I’ve been following along with a Facebook friend’s online journal of the struggles she is having with a partner who has a life-threatening MRSA infection. If you aren’t familiar with the superbug Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, it is an infection that you can get anywhere. It is most often picked up in hospitals, nursing homes, and schools.
The patient I referred to is believed to have contracted MRSA from a mosquito bite. They aren’t sure. I got MRSA twice, both times from a hangnail, but caught it right away and was cured with strong antibiotics. She was not as lucky and was on life support for 2 months. She is miraculously recovering but is still on a ventilator.
It’s sad because she is only 61, in excellent shape, and a vegan. What she is going through is not something any of us ever want to experience. She’s been on dialysis, on numerous meds, had a tracheotomy, and who knows what else?
Both she and my partner have gone on many adventures together and work as healers. Friends of theirs have left recommendations for alternative medicine in comments but they are of no use other than to soothe the stress and fear that comes with dealing with this horrid disease. MRSA is a serious infection that cannot be cured with essential oils, hyperbaric chambers, or energy transmission over Zoom.
How is this serious staph infection transmitted?
You can contract MRSA from bacteria getting into an open wound or by sharing personal items such as towels or razors. It is contagious and sometimes requires caregivers to wear a Hazmat suit or other protection.
It may start off looking like a red bump. In my case, my thumb felt hot and got swollen. A doctor will lance it to test it and if it is positive will prescribe a strong course of antibiotics that must be completed. A patient will be contagious for 4-10 days depending on how serious the infection is.
Do not hesitate to get treated for MRSA
The patient I mentioned no longer appears to have MRSA in her blood but her body shut down from the damage it has caused. She has kidney damage and will have to relearn how to walk and talk.
How to prevent becoming infected
It is crucial that you maintain good hand and body hygiene. Wash your hands for at least 20 seconds after using the bathroom, or after getting them dirty in any way. Use hand sanitizer if a sink is not available. This will also prevent many other diseases such as COVID. Handwashing is the number one way to prevent MRSA.
Do not stick your fingers in your eyes, ears, nose, mouth, or private parts if possible. If you do, make sure your hands are perfectly clean first and then wash them again afterward.
Be careful grooming yourself. As I mentioned, my MRSA came from pulling off a hangnail that got infected. You can get it by using a contaminated pair of clippers or other personal grooming tools.
If you get a small cut, wash it immediately and apply Betadine. That is what my doctor recommended. Keep it on hand for emergencies. It is messy but it works. Our mothers made us apply Merthiolate when we were kids and they weren’t wrong. Both are more effective than triple antibiotic creams or Neosporin.
Make sure the nail salon you go to is sanitary. You may want to bring your own tools. This will also help you avoid nail fungus. Consider doing your nails at home if possible.
If you have a cut that looks even slightly infected, go to urgent care immediately. Do not wait to see your doctor unless you can get in on the same day. Once MRSA gets into your bloodstream it is extremely dangerous.
Trust Western medicine on this. I am a big fan of Thieves Oil, Oil of Oregano, and other alternative treatments for non-life threatening ailments but they WILL NOT prevent or treat MRSA.
Update on my friend’s friend with MRSA
This poor woman spent over 99 days in the hospital and miraculously was allowed to go home. She was only in 2% of the population to survive her multiple infections. She was in a coma for 30 of those days, on life support for 52 days, and on kidney dialysis for 65 days with organs shutting down. She is still recovering at home and has lung problems but can now walk and is getting better each day.
You can contribute to her Go Fund Me page to help pay her medical bills, here.
Thanks for writing about what this family is experiencing due to MRSA. I’ve written about antibiotic resistance a number of times, how these superbugs are developing. In my latest article, there’s a list of other steps to take to avoid MRSA such as ask your health care providers if they’ve washed their hands before they treat you, always wash your hands after touching or caring for animals, and consider switching to a plant-based diet to avoid superbugs in meat and poultry. In addition, consumers can get involved and work on issues related to antibiotic resistance such as trying to get the use of medically important antibiotics banned in healthy animals. About two-thirds of the antibiotics used in the United States are administered to food-producing animals.
Here’s the link to my article: https://boomersurvive-thriveguide.typepad.com/the_survive_and_thrive_bo/2023/01/whats-antibiotic-resistance-and-what-you-can-do-about-it.html.
Thanks for the additional info, Rita. The woman who is sick is a vegan so it can happen to anyone.