Topic : 04/01 The Superbug

I have just read all of these posts and my emotions are running crazy.  I would love to hug all of you have have battled MRSA and all of you who have lost loved ones to MRSA.  I am also angry - very angry.  After having a hip replacement (successful) at one hospital, my husband fell and broke his right femur just below the end of the shaft of the "ball" shaft.  It was not healing well so his ortho put in a stabilizing plate with bands and screws at another hospital.  He was sent to a nursing home/rehab against my wishes and, you betcha, he got MRSA.  When he went in for his first debridement surgery, the ortho said he had a massive infection on, around, and underneath the plate.  He thought he got it all.  He hoped the infection had not entered the bone through the screws.  Well, it did.  Antibiotics were given - no effect.  9, yes 9 surgeries later, the removal of the prosthesis and plate, removal of bone, muscle,  and flesh, wound vac, IV therapies, hyperbaric chamber treatments, and continued antibiotic related renal failure from too much vancomycin my husband, who prior to the surgery was able to throw 200+ pound sheep and 70+ pound hay bales, sits in a wheelchair.  His mind has been affected.  I almost lost him twice - December 2006 and March 2007.  The infectious disease docs were amazed that he developed the infection again when they removed the prosthesis, scrubbed him "clean" and packed him full of antibiotic "beads".  He endured Pict lines into his heart.  The pain was beyond what anyone should have experienced.  I had to wean him from the oxycontin because he was "high" but still in pain.  He received a total of 13 units of high density blood.  He shouldn't be alive.  Thankfully, God placed him, and our family, with the right doctors and, although he is wheelchair bound, he is with us. 

When did this begin??  July 2005.  When I found out he had MRSA, I immediately went online to find out what I could do to help him heal.  I went to the CDC.  I sent 20 emails.  I DID NOT receive a response.  When I read their recommendations for medical staff dealing with MRSA, I got angry.  The staff at the hospital where he got the infection where not following ANY of their recommendations.  They even wanted to reuse tubing from an IV drip he was given the previous day.  The nurse got angry when we insisted she change it.  We began to insist on them wearing clothes, disposable gowns and masks.  They were angry.  They did not disinfect the room where he received his IVs or was in when he had his surgeries.  THEY DIDN'T WASH THEIR HANDS after working on him.

He "sports" a scar from about an inch below his waist to about an inch above his knee.  When we contacted the hospital they had a really "healthy" concern.  "Everyone has MRSA."  Thankfully, my nurse practitioner tested me every 3 months for MRSA.  Geez!  I didn't have it.  Neither did our daughter who helped me take care of him.  I even had our pets tested.  Negative.  When did this begin?  July 2005.  How many people do we know who have contracted MRSA from this hospital?  33.  How many people do we know have died as a result of contracting MRSA from this hospital?  3.  Does the hospital care?  Obviously, no. 

Our end result.  No attorney would take our case.  We proved through obtaining hospital records that his infection was contracted at the hospital and that once they knew he had MRSA, did not take CDC recommendations to stop the infection.  We settled on a tiny, tiny, tiny settlement.  This was after a meeting with them where I stated I was going to make a sign saying "Do Not Enter - MRSA Hospital - You May Die" and stand out in front of the hospital.  Of course, I also told them I would contact every major news organization before I did it.

What I find so amazing is the lack of concern from the medical field to make an effort to stop MRSA.  It wouldn't be hard.  It just means taking the CDC steps to stop it in the hospitals.  Yes, communite acquired MRSA is rising.  So you clean all those facilities too.  And,  for God's sakes, wash your hands.  That's the simplest and most effective way to stop MRSA, the flu, just about anything. 

We don't have to worry about the "great fly pandemic" they are predicting.  We have to really worry about a massive MRSA pandemic and we need to start now!!! 

I think you need to take a moment and realize that those who have contracted MRSA didn't do it because they wanted to suck up attention.  It was thrust on them.  Although the 8% of hospital workers you refer to who are "colonized with it" do exist, thousands have NOT been tested.  When a hospital in Philadelphia tested it's ENTIRE staff - not just medical staff - they started treatment immediately on those that tested positive.  The percentage of MRSA cases dropped significantly within a year.  VRE and VRSA are rare and often occur in patients who have had MRSA for a long time and have been given vacomycin, which is about the only effective antibiotic used for treatment of MRSA.  Yes, "bugs" are developing resistance to the antibiotics we have developed over the years; however, it is not from the development of these antibiotics, it is from overuse of them for every little thing that comes along, i.e., giving antibiotics for viruses because the patient insists on a quick fix. 

