Messages By: djnmjohnson

Dr Phil -

Thank you for doing this show, knowledge is power!! My family struggles with MRSA and have for a couple of years now. I was extremely frustrated with everyone I tried to contact about the seriousness of this problem. I often felt very alone, people minimized the seriousness of what I was dealing with, as my twin girls battled recurrent sores, I had to educate myself. Now I do  my best to be informative to others.

I would like to suggest for everyone to call, write, e-mail,do what ever it takes to raise awareness at  a government level. I suggest everyone push for legislation to pass a bill forcing all hospitals to post their rates of hospital acquired infections. We a consumers who pay for medical services, should be able to make an educated decision, based on their infection rate wether or not to recieve services their or find a hospital with a cleaner record. A mom back east passed such a bill, I think it would be wise for the rest of the nation to pass such legislation as well. Let the public know where and how to get such information, and not put their children at risk. I took my daughter in for a simple ingrown toenail and she left with MRSA! had I been more informed I could have made different choices for services. It is time hospitals be accountable and if they start losing money because they dont have patients walk in the front doors they will start taking more precautions.

 I also commend medicaid and other insurance companies for telling hospitals they will NOT pay for HA-MRSA expenses. I think hospitals have been making money hand over fist, and there for dont have incentive to clean up, and be proactive in prevention of MRSA. On average a person who goes in for a surgery or other procedure and contracts MRSA stay an average of 8-10 days longer and costs more than 40,000.00 more in treating it.  When my daughters came down with MRSA we were uninsured. The level of service was shameful. They made me hold her down and assist in lancing, and debriding, and packing their abcesses, I wanted them to administer IV antibiotics and they would not, she was septic with a fever, lethargic and sicker than I had ever seen, they gave her on dose of oral antibiotics, told me to change the packing and dressing, and gave me NO supplies to do so,  and hurriedly released us with a perscription, when I said I was unsure if I could afford to fill the perscription they told me that was not their concern. This same hospital had treated my family incredibly different when we have had health insurance sending us away equiped to deal with what ever we had been there for treatment for.

Schools also should have guidelines in place, or protocol to deal with MRSA cases. To send a child home with non-lifethreatening lice or chicken  pox, but allow children with abcesses oozing infectious fluids is crazy. We need to rethink this.

 I live in a community with a high meth rate. The cases of MRSA are extremely high in Meth users because of "picking" , Your children could be exposed to  MRSA from the handle of a shopping cart that a Meth user had just used, or from a table at McDonalds that had been contaminated, or because they attend school with a child who lives in a home where their is Meth use. The effects of drug use in your community and the "war on drugs" we all hear about becomes very real, when you factor the risks and impact on you and your family. Get involved to help fight community issues that you may think dont effect you. Often at a second glance you may discover they have a very real threat to your family you try soo hard to keep safe.

There is a very high rate of MRSA in our prisons, what is being done to track that?therefor  certain races, age groups, and demographics are more likely to encounter it, particularly young black men, what is being done to inform and protect them. The government has made huge campaigns for Aids awareness, MRSA is killing at a faster rate than AIDS yet I dont see MRSA education campaigns. I think the numbers are higher than what they estimate simply because of the response I got from the CDC that because MRSA isnt a "disease" they werent tracking it, only recently have they begun to do so.

 MRSA does not care about your age, race, or income it does not discriminate anyone can get it. The sad thing is, its not even about a lifestyle choice( although certain lifestyles increase the risk of infection) you can innocently, thru no fault of your own, fall victim to MRSA.

I was on the Oprah show for a embarressing question for Dr Oz, it was a fun exciting experiance, but the whole time I really wanted to address the Questions I have in regards to MRSA. I have even written her about doing a show like this to let the public get the information it needs.  Thank you for doing this show it is just the tip of the MRSA iceberg. Below is a copy of the letter I sent to my govenor and the CDC and their reply to me. THANK YOU FOR DOING THIS SHOW DR. PHIL!!!

June 18, 2007 

Today I received the email you sent to the Oregon Acute and Communicable Disease Prevention Program regarding methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). I will try to answer your questions as completely as possible and I apologize if the information is a duplicate of what you may have already found through your research.

S. aureus is a common bacterium that has been known to cause a range of diseases. Skin and soft tissue infections (such as the wound infections and skin abscesses that you mentioned) comprise roughly 95% of all S. aureus infections and S. aureus is one of the number one causes of all such infections. Rarely, S. aureus can cause more serious disease, such as pneumonia, bloodstream or other invasive infection, or toxic shock syndrome. MRSA is used to describe S. aureus infections due to bacteria that are resistant to methicillin. However, the disease profiles between methicillin-resistant and -sensitive strains are largely similar and cases of disease and outbreaks have been seen with both.

Until recently, the risk of acquiring an infection due to MRSA had largely been highest in the hospital setting or among individuals with frequent exposure to the health care setting. As you correctly noted, though, community-acquired MRSA has been seen in an increasing proportion of all S. aureus infections in recent years. This has not been limited to any specific county: it has been observed throughout Oregon and, indeed, the country. S. aureus carried without symptoms of disease can be found on the skin or in the nose of 30-40% of the population at any one time and is spread from person to person through direct contact. MRSA, although carried at a lower rate, is also present among individuals in the community, with or without disease, and is spread in much the same manner. Therefore, the source of any particular infection is most often unknown.

