NWR: MRSA in the family

StephanieToBeKeys

FSFIL had been complaining about sores on this thighs for the last two weeks. He went to the doctor today and found out it is MRSA. He has AIDS so its going to be really tough for him to fight it off. There was a birthday party this last weekend where everyone was there including a lot of kids. I really hope nobody gets it. I have to keep an eye on my kids. My son was hanging around with FSFIL a lot that day and my daughter has a low immune system from being a preemie. FSFIL was saying that it is only spread from contact with the sores themselves, but I've been reading online that it can also spread from cough or other indirect contact such as towels, utensils, etc. I'm trying not to freak out because I don't know much about it, but I am because of the kids. I'm going to be looking information all night to try and find out more about it. I'm also worried for FSFIL because my mom knows someone who had it and she was hospitalized while recovering and she was healthy. I can just imagine what this could do to him with his low immune system.

ajmom2two

Ugh!  I am so sorry!  I have a good friend whose kids all have had it.  Her younger daughter actually ended up in the hospital twice bc she get so sick from the infection.  If you can get hibiclens you can use that on your kiddos in the bath to help.  If you want I can ask her what her doctor told her to do to prevent it from spreading to her (she is the only one who hasnt had an outbreak).  We have never had an issue with it and we are at there house at least once a week.  She would always keep any sore covered on her kiddos to help not spread it and for us that has worked fine.  The kids still play together and share toys and everything.  My girls have had baths at their house and sleep overs and never had MRSA.  Hugs though, its a serious problem!  I hope you dont have to worry about dealing with it in your house.

littlemoments324

I would contact your healthcare provider to find out what steps to take...I do not know much about it, however, I do know that it is nothing to mess with...and if your child has it, her school needs to be contacted ASAP so they can send a letter out to the student's homes...

StephanieToBeKeys

Any information would help.

That makes it a little less scary if you have been over to her house a lot and nobody has gotten it. The kids were only around him once (FI and I 3 times) since he's had it. I'm still going to be cautious though. Those poor kids. FSFIL has been in a lot of pain and thinking of little kids in pain like that makes me so sad for them.

I am going to be contacting his school in the morning before he goes to find out what they would want done since he doesn't show any signs of it yet. I'm calling their doctor in the morning as well. Also, my step mom works at a hospital and she is going to talk to their infection control person tomorrow and get information for me.

ajmom2two

I know I will talk to my friend tomorrow, we talk every single day, so I will ask her and then post what I find out tomorrow evening.  Glad you have plenty of good resources to get information.  I would wait to contact your childrens school though, until you actually need to.

Elinetrouwt

I'm so sorry to hear this. For your FSFIL this is a huge deal, but for healthy kids this should not be a problem. Many people actually have MRSA without knowing it. I am not a health professional, and you should definitely contact your doctor, but for now, I would try not to worry too much.

mekiakoo

My friend has MRSA and I still don't really understand it much. Is it something that a person will have for the rest of their life?

I'm sorry about this, I hope everything will be okay. The PPs gave a great advice.

colleenm18

My grandmother has it, she contracted if from being in and out of the hospital.  Whenever she is in the hospital and we go to visit we are suppose to dress in gowns ect but never do since that's not what we do at home when we visit her.

From what I understand there are different types of MRSA and i think that can control the way it is passed.  My grandmother has had it for years now and none of us (my sister, my parents, niece or nephews) have ever had it.

bells24412

My FI's cousin had it. He contracted it from the hospital he was in when they did brain surgery (he has brain cancer) All of his family was there and none of us got it, so I am not sure if there are different types.

Elinetrouwt

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-club-boards_july-2012-weddings_nwr-mrsa-in-the-family?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20Club%20BoardsForum:066005ef-215f-48b1-8655-328b41e07c52Discussion:b6a10e07-5c56-4a4b-b3a6-6a5315df9a5aPost:98d01b3a-7506-45c8-9f10-ffbae771651f">Re: NWR: MRSA in the family</a>:
[QUOTE]My friend has MRSA and I still don't really understand it much. Is it something that a person will have for the rest of their life? I'm sorry about this, I hope everything will be okay. The PPs gave a great advice.
Posted by mekiakoo[/QUOTE]

<div>No, it's not permanent. MRSA are nasty little bacteria. They're very much like other nasty bacteria, what sets them apart is that they are resistent to antibiotics. So your body has to battle them on it's own. For healthy adults, this is not a problem, and you often beat them without even noticing. </div><div>
</div><div>Basically, you have MRSA until your immune system throws them out. That can take days, weeks or years. Exactly how long it takes and what symptoms you have, depends on the strain (there are quite a few), and on how strong your immune system is. People witha  compromised immune system, like someone with AIDS or the elderly, may not be able to beat the MRSA and have to live with it. </div><div>
</div><div>Someone who is really sick already and whose immune system is battling other problems, for example someone with pneumonia, MRSA can be highly dangerous. This (+ the widespread use of antibiotics) is why MRSA is such a problem in hospitals. But this only counts for people who are very very sick already.</div><div>
</div><div>Again, I'm not a doctor, but I've written articles about this in the past...</div>

BrightFirefly

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-club-boards_july-2012-weddings_nwr-mrsa-in-the-family?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding Club BoardsForum:066005ef-215f-48b1-8655-328b41e07c52Discussion:b6a10e07-5c56-4a4b-b3a6-6a5315df9a5aPost:98d01b3a-7506-45c8-9f10-ffbae771651f">Re: NWR: MRSA in the family</a>:
[QUOTE]My friend has MRSA and I still don't really understand it much. Is it something that a person will have for the rest of their life? I'm sorry about this, I hope everything will be okay. The PPs gave a great advice.
Posted by mekiakoo[/QUOTE]

See - I can't wait until we have the MRSA lecture at school - because I'm totally lost about it. You'd think this would be one of the first things they lecture us on - but it's not.

I find the whole thing extremely confusing as well.