i then called my sons doctor and told them so they tested my son and found out he had MRSA they have been giving him antibiotics but he hasnt really gotten better in 5 days they have did 5 test and they were all positive. i was woundering if anybody knows how long it can stay in your system?

Some of the postings talk about being surprised that MRSA comes back. My doctor is an infectious disease specialisty and says that staph infections routinely live in nasal passages and then spread from there. After my last MRSA outbreak he prescribed a nasal gel (mupirocin) and I haven't had anything come back yet. I've seen this mentioned on other websites but not here so I thought I'd post this.

It's been posted here before (nasal colonization). Actually, everyone who has been infected with the MRSA strain should (according to my ID specialist) be cultured for colonization of nasal passages, skin, rectum and, of course if applicable, vagina. I had cultures performed for colonization, but those were all negative, so it is now more frustrating than ever.

Absolutely true about nasal colonization - I continued to have outbreaks until I was told to swab the inside of my nose for a week with antibiotic ointment. I have not had a problem since.

This is article is from England. They seem to have MRSA worse over there. It is pretty gross that people have gotten this from health clubs, but then the article says that washing with soap and water kills the germs. Im just curious what the time frame is on this. Just say that you picked up MRSA from the gym and it went into a small cut on your hand. I wonder how long it would take before you actually got MRSA.... If you went home and washed your hands within an hour or 30 minutes or so, would that take care of it, or would you already be infected with MRSA. Does anyone know?

Thanks

Children at risk from fast-spreading superbug
By Jeremy Laurance, Health Editor
Published: 21 July 2005

A virulent new strain of MRSA is spreading through the community and poses a particular threat to children and young adults, specialists have warned.

Two people have died from the new strain of the superbug, including a physically fit young soldier who grazed his leg while out running in Devon and a woman who caught the infection at a gym.

The seriousness of the threat was underlined by the Government's chief inspector of microbiology, Professor Brian Duerden. Public health laboratories were monitoring the situation and urgent consideration was being given to a survey to establish the prevalence of the new strain in the population, he said.

The experts were speaking in advance of a seminar for MPs, Lords and healthcare professionals on the growing problem of bacterial infections and antibiotic resistance.

The dangerous strain of MRSA carries a toxin-producing gene - known as PVL - that makes it more virulent and invasive than other varieties. The toxin destroys tissue, can cause boils up to 3in (10cm) across, and in rare cases spreads to the lungs causing pneumonia and death.

The soldier who was infected, Richard Campbell Smith, 18, a Royal Marine, died two days after scratching his legs on gorse during a run on Woodbury Common last October. PVL has also infected a touring rugby team, which contracted boils and skin infections, and at least 100 users of gyms and health clubs, including a 28-year-old woman who died.

MRSA is carried on the skin of healthy people and can be transmitted by skin-to-skin contact. The bugs do not usually cause problems in those with healthy immune systems, but the PVL strain is more toxic.

Children are at special risk because they are more likely to fall and scratch themselves, allowing the bug to enter the bloodstream. Infection control specialists warned parents to wash wounds with soap and water, which destroys the bug, and cover them.

Evidence from the US shows that prevalence of the PVL strain has soared since 1998, when the first cluster of cases was identified in North Dakota. Four children died.

Mark Enright, a microbiologist at the University of Bath who is collaborating with US colleagues on research into the new strain, said: "We have had shockingly large numbers [of carriers of the toxin-producing strain] in adults and children [in the US]. It has come from nowhere to very high rates. We need to know if we are going to have a problem in healthy young people in the UK."

A preliminary check of samples collected in 2002-03 in the UK had shown that 1.6 per cent had the PVL toxin-producing strain. "But that is an old figure based on a haphazard sample. We have no idea of the real rate," Dr Enright said.

The PVL strain of Staphylococcus aureus was first identified in the 1930s and accounted for 60 per cent of all staph infections prior to 1960. It was almost eliminated by the introduction of the antibiotic methicillin in 1961, but has since had a resurgence linked to the growth of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. Researchers in San Francisco studying the PVL strain collected 6,000 cases in a year when they had expected 200. "The message is that it happened very quickly and unexpectedly," Dr Enright said. The UK rate might be low now, "but that could change rapidly".

