I missed my chance

[belle5691]

Today, I was cleaning out a mailbox, and just thought to look in the spam box.....and found an email. But they needed a reply by last week....

It was from consumer.org asking to talk to me about MRSA again. I gave them my story about 4 years ago or so, and have gotten to talk to a few different reporters, local, and otherwise. Two years ago, I was able to go on an all expenses paid trip to New York City to speak with a public forum with a Dr. Jerome Granato and Some people from Washington DC and the Centers for Disease Control. We did a live radio program there.

MRSA, for me was a life changing event. When I was in the hospital, I know it was for my protection, but to have to have everyone who came in my room wash their hands before and after talking with me, wear masks, all that goes with it. To have a NEON green sign hanging on my door warning everyone how infectious I was really dealt a blow to me. Then the recovery time for me was unbelievably long. The fatigue is still here. But I consider myself lucky as a lot of the people who I heard their stories---arent even alive, much less able to travel and do interviews.

Anyway, Im really sad I missed another opportunity, but hopefully another one will come along.

[WendyLou75]

What is MRSA?

[ttistin]

:hug I am sorry you missed the chance but I am very happy that you are doing better.

[IthinkNOT!]

I have been meaning to ask you...

Are community acquired MRSA and Hospital acquired Mrsa the same thing?

Like if potentially someone is around someone is around someone that is in a hospital and gets MRSA and then they proceed to spread it, is it community or hospital acquired?

I have been hearing alot about this lately with the outbreak we had with the pool and all. The girl who originally spread it to all of us has now passed it on to her son. He has the wounds he has to get packed every day, and 2 different kinds of antibiotics. And then she had the nerve to stand in front of our class and tell us that MRSA is not contagious. I was like "ya dummy, if it is not contagious then how do you think your son ended up with it?"

[pepperpot]

I'd answer it anyway....what do you have to lose? It's all to gain....:agree

[iluvmybaby]

Today, I was cleaning out a mailbox, and just thought to look in the spam box.....and found an email. But they needed a reply by last week....

.

Why dont you contact them anyways? Maybe you can still get in and have a chance to tell your story again

[belle5691]

What is MRSA?

MRSA is in common terms a serious staph infection that is highly resistant to most antibiotics. A lot of times it can require hospital stays with IV antibiotics along with oral antibiotics. If not treated, it can be deadly. In the news, you may have heard it called a Superbug.

The real name is: Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aurea.

[WendyLou75]

So it's like a Staph infection on crack? :-)

[belle5691]

I have been meaning to ask you...

Are community acquired MRSA and Hospital acquired Mrsa the same thing?

Like if potentially someone is around someone is around someone that is in a hospital and gets MRSA and then they proceed to spread it, is it community or hospital acquired?

I have been hearing alot about this lately with the outbreak we had with the pool and all. The girl who originally spread it to all of us has now passed it on to her son. He has the wounds he has to get packed every day, and 2 different kinds of antibiotics. And then she had the nerve to stand in front of our class and tell us that MRSA is not contagious. I was like "ya dummy, if it is not contagious then how do you think your son ended up with it?"

I believe the major difference is Hospital Acquired enters your body through a surgical incision, or an iv placement, etc. Community Acquired can enter through a scratch, open wound, etc.

So, if you catch it from this girl, I would guess that it would be considered the community acquired. And it is VERY contagious. I had the Hospital Acquired, however my husband and son both ended up with it, husband through stepping on a tack and the bacteria being at our home, my son through a mosquito bite on his arm. My husband ended up in the hospital for surgery and rehab for over 3 months.

Mine was hospital acquired through a hysterectomy surgery.

[belle5691]

So it's like a Staph infection on crack? :-)

LOL, sounds like a pretty accurate description to me.

[WendyLou75]

Well, I'm just glad you're doing well now. ;)


LOL, sounds like a pretty accurate description to me.

[IthinkNOT!]

I believe the major difference is Hospital Acquired enters your body through a surgical incision, or an iv placement, etc. Community Acquired can enter through a scratch, open wound, etc.

