MRSA - What is it? How to Identify and How to Treat It.

MRSA - Methicillin-Resistant-Staphylococcus Aureus¹

This image is of an infection on
my son's hip. Please note the circular
 pattern around the center of the wound
opening.This infection was only a
little bump when I saw it in
the morning. This is what it
looked like that afternoon.

MRSA¹ is a strain of Staphylococcus Aureus bacteria which has become resistant to Beta-lactam² antibiotics. Beta-lactams include methicillin, oxacillin, penicillin and amoxicillin. It is a very fast acting bacteria which can become life threatening in a very short period of time.
 
If you notice a bump that looks like a pimple and it hurts to touch; may be warm or hot to the touch and gets worse very quickly then it may be a MRSA infection. These infections used to occur mainly in the hospital settings but they are now much more prevalent in the general population. They are very aggressive infections and it is extremely important that you seek the advice of your physician. Your specific situation will determine how aggressively the physician will approach the infection. My son's immune system is compromised due to his overall medical condition so his physicians respond very quickly and aggressively to these infections. Normally we will give him Cleocin®, an oral antibiotic and Bactroban® ointment to put on the wound. We will bathe him in  Hibiclens® antibacterial soap during an active infection.
 
Most likely your physician will prescribe some oral and/or topical antibiotics and send you home. The infection should begin to respond within 24 to 36 hours. By that time it should start looking better. It should not look worse. If it looks worse or hurts more than previously go back to see your doctor. The antibiotics you were prescribed may not be working on the particular strain that you have.
 
Please be diligent in the treatment of these infections. Pay close attention to how it is responding to the antibiotics. Be sure to wash your hands with an antibacterial soap any time you touch the wound or around the wound to reduce exposing others to the bacteria. Wash any clothing which may have come into contact with the wound or the drainage from the wound in hot water. If possible wash with a small amount of bleach.
 
When I bathe my son during normal circumstances we use Safeguard® soap by Procter & Gamble® because of it's effectiveness as an antibacterial agent. I can't say for certain that it has prevented infections but I truly believe that it has contributed to reducing the number of infections that have occurred. I recommend that if you have had an infection that you switch your brand of bath soap to Safeguard®. I believe it really does help.
 
Again, I can't stress this enough, if you believe you may have a MRSA infection please go see your doctor for advice and treatment. There is no need to panic but we can't be complacent either regarding these infections.
 
If you are like me and this is your first encounter with a MRSA infection you are most likely scared to death and want to read anything and everything you can on the topic. I can't tell you how many times I have scoured the Internet looking for information. I feel confident now that with the help of my son's physicians that we can combat and beat these infections when they occur. If you have more questions than answers provided in this post please see the links below.
 
Best of Luck to you in your battle.
 
~ Sharon
 
 
¹ More information on MRSA may be found on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention(CDC) website at: http://www.cdc.gov/mrsa/
 
² More information can be found on Beta-lactam antibiotics on the following website:
US National Library of MedicineNational Institutes of Health (NCBI) or to go directly to the Beta-lactam page you may follow this link: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20065329
 
³ WebMD website has a wealth of useful information regarding MRSA. Please follow this link to the MRSA query page on WebMD:  http://www.webmd.com/search/search_results/default.aspx?query=MRSA

Work from Home

Have you discovered the secret to working from home? I have not.... Yet.

I have been working from home for almost a year now. My primary job is in a sense a traditional position but the difference is that I work remotely from home. While I research other opportunities online during my off hours I can still count on a steady income from traditional employment. I have begun researching opportunities for making some disposable income online. Here is a list of things I have tried:

1. Blogging: I have tried blogging with little return from affiliate advertising. I have several different sites where I post articles. I have several blogs on different topics on Blogger. I also have some on WordPress, LiveJournal, Hubpages, Squidoo and  Bravesites. I get a fair amount of traffic but I have been unsuccessful at earning any revenue. My problem is that I can not seem to find the key to enticing visitors to click on my advertising links. I have tried many different tactics all above board I promise. I don't want to trick anyone into clicking on something without them realizing what they are clicking on. So I clearly label my ads. I am still toying with this and I will continue to blog as I truly enjoy writing with or without revenue.
 
2. Online Surveys: I have tried online surveys. That was an adventure I did not enjoy and I am still trying to clean out my inbox. I wish I hadn't even tried this one. Comparing the amount of return and the amount of time invested it was not worth the effort. Unless I am doing something wrong. I haven't found the secret if there is one.
 
3. Writing Articles: This one I can't say is unsuccessful. The site I signed up with ranks you according to how many articles you write. The only articles that were available were for higher ranking writers so I am not sure how you are supposed to advance if there aren't any articles to write. The title of this site should have been Catch22 writing!!
 
4. Avon Independent Sales Representative: I have begun selling Avon. This one has been positive and I truly enjoy the process. I will continue with this endeavor. A link to my online Avon store is shown towards the bottom of this page. Here is another link: http://sharonbramlett.avonrepresentative.com/.
 
5. Zazzle products: On this website you add designs to products they already have. You make your designs and then you can post your items for sale to the public. I have created only a few items but I haven't seen much movement on this site. Here is a link to my online store: http://www.zazzle.com/hummingbirdlanding. You have creative license on this site but you are locked into the products they have available and I think the products are actually priced a little too high. I am not sure this one will be profitable.
 
6.  Photodune: I have now found a website where I can sell my photographs. This has just begun but it seems promising and I can't wait to see where it takes me. Check out the website through the link below. See what you think. I would love to hear some feedback on this website. 

 

I am set on succeeding while working from home. Not because I am lazy and I don't want to go into traditional employment but because I have a child with disabilities and I am needed at home. I desperately desire to be home for him but I am determined to uphold my responsibilities to my husband to help with meeting our financial obligations.

As 2013 begins I am still searching for a viable source of income from the Internet. My Mother told me many times in my life "you can do anything you set your mind to do." I am determined to make this work and I will find a way. Once I find the secret I will be sharing it with all of you so that you too will have the opportunity to be at home with your family. If you happen to know some of the secrets to successful employment online please feel free to share with me. :)

 

Thank you for visiting.

 

~ Sharon

 

 

Avon update:  visit my facebook page... My career continues to blossom!!! https://www.facebook.com/AvonIndependentSalesRepresentativeSharonBramlett