A virulent new strain of MRSA is spreading through the community and poses a particular threat to children and young adults, specialists have warned.

Two people have died from the new strain of the superbug, including a physically fit young soldier who grazed his leg while out running in Devon and a woman who caught the infection at a gym.

The seriousness of the threat was underlined by the Government's chief inspector of microbiology, Professor Brian Duerden. Public health laboratories were monitoring the situation and urgent consideration was being given to a survey to establish the prevalence of the new strain in the population, he said.

The experts were speaking in advance of a seminar for MPs, Lords and healthcare professionals on the growing problem of bacterial infections and antibiotic resistance.

The dangerous strain of MRSA carries a toxin-producing gene - known as PVL - that makes it more virulent and invasive than other varieties. The toxin destroys tissue, can cause boils up to 3in (10cm) across, and in rare cases spreads to the lungs causing pneumonia and death.

The soldier who was infected, Richard Campbell Smith, 18, a Royal Marine, died two days after scratching his legs on gorse during a run on Woodbury Common last October. PVL has also infected a touring rugby team, which contracted boils and skin infections, and at least 100 users of gyms and health clubs, including a 28-year-old woman who died.

MRSA is carried on the skin of healthy people and can be transmitted by skin-to-skin contact. The bugs do not usually cause problems in those with healthy immune systems, but the PVL strain is more toxic.

Children are at special risk because they are more likely to fall and scratch themselves, allowing the bug to enter the bloodstream. Infection control specialists warned parents to wash wounds with soap and water, which destroys the bug, and cover them.

Evidence from the US shows that prevalence of the PVL strain has soared since 1998, when the first cluster of cases was identified in North Dakota. Four children died.

Mark Enright, a microbiologist at the University of Bath who is collaborating with US colleagues on research into the new strain, said: "We have had shockingly large numbers [of carriers of the toxin-producing strain] in adults and children [in the US]. It has come from nowhere to very high rates. We need to know if we are going to have a problem in healthy young people in the UK."

A preliminary check of samples collected in 2002-03 in the UK had shown that 1.6 per cent had the PVL toxin-producing strain. "But that is an old figure based on a haphazard sample. We have no idea of the real rate," Dr Enright said.

The PVL strain of Staphylococcus aureus was first identified in the 1930s and accounted for 60 per cent of all staph infections prior to 1960. It was almost eliminated by the introduction of the antibiotic methicillin in 1961, but has since had a resurgence linked to the growth of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. Researchers in San Francisco studying the PVL strain collected 6,000 cases in a year when they had expected 200. "The message is that it happened very quickly and unexpectedly," Dr Enright said. The UK rate might be low now, "but that could change rapidly".

I've had staph outbreaks I thought were spider bites on my buttocks, the last being about 1 year ago. All the studying I have done has led me to the conculsion that we all have been poisened by corp. america. All the food in the last 10 years has been mfg. and poisened with toxins. It has no nutrients at all.
I have switched to a (as has my wife) raw/organic diet--FOR LIFE.
I have not had a reoccurance of staph, or a cold or flu, or any sickness, I lost 20 lbs of body fat, I eat less, more energy, and I take regurlar test to make sure my fluids are alkaline. No bacteria or virus or disease can survive in an alkali state. We are being duped by corp. america, and the fast food industry. Get back to basics and eat organic raw foods. Go online and look for the real truth, or email me for more info.

Both my wife and I are in the public sector, me a fireman, her a cop. I am 45 and healthier than I have ever been, and I have been a avid athlete and health nut all my life.

The information is out there, don't believe the phamacutical industry and most doctors. Eat food with life giving enzymes.

