Battling illness in my house follows a pattern, a step forward and two back or maybe it's three but who's counting, right? I haven't posted much on MRSA wound healing or our battle with staph lately. It's like I've been avoiding the pink elephant in the room that you hope will go away if you ignore it.
The step forward that I mentioned was that the worst of the wounds finally closed. You know you've taken a step forward when the wound care doctor and nurses join for a group cheer some with tears in their eyes and others threatening to tear their shoulders out of the socket patting themselves on the back for having the knowledge and skill to manage the gaping holes. The worst of the wounds now has a paper thin layer of skin joining the sides that is so fragile that it can't be soaked in a tub or scratched if it itches for fear of tearing it.
I hate not to leave our progress report on a completely positive note but yesterday another "bump" or "pimple" was found right alongside the previously mentioned "wonder wound". It's the new year and that means that the insurance deductible starts all over again PLUS the 20% that we have to pay even once that is met.
We were so hoping that we would have a reprieve from treatments and to catch up on old doctor and hospital bills and avoid bankruptcy. We are going to call the wound care clinic and see if they will just call in a prescription to see if a round of antibiotics will zap the bump without having to schedule an appointment.
Meanwhile, I'm going to take an attitude of gratitude and be thankful that we have had a step forward and that we are going to blast our way past the two back. Thanks for the well wishes and uplifting comments that have been left for us on Family Recipes, Babies and Parenting Issues and I hope that you will keep us in your prayers.
Showing posts with label mrsa staff infection. Show all posts
Showing posts with label mrsa staff infection. Show all posts
Can MRSA Spread be Spread with a Toothbrush?
Maybe I am being paranoid, but when your baby has MRSA you can't afford to play around. I am faced with a very odd situation. The call has already been made to the pediatrician’s office to discuss this situation with him or his nurse assistant and in the meantime I will record it in a blog entry. It may seem that I’m going around the world to get to the point, but stick with me and you will see what’s bugging me.
Three days ago, I noticed that my little girl (the one who was infected with MRSA as a baby) was gnawing on something. Knowing that I had not given her a cookie, cracker or anything else as a snack, I set out to see what it was that she had in her mouth.
As it turned out, the yummy treat was my middle daughter’s toothbrush. How the baby managed to get it is a mystery. The only feasible explanation is that in the morning rush the older girls must have knocked it out of the toothbrush holder and onto the bathroom floor where the little one found it.
Even though I do my best to keep the facilities clean (MRSA will make a better housekeeper out of you when nothing else will!), the thought that one of my kids was chewing on something that had been kicked around on the bathroom floor was not exactly a pleasant thought. After failed attempts at cajoling her to relinquish her treasure willingly; I eventually had to forcibly remove it from her grasp. The results of this wrestling match were a screaming baby and a mommy that was late for an appointment. I threw the toothbrush on the bathroom counter by the sink, picked up my unhappy baby and headed out the door to see if I could manage to make it to my appointment without being more than a few minutes late.
While I was busy, my husband was responsible for picking the older girls up from a play date and preschool and feeding them their lunch. By the time the baby and I got home the rest of the family had eaten and was busy folding a basket of laundry. I couldn’t help but feel how lucky I was to drift in to find things so very under control. Mentally searching for what I needed to take care of while the rest of the crew was otherwise engaged; my mind drifted to the toothbrush incident and I remembered I had not cleaned it nor thrown it away.
I headed off to the bathroom to dig out a new toothbrush and throw the dirty one away. Imagine my surprise when I found that dad had not only fed the girls, but made sure that they brushed their teeth afterwards albeit with a nasty toothbrush. I’ve learned that it’s useless to cry over spilt milk so I just substituted the new brush and moved on.
Under normal circumstances that may have been the end of it except our middle girl woke up in the middle of the night screaming in pain saying that her mouth hurt. I took a look and sure enough there were blisters inside her cheeks (MRSA or something else?), the roof of her mouth and her gums looked red and inflamed.
Could this have resulted from using her sister’s toothbrush? We are cautioned not to use the razor belonging to a person with MRSA, but what about their toothbrush?
The baby has not got any active blisters at this time, but I want to hear it from the pediatrician that we don't need antibiotics as a preventative measure. Wish me luck.
Three days ago, I noticed that my little girl (the one who was infected with MRSA as a baby) was gnawing on something. Knowing that I had not given her a cookie, cracker or anything else as a snack, I set out to see what it was that she had in her mouth.
As it turned out, the yummy treat was my middle daughter’s toothbrush. How the baby managed to get it is a mystery. The only feasible explanation is that in the morning rush the older girls must have knocked it out of the toothbrush holder and onto the bathroom floor where the little one found it.
Even though I do my best to keep the facilities clean (MRSA will make a better housekeeper out of you when nothing else will!), the thought that one of my kids was chewing on something that had been kicked around on the bathroom floor was not exactly a pleasant thought. After failed attempts at cajoling her to relinquish her treasure willingly; I eventually had to forcibly remove it from her grasp. The results of this wrestling match were a screaming baby and a mommy that was late for an appointment. I threw the toothbrush on the bathroom counter by the sink, picked up my unhappy baby and headed out the door to see if I could manage to make it to my appointment without being more than a few minutes late.
While I was busy, my husband was responsible for picking the older girls up from a play date and preschool and feeding them their lunch. By the time the baby and I got home the rest of the family had eaten and was busy folding a basket of laundry. I couldn’t help but feel how lucky I was to drift in to find things so very under control. Mentally searching for what I needed to take care of while the rest of the crew was otherwise engaged; my mind drifted to the toothbrush incident and I remembered I had not cleaned it nor thrown it away.
