So I went to the hospital because a finger infection was becoming more red and swollen, as I wrote in another thread. The infection was not responding to 2 different antibiotics.
The swollen fingertip was cut to drain (nothing came out), and a swab was not taken at the time. The next day, a swab was taken on the wound (which might not provide any information due to the antibiotics I’ve been taking.)
I have been put on IV vancomycin in case I have MRSA. Here are my questions:
I understand that vancomycin is considered a last-line defence. Hypothetically, if I had MRSA that was also vancomycin-resistant, are there other possible treatment options?
What happens to the body if no drugs are working? Briefly, in what stages does the body shut down, and how long does it take to die?
If a person has an MRSA infection, does this increase the likelihood of one occuring again in the future?
“The brand name of the drug, ETS 1153, which is currently prescribed for another condition, has not been revealed for commercial reasons.”
Does this mean, simply, that if a person were dying of an antibiotic-resitant MRSA infection that – even though a possible cure has reputedly been found – a person might die because a company is in the process of patenting the drug? Am I naive to think the people who discovered the alleged cure would not ship the drug with, say, some kind of non-disclosure agreement?
This is now day three on the IV antibiotics, and while the infection isn’t getting worse, there’s only maybe a 20% less swelling/redness/pain at this point. Can these things take weeks to heal?
2)Often the body can heal without antibiotics. The most important treatment for MRSA skin infections is drainage of any abscess. With worsening symptoms, amputation is always an option. Usually death occurs from sepsis, or spread of the bacteria in the blood causing damage to multiple organs.
3)It depends on how you got it and if you are adequately treated. If you remain colonized, then you are more likely to have it recur.
I don’t know about the above but there are often exceptions for compassionate use.
Yes
Incidentally, Zyvox is indicated for Vancomycin-resistant enterococci, and also has activity against MRSA, so I would expect it to be of use (probably in combination) for Vancomycin-resistant MRSA.
MRSA, while a serious problem, rarely kills otherwise healthy adults. In fact, the reason it is still a problem, is that many healthcare providers are carriers.
The last place I worked did nasal swabs of the staff every few months. Even though the carriers were treated with Bactroban, the number of carriers continued to increase.
And there’s also the more common CA-MRSA (Community acquired MRSA) which is usually easily curable with common antibiotics like the Tetracycline family, clindamycin, or the sulfas.
As opposed to HA-MRSA (Hospital acquired) which is generally only sensitive to IV vancomycin and oral linazolid.
I see tons of CA-MRSA. It is becoming the most common scause of skin infections seen in many community hospitals.
This is great! Thanks for taking the time to share the info. Turns out no one knows exactly what I had/have, except that it was persistent. It appears to be on the retreat now, though.
I went back to the hospital last night for scheduled IV again. This time the doctor ordered removal of the fingernail. If you’re wondering how this is done – much to my surprise – they simply grab a hold of the fingernail with some kind of surgical pliers and… pull, from side to side. Slowly. After freezing the finger.
Post-surgical painkillers not included. Warm, salty water free.