It was another long week. Mom went back into the hospital on Tuesday morning, with initial signs of a heart attack, but we learned her diagnosis was Congestive Heart Failure (CHF) and once again, MRSA.
We hope she will be out of the hospital tomorrow. This caregiver is cross-eyed, and I've been resting all weekend. I'm praying for a quiet week.
Take care,
Terre
Showing posts with label MRSA. Show all posts
Showing posts with label MRSA. Show all posts
Sunday, May 4, 2008
Thursday, February 28, 2008
MRSA strikes again
Welcome again to my favorite medical subject...
MRSA - Methicillin Resistant Staphyloccus Aureus - i.e. staph infectection - it's struck my family again, luckily not my own household. Mama is 67 years old and suffers from dementia/Alzheimer's in addition to a host of other medical problems. Apparently, not only is MRSA common to hospitals and locker rooms, it also thrives among people who are in close contact with one another such as an assisted living retirement community.
Mama broke her arm two weeks ago. One of the first things the E.R. discovered when they started testing her last week was that MRSA had started colonizing in her nose. When I arrived to the hospital at noontime Friday, the nurses were frantically trying to get her bed moved so that she could be put into a private room and have her put into an isolation type setting. At her door you'll find a green label attached to a cabinet, mentioning the barrier precautions one needs to take...this include good hand washing, donning rubber gloves, wearing a plastic protective gown, and putting a mask over your nose and mouth.
As I have assisted with ice chips, drinks, meals and keeping her covered up, I have been extra cautious not to touch my skin or face with the rubber gloves. I don't even eat, drink or use the restroom when I'm in her room. I'll take a break, sanitize my hands thoroughly and take my meal either in the hospital cafe or at a nearby restaurant. When I get home, the clothes hit the washing machine in hot water almost immediately.
I.V. Vancomycin and nasal swabs of Bactroban have been the drugs of choice. We're six days into this and she's still not out of isolation yet. So, when you visit the hospital and see green and white signs about MRSA, take it seriously, use the sanitary foam and take all the precautions you need. Oh, and if you can, leave your kids at home - they don't need to catch this stuff.
Here's to being healthy...Terre
MRSA - Methicillin Resistant Staphyloccus Aureus - i.e. staph infectection - it's struck my family again, luckily not my own household. Mama is 67 years old and suffers from dementia/Alzheimer's in addition to a host of other medical problems. Apparently, not only is MRSA common to hospitals and locker rooms, it also thrives among people who are in close contact with one another such as an assisted living retirement community.
Mama broke her arm two weeks ago. One of the first things the E.R. discovered when they started testing her last week was that MRSA had started colonizing in her nose. When I arrived to the hospital at noontime Friday, the nurses were frantically trying to get her bed moved so that she could be put into a private room and have her put into an isolation type setting. At her door you'll find a green label attached to a cabinet, mentioning the barrier precautions one needs to take...this include good hand washing, donning rubber gloves, wearing a plastic protective gown, and putting a mask over your nose and mouth.
As I have assisted with ice chips, drinks, meals and keeping her covered up, I have been extra cautious not to touch my skin or face with the rubber gloves. I don't even eat, drink or use the restroom when I'm in her room. I'll take a break, sanitize my hands thoroughly and take my meal either in the hospital cafe or at a nearby restaurant. When I get home, the clothes hit the washing machine in hot water almost immediately.
I.V. Vancomycin and nasal swabs of Bactroban have been the drugs of choice. We're six days into this and she's still not out of isolation yet. So, when you visit the hospital and see green and white signs about MRSA, take it seriously, use the sanitary foam and take all the precautions you need. Oh, and if you can, leave your kids at home - they don't need to catch this stuff.
Here's to being healthy...Terre
Friday, October 19, 2007
Yes, I'm still around - Commentary
Hello to everyone who occasionally reads my posts. I've been very busy with a new job and with luck, will be hired on as a permanent employee soon, with benefits!
