Topic : 04/01 The Superbug

The superbug made its way into my family.   My 12 year old granddaughter became very ill with this infection.  It started in her knee but no one knew what it was until 3 days after she was airlifted to a hospital 90 miles from her home on Nov. 9, 2007.   By the time she arrived at the hospital she was near death.  Her heart rate was high and her blood pressure was almost nothing.  Her organs were shutting down.  The MSRA had also made its way to her lungs.  She had two knee surgeries, one to drain the fluid in her knee, the other to remove part of her leg bone because it had started to infect her bones.  Amputation was almost an option if it was in her leg tissue.  But, it wasn't.   They immediately put her in an induced coma.  She spent a total of 5 weeks in the hospital.  For the first 3 weeks, we didn't know if she was going to survive.  She was on life support, 3 tubes in her lungs to drain the infection.  I can't tell you how many machines and IV's she was on.  So many that there was no room in her hospital room for any of us to see her.  She had Xrays on her lungs everyday and they were not getting better.  She was basically drowning.  The infection literally was throughout her body.  She was septic.  Twice the doctor told the family to prepare for the worst.  Her blood toxin level  was 3800 and normal is 10.  The doctors didn't know what to do but they never gave up.  Her doctor decided to put her on a blood filtering machine and within hours her toxin level decreased dramatically.   That machine saved her life.  But, her fever was up and down still.  Her lungs were not getting better.  She was on the lung machine for many days.  But, we still had such hope for her survival.   Finally, after 3 weeks of induced coma, she was taken off of many of her machines and IV's and was slowly awakened.   The next two weeks was to get her strong enough to finally go home.  On Dec. 13, 2007, she returned home.  She still had a lung infection but not bad enough to stay in the hospital.  And still today, she is struggling with her sodium level.  Normal is 135 and she fluctuates between 125 and 135 even with taking sodium pills.  The most important  thing is she is home for me to kiss and hug her.   What a blessing she is to our family.  She fought for her life and she won.  She is my hero.

Recent publications advise against two currently marketed antiseptics. The National Safety Council's 1996 First Aid Pocket Guide states: "DO NOT use hydrogen peroxide. It does not kill bacteria, and it adversely affects capillary blood flow and wound healing." And the Handbook on Nonprescription Drugs states ethyl alcohol "is not a desirable wound antiseptic because it irritates already damaged tissue. The coagulum [crust] formed may, in fact, protectan the bacteria."

 

I found the best thing to use is staphwash!!!

Kills the MRSA bacteria

Check into it

 

www.staphwash.com

My daughter has MRSA and we looked and looked for something that would help her and the pain.

  We finally found STAPHWASH!!!! 

 This stuff is amazing if you ask me.

  You rub it in to the infected area and it kills the bacteria!!!  It's worked wonders for my daughter as you can see on the website www.staphwash.com 

or e-mail me at cathyconner333@hotmail.com

and I will share more of our story

(our cat has it too) 

and pictures to prove how it helps!!!!

 Good Luck and God Bless!!

 Cathy

How can I find the light that was on the show??  I didn't get a chance to write down the site address

to buy one while the show was on and haven't been able to find it through Internet searches.  I'm always

freakin' about germs-especially when I'm cooking and handling meat.  Thanx, nantzee

 I had hospital strain of MRSA after I got out of the hospital and did not know it until my child contracted the community version all up and down both legs.  After a culture they knew what antibotic to use plus we need to use bactroban ointman in the nose, and on the sores. everyone in household for i believe one week.  Needed to wash for one week with hipiclens, wait one week wash again for one week.  We were also told since my son had it twice the chance of him getting it again are less.

What made me angry is this did spread like wild fire through my trailer park especially due to a family who were doing homemade tattoes.  They had it and was not treating themselves correctly.  So even after I called infectious disease control they said they could do nothing.  This was in Florida.  Lots of Prositutes,, homeless, and tattoed  people were infected.  The doctor's didn't want to diagnose it corectly. I had to tell people to make sure they have the doctor culture it and say we had a confirmed case of mrsa.

