I just barely got through warning everyone to watch out for "superbugs" such as C. diff, MRSA, etc., last week, when dang if I didn't come up with an infection caused by the little buggers, myself.
Wednesday afternoon, I went by my doctor's office to have a blood sample drawn, in order to check the status of my thyroid treatment. After I left there, I dutifully wiped my hands with an anti-bacterial "wet-wipe", and went on about my work. That night, just before I took a bath, I noticed there was a small "bump" on the side of my chest, just in front of my right armpit, that seemed to be a bit irritated. I checked it out, and it felt sort of like a clogged pore, or something of that sort, that I've had before, from time to time, so I forgot about it, took a bath, and went to bed. The next morning, I had a BIG bump, in the same spot, that was very swollen, red, obviously inflamed, and very sensitive.
I started to check with my doc about it, but then decided to "let it ride", unless it took a turn for the worse. For three days, it stayed about the same, and then the next day the swelling seemed to be going down, it wasn't quite as red and sensitive, and the skin was peeling off the center of it. In addition, there was a very foul odor associated with it. That was yesterday. This morning, when I visited with my doctor a while, to review the results of the thyroid tests, I mentioned it to him, and as soon as he saw, it he told me that it was MRSA, and said that they've been seeing quite a few cases of it lately. He said that since I seemed to be "out of the woods", there was no point in doing anything with it, except to keep it clean with soap and water. In fact, he pointed out that since there is only one antibiotic that has any effect at all on MRSA, the best way to handle cuts, scrapes, and various other skin abrasions, is to clean them with liberal amounts of soap and water. If that doesn't work, the only antibiotic left to use is vancomycin, (I looked it up), and it doesn't always work.
I had a friend who scraped his arm on a tree limb, about a year or so ago, and then went to his job, doing laundry for a local nursing home. Within a few hours, he was so sick that the nurse there called an ambulance, and they took him to a hospital, where they immediately went to work on him. By the second day, they were pretty sure that they were going to have to amputate his arm, in order to save his life, but then he started to show some improvement, and so they saved his arm. Still, he was in intensive care for a few more days, before he improved enough to be able to be moved to a private room.
In case anyone is unfamiliar with MRSA, it's an infection caused by Staphylococcus aureus bacteria — often called "staph." MRSA stands for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. It's a strain of staph that's resistant to the broad-spectrum antibiotics commonly used to treat it, and it's the same bacteria that is currently causing infections among many high-school athletes, because it's easily spread by skin to skin contact, or skin contact with someone else's contaminating clothing. Any small scratch, cut, wound, or any other opening in the skin is vulnerable to infection. A MRSA infection tends to develop very rapidly, and it can be fatal in a matter of a few days, if not treated soon enough, or aggressively enough.
In view of that, obviously, my immune system is in pretty good shape, and I'm mighty lucky that it is. Sometimes, an overactive immune system can be a big advantage, obviously. If I had realized what it was, early on, I certainly wouldn't have opted to "let it ride".
Tex
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It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
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annie oakley
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MaggieRedwings
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Morning Tex,
What a scare that was and it seems this is becoming so prevalent. Our UPS delivery man here just got over it. First bit by a spider and admitted to the hospital where they were going to amputate his foot but saved it and in the process he developed MRSA in the hospital. 6 weeks later he is feeling a bit better.
Take care and don't push too hard yet.
Love, Maggie
What a scare that was and it seems this is becoming so prevalent. Our UPS delivery man here just got over it. First bit by a spider and admitted to the hospital where they were going to amputate his foot but saved it and in the process he developed MRSA in the hospital. 6 weeks later he is feeling a bit better.
Take care and don't push too hard yet.
Love, Maggie
Maggie Scarpone
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Resident Birder - I live to bird and enjoy life!
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Resident Birder - I live to bird and enjoy life!
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jillian357
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Thanks everyone, for your thoughts.
Kathy,
I'm pretty sure I picked it up at the doctor's office, because that's the only place I went that day, (other than work, but I work out here on the farm). All the cases that I'm familiar with, flared up within a few hours of making contact with a source of the bacteria. Of course, I could have been carrying them around myself, for all I know, but this is the first time I've ever had an infection of this type develop. In my work, I regularly get minor cuts, scrapes, punctures, etc., but I've never had one become infected anywhere near this aggressively, before.
The infection doesn't seem to be in any particular hurry to leave, but it's slowly improving, so hopefully it will be completely gone in a week or so.
Tex
Kathy,
I'm pretty sure I picked it up at the doctor's office, because that's the only place I went that day, (other than work, but I work out here on the farm). All the cases that I'm familiar with, flared up within a few hours of making contact with a source of the bacteria. Of course, I could have been carrying them around myself, for all I know, but this is the first time I've ever had an infection of this type develop. In my work, I regularly get minor cuts, scrapes, punctures, etc., but I've never had one become infected anywhere near this aggressively, before.
The infection doesn't seem to be in any particular hurry to leave, but it's slowly improving, so hopefully it will be completely gone in a week or so.
Tex
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
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RUBYREDDOG
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- Location: Glendale, Ca.
Hotrod,
I'm feeling pretty good, but I still gain weight too easily, so I think that I'm still being undertreated. My no good doc only checked TSH last time, and my TSH has always been within the "normal" range, so that really didn't tell us anything. It's my fault, though, because I didn't remind him, and he's so forgetful that I'll bet that his wife has to remind him to put on his pants some mornings, or he would forget them.