I headed off to the bathroom to dig out a new toothbrush and throw the dirty one away. Imagine my surprise when I found that dad had not only fed the girls, but made sure that they brushed their teeth afterwards albeit with a nasty toothbrush. I’ve learned that it’s useless to cry over spilt milk so I just substituted the new brush and moved on.
Under normal circumstances that may have been the end of it except our middle girl woke up in the middle of the night screaming in pain saying that her mouth hurt. I took a look and sure enough there were blisters inside her cheeks (MRSA or something else?), the roof of her mouth and her gums looked red and inflamed.
Could this have resulted from using her sister’s toothbrush? We are cautioned not to use the razor belonging to a person with MRSA, but what about their toothbrush?
The baby has not got any active blisters at this time, but I want to hear it from the pediatrician that we don't need antibiotics as a preventative measure. Wish me luck.
SCARED OF ANTIBIOTICS - DEALING WITH MY FEARS
For anyone that's a regular visitor to this blog, my baby has MRSA. The stomach virus is crawling through our household and the minute one gets better, another family member goes down for the count. Since we got the news that MRSA had made its way into our world, I've lived in fear of any illness that may come our way that would require antibiotics.
This may seem unreasonable to some, but MRSA means that only a limited number of antibiotics work for this child and I don't want her to become resistant to more meds. The tone in my doctor's voice when he spoke the words that she will have to deal with this for the rest of her life, rings in my head at times. It almost seemed that he was issuing a death sentence even though he backed it up with how huge a percentage of the population is infected or carrying this bug.
I'll be glad when the weather is warmer and cold and flu season is over!
This may seem unreasonable to some, but MRSA means that only a limited number of antibiotics work for this child and I don't want her to become resistant to more meds. The tone in my doctor's voice when he spoke the words that she will have to deal with this for the rest of her life, rings in my head at times. It almost seemed that he was issuing a death sentence even though he backed it up with how huge a percentage of the population is infected or carrying this bug.
I'll be glad when the weather is warmer and cold and flu season is over!
Meds for MRSA or the Plain Old Stomach Flu?
Well, we started on meds for the MRSA condition for the littlest one, the middle one started complaining of a headache and the oldest one said that she jammed her finger. Well actually what she said was that she was sure her pinky finger was "splintered".
Then about 10:30 last night the little one who was getting in a little sympathy co-sleeping time woke up throwing up. It was very strange in that I became aware that she was wiggling through the fog of my sleepy exhaustion, but assumed that she would settle back into sleep. To make a long story short, she did not. She began to vomit up what she had eaten for LUNCH ten hours earlier! I know this is gross and disgusting, but what would cause food (chickpeas to be exact) to just sit in her tummy, undigested for that long a period of time? Would it be caused by the antibiotics they are giving her?
Then about 10:30 last night the little one who was getting in a little sympathy co-sleeping time woke up throwing up. It was very strange in that I became aware that she was wiggling through the fog of my sleepy exhaustion, but assumed that she would settle back into sleep. To make a long story short, she did not. She began to vomit up what she had eaten for LUNCH ten hours earlier! I know this is gross and disgusting, but what would cause food (chickpeas to be exact) to just sit in her tummy, undigested for that long a period of time? Would it be caused by the antibiotics they are giving her?
MRSA - Did the Gym Staff Give My Baby a Staph Infection?
I should've called this baby and family blog "Just When You Think" cause just when I think things are going pretty well life blindsides me and proves me wrong. Life with a house full of children and a demanding husband can really get my goat sometimes but I keep telling myself it's the journey not the destination and try to find something to enjoy and treasure about each and every day.
TODAY I'M NOT GOING TO MAKE THE EFFORT!
Any mom worth her salt will understand the reason for my negative attitude; I just found out that my baby has MRSA and will have to take all these powerful antibiotics, etc. etc. to deal with it. I completely admit that I don't know all there is to know(or all that I SHOULD know, or all that I WILL know before the day is over) about staph infections of any kind. There was some chat recently at the gym where DH goes that some of the staff members had developed or come down with cases of MRSA. Does this mean that my DH brought it home to baby?
This baby has had a time of it from the day she was born! She has allergies that were completely misdiagnosed by the pediatrician as eczema that caused to be covered in hives for the better part of her first year. She's allergic to peanuts, eggs, dairy and all the usual culprits and I have to watch her like a hawk for fear she'll pick up something she's not supposed to. And then there's the asthma and now this!
Sweet Jesus! We'll make it, but forgive me my Friday afternoon pity party, ok?
Has anybody else dealt with MRSA? I would love to hear from you and how it's affected your life. I believe that forewarned can be forearmed and I really need the support! Thanks for reading. C
TODAY I'M NOT GOING TO MAKE THE EFFORT!
Any mom worth her salt will understand the reason for my negative attitude; I just found out that my baby has MRSA and will have to take all these powerful antibiotics, etc. etc. to deal with it. I completely admit that I don't know all there is to know(or all that I SHOULD know, or all that I WILL know before the day is over) about staph infections of any kind. There was some chat recently at the gym where DH goes that some of the staff members had developed or come down with cases of MRSA. Does this mean that my DH brought it home to baby?
This baby has had a time of it from the day she was born! She has allergies that were completely misdiagnosed by the pediatrician as eczema that caused to be covered in hives for the better part of her first year. She's allergic to peanuts, eggs, dairy and all the usual culprits and I have to watch her like a hawk for fear she'll pick up something she's not supposed to. And then there's the asthma and now this!
Sweet Jesus! We'll make it, but forgive me my Friday afternoon pity party, ok?
Has anybody else dealt with MRSA? I would love to hear from you and how it's affected your life. I believe that forewarned can be forearmed and I really need the support! Thanks for reading. C
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