My email for the above comment is Joecomp35@hotmail.com

*******It's like nobody reads what I have posted***********

****THE FDA HAS APPROVED TYGACIL, A NEW ANTI-MRSA ANTIBIOTIC***

UNTIL IT'S AVAILABLE, I'M ON BACTRIN, WHICH ZAPS IT QUITE WELL

HELP IS HERE, SO STOP WORRYING AND COMPLAINING ABOUT MRSA

Duane, you've got to be kidding, you think there is a fix-it-all drug, and you trust the FDA, remember Vioxx and the over 15000 people dead from it. Bactrin might knock it out in the first round but the fight won't be over. The immune system will be a little weaker and the strain will come back a little stronger. Why do you think TB is on the rise again? We have been over antibioticized (new word) and nutrient deficient for the past 30 years. Like I said, I am a fireman (paramedic) and go on calls everyday I work for the last 23 years. WE THE PEOPLE are getting sicker and weaker. The average perscription drug is now 9 per person in this country. 20 years ago it was less than 1. Unless people take care for what foods go in their mouths, the body will continue to be a breeding ground for bacteria, disease, and viruses.

I'm not saying don't take bactrin, I'm saying start eating better. Stay away from prossessed foods, with all the chemicals added. Eat organic, raw, homemade foods. Do your homework.

My father started with pneumonia in early June, was started on Zyvox. They also said he had a abcess in his lung. Three weeks later they did another CT scan and the abcess doubled in size (taking up a majority of his lung.) The ID doctor put him on another antibiotic Citrol(sp) along with the Zyvox. He is now in a sub-acute unit of a nursing home to gain back some of his strength so he can come home. However within the last 2-3 weeks he has lost about 10 pounds and gotten weaker, and constantly complains of pains in his stomach when he eats. Does anyone know if MRSA can effect the stomach?

Wow, shocking how common this is, "MRSA in Florida" I am hoping someone out there, maybe with a medical background can help me, also I wonder "to Angie" if your father may be getting what I had, I had a breast reduction in may of 2004, not long after I went to my Dr. with what appeared to be 3 spider bites, 2 on my arm & one on my thigh, he though it could be a "Brown Recluse" it kept growing & oozing puss & had red lines going up & down both sides, people told me that type of spider which is common to Florida is super painful, I never felt any bite, I was referred to a surgical Dr. who did a culture & later found out I had MRSA. He then lanced them and numbed them, yeah right! I felt it all. then had to have a nurse come to my home to clean and pack them, not fun at all! I was then referred to an Infectious Diseases DR who put me on Zyvox, I had already been on Cipro because my breasts appeared to be infected from surgery, & my primary wanted me on it for these possible bites. I had to go on 2 courses of Zyvox & thank god for Insurance because it was over $1700.00 a pop! I took them for a very long time, now I just have scars which appear to be Keloid as well as the scars from my breast reduction, the receptionis at the Plastic surgeons office slipped that he had another patient also with MRSA currently hospitalized, he later covered himself and said she had surgery at the same hospital I did so it must be the hospital although the receptionist had said otherwise, Ironically he did not think I needed any follow up visits with him & has never called to see how I am. I thought it was over and hope it is but 2 months later I began having terrible stomach pain, vomitting & diarrhea all day long, I could not hold anything down, not even sips of water & lost 10 pounds the first week which I didn't mind that, but the pain was so bad I wanted to die, I was admitted to the ER 4 times in Aug & put on so many meds, pain meds & antibiotics & always told my potassium was way too low, I would get better & go home after about 4-7 days, and after about a day or two at home the symptoms returned & had to be re-admitted each stay lasting about 1 week, now with over 20,000 in medical bills I don't know what to do, my insurance would cover some stays but not others? they ran many scans & tests & I felt the ER Dr didn't think anything was wrong and was sooo rude, finally on my last stay they found I had contracted a parasite called Cryptosporridium(spelling?)they said it is found by stool samples and comes in phases, lucky me they caught it finally! now the ER Dr apologized for not believeing I was in so much pain although I still had diarrhea during my stays and moderate vomitting compared to at home. my same ID Dr. began treating me in the hospital for the parasite but still no one can tell me why I got it, They said It affects people with compromized immune systems, I'm told especially HIV patients which I was tested for and am negative, so I am wondering if this was possibly caused because I had MRSA and a weak immune system, my primary did not even believe it because he said most people go unaffected by this parasite unless they have HIV or other bad things which I have none, I really hope someone might know if there is any relevance to the MRSA I was out of work for more than half of last year, raising two sons on my own & now battling depression, I am sorry for all who still have so many outbreaks of MRSA, I know how painful it is, I developed another "spider like" bump under my arm about 2 months ago but did not want to go back to the doctor, it has not swelled like the first ones but I could not sleep on my side for about 1 month because of the pain & it is now flat but still red and only a small head or hard spot in the middle so after reading all these posts I am wondering if I am still having outbreaks, I also (last year) had several bumps directly in my armpits & could not keep my arms down w/o pain but was told it was prob just a reaction from a new razor used??? now I wonder, I don't want to pass this to my sons, I have not seen the ID Dr since about Oct of 2004 but she did a nasal swab & said I was negative, can it come back even if the swab says I was negative? Please anyone who could help I would greatly appreciate especially if there could be any relevance to contracting that nasty parasite which I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy!! I also still have bouts with severe stomach pain, vomitting & diarrhea about 2 times a month but it's alot better than everyday, my Dr says It could last forever. sorry so long just wanted some help or answers to WHY this had to happen, God bless everyone who is going through this & I hope the national media will start discussing this, If you have info please e-mail me at Rtmor73@aol.com