 We in this household have been dealing with MRSA for going on 5 yrs.  My mother went in for a simple knee replacement. Simple NOT!  Infection began shooting out of my mothers knee within days...the infection was deep in the joint.  After replacing the knee twice and 27 trips to the OR  and 29 units of blood. Constant drips of Vanco and Cipro.  Then developing VRE to add to the mix. The knee was finally removed and left open.  The doctor thew her arms in the air and said I don't know what else to do.

She fuzed her from her hip down to her ankle with a titanium rod.

 Between the hospital, rehab hospital, and a nursing home for rehab 11 months had passed.

I was told by the nursing home that they had approved my mother to stay forever.  (are they nuts I wouldn't leave a dog there)

 

Did I mention that my mother worked at the school? And was in charge of the cafeteria and also at a childrens home.  I had to retire her...takecare of getting all the paperwork for disability.  And god they make you feel like you are the dirt of the earth.  And tell my mother she would never walk, drive, or be able to live alone. . 

 

I brought her to live with my family. I had to leave my job to take care of my mother because she made $32.00 to much to  get any help inside the home. 

 We were told that it was a misfortunate event that my mother ended up with the MRSA.  She soon found out that her filters to her kidneys were damaged due to the heavy doses of antibiotics.  And now is a 3 day a week dialysis patient.  The MRSA is dormant by 2yrs. 

I am my mothers best patient advocate!

  I feel that if the MRSA is acquired in the hospital than they should be responsible.  I feel that they are so worried about getting in the next patient and making that almighty dollar that they do not take the time to clean like they should. 

 

 

 

I must admit, as a healthcare professional, it is frustrating that antibiotic resistance exists - but it does. It is also interesting to note that the general consensus is that a hospital-acquired infection is a surprising thing. Yes, is is something we do try to prevent, but the fact of the matter is that you are already crawling with bacteria. Your skin, for example, carries strains of Staphlococcus and Streptococcus as part of its NORMAL flora. Your intestines also carry types of bacteria that are usually not harmful or even beneficial to you. (think about all of the yoguart commercials that talk about "active cultures" - those are references to bacterias) Hospital stays may also include procedures that increase the risk of infection - surgery, catheters (allow bacteria to get into areas that otherwise have no bacteria), ventilators, aspiration (when food/water gets into the lungs and introduces bacteria) - and though preventative steps are taken, they are not 100% effective all of the time.

As for MRSA, the Superbug (a name which I feel is sensationalistic in nature and designed to create a panic-like sense of urgency in the name of ratings and not for any other purpose) - it is not completely resistant to antibiotics available. There are different classes of antibiotics and MRSA is resistant to Penicillins and other beta-lactams, a class of drugs which most Staphlococcus strains are sensative to. However, other classes of antibiotics exist which will work against it. Many are available IV only, so it may not be so simple as just prescribing a tablet or capsule to take at home, but many cases can be managed. It also may require a longer treatment course - a 5 day Z-Pack won't cut it here, but that doesn't mean the treatment will not work.

I do sympathize with those who have lost loved ones, but you would do well to remember that the doctors, nurses, pharmacists, etc. that are involved in patient care are doing what is in the best interest of the patient. You could even make the argument that overuse of antibiotics in recent years may be related to a prescriber's fear of lawsuits. Not to digress, but if we continue to perpetuate a society which is automatically on the defensive and ready to strike at the first hint of "blame" in a situation, we will no longer be seeking to treat our patients, but to simply placate them and cover our behinds. This is not a society in which I would like to practice.

