Superbugs In Three States

Oh gosh! This kinda thing freaks me out. I have anxiety attacks when I think about it.
The whole H1N1 thing had me over the top with worry.

I guess all we can do is pray this is contained and that all infected get better soon.

Kinda wishing I would not have seen this thread. lol
 
The consequences of years of overuse and misuse of antibiotics. Even now people run to the doctor for a cold, and come out with a usually unnecessary px for an antibiotic. Then 3 days later (run of the mill viral symptoms) they feel better and shelve the remainder for the next time (or for the hubby, kid, neighbor;) ). Makes those little bugs stronger. I'll stick with hand washing, plain old soap and water.
 
Thank goodness doctors are starting to realize it and not hand out the antibiotics like candy.

My boss gets LIVID if I'm sick and don't get antibiotics. The last time I was at the Dr. for the flu I made the doctor write my boss a note telling him that antibiotics wouldn't do any good and that I should rest, take Tylenol and drink water.

I grew up in the antibiotic-happy 60's and my immune system was shot for a long time. It took a lot of hard work to build up good immunities.

These bugs are very scarey. Wash hands - all the time, like you have something wrong with you because it will help!
 
I am in CA and my gf has been battling MRSA for 3 months. They keep giving her a cocktail of antibiotics and it won't work. so I wonder if it is one of these newer bugs?
 
JBean, sorry to hear about your gf...MRSA is a nasty bug indeed.

We were talking about this in conference a week ago at my hospital; we students are religious about handwashing and isolation precautions, but we see Drs and RNs who don't wash...more Drs than RNs, to be honest.

I've sent the linked article along to my instructor and to our charge nurse on the floor - hopefully, that will sorta push people into better hygiene than they've done before. Between the new flu (H1N1) and this superbug, and being the county hospital, we will be seeing a lot of bad stuff coming in the next few months.

Thanks for posting...everyone should be aware of abx and their overuse, as well as a new hitchhiker gene like this one. Scary days indeed...

Best-
Herding Cats
 
If there is no cure then the people in those states should start wearing masks and make it a ritual of washing their hands. They made a big deal of getting the shot for the pandemic and now two years later that shot doesn't work? I contracted MRSA from going to the gym. It spread throughout my entire household. Luckily the antibiotic that we received knocked it out. I was born with a weak immune system and I have to use prescription vitamins, a lot of orange juice and when I get sick antibiotics. Without that cocktail I could die.
 
ITA with other posters who blame the dispensation of antibiotics like candy for the growing resistance of illnesses to them.

My MIL drives me nuts. I realize she comes form a place of love but she argues with me every time my kids have even the sniffles. She thinks every sniffle, every cough should predicate a visit to the doctor with some sort of prescription for antibiotics. I stand my ground. A cough, a sniffle, a fever even, does not require antibiotics. Fever in particular is not an illness and not necessarily bad. It is simply your body's engine revving up while it fights off whatever the ailment is.

Winter is coming, and MIL and I will put on the gloves and duke it out yet again this years every time one of my kids sneeze.
 
I am in CA and my gf has been battling MRSA for 3 months. They keep giving her a cocktail of antibiotics and it won't work. so I wonder if it is one of these newer bugs?

Back in December of 2004 my oldest son contracted MRSA.

At the time the local docs had seen very little of it and misdiagnosed him with impetigo. I had no reason to doubt that diagnosis because I had seen impetigo before many years ago and he was in contact with the HS locker rooms and contact sports and etc.

Two days later this child was in serious condition in the pediatric ward of the local hospital. It wasn't impetigo but MRSA.

We were lucky Jbean, he got IV antibiotics (it took 3 different ones before they were able to find one he responded to) and was improved within a week to 10 days.

Let me just share, that as a Mom and especially as a Mom that has raised five kids (plus helped more than a few years with my step-daughers) I have NEVER EVER seen a child become that ill that quickly. I am pretty much the salt of the earth and it takes a lot to phase me. I did think at one time, I'm going to lose this boy. It was horrifying. They were on the verge of sending his Father back from Iraq.

MRSA is beyond comprehention if someone hasn't seen it in action. JMHO.

Simple hand washing with soap, garlic supplements may help to fend off normal run of the mill bacterial and viral infections but not MRSA. Not IMHO.

I would be eager to see if the active ingredient could be extracted, purified and manipulated by scientists to help with MRSA though.

Also, since I'm on a roll here LOL. My middle daughter had all signs of a kidney infection.

Lower back ache on both sides, fever, urine smelled foul and was cloudy.

Took her to the Docs. No antibiotics. She stayed sick. Took her back to doc twice that week as she kept getting sicker. Took her to the ER one night because she couldn't walk without pain and was actually crying with the pain. They did an MRI, blood panels, urine tests after she had been sick with fever of 101+ (that was with tylenol and other fever reducers on a 4 hour schedule for a week) for a week. After a week they put her on a Sulfa and she was feeling better and clear of symptoms within 48 hours. It wasn't her Ped. that prescribed the antibiotic but the ER Docs.