"It's always easier to blame somebody instead of dealing with your own grief."  I have read all the posts.  The word "blame" is poorly used.  I don't think we "blame" anyone for these infections.  It is the lack of precaution that is more the fault.  Dealing with the grief?  Walk a mile in our shoes. 

In May of 2007, my 77 year-old mother was hospitalized with what turned out to be MRSA.  At the time because I am diabetic and prone to infections, I asked if I should be tested.  I was told by my primary physician it wasn't necessary; my mother's infectious disease physician said I should be checked.

In November of 2007, I was preparing to have surgery to remove a heel spur that is growing up into my Achilles tendon.  I asked my foot doctor that was going to do the surgery to test me for MRSA since I knew I had been exposed to it.  When I explained why I was requesting it, he agreed.  Five days before my surgery, I was informed that my nasal test came back positive.  My surgery had to be postponed.

It is now March of 2008.  My infectious disease physician treated me with Rifampin and Doxycycline for 14 days.  He told me that if my nasal and rectal MRSA tests came back positive, he wasn't going to treat me with anything else.  I got the results of my last test March 27th; they were both negative.  My foot doctor wants me to have one more negative MRSA test and he will consult with my infectious disease physician to prepare for my surgery.

From now on, I will need to inform any pohysician considering any surgery of my MRSA history.  For everyone's safety, including my own, I automatically inform any physician whom I am going to see of my MRSA history.  I don't have a problem doing this.  I would hope that anyone having something that someone else could catch would inform the physician they are seeing of this matter so that precautions can be taken.  In fact, when I am preparing to leave an exam room, I remind the nurse to disinfect the room and anything I have touched in the room.

receiving this diagnosis has been a royal pain.  However, had I not asked the foot doctor to test me, because of my diabetes had I undergone the heel spur surgery, I probably would have had to have my foot amputated, possibly up to below my knee.  For this reason, I am glad that i asked the doctor to test me, and I think of this everything things get frustrating.

First, yeah, antibiotic development is going to take into account pt's who don't take the full regimen or pt error/dr errors. Humans don't always use meds as they're intended- again, that's called human error. VRSA is a relatively NEW and rare "Superbug" or resistant bacteria,but it is emerging more and will in the future.  Yeah, I know contracting MRSA is serious.  What's your point?  I refuse to cave in to a scare tactic, also.

Was my last statement callous?  Sure, and guess what, I don't regret it either! 

Look, I don't have sympathy for people who are sue happy, that's what I'm saying.  There are people out there that use a lawsuit to deal with their grief, like it's going to bring that loved one back, but it isn't.  It drains resources on both ends and often these cases are unwinnable to begin with.  Keep your emotions in check and use your brain instead. 

My daugther was about 7 or 8 when she got what she said was a spider bite on her leg.Now this child always had something so I never thought anything about it until that weekend when I noticed that something was on her ballet tights, when asked she said her bit was leaking.When the tights were removed she had a red swollen sore that was running green pus, boy did I feel bad. I asked her way she didn't tell me that it got that bad but she said that she didn't want to tell me because she was a scab picker and knew she would get in trouble.I took her right to the clinic where they lanced it and put her on antibotis. They told me that it was not a spider bite, aleast they didn't think it was and not to worry but keep a eye on it and if it got worse to bring her back. The next day her leg was more swollen and hot to touch so I took her back and they told me to take her to the childrens hospital. They admitted her and put her on very stong antibotics through intervenous which they told me would make her sick if taken by month. She was in the hospital for almost a week at which time I spent every moment with her.The doctors did not know what it was. One day a team of people came in and they were from some type of contagious deseise centre and they all looked at her leg which had now gotton a lot bigger, more swollen and had strated to spead. I noticed that it was down her leg,on her butt and a few almost like pimples on her stomach etc.They were baffeled.One day it justed seemed to start clearing up . didn't seem to spread, so they released her. I never knew what it was, caused from and I don't think anyone else did either. This was in the early 90's and a while after that you stared hearing about the flesh eating deseise and I always wondered was that what it was?Did I just catch it in time and was luckey. My same daughter is now 23, she is always sick and most of the time it is with strep thoat. Now when I was young if you got strep thoart you were really ill and not anyone I knew ever got it, but now it seems to be a normal sickness. I think that they are related somehow to this superbug thing that I have just heard about. This same daughter has had many sitzs removed and always seems to have some type of infection to me is not normal. I would love some help with this so if someone knows someone like my daughter, or if something like her leg. or always strep thoart I would love to hear from you

Marie