His Battle with a Community Acquired MRSA (CA-MRSA) Infection and Septicemia
Dr. Daftarian came in this morning, early, and reported that nothing significant was seen in the Xray or the CAT scan. She had both tests repeated. At this point, the staph infection in his neck from August was bugging me, and I was really starting to worry about it. When we had seen Dr. Daftarian the third time (in September, to check on his neck after we had been packing it), she told me that the infection was Staphlococcus aureus, but was NOT the antibiotic resistant variety (MRSA). I may have misunderstood her, but I remember that that was what I had heard her say, because I remember saying that was a relief that is was not MRSA. Regardless, I was still worried, because Staph in any form, is dangerous. She said that his bloodwork results would be in soon, and then we would find out more.
Shirley took the kids to school, and reported that all was well with them. Did I mention I love my friends???
Dr. D came back in a little later, probably around noon, and said that a kidney stone could have possibly been missed by the Xray and CAT scan, and ordered a sonagram, which would tell us something for sure. She said that Marshall was looking a little better to her this afternoon. After she left, they did the sonagram, which showed no stone. She told us she was calling in an infectious disease specialist.
Marshall’s brother, Bryan, and his wife came by to see him in the early afternoon.
I had to go get the children from the bus, but on my way out, I told Marshalls nurse, Dee, that I thought Marshall looked worse, not better–his breathing was very rapid and shallow.
While I was gone, Dr. Lemos had been there. He had the results of the bloodwork, and indeed it was Staphlococcus aureus, and MRSA to make things worse. When Marshall heard that, his heart rate shot up to 225 beats per minute (bpm), and they put him into the ICU immediately and started him on Vancomycin. In the ICU, there are strict visitation hours, but when the nurse (Dee) called me to let me know they were putting him in there, she said I could come find her, and she would take me on into the ICU when I got there.
So, when I got back to the hospital, a cardiologist, Dr. Schwartz, had been consulted, and ordered an ECG. They were looking for the source of infection, and thought they might find it on the heart valve, which is apparently a common place for S. aureus to set up shop. Marshalls heart beat was too fast however, for a good evaluation, so Dr. Schwartz said they would repeat it tomorrow.
They are giving Marshall good drugs now (morphine) but he still can’t sleep. I talked to TaShondra, Marshall’s ICU nurse, about the possiblilty of a ventilator, because I really thought his rapid breathing was what was causing him to stay awake. She said she was just getting ready to mention this to me, and that it would be likely that that would be what happened.
Dr. Lemos (infectious disease) thinks that there must be an abcess in Marshall’s lower back (due to the pain there). He ordered an MRI, but the machine is not working today (and they said Marshall is too unstable right now anyway–likely story!), but they will get one just as soon as they can.
I cannot remember what I did with the children on this day, but I know I slept at home, and I think they did too.
Pain scale- 6/10 (after Morphine)
I came on line to look up what my boyfriend told me was MRSA. I was very excited to find your site! BUT, after reading your intro and very intregued, i found that your site is VERY confusing and i just can not find what I am looking for! Im very dorry about your husband, but all iam finding on here is stuff about eveything else. I just have questions on what it is and if I should be concerned about getting it when he has a break out…he got it from his mother. He has break outs and they lance them and treat them, they go away, then maybe a couple years later he’ll get another one on his neck usually….he said that it had gotten into his blood or something and its now a chronic thing. BUT like i said, only every couple years. I have never seen one of his sores but i dont know how to react or what to do/think when he does get one…from other sites ive read, they seem VERY contagious and almost to the point that i shouldnt have ANY contact w/ him when he does get one! All the sites Ive seen have just pretty much scared me….when he told me about having it, he didnt sound like it was anything more than a sever zit that he’ll get every couple of years! PLEASE HELP!
Emily, i dont think you boyfriend has MRSA, it is a fatal disease but not a chronic one. the infections are very strong and will shut down someones body over a not so long period of time. i think you boyfriend is confusing MRSA with Psoriasis or even herpes depending on where he is getting these “outbreaks.”
Caitlin, I’m not sure where your information came from, but MRSA MOST DEFINITELY can be a chronic condition, especially if you’re a carrier who has also become infected. In retrospect, I now know that I have had MRSA for over 20 years and suffer from breakouts similar to Emily’s boyfriend because the bacteria is now in my system.
The boils I experience could never be confused with Herpes or Psoriasis. I have seen both and there are marked and extremely noticable difference between all three.
One issue that has recently come to light is that my MRSA tends to get “annoyed” and “aggravated” whenever I take common antibiotics for something else, such as a severe cold or bronchial virus, often resulting in numerous simultaneous outbreaks on my arms, armpits, and abdomen. A soon as the antibiotics are stopped, the MRSA seems to retreat.
I found your story to be very interesting. My son ryan was hospitalized from may 8th, 2006 to june 6, 2006. This all started out with a scratch. I work in a nursing home and felt i was the cause of this. i got checked and i didnt have it. ryan accquried his out in the community. He went to the ER on may 7th because his knee was swollen and they said it was nothing and wrapped it in a ace bandage and told me to call his pediatrician in the morning. Well we got up that morning and i noticed ryan was runnin a little fever. His doctor took him in immediately and examined him. she sent him to EMMC in bangor, maine. We were rushed there by ambulance and in the 3/4 of an hour by trip by ambulance, his temp spiked to 105.6. They sent him up to the childrens unit and he rapidly decreased. They ran a bunch of test and everything came back negative. When his body started shutting down and he went into CHF (congetive heart failure) they shipped him to the pediatric intensive care unit. One of the PICU doctors had just read an article about MRSA and Factor 5 Leiden and thats how we found out what ryan had. Needless to say, he was on a total of 24 different antibiotics and loads of morphine. His blood was clotting to quickly due to being sick and this MRSA in his blood, so they put him on Lovenox in jections twice a day. Facotr 5 is a bloodclottin disease that is hereditary, which i found i passed on to him…never would have known. After 4 episodes of CHF he finally ws stabelized and they treated him with VANCOMYCIN. He was able to leave. he had to have 2 knee surgerys while there at EMMC too. The infection affected his growth plate in his leg. He came home with a picc line and had to have vancomycin at thome for 3 months and also had to have shots twice a day. He had the will to fight or else i dont think he would be with us today….im so grateful for the wonderful care he recieved. Just wanted to let you know my story…as for emily…deff dont sound like MRSA…more like herpes…lol