I've posted several times previously and have been fighting the MRSA bug for almost a year now. With the most recent outbreak, doc at Emory (just 2nd time I've seen him) ordered wide variety of labs/blood work (just as an aside, cultures for colonization were still negative, only cultures of boils showed MRSA) as he was becoming concerned because we have pretty much ruled out any possible outside source for infection, and he was confused as to how the boils would become so horribly bad, but I never developed blood sepsis or pneumonia (both MRSA derived).

Anyways, apparently one of the first docs I saw (OB/GYN) was onto something. Several blood complements were not at normal levels and were not producing the required antigens or proteins to fight certain types of infections both viral and bacterial. This week, I'm undergoing more tests and it could be that the blood problem is congenital and I just have never experienced a serious illness or come into contact with a MRSA type bacteria until the hospitalization after an auto accident, or maybe something has changed along the way -- still don't know for sure.

Also, now believes it is possible that the MRSA is "hiding" somewhere in my system (endocrine system maybe) and the antibiotics just are getting to it. I've been on sulfa drugs as a last resort (tried all the others), but have had previous allergic reactions, this time it took 10 days to have serious allergic reaction (took in conjunction with Rifampin), but doc doesn't think was in my system long enough to make a dent -- I was prescribed for 21 days originally.

When I find out definitively on the blood work, I'll post again in case it might be helpful for any others to have complete labs done.