S. aureus is not a reportable infection in the state of Oregon. Therefore, most individual cases of disease are not routinely investigated by the local or state health departments. However, outbreaks of any disease (including MRSA) occurring in a particular setting are reportable by law and are thoroughly investigated by local and/or state health departments. Additionally, Oregon does track invasive MRSA infections occurring in the Portland area (Clackamas, Multnomah, and Washington Counties) and is one of only ten states funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to conduct this special surveillance project. While not

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Lab analysis showed two-thirds of the patients with skin problems were infected with CA-MRSA. Ten percent of them admitted to being regular users of meth — but only 2 percent of those who had no skin infections said they used the drug. The finding came as a surprise, Cohen said, because the skin lesions in the patients who had used meth were not limited to parts of the body where they might have injected the drug. But most of the meth users did not inject the drug, according to what they told investigators; they smoked or inhaled it. Instead, Cohen said, the bug was probably spread by skin-to-skin contact during sex while the users were high, and also by intense scratching — meth users' response to a side effect of the drug, called formication, that makes them feel as though ants are crawling over their skin. Scratching breaks the skin surface and can introduce infection. With the spread of MRSA among meth users, investigators said they are concerned that it is likely to move quickly into the community at large. "Part of the reason we feel this is important is it can impact other family members and the larger community, and will spread to community members who don't use meth," Cohen said.

Friday, 24 March 2006

By Dr. Vincent LaBombardi, St. Vincent’s Hospital and Medical Center, New York City

Once one has MRSA, it can be deadly and I wouldn't risk treating it with oils. My spouse had MRSA last year and had five surgeries and multiple hospital stays and 7 weeks on vanco (one trip a day to the infusion clinic) before it was gone. Any cut, etc., in our home, gets treated immediately with Betadine. Not taking any chances.

Even scarier is the mutated staph which is resistant to ALL antibiotics. In other words, most will die from it. Not a fun thing to contemplate.

my family & i have mrsa. we have been battling this for going on 4 years now. my 8 year old son contracted mrsa from school. people don't realize exactly how dangerous this "superbug" really is. many cases are misdiagnosed as spider bites or skin allergies. WASH HANDS!!! antibacterial soap, bleach linens, hand sanitizer!!! everyone really needs to read this and become aware of this growing epidemic that can become fatal.

You Would never know you are infected until you become sick and MRSA can be very painful.

As a Registered Nurse who has had WAAAAAY too much experience working with MRSA patients, I can say that everyone needs to be concerned about this particular superbug, as well as VRSA (Vancomycin resistant Staph aureus) and VRE (Vancomycin resistant Enterococcus). Once seen only in health care facilities, MRSA is now making a large incursion into the community. Once colonized with this particular infection, it is generally with you for life. It has periods of dormancy after treatment, but stress or weakened immune systems can reactivate the infection. The fact that it is showing up with increasing frequency in schools and athletic organizations shows that the general public needs to be educated about the infection and what measures to take to make the best effort to avoid contracting it.

"n our experience, patients who presented with soft tissue infections as result of spider bites predominantly had methicillin-resistant S. aureus infections, corresponding to the increased incidence of MRSA reported in the community. Therefore, a more aggressive approach to the management of spider bites presenting with severe cellulitis is warranted. Routine treatment should include aggressive surgical debridement, intraoperative wound cultures, the empiric use of antibiotics with activity against MRSA, and adjustment of antimicrobial therapy based on culture and sensitivity data."

If soo many patients present with a "spider bite" at the onset of being diagnosed, can testing be done to see if spiders can transmit this viralant resistant staph? I know of someone who presented with a spider bite, you could actually see the two bite holes and they actually had the spider in a jar they found it between the mattress and the wall. They could not get anyone to listen or test the spider itself, they previously had NO MRSA ever. I read a study about soil and how most of it tests positive for bacteria, especialy s. aurus. Also in my research in our area the cases of soft tissue MRSA infections were higher durring the months when spiders are mating and more likely to be aggressive and bite. What does anyone think about this? if there is a concern about bird flu, Malaria from mosquitos, maybe there is a possible spread factor with actual spider bites?????

Antibiotics are our last line of defenSe in treating some lifethreatening conditions. We make antibiotics less effective for when we really need them when they are used soo needlessly. For instance in our food supply many of our farmers overuse them in all meat and dairy farming. You may not even realize your children and you are ingesting antibiotics daily through the meat and dairy products you are eating.

These antibiotics when ingested have an effect on good and bad bacterias. Often time you kill or weaken your bodies natural flora and fauna, your first line of defense against invading bad bacteria. Then also everytime you introduce antibiotics needlessly you are educating the bad bacteria, it mutates, or learns how to "resist" that antibiotic, thus becoming the "superbug". These superbugs are evolving at a far faster rate than we can develope new effective and stronger antibiotics and it leaves us in a life or death struggle in wich the bacteria is winning, all of the posts of people who have sadly passed away because of MRSA can prove this.

