MRSA and Other Ramblings

Well,  it's been a  helluva couple of days and I am here to tell about it so God is Good.  I must say that I am thankful that there are powerful antibiotics out there.

Last Thursday I went to the dermatologist for what I thought was a routine punch biopsy.  What's routine about that is that it's routine to me.  I get cut on ever time I go there.  Well it ended up being a surgical excision instead.  So I walked out with a lot more stitches and a large wound than I had planned.   But off to work I went.  I had a flu shot clinic that day and sat there for 4 hours.  I went to work on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.  I was sore.  I wasn't moving very fast, but I was there.  By Monday, I was swollen and a little red, but it was a federal holiday so I tried to manage with ibuprofen and taking it easy.  By Monday night I had Bill draw a line around the red area so that I could keep closer tabs on it.

Tuesday was a new day and I got up so that I could get ready to work.  The incision was super hot to the touch and hurt like crazy when I barely touched it.  I contacted a colleague to see if she could cover my shift and then headed to the doctor's office to get a wound check.  I didn't have an appointment so I had to wait in the waiting area until a nurse came out and got me.  She put me in a room and I explained what was going on and then I showed her the area.   She photographed it and told me she thought the PA-C should see it.  The PA took a look at it and agreed that it was infected. She decided not to culture it since the incision was sealed.   She wanted to write me a script for cephalexin, but I explained that my son had MRSA before so I got her to give my Bactrim DS instead.  I got my rx filled and went home.
 
By the time I got home, the incision was oozing.  YUCK.  I guess the pressure was too much, so I had to bandage it back up and took some ibuprofen for the pain.


By evening and after 2 doses of antibiotics, I was feverish and in extreme pain in spite of maxing out on ibuprofen and dipping into some reserve Tylenol #3.  My husband called the dermatologist on call and he called back.  I explained what was going on and he told me to go to the ER.  So off to Metroplex we went.  Can I tell you how disgusted I am with the people clogging up the ER with their ridiculous complaints of sniffles and colds?  It's terrible that our health care system allows this blatant misuse of the emergency rooms at a high cost to the tax payer.  I think our Congress has seriously missed the mark on health care reform when they could be doing a lot to remedy overuse of expensive hospital trips by the morons who want tylenol and a hot meal.  ARGH (stepping off soap box)

So after several hours of waiting, I was finally seen.  The ER doc said she thought it was cellulitis and started me on IV vancomycin, morphine and ketoralac.  Can you say nighmare?   I was there all night getting poked and prodded.  Never once did they culture the wound site.   They only drew vials of blood and ran stuff through my veins.  The doc had me to a CT scan.  It was a horrible experience.

By 5am, she decided to release me home with oral antibiotics and pain meds.  I was instructed to follow up with my dermatologist today.

So today, I saw the dermatologist who did the procedure.  She came in and quizzed me about what had transpired and told me she had never had a patient have to go to the hospital until me.  I explained that I had done nothing different than the last few times, but that I knew I needed to be seen ASAP when I had been on antibiotics and yet still spiked a fever.  So decided to reopen my incision to see if she could culture anything out of it (doubtful due to the IV vanco that I received).  I was crying by the time the medical assistant was done numbing the area.  That was one of the most painful things I have ever had to endure.  Burning lidocaine into an infected area:  not something I would wish on my most serious enemy.  The sutures were removed and the area was reopened.  It was swabbed and cleaned and then packed with a dressing.  Now I can't shower for a bazillion days.

I am here at home now resting with a gaping hole in my side still trying to figure out how I contracted this terrible thing.  It is suspected that I contracted community aquired MRSA (methicillin resistant staphylococcus aureus).  I am pretty restricted in what I am able to do now and have resolved myself to the fact that I am lucky that I didn't get septic with this horrible bacterial infection.

I know many people are praying for me and I thank you.  I am hoping the worst of this is behind me.