Suprised to browse all these stories of MRSA " encounters. " I have a wonderful 7 year old little girl who has battled these " boils-abcesses " since 11/04. I returned to town and when she got out of the shower the small " bug bite " below her R buttock she had before my trip had quadrupled in size was hot and very inflammed. I took her to after hours pediatrician who prescribed Augmentin. This did no good and two days later she was complaining of pain with walking. I decided to take her to local Pediatric ER - as I felt positive they would I+D the abcess and not just throw more antibiotics her way. Many hours later , with previous unknown temp 0f 103 F, and very PAINFULLY I+D was performed. CULTURE WAS NOT ORDERED - and I was so BUSY consoling my child I did not insist on one. She was given IM Rocephin after the NP consulted with the MD. 4-5 days later we thought all this was resolved. 12/04 noticed numerous small non-tender pus filled bumps on buttocks - reassured by Pediatrician not to be alarmed. In 2-3 days 2 of these lesions also turned into boils - which I drained and cultured on my own ( I am a Physician Assistant ) from culturette given by Pediatrician. We were MRSA positive. Clindamycin - ORAL suspension - smelt awful and the taste made her gag. 1 week later no active skin lesions but sudden temp ( 103 F ) and lethargy - to after hours Pediatrician again - a Saturday - He states "viral" do not worry. I insist on CBC. Major leukocytosis - 1 Gram Rocephin -
unhappy child. The abcesses occur frequently now - we have been through Keflex, Bactrim , 2ND Clindamycin - I have lost count and have promised my daughter I will not drain any more of her abcesses. I can not bear to inflict pain on my own child. (always done sterile procedure ) We -all 4 - did the Bactroban " nose thing " x 1. My husband thought I was crazy when I asked him to comply. Pediatrician referred us to Dermatologist - at that time none of her little "bumps" in abcess form had just completed Clindamycin. He looked at us as if to say why are you both here - and instructed me to bathe my child daily. We have been doing that at almost 100 % accuracy for the past 7 years. That was a waste of TIME and mostly MONEY.!! Last week
one lesion -pus filled R nare and small lesions both upper and lower R lips. Two days ago - new lesion agressive over R knee.
Back to pediatrician yesterday, he would not lance, and RX for Bactrim and "watch" and see if improvement occurs- and report any lymphadenopaty in popiteal or femoral area or any pain on ambulation. Abcess did "burst" after picking up her RX , and it looks a bit better today, but still angry looking. Her brother accidently hit her knee - more pus and blood, and 10 minutes of pain and screaming. 2ND Grade starts next week - she does not need all this. We want it to go away. I wonder if course of IV antibiotics may do the trick ?? How do we get our physicians to understand the chronic nature, pain involved and potential seriousness of MRSA ? Probably their family has not been affected YET. Fortunately , I do have a NP colleague whom I spoke with today who will be more aggressive - I+D next abcess and REPEAT CULTURES. ( she was astounded only one culture had been run with this many lesions- and that one I had to obtain myself and ask for ) If my daughter's pediatrician continues to blow this off- ( he usually does not do this and is very agressive in all aspects of his practice, but I think he is just plain tired of seeing us ) I guess we will will move on with the next step. IT IS VERY FRUSTRATING !! We are going to reBactroban all noses again tonight and for the next week.
Otherwise we are thankful each day for all the blessings the Lord has given us and try not to take them for granted. For without faith in Him, I could not function at all.
ANY other MOMS needing to vent please E-mail me at kcc2@netzero.com

My mom just wrote the above. Here is what I think. They are bad,
goopy, and hurtful too - everywhere they are. I'm glad I can swallow pills now because the other medicine was ugh!!! My boil on my knee has quit hurting now after my brother pushed it tonight. I'm glad my mom is not going to " mash " any more of my boils. I'm glad I "push " my boils now because she hurts it. That's all I wanted to say. Bye !

My ex husband brought our children home after having them for the weekend in June of 2004. Our son which was 4 at the time had a sore, that my ex was calling a spider bite, on the lower right side of his bottom. I took him inside and looked at the sore and when I removed the bandaide it was the most horrible looking red, swollen to almost the size of a tennisball, feverish "spider bite" I have ever seen. I took him straight to the hospital. He got a fever of 103 and started vomiting while we were waiting to see the doctor. The nurse came out and took us into the room where an IV was started on him and cultures was taken and bllod testing was done. Then the worst part of lancing open his sore and packing it. It was severely painful for him. He was in the hospital for 3 days. All four of my children have this and my ex husband also. The MRSA has colonized in the children. I myself do not. Knowing this was something that they did not have in the past I was left wondering how they were infected. My ex recently had moved in with his girlfriend that has MRSA and that is how the children got it. All of them are breaking out with the sores every few weeks. I am doing all I can to prevent outbreaks including, bactroban applied 2 times daily in both nostrils when needed, bathing them 3 times a week with hibiclens, laundring their sheets on their beds every day, hand sanitizer, all the possible things to help prevent breakouts. I know how painful the sores are from my children. They are in and out of the hospital having the sores lanced and packed. If anyone knows anything else that I could be doing for them please let me know. Is there a cure in the future? I have been reading about a phage treatment for MRSA that is being used in Russia, Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union but is not used in the U.S. has anyone else heard of this? With God all things are possible, I wish all with this disease speedy recovery!

