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MRSA and Remicade?

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Ulcerative Colitis
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Posted 2/8/2009 6:38 PM (GMT 0)
Well just had a wonderful experience--sinus surgery! If they didn't get it right this time, they won't get another chance, believe me!  Not fun.

Problem is, they found I had a good MRSA going in my sinuses and I didn't even have any real sinus problems. The surgery was to stop severe nosebleeds and fix a deviated septum.  May have picked it up at the hospital where I still work parttime. 

Now -- I'm due my 4th remicade infusion in a few days, and my ENT doc has put me on a 6-week antibiotic regime to try to kill the MRSA.  Anybody out there had any similar experiences?  Judylyn, was it you that had sinus infection problems? 

I'll be contacting my GI doc tomorrow, and in the meantime, I'm gonna double up on my probiotics for sure!

Michigoose

Posted 2/9/2009 1:05 AM (GMT 0)
I've never had this problem but its probably not a good idea to be taking remicade while fighting MRSA. Remicade decreases your ability to fight infections and its probably making it that much harder for your body to fight the MRSA.
Posted 2/9/2009 1:21 AM (GMT 0)
Call your GI as soon as you can and fill them in. My GI won't let me have remicade even if I have a cold.

Hope you feel better soon!
Posted 2/9/2009 4:48 AM (GMT 0)
Right, if you have an infection you shouldn't receive Remicade. Contact your GI to discuss other options. It can take a while for MRSA to clear up, so you may need a plan B for a while.
Posted 2/9/2009 3:24 PM (GMT 0)
Thanx for the replies--I'd pretty much figured I'd have to delay remicade for a while.  I'll be on the phone to the GI doc as soon as they open.

What a bummer  eyes !  And the remi has absolutely put me in remission.  My colon hasn't behaved this well since I was a kid--maybe better than then, too.  I've always had at least IBS for as long as I can remember.

At least my nose feels better!  Now if I can just get both ends of me working well at the same time!! confused

Michigoose

 

Posted 2/9/2009 6:44 PM (GMT 0)
So you had no symptoms of MRSA, they just found it in your nose?

MRSA freaks me out because I work in a surgery department where we were getting at least one MRSA patient a week for awhile, and since I'm the secretary, I also get all the paperwork that comes out of the room that people touched after coming in contact with MRSA patients... I've been on immune suppressants since starting here last year and now I'm on Remicade so I always wonder if I should worry about the risk.

When you look up MRSA and they talk about symptoms, it seems so dramatic- boils or pimples that pop and turn into ulcer like wounds... I've had 5 "bug bite/pimple" looking thigns on my legs that took weeks to heal and left purple scars, and I always think "What if this is MRSA?" but it never turns into anything bad looking.

Has anyone here had MRSA that didn't present with extreme symptoms?
Posted 2/9/2009 8:12 PM (GMT 0)
I haven't had it, but MRSA, like all staph bacteria, can colonize in some people without causing any symptoms. Typically, these people are healthy and may in fact never become sick, but they are a major source of infection for others. That's why it is so important to cover your nose and mouth when you sneeze or cough, wash your hands and keep them away from your face.

If you're worried, your doctor can easily take a nasal culture to check for MRSA colonization.
Posted 2/9/2009 11:42 PM (GMT 0)

Yep--I had no symptoms--it was just routine for them to take a culture during the sinus surgery.  I do MRI scans in a hospital, and I have been exposed to patients with MRSA.  Take all the precautions I can, of course, but evidently I became a carrier with no symptoms.

Also, last year when my husband developed non-Hodgkins lymphoma, he ended up with an MRSA, too.

Have an appt with GI doc in a couple of days to discuss options.  Guess I have more than one reason to be glad I had the surgery! smhair

Michigoose

Michigoose

Posted 2/9/2009 11:53 PM (GMT 0)
I had a few angry "pimples" along my panty line and in my armpit, suspected it was MRSA and it was. They were not bad, though. It seems it didn't go away completely with the antibiotic, because it is back.

I can't remember what I took before but my family doc gave me Rx for tetracycline this time. That's not going to work!... I'm thinking, so I haven't taken it yet. No use in causing a flare if it's not even going to work. I need to go back to the derm doc.

Michigoose, what were you given?
Be sure to load up on probiotics!!
Posted 2/10/2009 3:46 PM (GMT 0)

Hi Peety--

I was given Bactrim and gentimyecin--a six week course.

It's very important to get the right antibiotic to kill your particular MRSA.  My ENT doc cultured the infection and then they tried various meds on it to see which one  would work with this particular strain. 

I feel like a Typhoid Mary right now.  Have an appt with the eye doc today and will be sure to tell them about it. 

Michigoose

Posted 2/10/2009 6:39 PM (GMT 0)
Yikes Peety, I would have just dismissed that as razor burn.
Posted 2/10/2009 7:16 PM (GMT 0)
Me too! This post has totally freaked me out, now I'm wondering if I'm sort of weird MRSA carrier. Although I suppose if I was, I'd have gotten pretty ill after Remicade infusions, no? Great! Another thing to worry about before my next infusion! redface
Posted 2/10/2009 7:26 PM (GMT 0)
They were along my pantyline on my butt, if that makes you less concerned...so no razor burn.
And when I say "angry" I mean there were two that had absessed. I also had a couple in my pit at the same time, and knew that could indicate MRSA. And some old things I thought were spider bites were probably MRSA, the doc said.

An update: the MRSA culture came back as Negative, yay! It's apparently just kind of cysts with a long name this time, my doc says, the tetracyline will get rid of them.
Posted 2/10/2009 11:56 PM (GMT 0)
I would agree, Remicade and MRSA dont mix. Sounds like a good idea to talk to your GI about waiting for a while.

As for having MRSA. I have not had it but my husband came home from Nicaragua with it last year. He had a few boils and was treated with two different antibiotics. We have not had it return in over a year so I think we are in the clear. Part of the reason for our success was that I was anal about cleaning the house with bleach (including light swithches, phones, anything that we touch regularly), not sharing sheets/towels etc until he had healed, hand washing and keeping his wounds covered....I mean really anal. Mrsa is scary but it is easily beaten if you are very careful.

jo
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