Quote From: patriciaincaPlease help me try to understand something.
Once you have an infection with MRSA, do you ALWAYS have it? Does it remain in your system in some way? Does it 'lurk' waiting for a chance to come out again?
I had an infection on my inner thigh that turned out to be MRSA in July 2005. It developed & progressed very quickly. I went to urgent care, the doctor said it was an "infected spider bite" but thank goodness he had the insight to get a culture right away. It was a long process, the wound site had to be drained, but I did recover. I was off work for weeks, and on antibiotics (can't remeber which ones). I always thought it really was a spider bite, but since have heard that MRSA often starts out like this, but is not actually a spider bite.
I was not given any real info about the danger of it spreading to others and such. I took precautions just out of basic common sense. No one said I would have any type of predisposition to getting another MRSA infection. BUT..I am having SURGERY next month, and after watching this show, it makes me wonder if I am at an increasd risk. Do I need to tell the docs about the MRSA infection from 2.5 years ago? My primary care doc knows, but has never ever mentioned it since the infection cleared. I have never had any follow up to it, or had any kind of swab done etc. Should I?
I appreciated the show, but feel it left many questions unanswered. I can't even find an answer to this question on the internet. Just keep getting teh same info over & over. Does that mean there is no increased risk?
Thanks for any help you can give!!!!
Hello, I am a baccalaureate-prepared RN and may have some answers to your questions. Many of us carry MRSA in certain parts of our body. When it enters the blood, lungs, and certain parts of our skin, we are concerned.
Regarding your MRSA infection, it sounds as though your particular infection was community-acquired since you make no mention of prior hospitalizations leading up to your infection. You will definitely want to share this information with your healthcare providers before the because you may be at increased risk for hospital-acquired MRSA. Also, your healthcare providers may want to take extra precautions while caring for you so as to not spread any infection should you still carry MRSA. They may test your nares (nostrils) and your rectum for colonization of MRSA since it may still linger in these areas and may have spread from your leg. Should your test come back positive, you will probably be placed in contact isolation and treated accordingly.