Hi, Joe

Thanks for at least reading my post. I've had home care with vanco for very serious MRSA, developed an allergic reaction to vanco (would die from it), My mom will be 95 in August, is treated in a a nursing home for a non-healing knee wound (seeping MRSA). Bactrim has ontolled this very well for over ten years.

I believe bactrim is an early sulfa-antibiotic not originally used for MRSA (it was generic and chaeap), so you know what that means. It wasn't largely prescribed when MRSA was identified.

I do not trust the FDA, either. However, I trust the pharmaceutical companies even less. They have been able to come up with countless antidepressants, minor variants or b.p. and cholesteral meds,(call them SR and re-patent them to jack up
the price.), relable diet pills a Adderall, etc., call an antidepressant Zyaban and tote it out again for smoking. Give me a break!

I was recently hospitalized for 5 days with a life-treatening beeding ulcer. Believe me, I.C.U. and blood transfusions are no fun, especially if you're in isolation because of MRSA.

It is interesting to me that the drug comapnies have come up with only three new antibiotic in the last twelve years the people acn't afford their more expensive diesigner drugs). I have, indeed, done my homework on this one(or I would keep my moth shut). Tygacil may not get a lot of ad time, but patients with MRSA whould look into Tygacil, with at least two doctors and the Internet.

On January 19,2005 had surgery on right ankle,Orthopedic suregon also said heel was crooked , so she broke heel in half, repositioned it and put a screw in from back of heel to arch of foot. Also they reattached tendon to ankle bone,,Had a thick heavy post op cast to my knee, with a polar ice device inside cast,with a hose that led to a machine filled with ice,This was I guess to reduce swelling and also to help releive pain,,Two weeks later went to suregon to have cast and stitches removed.When cast was removed, there was this huge blister forming over incision on ankle,entire foot was swollen football size,,,suregon decided to let stitches remain in a week longer, and had another post op cast put on,,polar ice hose and all.She assured me large blister was merely from pressure of cast. Went back again at three weeks post op, to get cast removed once again,and stitches finally removed. Blister was larger than ever and black in areas, it was even going up toward top of my foot,Suegon still not acting at all concerned,, just says "That happens sometimes",, Another cast only this one lighter , made of fiberglass..had to return again in a week.. Doctor removed cast,, this is in February 05, Starts me on an antibiotic and still another cast,, this one was purple, my three year old grandson said I had a Barney's foot,,,Cast removed in early March and put in air cast,, Foot still swollen horribily, ankle incision still not healed, thou blister a huge scab now,,
ankle incision, was extremely tender, foot swollen badly,and entire foot and part of lower leg , skin was dry and scaly looking..days later skin began coming off my foot in dry layers, foot swelling continued and on and off foot would get a bright red dry looking rash over it,, Still suregon said I was coming along fine,,,just a little slow to heal,,,she ordered me to begin Physicl therapy,,,, I asked one physical therapist if it appeared to him infected,,, he said , no,, just sore and painful looking.I noticed after any exercise my anke and foot started aching and becoming painful,,, A stinging and burning type pain that seemed to go down to bone .Next few weeks, than seen a different therapaist,, Her first remark is this looks infectd. My Doctor waas in Surgery so seen an associate , who put me on an antibiotic, told me to keep foot elevated, and see my suregon in three days,,, My suregon didn't seem concerned,,foot kept swelling badly, with the itchy red rash,,and incision would appear to be drying up one day and sore and oozing the next.. Stayed on different antibiotics,,On July 10th,, foot was once again football size ,, and incision draning pus and blood,, Went back in hospital , had debriement surgery July 14,2005,, So this will be a month tomorrow from 2nd surgery,,Have been on Doxycyline since than, New surgery where stitches are is healed fine,,, old incision where infection was ,, is still there,,, some days appearing that hole is drying and healing and next day , open and oozing,,,, It just seems a constant battle,,,Still on Doxycyline,,, Believe 12th antibiotic since April 10th. lost track,,Last week , on a good day tried to wear a pair of Nike gym shoes, had them on two hours just walking here in home,,, Next day incision was open and drainning alot,,Suregon said , no shoes,,Six more days and will be seven months since first surgery,,, And still cant wear shoes !!! Can't take a tub bath or go swimming,,,,, Can't go tanning because of antibiotic ,, says to avoid sun ,, and artifical tanning,,,And as I work in a store, which requires constant standing, cant return to work,,, Have applied back in April for longterm disabilty,, No Answer yet,,, I ache all over ,, my knees especialy,, have no energy, whatsoever,,headaches,,my hair is thinning,, I have all these perscription costs, cost of bandages,even with co -pay one perscription was $57.00,,, Without insurance pharmacey said antibiotic 's cost was $289.00 ,,, For 10 pills $28.90 per pill,, Shouldn't hospital be to blame for all these costs, and loss of work??? They still havent told me name for infection,, just say ,, yes it is a "Staph Infection" and hard to fight. Hospital says its just one of those risk any patient takes when they sign consent form for any surgery,,,
Will keep checking here for any new information,,, Contact me if you like at I'malady5304@yahoo.com