To finish, there are safeguards and precautions that are in place and will continue to be improved upon, but it is a situation that requires learning from mistakes and seeking to make improvement on the future by looking at past data. That is what we are looking at now - improving outcomes for the future by looking at where we've been and currently stand

 Hi,
I have had MRSA 4 times since 8/07.  People get crazy about this or maybe I am relaxed about it.  The onset of this started under my arms then went to my forearm as a boil, very painful.  Then went to may face and finally ended up in my bladder which than went to the kidney's.  I was very sick, especially the last time.  I did not see your show but a few people told me about it.  They also told me that MRSA can live up to 10days on a counter top.  That is not true MRSA can not live side of 98.6 degree's according to my infectious control doctor.  It is transmitted through direct contact with the drainage from the boil or direct contact with the contaminated urine in my case,  I did receive oral antibiotics for the first few outbreaks, then a few weeks ago I received IV vanco which really did the trick.  I talked to the health department in my area PA and the man told me after you are on antibiotics for 24 hours you are able to return to work.  If you have a boil or oozing drainage, he said just cover it up.  I was surprized on that.  Especially that I am a healthcare worker and I am right on the front line.  One day I called my infectious control doctor to tell him that I have it on my face and his response was: Buisness as usual take your oral antibiotics, use your bactraban ointment in the notrills for five days and apply some on the boil and your good to go.  Other than handwashing and using gloves there is not much I can do at this point.  I only hope that I never get this is my lungs.  Because I know that I can die, If not taken care of properly.  I chose to tell a few friends about the MRSA and I had one that was also a buisness/client relationship and she said that we could no longer have that because of the MRSA.  Like I said to her, you have to touch  MRSA to get it and who is going to touch my urine?  People get all hyped up.  I am married and my husband doesn't have it.  Too many people are misinformed about this topic and are over the top.

Sincerely,
Jackie of PA

that overuse of antibiotics in recent years may be related to a prescriber's fear of lawsuits. Not to digress, but if we continue to perpetuate a society which is automatically on the defensive and ready to strike at the first hint of "blame" in a situation, we will no longer be seeking to treat our patients, but to simply placate them and cover our behinds. This is not a society in which I would like to practice.

I so agree.  The panic stricken society comes into the doctor's office or ER, miraculously with the symptoms of whatever the media tells them to be afraid of at the moment.  The doctor has other, more urgent patients to help, so he gives them the "hypochondriac pill" to shut up the person (who usually won't take no for an answer and won't listen).  So the panic over having a common cold or something stupid like that, helped create this in the first place.  I'm glad I live in a state that has the Tort Reform to prevent these people from getting away with murder in punitive damages, but there needs to be more legislation to stop the sue-happy public from contributing to the healthcare cost crisis.

I am sorry to say but from everything I have read, I think you are incorrect here.

 

MRSA was a huge problem in Europe many years befor we saw it here.. The studies they did to determine the cause of spreading linked to several things. Number one is that it is extremely good at surviving, especially outside the body. (Dr Phils guest even confirmed that with his recommendation of Lysol and the germ light.) Anyways the studies in Europe found that the lab coats that doctors used to wear where crawling with it. Also upon swabbing nearly every surface in the hospital they found live resistant staph, on the curtains, the carpet, the phones etc. They continue to develop new ways to fight this, they have developed special paint, fabrics, and carpets and ways and means of cleaning specifically to prevent the spread of infections in hospitals. There is also a Steam vapor cleaning system that is brought in when an outbreak occurs, but requires that area to be shut down and ` these things are very expensive and not in practice everywhere.

 

Do a little reading and it will confirm what I am saying.

 

I am surprised that you working in the health care profession don't know all this. If germs didn't survive outside of the body then there would be no market for hand sanitizers, clorox, Lysol etc. If they didn't live outside the body why does the CDC recommend not sharing personal items like soap, bath towels, razors, or sports equipment.

 

This lack of understanding about the very resilience and nature of MRSA among health care workers perpetuates it spreading.

 

That in itself is enough for the public to panic and all part of the "hype" for your own safety and the safety of your patients please educate yourself on the mis-information you have been given about MRSA not living outside the body!