MRSA Support Group

I have thought about doing the same thing and maybe take some clorox wipes with me to sanitize the bed before and after use, I did IV Vanco for 20 days and I get my PICC line out this Friday, right now I am doing 10 days oral Rifampin and Doxycycline together so I hope this is the end but I will not count my chickens before they hatch....I just want to feel well again and not be scared to infect my family, coworkers and friends
Let me know if you hear from others, have a good day!

Patti

okay, I am glad I am not alone in my thinking. I didn't know if I was gong to hear anything on that or not. A tanning "booth" you just stand there and there are handles on the ceilings to hold onto - I thought that would be the lesser of the 2 evils and then just wipe the handles and floor down where I stood. I'm already almost 40 so I would have to moisturize the heck around my eyes...lol.

Wow, people keep trying to say that this MRSA isn't anything around here - my daughters half-brother has it, my neighbor lady has it, my friends son and husband has it - it seems like everyone just has it and goes on like nothing, you would never even know it other than they mention it nonchalantly, yet I have a big patch on my right cheek (among other not so noticable places) which makes me feel like I have the plague when I walk in somewhere. I'm afraid people don't think "MRSA" when they see it, but Herpes or something :( It was in the back of my mind when it wouldn't go away, I was relieved it wasn't an std of course as I've been married for a decade & that would have opened up a whole bunch of ugly, but feel like wearing a sign now to clear up confusion :(

As I said I tried the Bactrim for the full dose and it helped but its not by any means gone. It just seemed like the booth may help dry some more of it up.

Thank you for responding, I read your profile, saw you were diagnosed in 08 but I am not sure how this course runs. When the bactrim doesn't work do they automatically try the Vanco through an IV? This is going to be loads of fun, not having insurance, we were barely making it before and I know if I opened up to my boss, the result would be getting rid of me for some inadvertent reason for fear I would infect the entire place, so I will just have to take what they are able to do for me at the clinic.
They tried the doxycycline pre diagnosis and they had to take me off of it as my ears rang for 2 weeks straight while it got out of my system -it was maddening.
I originally was on bactrim too right before they Doxy but it gave me a "rash" but I know wonder if that wasn't the MRSA rebelling???? Does it make your body go crazy, popping up all over in random spots when you try to make it go away???
I'm sorry for rambling Patti, I just have so many questions and my time between appointments is agonizing, and then a majority of my questions are answered by a fleet of guessing student doctors. To speak with someone that has been there is a big comfort and I thank you for the help.

LJ

Well, my regular doctor kept giving me clindamycin every time I had an outbreak, which would run every 6 to 8 weeks, it would clear it up but finally this last time I made an appointment with a infectious disease doctor, that was on September 15 this year, she started me on IV Vanco immediately as she says I am now colonized so the Vanco is to hopefully decolonize my body of bacteria that the Clindomycin did not. I did 10 days Vanco, but on the day after stopping it I got a new sore, so that following Monday she started me back on Vanco for 10 more days. I had a PICC line put in my arm on my second day of treatment in Sept. I have just finished my Vanco this past Friday and now I am on oral Doxycyline and Rifampin together. She said this medicine will get into my tissues where if there are any living bad bacteria it will rid of it. I am suppose to get my PICC line taken out this Friday, I am so ready. It has been a month since I had a shower, I hate taking baths and washing my hair in the sink. You cannot get the PICC line wet and even though I could of wrapped it I was not taking a chance of getting it wet or causing more infection. So far I have not had any side effects from the meds other than flushing at times and my pee is red/orange from the Rifampin. Believe me, MRSA is not non-chalant, it can be very dangerous it it gets in your bloodstream and it has taken alot of lives that were healthy before this infection. I have also felt like the human plague so I know how you feel.
I hope you get well soon.

Patti

well they mentioned "decolonizing" me but they want to try the bactrim first? They must made it sound like that was shooting something into my nose and making me use a special soap for 2 weeks, but as I said I don't know what any of this means at this point.

I know what a picc line is though and sorry for what you've had to go through. I was a nursing assistant for 10 years until I hurt my back years ago and at that time when a patient had "MRSA" we would have to suit up into our spaceman suits - not as bad as with tuberculosis, but we were to leave nothing uncovered. I had wondered if I hadn't picked it up from my days of dealing with it, but my student doctors "assured" me that it would not lie dormant for that long. That however was my experience with it and that I knew it was resistant to cure. Now I see people acting like it's nothing and was confused. I also have read about a 20% fatality rate and have seen about people sitting around there homes in gloves and masks so as not to infect their household. I wasn't sure if there were a few varieties we were dealing with here or if it just depends on where it hits you and when it decides to get bad. Thanks so much for talking to me about this.

Please be careful with the tanning and medications. There are cautions with some medications and the UV rays. Check with your pharmacist to see if you should be staying out of the sun or tanning booths while on meds.

hi guys, just finneshed up 10 tanning sessions..guess what my skin is almost clear!!!! only two small spots on my face left! the tanning definately helped ALOT! i used serious disinfectant on the bed ( i took my own little spray bottle everyday) but i does help alot! and the real sun even more so!

give it a go! it has helped me...and i am half way to my wedding tan!