IMHO, there is a kneejerk reaction going on with some docs about the overprescribing of antibiotics.

But back to MRSA. What a horrifying infection. Just horrifying. JB I'll be praying for your friend because as long as she is fighting it in any way, she's a very sick person. JMHO.
 
I will tell you that almost everyone who works in patient care will be positive for MRSA as a carrier. As an RN I am exposed to EVERYTHING! Because I have, for the most part, a healthy immune system, MRSA stays at bay. This is different than having active disease. This is from exposure.

In the early 90's, I worked with an infection control specialist. We were starting to see a LOT of MRSA patients, mostly from nursing homes or foreigners who had long term infections. He said that every room a known MRSA patient occupied had to be completely scrubbed down, curtains sanitized etc. The room than needed to be empty for at least 24 hours. Well, that did not only not go over well, but in ICU, where I worked, was basically ignored.

In talking to other nurses I knew, this practice was not followed at any of the hospitals they worked in. Bottom line, we now have an MRSA explosion, with multiple carriers in every walk of life.

Wash your hands, avoid contact with those that have an active infection, inless you take precautions to protect yourself. If you have a wound that doesn't look right, doesn't get better or if you develop other symptoms, go to your doctor or ER. This is a nasty bug!

Remember, if you are in a hospital, the RN, LVN's and Aides will often wear gloves. This is not only to protect the caregiver from contracting germs, but to protect YOU from the germs of the caregiver or other patients. There have been many times patients were offended by the use of gloves, until I explained why they are used.

There will be a super infection, that will kill many people. It is just a matter of when.

As to the RN student. Thank you for choosing nursing! Don't forget the lessons you learn now and continue their practice in 'the real world'.
 
Never known anyone who dealt with MRSA but my youngest had menenghitis (sp?) when about a year old. Sceeered the carp out of me. Speaking of coming on real sick real fast. That was one time where I did rush him into the ER over a fever. It came on fast and HOT and nothing was working to get it down, not even the old loading dose trick.

Rushed him into the ER and was so glad I did. They did the spinal tap and then rushed him to the childrens hospital for admitance to PICU. Scary scary week.

Did not mean to make my post earlier sound flippant or anti-antibiotic. I just think in this two working parent world with daycare rules about sick children, a lot of parents run to the doctor to solve their sick kid problems with drugs when really all that is needed is time for the body to do what it needs to.

Sometimes antibiotics IS the only answer. I just fear in this microwave generation we live in lots of folks do not know that sometimes your body knows what to do, you just need to give it time.
 
Simple hand washing with soap, garlic supplements may help to fend off normal run of the mill bacterial and viral infections but not MRSA. Not IMHO.

I would be eager to see if the active ingredient could be extracted, purified and manipulated by scientists to help with MRSA though.

I am so sorry for your son's illness, but so relieved he made it through! Definitely a parent's worse nightmare.

There has been quite a bit of research done on garlic. The trouble is, only fresh, raw garlic is effective. The potent chemical, allicin, degrades very quickly and cannot be converted into any kind of pharmaceutical. But garlic is cheap and plentiful, and it is worth smelling bad for a few days if it is effective against these superbugs, which research has confirmed over and over.

Here is a page with a little more information: http://www.phytochemicals.info/phytochemicals/allicin.php
" Fresh crushed garlic cloves generated antibacterial activity and chemically detectable allicin, but this activity declines on a daily basis in aqueous and ethanol solutions."

And here is a link to published research demonstrating allicin's effectiveness against drug-resistant bacteria: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10594976

I have had personal experience with the power of raw garlic while I was pregnant with my last baby. At 39 weeks, I developed a fever of 104 degrees and achiness in my uterus. As I felt this coming on, I took several cloves of garlic over the day, but once my fever surpassed acceptable level, I called my midwife who referred me to a doctor's care. After all tests were run over a two day period, including two amniocentesis to rule out intrauterine infection, I was sent home to await results. The doctor refused to prescribe any antibiotics for what she diagnosed as bacterial infection without knowing for sure which organism. By day four, I was feeling better and by day five, completely healthy again, without any antibiotics ever being prescribed. I'd only used raw garlic. Tests came back positive for gram-positive bacteria, but since I was better, no need for treatment. Two weeks later I had my planned home birth with no complications.

Another little family anecdote: My grandparents were missionaries living in the tribal regions of Mexico from the '40s through the '90s. Access to medications of any sort was extremely limited. My grandpa claimed he could cure anything with garlic or Vitamin D. Research today is proving him right! LOL
 
California, Massachusetts and Illinois.................that is west, middle and north........USA
anyone from these states?
What should we all do?
 
I am in IL. I will carry on as usual, good old fashioned hand washing and avoiding sickies ;)
 
I am in CA and my gf has been battling MRSA for 3 months. They keep giving her a cocktail of antibiotics and it won't work. so I wonder if it is one of these newer bugs?