So, if you catch it from this girl, I would guess that it would be considered the community acquired. And it is VERY contagious. I had the Hospital Acquired, however my husband and son both ended up with it, husband through stepping on a tack and the bacteria being at our home, my son through a mosquito bite on his arm. My husband ended up in the hospital for surgery and rehab for over 3 months.

Mine was hospital acquired through a hysterectomy surgery.
And is there a set amount of time to get it once you have been exposed? Like if you were exposed X-days ago and still don't have signs then you don't have it? Or can this be dormant and pop up much later?

[ttistin]

And is there a set amount of time to get it once you have been exposed? Like if you were exposed X-days ago and still don't have signs then you don't have it? Or can this be dormant and pop up much later?

That is a very good question...Something I think we all need to be aware of. I have no idea what the answer is but would like to know.

[belle5691]

And is there a set amount of time to get it once you have been exposed? Like if you were exposed X-days ago and still don't have signs then you don't have it? Or can this be dormant and pop up much later?

I know that it popped up on me, after my surgery 4 weeks after. I had been released to go back to work, was at work one week, and my incision burst open. I was in the hospital for that about a week, and on bed rest, with daily changing of dressings for 3 months. Then I thought I was good.....and 2 years later---it popped up again. In a cyst near the area of the hysterectomy. I was in the hospital that time for 2 weeks, and had 5 surgeries. Then....2 months later, it popped up again, and 5 hospital days and 2 more surgeries later I was released. Since then, I have had small bouts pop up...that were treated with a topical antibiotic, but I have been told that a big one can come back at any time.

So, yeah, I think it can lie dormant for a while, but I also think that the condition you are in determines a lot of it. Like, if you are super stressed, your immune system is down, etc. It can happen. I was super exhausted, working a new job, a tremendous amount of personal stress in my life at the time...and it made me a prime candidate again I believe, since the bacteria had already been introduced to my body through the surgery. I know that for both types of MRSA infections, the most important thing anyone recommends to keep from getting it is--simple handwashing with soap and water.

Try not to stress too much, just be careful for any signs of infection, redness that wont go away, white stringy looking wounds that look a lot like a spider bite. Some of mine hurt a lot. Others, I had no feeling whatsoever.

[WtPlover]

I got hospital mrsa in june of 03 when I had my left kidney removed its six years later and i still get sick from it I have had pneumonia three times from it and three or four bouts in the hospital I have no energy and it did irrepairable damage to my back really my whole body always wash your hands and if you can't wash them with soap and water use hand sanitizer frequently you can never be too careful my life family and health will never be the same take care of your body

[belle5691]

I got hospital mrsa in june of 03 when I had my left kidney removed its six years later and i still get sick from it I have had pneumonia three times from it and three or four bouts in the hospital I have no energy and it did irrepairable damage to my back really my whole body always wash your hands and if you can't wash them with soap and water use hand sanitizer frequently you can never be too careful my life family and health will never be the same take care of your body


That is exactly my problems now. Even though I haven't had any hospital stays or major ordeal in about 2 years now, I still have absolutely NO energy. I have unexplained pain in my legs so bad I can't get through a day without major pain killers, however MRI's, tests, etc show nothing wrong. I agree. Wash a lot, and use sanitizer, and take care of your body.

[belle5691]

I did go ahead and contact consumers.org and got an email back! They asked for an update on my story for the new website they are doing, and said that the story about hospital infections came out last week, and they are often contacted by reporters afterwards, and asked to still pass on my information! So....I missed the major report, which to me...would have been good to do, but I like the local stories, etc...because sometimes it allows me to meet with people and let them know that I went through it too, and that I understand the feelings that go with it. Thanks to you guys who listened to me whine about my disappointment last night.

[pepperpot]

:hug Good for you....:agree

[Donnagg123]

just as an fyi too is the fact that we all pretty much have staph aureus all over us all the time. Our skin/mucous membranes are natural barriers to it. When the barrier is compromised (a scratch/wound) that is when the problem occurs.