Well, My Wife Has A MRSA

[ProfessorGAC]

Yep. Infected into her bone.

She's on venkomyacin, twice a day (noon and midnight), IV. They brought a pump to the house so i just set it up and let it go for an hour.

All from a cat scratch!

However, the doctors are saying that the attention in the media is a bit overblown and that they're quite confident the treatment will be successful.

I guess catching it early is the key to a strongly positive prognosis.

Just trolling for some good vibes.
The Professor

[mac56]

1. Good vibes to her and to you, Prof

:hi:

[ProfessorGAC]

17. Thanks Mac, You Old Man, You

Long time no talk! I'll pass your vibes on to my wife.
GAC

[zabet]

2. Best wishes,

good vibes and prayers for your wife's infection.

:grouphug:

[graywarrior]

3. Here's hoping she gets well quickly

:toast:

[NewJeffCT]

4. good vibes to your wife

Here's to a speedy recovery!

[Blue Diadem]

5. Sending good vibes.

Saying prayers for your wife's recovery too.

:hug: for you and the Mrs.

[Highway61]

6. Overblown?

No way. I'm a nurse and I can tell ya..it is nothing to shake a stick at. Although I thought I would never see the day I would say this...but you giving her IV infusions of antibiotics at home is a good thing. Hospitals are friggin DIRTY! (which is where the MRSA originated) They've yet to figure out how it is now prevalent in the communities. Hope she gets well soon.

[ProfessorGAC]

7. They Didn't Say It Wasn't Serious

They just said we shouldn't be frightened. Because it was caught early and she was on some form of anitbiotic since the cat incident, and the bone cultures (post surgery) showed what it was, they were very optimistic.

I think it was their way of reassuring us and not letting the media attention freak us out.

But, thanks just the same. And yeah, it's WAY better to be in one's own home.
The Professor

[terrya]

8. My good thoughts to your wife, Professor.

I'm sorry to hear this...but that's good news that the treatment will be successful.

[ProfessorGAC]

11. Thanks, Terry

She's bummed about it, but doing ok.
GAC

[Sweet Freedom]

9. I hope her recovery is speedy and uneventful.

:hug:

Wasn't there a thread about garlic and MRSA on the Greatest page just last week? IIRC, it was about (clinical) trials in the UK. You may want to do a search.

[ProfessorGAC]

10. I'll Do That. Thanks

But, in my house, we already put garlic on everything short of ice cream.

We always have at least a half dozen bulbs and a big jar of minced garlic around so if we need it, we got it.

GAC

[Midlodemocrat]

12. Is she actually on vancomycin? IV?

If she is, that drug is the state of the art drug for MRSA. Wishing her and you good vibes for a speedy recovery.

[ProfessorGAC]

15. Yep

Sorry i misspelled it earlier. But, that's what she's on. I believe it's 500mg in 250ml of saline, twice a day. I'm not at home to look at the bag, but i think the 500mg is right.
GAC

[johnnie]

13. Positive thoughts for your wife today Professor

Here's to a speedy recovery for her.

[ThomCat]

14. I hope she's well soon.

I've never heard of a cat scratch getting so bad. :(

[ProfessorGAC]

16. Neither Had We

However, since this happened i've done a little reading.

A cat scratch or bite is 100 TIMES more likely to infect than a dog bite. ER personnel treat cat scratches and bites VERY seriously.

We took her to the ER the very next day for a tetanus shot, and they IMMEDIATELY put her on IV antibiotics. Not the right one, mind you, but they didn't know that.

So, watch out for those kitties, and take all scratches seriously. They do walk around in their own poop, you know.
The Professor

[amitten]

18. Yeah...but they don't eat it, like dogs often do. Makes me

wonder what the real source of higher bacteria in cats is from...

[pitohui]

24. cats benefit from an association with the bacteria in their teeth and mouth

this is similar to the komodo dragon, even if it doesn't kill you then, the scratch becomes easily infected and the dragon can look you up later for a meal after you've passed away

in the case of the cat, they prey on birds and small rodents, but the principle looks to be similar -- even a minor scratch often leads to the death of the bird that is scratched

i no longer advise anyone to own both birds and cats unless they are scrupulously, paranoically careful in personality type, such that the cat (no matter how sweet) can never, ever scratch the bird even by mistake or in play

also i've had a human family member, many years ago, infected by "cat scratch fever" also in play so i guess i've become doubly cautious

for some reason the media under-reports the problem of cat scratches, i've also assumed it's because of sentimentality about this common pet, when reason and sentiment collide, the media is generally going to take the least courageous stand possible

[amitten]

31. I've been scratched more times than I can count (from play).

Never had an infection...guess I'm lucky!

