MRSA - Methicillin-Resistant-Staphylococcus Aureus¹
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| 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. |
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
