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March 31, 2008, 8:01 am PDT
MRSA can kill.
Back about 6 years ago, my husband underwent emergency back surgery when he lost the use of his legs because of a herniated disc. His surgery went well, and he was home and feeling better in just 2 days. After the second night, he got a fever so bad that I had to change our sheets from his sweating several times, as well as add every blanket that we owned off and on because he was so chilled. In the morning, his insicion site was hard and very hot to the touch, and it looked as if someone cut a square out of a 2 x4 and inserted it under the insicion site. I took him to see the surgeon at his office, with 5 children that I cared for in my home daycare, expecting him to be prescribed an oral antibiotic at the most. He was immediatly readmitted into the hospital for a post operative infection. That was on a Thursday. By Friday evening, my husband didn't know where he was, or who I was. He was at the hospital but getting worse. The doctors were giving him oral antibiotics every 6 hours and he had an IV for fluids. I decided to call another hospital in the city a couple hours from where we lived, and they told me to immediatly transfer him to their hospital. I made the arrangements for their ambulance to pick him up the next day. At the hospital where he had the surgery, his doctors tried to tell me that I was discharging him AMA, and that our insurance would not cover the ambulance ride to the hospital that I was taking him to because I was moving him AMA. (against medical advice) At that point I told the doctor that I would rather carry him on my back than leave him in his care where he wasa rapidly getting worse. When he arrived at the new hospital, a much bigger one that was also a teaching hospital, there were several doctors and other people in his room immediatly and for over 2 hours. They reopened the surgical site, did a swab of the inside of the wound, and told me that they could not make me any promises. I may have to start thinking about making funeral arrangements for my husband. I was a young mom of 2 daughters, and could not believe what I was being told. I did what the doctors told me, took care of my husband, and now I was being told that he may die? The surgeon at the new hospital came in to speak to me, and brought with him the infectious disease doctor. They explained that my husband had a MRSA infection in his back from the surgery. It was the type of infection that they would normally discuss amputation for, but in his case it was in his spine and also in his blood stream, so that was not an option. The hospital he was previously at was not giving him an antibiotic any where near strong enough,. and that is why he had gotten worse instead of better. The surgeon said he would reoperate, clean up the site, and need to leave his wound open to debreed the infection over a period of time. Again, they could not make me any promises if he would survive. The infectious disease doctor told me that she would try to find a medication that would attack and hopefully kill the infection, but that this strain of infection was resistant to almost all antibiotics. My husband had 2 additional surgerys, and was put on an IV antibiotic , the strongest one available, called vancomyacin. It went through a pic line from his arm directly into one of his heart valves. The wound was left open and packed with 4 feet of 4 "gauze. This was put in wet and ripped out dry, 3 times a day to try to remove as much of the infection as possible, allowing new healthy tissue and skin to granulate and fill in the hole. I must say that this was the most barbaric and torturous thing that I have ever witnessed, but unfortunatly had to be done this way to actually work. My husband was in so much pain from this, that he got to the point where he would not allow anyone to touch him but me. Now I was the one having to perform this torure on him. I can say that I am not sure how I did it, except that I wanted him to live and would have done whatever the doctors told me to do. After several weeks of this, and being told several times that I needed to plan his funeral, his infectious disease doctor told me that she thought that they had finally gotten enough of the infection to send him to a rehab to recover and continue his care there. It looked good. They had no idea how much nerve damage he would have, or if he would ever be able to work again, but it looked like he was going to live! I had been doing home based daycare for 9 years, and was at home all day, so the doctor reluctantly allowed him to go home, instead of to a rehab. I knew that my husband would get better faster at home, with his family there with him. I also knew that it would be difficult, but I wanted my husband home. I had not been working for this time in the hospital, and needed to get back to my job for our finances, as well as have time to be with our young daughters. When we came home, he had nursing care 2 times a day, and I continued his debreedment of his wound 3 times a day. I had 6 toddlers in my care all day, and their parents were all aware of my husband's health situation and were all very supportive. It was alot of work, and at times I felt as though I would lose my mind! He was in bed for the first couple of weeks, unable to care for himself at all. He still had the pic line in his arm, and was getting his antibiotics as well. We drove 2 hours several times a week to go to his appointments with his surgeon and infectious disease doctors, and over time he got better. He had almost a year on antibiotics, after the IV one came a combined dose of 2 oral ones. Those made all of his body fluids red. (good to know ahead of time so I didn't think he was bleeding!) In the end, my husband recovered. He was able to return to work after 2 1/2 years. Our family is still recovering financially. He has a hole in his back to this day that reminds him of this ordeal. There are very few things that he remembers from the whole time in the hospital because of the many medicatons that he was on. He continued the medications at home, me giving them to him 4 times a day. I still have the 3 ring binder that I used to keep track of his meds. I was so afraid of overdosing him because he was on so many pain medications. I am grateful that he only remembers part of what he went through, unfortunatly I remember it all, and wish that I didn't. My kids were not with us in the hospital, but even at their young ages, they had some lasting effects from the situation. Our youngest has anxiety and panic disorder, and our oldest daughter became our little "mom" and unfortunatly grew up much faster than I would have liked. They are both doing well today, but I still wish that I could take away all of the pain that they had to endure because of this. My husband is ok now, and unless he gets sick I don't think about his ordeal. He really can't take many antibiotics anymore, because his system will get used to them and if he ever really needed them again, they may not work. I know that he is my miracle, and am very blessed to have him here with us now. I have been diagnosed with degenerative disc disease in the same part of my back that he had his surgery on since then. I will not have surgery for it because I am colonized with MRSA from the time that I cared for him prior to knowing what type of infection he had. Once the doctors knew, he was in quarenteen, but I basically lived in his room. It made no sense for me to worry at that point, I would have already been exposed. I have had some strokes recently and have a damaged corotid artery that may need surgical repair. I am very hesitant to have the surgery because of the risk of infection. I am currently weighing out the options. It is a very scary and deadly disease, and seems to be running rampant these days. It should not be taken lightly! I can tell anyone first hand of the damage it can do, and how deadly it is. My husband was just VERY lucky, and I was lucky to have found such talented and knowledgeable doctors to care for him and save his life. He surely would have died if I had left him in the first hospital. Make sure you have good doctors and they know how to treat this bug!! Your life can depend on it!!
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Could a grave danger be lurking in your home? If you believe the headlines, you know that catching the Superbug can have deadly consequences, but should you be concerned? How can you spot the danger, and what can you do to stay safe? Dr. Phil gets to the bottom of these questions and others. Melissa's son, Mark, was just 13 when he went to the hospital and wound up with MRSA, also known as the Superbug. Learn about Melissa’s tragic loss and why she thinks her son’s death could have been prevented. Then, 19-year-old Stephanie has been battling the Superbug for almost a year. Get a firsthand account of her experience with the disease, and find out what advice her doctor gave her that has Dr. Phil shocked and concerned. Even doctors aren’t immune to the Superbug. Dr. Drew O’Neal had an accident while on vacation, and what happened next changed his life forever. He shares his valuable insights as both doctor and patient. Plus, two years ago, Glen was your average sophomore playing on his high school football team -- until he contracted the Superbug right from the team’s locker room. Find out what important lessons he learned that could help protect you and your children from the disease. And renowned pediatrician Dr. Jim Sears weighs in with the latest information and shows off products to keep on hand that could save your life. Join the discussion.