I just found out my 5yr. old has mrsa he was put in the hostpital for 3 days and no one told us what kind of staff infection he had untill we took him to the er again we thought he had a hernia thats when we found out that he had mrsa I don't know how he got it or how long it stays with you I read alot about mrsa but it didn;t tell me when it will go away if any one knows how long you can have this please E -mail me at bizzybee22@hotmail.com cause I would like t know my son has been around alot of people and I just want to know if it stays with you for the rest of your life or for a couple of years thanks Dawn

Back in April my dad and i got what everyone thought was spider bites. I very rarely ever get bit by spiders, bugs, ect. and was very skeptical about it being a bite but no one believed me. my grandma lanced my arm open and dug out the core hard puss. i then got put on keflex but never saw a doctor. my dad got antibotics but didnt get it culturaled because everyone thought it was a bug bite. Then my cousin got a "spider bite" that was flesh eating, he got admitted to the hospital & had it culturaled. It came back as MRSA. a few weeks later my leg broke out in "bug bites" that we extremely painful, hard, and puss filled. i went to the doctor because of my cousins cultural. i told my doctor about mrsa and he told me it only happened in hospitals & i hadnt been admitted in a hospital or had surgery so i didnt have it. then i told him about my cousin & he said that it was very unlikely that i had it. then he told me that it was razor burn, to change my razor, and to see a dermatologist if it didnt get better. i got put on another antibotic & went back a few days later with a sore on my ankle that made my foot swell up. i saw a new doc and told her all the info again. she also said that i probably didnt have mrsa & my sore wasnt oozing so i couldnt get it culturaled. in the meantime my dad also got more outbreaks of mrsa, went to the er & had them culturaled. another cousin of mine had eye pain & everyone told him it was alergies. he went to the doc and they look inside and saw a huge puss ball that they culturaled and came back as mrsa. then his girlfriend broke out with the same infection. it is now the end of august and i have been breaking out with this infection since the beginning of april and my doctor isnt helping me. a few days ago i got what i assumed was a pimple on my face. it was the kind that didnt pop up or have a white head. after 3 days of having it, half my face swelled. i have been putting hot compresses on it and am on cipro again. i drained it yesterday but my face keeps getting bigger, and the hard core wont go away. with the ones on my arms and legs i cut them open and dug out the core, but i have nasty scars now. i obviously cant lance my cheek open, but it is oozing through into my mouth. no one in my family doubts it is MRSA because of everyone that has had it cultural. im only 17 years old and my family thinks that i need to just let it run its course. i have had continuous outbreaks for 5 months now, being in a constant amount of pain & soreness. i am terrified now too about the effects this could have. why isnt my doctor taking this seriously? i have been on 5 different antibotics keflex and cipro twice and 3 others i cant remember. what else can i do?

hey everyone. my girlfriend was just told that she might have mrca. she had her ear cartilage peirced, and it started swelling, she is in extream pain and she is staying sick. the lady told her that if the meds didn't work, that they would have to put her in a coma, so her body would accept the meds. has anyone else had a case like this, and if so, what happened.