JBean - if your friend has any pets - dogs or cats - it might be helpful to have them screened for MRSA. Sometimes household pets can be carriers & are the source of the reinfections. It can be difficult to locate a vet who is aware of this, and who is willing to do a nasal swab & culture of the pets, but persistence pays off. If the pets are carriers, they can be treated with antibiotics. My daughter suffered with recurring MRSA infections and it wasn't until her doggie was screened that we discovered the source. She's been MRSA-free for almost 2 years now - thank goodness.
 
SunnieRN said:
As to the RN student. Thank you for choosing nursing! Don't forget the lessons you learn now and continue their practice in 'the real world'.
That's me...HC in da flesh. Had 4/4 contact iso patients today; one w/ C. Dif, the rest with MRSA. Very rough day, but hey...lots of learning and even some good times with my worst off patient (gsw x2, 1 in head...lots of tubes and dressings and MRSA-abscesses to drain...interesting and informative, and lots of good learning done).

I will tell you this...I drive with gloves in my car. Since I live in a large city on the west coast, there are often accident scenes. I do stop at them, but always glove up...not just to protect me, but to protect the actively bleeding person from whatever I've managed to acquire. MRSA is a baddie, for sure and certain, and yes, I do carry through my hospital practice into the real world practice; and make those around me do the same. LOL.

As for me choosing nursing, this is my 4th career - and it chose me. Long story, but after one particular experience, I **knew** I needed to change careers (again!!! sigh), and pursue what makes my heart sing. And that's nursing. So here I am, hopefully graduating in December...and loving every exhausting, stressful moment of it.


California, Massachusetts and Illinois.................that is west, middle and north........USA
anyone from these states?
What should we all do?
I'm in California.

The best thing is to:
a. If given abx, take the whole course. Don't save it for later...this is how the buggies mutate and get stronger against the germs.
b. Viruses do NOT respond to abx. Viruses are things like colds, flu, and so on. Viruses are built differently than bacteria and fungi, and have this hard shell-like thing on them; viruses are not even considered "alive", for the most part, whereas bacteria and fungi are. Totally different sort of medications for viruses, but it's not the Zpak or other abx. (If you get a secondary bacterial infection, that's a different story...but it's still not treating the actual virus).
c. Do not ask the Dr for abx every time you're under the weather. Instead, drink a ton of water, OJ, eat stuff with garlic in it, treat the fever if it's over 100.4 (that's my hospital standard), and get some rest.
d. If you do need abx, make sure you take the whole darned course. Like A says, don't save some for later. Use it now, even if you feel better.

Basic hygiene:
1. Wash your hands in hot soapy water for at least 30 seconds. Wash after toileting, before eating, and whenever you think about it.
2. Please, please, please dispose of used tissue in trash cans. Don't stick them in your purse, or your pocket...throw them out. People don't realize how many nasty buggies are on those things, and tuck them out of sight...until they clean out their purses/briefcases/pockets...and reinfect all over again.
3. Eat a balanced diet, and, if needed, take a regular multivitamin.
4. Get enough sleep.
5. Drink enough water.
6. If you don't feel well, stay home, rest up, and don't get the rest of us sick. I promise I'll do the same.
7. If a family member is sick, give them one set of utensils, wash them separately in hot, hot, hot soapy water, and give them that set again for the next time. Sounds dumb, but it does work at stopping colds/flu in a household setting.
8. If you get a cut or wound, clean it with povidone iodine *(unless you're allergic to shellfish; then use hot soapy water), bandage it well; change the bandage at least daily after cleaning it again with povidone (you can get this at the local pharmacy), and the instant it looks infected, get to a Dr. for a test of what is infecting it. The earliest caught, the quickest cured...

I'll post more if I think about them. But the most important thing is to get clean, stay clean...wash, wash, wash, and then wash some more.

(Sunnie, feel free to correct me...I'm still a student...)

Best-
Herding Cats
 
Great advice HC!

I agree tlcox I am kind of anal about cleaniness after that scare. I was mindful before but after that I tell you, the other day I was seperating raw chicken in a combo pack to dinner sized portions to freeze and I think I must of washed my hands at least 5 times. LOL Not because of MRSA but because of the regular germs that come with raw chicken.

I haven't heard anything reported about the TB superbug.

I heard about it a few years ago. But nothing lately. That's another scary one!
 
I am in CA and my gf has been battling MRSA for 3 months. They keep giving her a cocktail of antibiotics and it won't work. so I wonder if it is one of these newer bugs?

Much love JBean...Blessings.

Also, they give out antibiotics like crazy Drs. and I feel that is why we are not getting better. The overuse is insane. We have become resistant to many new diseases by ruining our system when taking these when it is not necessary. We no longer can fight off disease.

Always
Goz
 
I thought I knew much about medicine from years of working in the hospital and being ill too but I never heard of MRSA. Please don't think I am stupid.

The first time it was brought to my attention was when Mom died a few months back as many of you know. She didn't die from that but it was brought up in the hosipital in FL a few times that they had to be careful.

Is MRSA new? I worked years ago and never heard of it, but in Clincial Nutrition. Also, is it more common in certain areas of the US as I am in the Midwest and it has never been discussed. What do I need to know, anyone that can share...

Thanks
Goz
 

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