[pitohui]

41. me too, knock on wood, it really makes you stop and think EOM

,

[Zoigal]

55. Sending your wife all

my best wishes for a fast recovery. Thank goodness she got
medical attention quickly. Cat scratches can be so dangerous. p

[KitchenWitch]

19. Yikes!

Best vibes for your wife...

:scared:

[Ellen Forradalom]

20. Good vibes? Any time Professor.

Here, have some for yourself, too.

My best to you and the Mrs.

[necso]

21. Best wishes. /nt

[greatauntoftriplets]

22. Best wishes to Mrs. Professor....

I hope that she recovers quickly.

[redqueen]

23. Here's hoping she heals up quickly...

that stuff is nothing to mess around with... glad you caught it quick!

Wounds caused by cats' teeth or claws should be taken very seriously... that whole 'cat scratch fever' thing isn't just an old wive's tale... they cause infections frequently.

[pitohui]

25. get well soon! EOM

,

[malta blue]

26. Good vibes for a smooth and speedy recovery....

:hug:

[lightningandsnow]

27. Sending good wishes and positive vibes to you

I hope she gats better soon!

[Maraya1969]

28. Dear Professor and Mrs. Professor

:hug: :grouphug:

[MissB]

29. I hope her recovery is swift and complete.

Bad kitty.

[SeattleGirl]

30. My mom is dealing with it too; has been for a number of years.

I hope your wife gets better very soon, Professor.

[judaspriestess]

32. good vibes to your wife and yourself

I'm sure she will be ok

[GOPisEvil]

33. Zoiks! May she recover quickly.

[ThatsMyBarack]

34. ...

:hug:

[zanne]

35. My mother got MRSA while she was in the hospital...

She had a broken pelvis and we almost lost her to MRSA. Only the Vancomycin in IV form saved her life.

[SPKrazy]

36. MRSA is everywhere actually

of course it is widespread in healthcare institutions

community acquired MRSA is becoming common though

a little dip in your immunity a vehicle for the bacteria to enter a nice growth environment, and you end up with a serious infection.

Yes treating it early is important. Before sepsis sets in and organ failure occurs

:hi:

[yellowdogintexas]

52. yeah, I understand it is one of those things arround us all the time

and even potentially on our skin, and a break in skin can give it entry ..cat bite, or scratch..boom open door accompanied by the cat's own germ arsenal...

When my sister was about 5, every mosquito bite she got turned into big honking carbuncles. We spent the entire summer warm soaking the backs of her legs, draining the boils, scrubbing with tincture green soap and packing with neosporin (back then only available by RX) and she usually had a round of penicillin..this went on for about 2 years, then stopped. We never knew why she was the only one who got the boils and carbuncles, why they seemed to cluster on the backs of her legs but mostly on her left leg only, and why they suddenly stopped. My dad was very susceptible to boils mostly from infected hair follicles and nearly lost his foot to one in 1959. He was in the hospital for several days, and the nurses did warm soaks, draining, etc several times a day and the infection cleared, but the doctor was an old country surgeon and treated it very aggressively . I have always thought my dad's vulnerability came from his WWII experience nearly freezing to death in the Bulge and the severe athlete's foot he suffered with as a result of the severe frostbite on his feet.

[Critters2]

37. Here, take these good vibes

for you and your wife.

I didn't know you could get it from a cat scratch. I have three cats (and live not all that far from you), so I wish this news were out there.

Glad that the doctors are upbeat. I hope it turns out well.

[Thirtieschild]

38. Lots of healing light to your wife

I didn't know cat scratches were that dangerous, did know cat bites can be awful - and quick. Our daughter has had infections twice from cat bites. No fun, and this was before MRSA was so prevalent.

[ileus]

39. We just had another meeting on it today, and along come another E-mail

I've been gloving much more than I did a month ago that's for sure.

Hope the wife fully recovers soon.

[LaurenG]

40. Good vibes to your wife.

May she heal quickly.

