Oh it's just MRSA!

[boringscreenname]

My son is currently receiving Physical Therapy, through our state's early intervention program, and this was told to me by his therapist. This therapist provides home based services.

Anyway the therapist goes to this little boy's house, and starts doing therapy with him. They get part way through the session, and she notices a large boil or cyst on the boy's leg. So she asks the mother about it. And the mother replies, "Oh it's just MRSA!"

So the therapist had to leave immediately, get checked out by her doctor, and quarantine herself for 24 hours, because MRSA is highly contagious and spreads rapidly.

It really bothers me that the mother couldn't be bothered to inform the therapist of this before the appointment, and reschedule it or cancel it. Especially when there's a policy everyone was required to sign, saying that if your child is sick with anything more serious than a cold you need to reschedule or cancel it.

If the therapist wouldn't have noticed the boy's leg, she could've potentially put the other kids she had to see that day and her family at risk for catching it too.

[MaggieTheCat]

Jeez, that's terrible. Can someone say something to that mother, regarding how she violated the terms of the policy she signed?

[Dreamstalker]

Just MRSA?! If the mom knew what it was, there's no way she couldn't have known about how nasty it is. Or maybe she does, and figures it's "just media hype".

[Erin]

Just MRSA??

I've had Just MRSA! It's not fun! (had it in my nose) It hurt a lot, and was just really ewwwww!

Mine was probably community acquired. Which is probably better than hospital acquired. (been awhile and I cant remember everything I learned about MRSA now)

I had to do antibiotics for months, and then I had to go back to the doctor every so many weeks or once a month and get cultures of my nose. If you have 3 clear cultures they consider you cured. Luckily mine was easily dealt with. (I had steroids earlier that year for a medical problem, and apparently steroids can encourage bacteria growth like MRSA)

I felt dirty until the doctor declared me cured. I was afraid to touch anything for fear of passing it on to family members. The woman in that story has to be a clueless idiot.

[LillFilly]

I hope that gives her cause to cancel the contract for the mother's violation, not to mention I hope the job covers the care she'll need if she DID pick it up! That is just horrible, but sadly there are many, many stupid people like that our there. The kind that think nothing of wiping their noses on the clothes in stores, smearing their feces on the walls of the restroom, or leaving a baby diaper sitting open on a bench.

[Kaylyn]

Wow. I read this out loud to my husband and he rolled his eyes. He had staph (luckily not MRSA) and he was in the hospital for about a week just for that. That kid needs to be in the hospital...I've heard of MRSA patients having to stay for a month!

[boringscreenname]

I hope that gives her cause to cancel the contract for the mother's violation, not to mention I hope the job covers the care she'll need if she DID pick it up! That is just horrible, but sadly there are many, many stupid people like that our there. The kind that think nothing of wiping their noses on the clothes in stores, smearing their feces on the walls of the restroom, or leaving a baby diaper sitting open on a bench.

Unfortunately they can't just cancel the contract. They have a 3 strikes and you're out rule. This definitely counted as 1 and who knows if the lady had pulled similar stunts in the past.

[Erin]

Not everyone needs to be in a hospital for a MRSA infection. If you wash your hands and are careful, some MRSA infections can be taken care of at home.

When I had MRSA, I didnt go out much, because I was terrified of spreading it, or picking up something worse that would make my infection get ickier.

[Primer]

SIL acquired hers in the hospital during "routine" back surgery. It almost killed her. She passed it on to DH, who has had at least 4 separate episode that we know of, the last one one after HIS back surgery. Luckily, all of my cultures have come back negative, as have his last 2. However, they are both facing more back surgery this spring. SIL lives with us now, as she is unable to take care of herself anymore. "Only" MRSA, my butt!

[Sapphire Silk]

Wow. I read this out loud to my husband and he rolled his eyes. He had staph (luckily not MRSA) and he was in the hospital for about a week just for that. That kid needs to be in the hospital...I've heard of MRSA patients having to stay for a month!

You don't have to be in the hospital just for a MRSA infection unless you have symptoms that can't be managed at home (uncontrollable fever, dehydration, etc). In fact, the hospital would not want a patient without such symptoms in the hospital with a MRSA infection, as he would likely leave the infection at the hospital when he was discharged.

Community acquired MRSA infections are, unfortunately, becoming the most common form of MRSA. However, they are not minor, and that kid should not have been in physical therapy until he had two negative cultures.

Unfortunately, the insistence of people for getting antibiotics for every sniffle, or failing to complete antibiotics for actual infections is making MRSA harder to fight as more and more antibiotics in our arsenal become useless.

[NotSoInnocent]

Unfortunately, the insistence of people for getting antibiotics for every sniffle, or failing to complete antibiotics for actual infections is making MRSA harder to fight as more and more antibiotics in our arsenal become useless.

Crap... See, I have this itty bitty problem. It's not a big deal... unless I get sick. I (unlike 98% of the population of the world) am allergic to roughly 85% of the antibiotics available. This means that I -have- to stay healthy. Unless I want to end up in the hospital... where I usually end up with something else on top of whatever infection I have. Sulfa-drugs... most of those I can take. However, they make me sick enough to require a hospital stay to keep me hydrated while I'm on the meds.

So I actively make sure that the people around me don't have anything that I can catch. Measles? Bring it on. Chicken Pox? Not an issue. Mumps? I got my protection. Bronchitis or a skin infection? BACK THE HECK AWAY FROM ME OR I DIE!!! (Well, not die, but pretty close from my standpoint.)

Viral stuff... meh. I'll get over it eventually and there's nothing that antibiotics will do for it. Anything bacterial... *shudders* Evil.

[Jay 2K Winger]

Yeah, hospitals don't mess around when it comes to MRSA.

For one of my mother's hospital stays for a cellulitis outbreak on her leg, the infection on her leg, coupled with a fungal infection that had also taken root, made it appear to be a potential MRSA case. They quarantined her for a few days until the culture results came back. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief when we found out it was a negative.

[AriRashkae]

My grandmother's colonized with MRSA, probably from one of her previous ER visits, which means that I am likely also colonized, and by this point the rest of my family too.

So far, no problems, though. I do keep a close eye on things like small cuts, since we all know how good young boys are at keeping such things clean.

[TheSHAD0W]

I have reactions to most antibiotics also, getting rashes on my hands and feet. I can compensate for it, though, by taking Claritin at the same time as the antibiotic.

[NotSoInnocent]

I have reactions to most antibiotics also, getting rashes on my hands and feet. I can compensate for it, though, by taking Claritin at the same time as the antibiotic.

I only wish that I could have that kind of mild reaction. Nope. Not me. I get the full blown oh-my-god-throat-closing-face-swelling-heart-stuttering reaction. Fun times, let me tell you.