Hi Danelle,

First – my heart goes out to you and I pray that Jimmy gets better soon.

My daughter had MRSA when she was about 3 years old. A long story of doctors ignorance which cost my daughter part of her lung and a struggle from death’s door to live.

Do you know if Jimmy has Community acquired MRSA or the Hospital acquired strain? Same question as to your grandmother.

I think if it didn’t show up in the nasal swaps of your family you are not the source. Getting an answer to what kind of MRSA it is will help you clear up some of your questions. Maybe some one in the group can explain this better. You can also read through all the posting on the Yahoo Group page – this has been addressed a few times..

Every time I read another posting about another MRSA victim I wonder how is it that this epidemic hasn’t gotten to the head of the news and to the legislators and our representatives. Bird Flu, a remote possibility with few victims so far, is at the top of the news and at the top of the governments agenda!

Look what happened in England. They got a grip on MRSA and both the public and the authorities are aware and pro-active. They even reduced the amount of occurrences (at some places by simply washing the floors with one use, one swipe, disposable mops).

I am wondering if we shouldn’t be channeling our collective energies, talents and connections to get MRSA to the top of the headlines and to a point that something is done about it.

Some of us must know journalists, we can write to our senators, distribute “educational” pamphlets at the entrance of our local hospitals. Get people worried; get them to ask the hospitals they go to what is the rate of infection there. Get their State to make it mandatory that hospitals report to the CDC every MRSA case.  

Get real results that will reduce the amount of MRSA cases. At least we can try and discuss what we can do? Find out if there are any good strategists, leaders and steering among us.

I’ve been rambling on and on…I’m sorry. I am just so frustrated that this is such a big thing and it’s being covered up maybe on purpose.

Effi

Hi!  I'm Danelle, mom to Jimmy, 22 months.  He has been battling
staph/MRSA since September.  He's on his 5th dose of Cleocin as of
yesterday, and has an appointment with the MRSA clinic at the
Children's hospital April 19th.  I'm so frustrated with this.  The
last infection we did the nasal antibac swaps for the whole family
in the case one of us were carrying it.  We thought we were in the
clear.

His first infection I didn't know what it was, it was on his bum,
and I thought it was just from his diaper rubbing.  I slathered it
with neosporin, and it didn't get better.  He developed several
large boils with red rings around them.  When he started running a
fever (the day the red rings developed), I called his Dr for an
appointment, and I swear they thought he had diaper rash, and
claimed they didn't have an appt until Monday (it was a Friday). 
The poor baby couldn't sit, he was in such pain.  So I called my
daughter's Dr, and they squeezed him in.  When the Dr saw him, he
immediately sent us to the children's hospital where the abcesses
had to be surgically drained.  It's so scary to see your baby laying
there in a hospital bed with all those monitors!

The following infections I've been able to catch them earlier and
earlier and get him treated from the start.  He has never had broken
skin where he gets the infections.  His current Dr is very
knowledgeable about it, but I know there's more that can be done
than what we've been doing.  ITA that some Dr's don't know diddly
about these things, and grossly underrate them.  We saw one Dr
(third infection)that just said that they probably popped up when he
wasn't feeling well.  WTHeck?  I knew more about this than he did. 

I'm just so frustrated!  These infections are so painful for him--
even with the Cleocin.  Luckily, Jimmy likes the taste of Cleocin
(for those of you who have smelled/tasted the suspension, it's
NASTY!) and takes it without argument, and no one else in the family
has contracted it.  In December, however, my grandmother had open
heart surgery, and developed (what the Dr's claimed was) sepsis. 
She passed away January 1st.  Her death certificate stated that she
died of a staph infection.  She was NEVER put on any antibiotics,
even though her symptoms clearly pointed to one--even I can see
that, and I don't have a medical degree!  I know that MRSA is
rampant in hospitals, but I will always have the nagging guilt that
somehow I passed this on to her.

I'm so glad to have found a group where I can vent, and read that
we're not alone fighting this.

Danelle