Anyone else have trouble with Staph Infections?

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dirtyhippie666

New member
Last year I got a pretty bad staph infection in my right leg and foot. I had to spend 6 days in the hospital on IV antibiotics and then 2 weeks on antibiotics by mouth when I finally went home. My doctor didn't really give me much explanation except I need to lose weight and that will help the circulation in my feet and legs.

Fast Forward to Wednesday before Thanksgiving. I never lost weight from last year. Wednesday evening I started feeling bad and just wanted to sleep. My mother brought some cheese sticks and subs home to eat, but I didn't feel like eating. Sometime around 9pm, I start getting aches and chills, the start of a bad fever. I got up to go the bathroom and noticed my left leg was a little red. I knew what that could be, but I hoped I was wrong and went back to bed. I got back up around 2am and the redness had spread to my foot and was darker. I knew then what was happening. I went back to sleep praying and hoping it would go away. It didn't. I got up and had my mother drive me to the emergency room. I was too sick and sleepy to drive. I was lucky, if you wanna call it that because it was Thanksgiving Day and I didn't have to wait. The ER doc looked at it and started me on antibiotics right away. He called my doctor and they admitted me. The redness had spread down to my toes and halfway up to my knee, plus the redness was all the way around my leg instead of just on top.

This time was worse. I had a fever most of time, so I slept almost constantly. The infection did what it did the last time, even with antibiotics. I barely could put any weight on it, and it hurt all the time when I was in bed. The antibiotics made me sick. I had diarrhea and nausea almost all the time. By Sunday night, I couldn't eat more than a bite of food at a time.

I spent 7 days in the hospital this time instead of 6 like last year. It was a different leg, but it was pretty much the same thing except worse. My doctor released me to go home and gave me a prescription for antibiotics to take for 10 days. The antibiotics I took I found out I was allergic to. I woke up Friday morning with a rash over most of my body. The doctor called me in a different antibiotic to take. These don't give me a rash, just the stomach problems.

My doctor told me to lose weight again. He did say the infection is coming from a scratch that gets infected. It's hard not to scratch an itch. I'm working on losing weight. I lost 30 pounds just from being sick and not eating. I'm worried that even if I do lose weight this may happen again. I've heard the staph infection virus stays with you and can come back if you have an open sore or scratch. I really want to do something because I'm scared I may get in both legs next time or even worse if it gets in my bloodstream. I've heard of people dying from it.

I'm serious about a total lifestyle change with my exercise and eating habits. I'm going to start walking at least 30 minutes a day like my doctor told me to do. But, I don't feel well enough to do anything until I'm finished with these antibiotics. Anyone else had this problem that could give me advice on what to do to avoid this happening again?
 
I used to get frequent infections anytime I had the slightest cut or scratch.

So...... in order to avoid re-infection, or re-occurrence of infection, I would clean any scratch or cut and apply the over-the-counter triple antibiotic to the small cut, scratch or wound, and bandage the area. I would keep applying the triple antibiotic daily until the injured area healed completely and was no longer red.

I went on a very healthy diet and greatly increased my exercise, and I no longer infect as easy as I used to infect.
 
I don't have advice to give you...don't think it will help but last year. I got a really bad (boil?) It had to be lanced. They said it was a staff infection but did not send it off to check for problems. I t was very painful. I kept calling them and they gave me 3 rounds of different antibiotics....nothing worked and I was getting sicker and sicker. They treated me like I was faking. I finally went to my dermatologist. She asked me if they sent it off to check for the kind of staff. I said no, she immediately did a biopsy and called me a couple of days later and said it was MRSA. I could have died!
The thing is a year later and I pick up every bug I am around. Every time I go to the doctor, am around some one sick. I get it.
Hopefully your problems are over.
 
*please read because you need to be careful with surgeries when it deals with MRSA* I was only 22 when I went to the hospital for minor surgery.(laprascopic surgery) While the doctor was doing the surgery, he nicked my bladder and my bowls. I went home. A week later I was in pain and had a high fever. My stomache was in so much pain! So I called 911. They put me directly in ICU. I don't remember much after that. But I ended up having 3 strokes, in a coma 3 times, my liver was failing, my kidneys was too, I developed 15 fistulas at one time. I had to learn how to walk and talk all over again. I developed Staph in my uteras and moved up into my stomache. I was only 22. I spent 3 years in the hospital. I had a hisderectomy, and I am far away to getting back to what I used be. I am home now but I have to go back and forth to the hospital. I have to wear adult diapers because I don't have control of my bladder. I havent had a bowl movement in over 3 years because whatever I eat, all of it comes out of the 4 fistulas I have left. I have a pick line in my chest so I can get my TPN (feed through the veins). I can't walk that far. I have to walk with a walker. But I am getting there. Eventually I be to where I can take care of myself. I keep on getting MRSA because of my pick line.(how can I prevent this) But please listen to my warning- be careful about having surgeries, know the risks- make sure you trust your doctor enough. I am 26 now, I regret having that surgery.
 
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