I originally started taking the synthetic T4 supplement because even though my TSH was in the middle of the range, my Free T4 was below the normal range. I don't have Hashimoto's, so something else is going on. I've had my adrenals checked, and my hypothalamus, pituitary, etc., and everything seems to be working OK, so something mysterious is going on with the thyroid hormone. Next time, I'll bet I'll remember to remind him that we need to check a few things besides TSH. LOL.
It's interesting that a lot of docs consider the Armour treatment to be not only obsolete, but virtually worthless, because it is claimed to not be as consistent as the synthetic T4, (as far as hormone levels are concerned), and yet the synthetic supplements have been found to be out of compliance at times. I thought that Armour, (made by Forest Laboratories), was the only natural thyroid hormone supplement on the market, but I just now came across this one:
http://www.wes-throid.com/vs.asp
Sorry that I don't have any more test info.
Tex
I'm feeling pretty good, but I still gain weight too easily, so I think that I'm still being undertreated. My no good doc only checked TSH last time, and my TSH has always been within the "normal" range, so that really didn't tell us anything. It's my fault, though, because I didn't remind him, and he's so forgetful that I'll bet that his wife has to remind him to put on his pants some mornings, or he would forget them.
I originally started taking the synthetic T4 supplement because even though my TSH was in the middle of the range, my Free T4 was below the normal range. I don't have Hashimoto's, so something else is going on. I've had my adrenals checked, and my hypothalamus, pituitary, etc., and everything seems to be working OK, so something mysterious is going on with the thyroid hormone. Next time, I'll bet I'll remember to remind him that we need to check a few things besides TSH. LOL.
It's interesting that a lot of docs consider the Armour treatment to be not only obsolete, but virtually worthless, because it is claimed to not be as consistent as the synthetic T4, (as far as hormone levels are concerned), and yet the synthetic supplements have been found to be out of compliance at times. I thought that Armour, (made by Forest Laboratories), was the only natural thyroid hormone supplement on the market, but I just now came across this one:
http://www.wes-throid.com/vs.asp
Sorry that I don't have any more test info.
Tex
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
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RUBYREDDOG
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- Location: Glendale, Ca.
Hotrod,
We've been with the same practice for over 30 years and just found out that they'll no longer partner with our insurance company. DH didn't realize the contract had not been renewed when he went in July. We owe $120 for an office visit for a diabetes blood test. Now we're having to find another doc, too. I guess it's just as well that we find one before we go on Medicare in a few more years. I hear a lot of docs won't accept Medicare patients.
Tex,
I got a good laugh out of that one.
Gloria
We've been with the same practice for over 30 years and just found out that they'll no longer partner with our insurance company. DH didn't realize the contract had not been renewed when he went in July. We owe $120 for an office visit for a diabetes blood test. Now we're having to find another doc, too. I guess it's just as well that we find one before we go on Medicare in a few more years. I hear a lot of docs won't accept Medicare patients.
Tex,
he's so forgetful that I'll bet that his wife has to remind him to put on his pants some mornings, or he would forget them.
I got a good laugh out of that one.Gloria
You never know what you can do until you have to do it.
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MaggieRedwings
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Well I am in the same boat of looking for a new GP. My doctor, and she is absolutely wonderful, has decided to retire. Now to find someone who is a caring and wants to hear what you have to say will be a challenge.
Love, Maggie
Love, Maggie
Maggie Scarpone
___________________
Resident Birder - I live to bird and enjoy life!
___________________
Resident Birder - I live to bird and enjoy life!
Tex,
Last night while I was falling asleep, I itched my arm pit area (sorry, that's gross) and I felt a bump. I thought of you and rushed to the mirror only to find it was a small pimple! I hope yours is better now. Doesn't it seem like it's always something, every day? Sheesh!
I am thinking about changing my PCP. A couple months ago, when I was really distraught about this MC I had called to see if he could give me another med to try and he said he would refer me to a physciatrist! But last week, when my husband went for a routine appointment, he asked how I was doing. Nice, huh? I was only asking for something to try to help me relax while the Colazal was "supposed to be " kicking in. Which, never did happen.
I'm still mad over that whole physciatrist comment!
What? Did he think I was making this up? At that point, I knew I was on my own with this. I think it was right after that I found you all!
P.S. My family thought the t-shirt was funny. I put it right on and had never felt so proud!!!!
Last night while I was falling asleep, I itched my arm pit area (sorry, that's gross) and I felt a bump. I thought of you and rushed to the mirror only to find it was a small pimple! I hope yours is better now. Doesn't it seem like it's always something, every day? Sheesh!
I am thinking about changing my PCP. A couple months ago, when I was really distraught about this MC I had called to see if he could give me another med to try and he said he would refer me to a physciatrist! But last week, when my husband went for a routine appointment, he asked how I was doing. Nice, huh? I was only asking for something to try to help me relax while the Colazal was "supposed to be " kicking in. Which, never did happen.
I'm still mad over that whole physciatrist comment!
What? Did he think I was making this up? At that point, I knew I was on my own with this. I think it was right after that I found you all!
P.S. My family thought the t-shirt was funny. I put it right on and had never felt so proud!!!!
Yet another reason to stay out in the country, at least our bugs tend to be on the cute side. 