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September 22, 2008, 10:58 pm
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My son and boyfriend are just recovering from MRSA, a highly contagious staph infection that has the ability to cause loss of limb or even loss of life. They were both misdiagnosed in the E.R. and given the wrong antibiotics, that is why I am writing this message.

MRSA can start out looking like an ingrown hair or a spider bite. It becomes extremely painful and develops a puss head that has a brown tint to it -- that is the differentiation between MRSA and a typical staph infection.... The brown colored puss. My son and my boyfriend got much worse after being given the wrong antibiotics which actually helped the MRSA get worse.

Once on the right antibiotics they started recovering slowly but surely. We were very careful to change dressings with gloved hands, decontaminating everything they came in contact with especially in the bathroom, and laundering their bedding and bath towels in very hot water with either vinegar or bleach and in the dryer on the highest heat setting.

It's been a long haul and very draining on the whole family especially the two that were infected. They have no idea where the picked up the infection - my daughter guesses it was from the toilet seat - they are the only ones who touch it to put it up and they are the only ones infected. Go figure. Make sure you wash your hands when you use the toilet!! And don't touch the faucets in the bathroom or the door handles in the public bathrooms without the protection of a paper towel in hand!!

This infection is very dangerous so please be careful!

My neice experienced the same thing. She went months before she was correctly diagnosed and was on several different treatments. When it was finally diagnosed we had taken her to a different emergency room and were told by the doctor that there were several cases in that community.

Thank you for the tip...I will definately think twice about ever using a public bathroom again!

Toilets being dry-door handles too-actually culture as having very low bacterial loads. So I'd say the cause is likely to be something else.

I am glad that they are getting better.

This is a very contagious, dangerous disease. Nine years ago, my father was in the hospital for several different health problems. He suffered from Emphysema, Angina, Pneumonia, and Diabetes. He had been in the hospital about 2 weeks and we finally though he was going to get to come home. We went to see him on a Sunday and he was feeling better and eating better. Then on Monday morning we were called and told that he'd gotten worse late Sunday night and that they discovered he had MRSA. By Sunday afternoon, it was too late he was already gone. The MRSA was just too much for him considering the other various health problems he had. So, believe me when I say it is not something to take lightly.

I had an uncle with diabetes. He was hospitalised with a sore (related to the diabetes) that needed wound care.

Well he then got MRSA in the hospital in the wound. By the time he was back with us, he'd had his leg amputated, above the knee-for a little sore on his ankle.

This is indeed a serious condition.

It never fails to amaze me how quickly people overlook and misdiagnose things. Maybe if they just slowed down they could cut back on the malpractice insurance.