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Posted 3/20/2009 5:04 PM (GMT 0)
So what's the deal with MRSA? My husband just came home from work and told me one of his co-workers was just hospitalized with MRSA. This is someone who works at the desk next to his. I guess he has boils all over. I am on Remicade and just had an infusion a week ago. I'm a little worried about this. Should I be? Is this something that is easily spread? Anyone with MRSA experience?
Posted 3/20/2009 5:59 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Vega19,
Did a quick search...here's a link:
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/mrsa/DS00735

My daughter had a colectomy and her incision site became infected...they thought she had MRSA, thankfully she did not. But, it's a pretty nasty bug.
Posted 3/20/2009 7:15 PM (GMT 0)
I had MRSA in early 2008, manifested itself in some angry pimples in my armpit and I was suspicious. I might have had it for a while, because my skin heals faster now and little pimples don't get big for no reason. It was treated with an expensive antibiotic (which of course made me flare). I asked about my husband, whether he should sleep somewhere else, and the dermatologist said I didn't need to be concerned about it. I was tested again this year and was all clear.

Since his officemate is being treated now and should no longer be a threat, you could have tests done and find out for certain if you picked it up. It would give you peace of mind.
Posted 3/20/2009 8:10 PM (GMT 0)
I work in a hospital and there are a few things people need to know about MRSA, VRSA, and VRE. Peopl are placed in isolation when they have these in the hospital setting. They are bacteria that have become resistant to the antibiotics that once killed them. This happens most often it is believed because of antibiotic abuse. (If a person gets it that doesn't mean that they are the ones that have abused antibiotics....) People take it when an antibiotic is not necessary, like to treat a cold virus. And people stop the course of treatment before the medication is done (so I can save it for next time) which makes the remained most resistant bacteria become more resistant to the meds. So this has happened ove the course of a few years or so. Anyway, read up on this antibiotic resistance issue. It is bigger than people think, my microbiology prof said that this issue is HUGE...I have been told that VRE is the nasty one.
D
Posted 3/20/2009 9:05 PM (GMT 0)
I certainly had MRSA already when I had outpatient surgery in a hospital, but was not tested for it at that time...so infection control systems are not always very thorough yet.

I rarely take antibiotics (I've always been clear about when they can help and when they can't, but you are right, many people take them too, too much). But not never...maybe two or three times in ten years? But it took a strong, new antibiotic to tackle that MRSA.

I've always wondered if I got MRSA from using public toilets so much. I do not exercise in a public gym, that was the first question the dermatologist asked. Seems if you can get it there, you could get it from public restrooms. So we should be vigilant! It can be very, very serious, I was lucky to be alert to it.
Posted 3/20/2009 9:22 PM (GMT 0)
Apparently a lot of people are carrying MRSA, in their nasal passages or elsewhere and don't even know it. I work in an operating room and we get MRSA patients a lot.. They are on isolation and then we have to bring them straight to the room so they don't come in contact with other patients because with a weakened immune system it can be very contagious. I asked a coworker about it the other day and he said, "Well we pretty much all have MRSA on us right now but you'd have to pretty much be immune compromised for it to be an issue" And I was like... You mean maybe being on immune suppressants? Like I am? GREAT... And he just kind of looked at me like "Uh oh".
But it's gotten a lot more common lately and it's pretty scary, sometimes people have extreme symptoms, some have none at all. But we get at least one patient a week with it sometimes...
Posted 3/20/2009 9:53 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks for all the feedback everyone. I did a little reading up on it myself. It's these kinds of "super bugs" that worry me. I'm going to call my PCP and see if he thinks I should get tested for it. I saw a stroy on the news not too long ago about a guy with TB who flew from Germany to Detroit. Could you imagine being on that plane?
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