So read read read, be careful about allowing doctors to "needlessly" perscribe antibiotics to pacify sick patients wanting a "quick fix", when time might just be the awnser. Also check the labels on the foods you are bringing home, dont buy meat or dairy that doesnt say "antibiotic and hormone free".

 Also As important as it is to "disinfect" 'sterilize" and try and use "antibacterial"  remember you can lower your bodies own natural defences by trying to kill the nasty bad bacteria. By having a completely sterile environment all the time the moment you are introduced to a bad bacteria it is going hit you like a ton of bricks because you have inadvertantly wiped out your defences.

You have to let your own body build up a resistance and be able to fight off the inevitable bacteria IT WILL be exposed to, we cannot live in a bubble, or becoming  OCD could also fuel the spread and lower our resistance as well. Can I suggest EDUCATION, RESEARCH,  BALANCE, and MODERATION when you are being proactive against MRSA. 

Yes ask about their rate of hospital acquired infections, like HA-MRSA, more than likely the person you are speaking to will not know the awnser but I would suggest asking to speak to the infection contril department at that particular facility. The CDC has on general information about rates of infection (without facility names), you may consult the CDC website for healthcare-associated infections surveillance at www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dhqp/surveillance.html. 

I am also am aware of medicaid changing policies and informing hospitals it will not pay for costs incurred when a hospital aqcuired infection occurs, I say WHAT A GREAT IDEA, what a way to make the hospitals take every precaution nescessary. I dont know how the little average everyday person could put a hospital on such notice when you know you will be recieving care there. Most of their preopperative releases do note risks including infection and we just sign away any recourse we might have had. You might do some calling and find out what hospital has the lowest rate of HA-MRSA cases and just make an educated choice.

  A mom whos daughter got HA-MRSA back east passed a bill requiring hospital in her state to post this information and make it easily availabe to the public. I think all states should pass similar lesilation. If resteraunts have to post their health inspection stickers on the front doors of their establishments so the public is aware of low scores, it lets the public make an educated dinning choice and forces dirty resteraunts to clean up their acts, Hospitals should have to do similarly!

  My twin daughters came down with MRSA the beginning of last school year. They were trying to recieve treatment for ingrown toenails and contracted MRSA durring the process.  To see your eight year old daughters go through this is heartbreaking, they are asking you for anwsers, and you cant give them any, because the doctors dont give you any. I was taking one of my daughters in daily for debridement and packing of abcesses, she would scream the whole time. As a mother of four it takes its toll on the whole family.

  I especially remember expressing how confused and tired we were becoming because every time we thought it was gone, it would come back, another bump would appear and she would cry not wanting to go through it all again. I took her to the doctor at the early onset of another bump, and again he perscribed antibiotics( I had been reading fervantly and read the more you use antibiotics the less effective they become.) I was telling the doctor I was becoming terrified, I told him I knew this could be deadly, that the cutanious infections can be treated but when MRSA is in the blood or lungs its deadly, I wanted to know how to prevent it from spreading to the blood or lungs.He had no awnsers for me, I was crying and told him I was terrified, he told me I was over reacting that I just needed to give her the antibiotics as he was directing me to, then he said the most terrible insensitive thing that still angers me to this day, he told me "dont lose any sleep over this little bump she has" I told him "after all we have been thru I am losing sleep, I am worried" to wich he replied" Well Im not going to lose any sleep tonight over it, you shouldnt either!". 

  I have gotten so that I feel safer treating my own children at home, and not dealing with health professionals who spread this infection, and who know less than I do about its seriousness, or try to minimize it.  Its a terrible thing to be in this position.  I was taking my children in for treatment and durring visits I would tell them about using bacatrin in our nares to try and "de-colonize" and they would say " well lets try that then", I would tell them about putting a cap full of bleach in bathwater, and they would say "lets try that too." I would tell them about staphaseptic and they would say " sure try that" I would ask questions about how to protect the rest of the family, they would say 'I dont know" I would ask if I should be wearing gloves while attending to their wounds and they would say "it might be a good idea" I was sooo fed up with going to the doctors they were completely useless to me, I MEAN C'MON DID YOU GO TO MEDICAL SCHOOL OR DID I? WHAT WAS I PAYING THEM FOR OTHER THAN CAUSING THIS WHOLE PROBLEM IN THE FIRST PLACE.

 With alot of reading and research we have actually done way better at treating this at home than any doctor ever did in the clinic or hospital. I am not a doctor though and I would hate to ever have something happen to my children because of that, I dont know everything, I cant, so what too do, I dont really know. I do however agree with one of the posts on the message boards from a retired nurse who said the LAST place you want to go when you are sick or injured is the hospital. I think we are all going to come to a point where we are going to have to know how to deal with this stuff on our own, its not worth the risk of being exposed to anything else and then having to deal with "medical professional" who havent got a clue.

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!