[TZ]

42. Glad your wife is getting treated

I do know that docs are saying MRSA is resistant to one class of antibiotics but VERY treatable with other classes. And it was caught early. Getting an antibiotic by IV is a potent delivery system (as you probably know) so she should be okay in a fairly short time. AND she is at home and not the hospital, another plus!
Best wishes!

[bigwillq]

43. Oh no!

I hope she feels better. :hug:

[GoddessOfGuinness]

44. My cousin caught one while he was in a hospital...

He pulled through fine, and is doing well.

Here's hoping all goes well for Mrs ProfessorGAC! :hug::hug::hug:

[JVS]

45. What's an MRSA?

[Colorado Progressive]

46. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus

from wiki :D

[JVS]

47. In English please?

:-)

[Colorado Progressive]

48. It is a drug-resistant bacteria. This from wikipedia:

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), is a biological agent responsible for difficult-to-treat infections in humans. It may also be known as:

multiple-resistant Staphylococcus aureus
oxacillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (ORSA)
community-acquired MRSA (CA-MRSA)
hospital-acquired MRSA (HA-MRSA)<1>
For comparison, MSSA is Methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus. MRSA is a variation of the common bacteria, Staphylococcus aureus. It has evolved the ability to survive treatment with beta-lactam antibiotics, including penicillin and methicillin.<2> The organism is especially troublesome in hospital-acquired (nosocomial) infections. In hospitals, patients with open wounds and weakened immune systems are at greater risk for infection than general public. Hospital staff who do not follow proper sanitary procedures may inadvertently transfer bacterial colonies from patient to patient. MRSA was discovered in 1961 in the UK. It is now found worldwide. MRSA is popularly termed (in the press) a superbug, or staph infection connection.

[Wapsie B]

49. Good vibes coming your way.

Here's to your wife making a full recovery.

[MonkeyFunk]

50. Damn

best wishes to her.

I was diagnosed with it a few months ago, but it was a wrong diagnosis. Turned out to be shingles.

[OzarkDem]

51. Wishing for a speedy recovery

Hope she will be fine soon.

[yellowdogintexas]

53. good vibes and good wishes, hope treatment renders her well and fit very soon nt

[uppityperson]

54. Cat scratches can get nasty. Hope she recovers quickly.

[Presidentcokedupfratboy]

56. Best of vibes to your wife....

It sounds serious.

[KT2000]

57. Definitely - good vibes

coming at ya!
Scary stuff.

[rumpel]

58. from a scratch...

Healing energies to your wife, and light for you, Prof. GAC

[calimary]

59. Oh, man! We'll keep her in our thoughts. And you, too.

Keep us posted, okay?

[Ptah]

60. This brings back memories.

From eighteen months ago:

After fifteen days in the hospital, It's good to be home.

The doctors fixed me up, as they will your wife.

:hug:

[coffee_strong]

61. ditto to all the well wishes, but do have a question

I heard once you have/had MRSA you will always have it, but it won't affect your daily life, you will just be a carrier? Is this true, and if it is, does that mean that this person has to be xtra cautious when it comes to open sores? Or does it act similar to the flu..once you had it and got rid of it,you don't get it again(at least not back to back) because you built up immunity to it.



Sorry for all the questions

[TZ]

62. everybody has Staph on their skin (naturally occuring)

So you will always have some bacteria somewhere. The problem is when it gets into open wounds its the problem. And with bacteria, yes they can come back. You can have some immunity but a lot of times it isn't the bacteria itself that is causing the problem but the toxins that the bacteria produce (antibodies attack foreign invaders, they really aren't good at "remembering" toxins). You can get it again if you are not careful, especially if the active colony that caused the original issue is not completely wiped out.
With bacteria its often true that they won't bother you unless your immunity is suppressed or you have an open wound ect ect. God knows how many people have the actual MRSA strain living on them harmlessly. Quite a bit I suspect. Again, its natural flora for us, so Staph is always going to be an issue for people, just the same as E. Coli (we have it in our gut, but when it travels to the wrong areas of the body or a stronger strain is introduced, it causes trouble)
Does that answer your question?

[coffee_strong]

63. yes

turtle, thank you very much, it did answer. I did know how it acted as a superbug tho. It is very scarey some of the stories i've heard(sorry op not tryimg to be insensitive,as your wife sounds like she's headed for recovery) I believe I read that 30,000 people a yr get Mrsa. Altho deaths have been highlighted, sounds like more ppl are beating it.