If you don't understand what living with no health insurance means, dig through my earlier posts and you can get a dose of my reality.
And speaking of health insurance, you can bet I'm not happy with George W. Bush for vetoing the children's health insurance plan for under-privileged children in America. Republican Party please note, I want to vote Republican, but you guys have got to get real about the war in Iraq (getting our troops out), and also realizing that there's a poverty crisis here in the U.S. If you don't believe me, do a web search on "teen pregnancy Mississippi" and find out what's really going on. Many young girls, age 17 years old or less, high teen pregnancy rates, high infant mortality and mortality in children age 2 or less. I say, charity starts at home, USA !!!
By the way, please see my previous post on staph infection or MRSA. It's been a big item in the Houston news media lately. Sunday or Monday's Houston Chronicle had an article about a mother and son in Spring Branch who have battled the infection, including frequent trips to the Texas Medical Center for IV antibiotics.
Be safe, healthy and happy...Terre
If you don't understand what living with no health insurance means, dig through my earlier posts and you can get a dose of my reality.
And speaking of health insurance, you can bet I'm not happy with George W. Bush for vetoing the children's health insurance plan for under-privileged children in America. Republican Party please note, I want to vote Republican, but you guys have got to get real about the war in Iraq (getting our troops out), and also realizing that there's a poverty crisis here in the U.S. If you don't believe me, do a web search on "teen pregnancy Mississippi" and find out what's really going on. Many young girls, age 17 years old or less, high teen pregnancy rates, high infant mortality and mortality in children age 2 or less. I say, charity starts at home, USA !!!
By the way, please see my previous post on staph infection or MRSA. It's been a big item in the Houston news media lately. Sunday or Monday's Houston Chronicle had an article about a mother and son in Spring Branch who have battled the infection, including frequent trips to the Texas Medical Center for IV antibiotics.
Be safe, healthy and happy...Terre
Saturday, September 15, 2007
Laundry Wise...frugal & healthy household
"Houston - the national geographic wonderland of the world". This was the quote from one of my oil industry boss' wives. She had moved to Houston on the company transfer and couldn't believe that frogs were actually mating in her backyard pool.
In this warm climate, many other things flourish, too. A few summers ago, my son contracted a mild form of MRSA, the dreaded drug resistant version of the staph infection, now common to hospitals and locker rooms everywhere.
One evening after my son had his shower, he lifted his arms and I noticed a large 2" diameter looking boil about 4 inches below his armpit. I tell you, I just about freaked! One doctor visit later (luckily the pediatrician understands my budget), and a tube of prescription Bactroban in hand, we were told to swab our nasal passages with a dab of Bactroban ointment on a cotton swab twice daily, for a month. Then we were told to wash everything in hot water (and when able, bleach) and to especially keep the washing machine clean by periodically giving our machine a bleach bath.
What shocked me most was that although we are not the cleanest people in the world, I certainly could have won a clean laundry contest, as I was doing at least 20 loads of laundry a week.
To avoid germs, wash most things in warm water, towels in hot water, and clean your laundry machine periodically with a heavy bleach solution (at least one cup of bleach to a full load of water by itself) to avoid bacteria.
To frugually make the most of all that washing, do full loads. Buy your towels all in the same color - in my opinion, preferably white to bleach and know they are clean. Buy cheaper washclothes in bulk and use as one-time use hand towels - this avoids spreading germs between household members.
And, ooo gross, should you have a runny nose that won't stop (MRSA colonizes in the nose!), or a huge boil that appears out of nowhere, please go see your doctor immediately. MRSA can kill if you don't catch it quickly. For more information, do a search on the CDC (Center for Disease Control) website for MRSA.
Be healthy! Terre
In this warm climate, many other things flourish, too. A few summers ago, my son contracted a mild form of MRSA, the dreaded drug resistant version of the staph infection, now common to hospitals and locker rooms everywhere.
One evening after my son had his shower, he lifted his arms and I noticed a large 2" diameter looking boil about 4 inches below his armpit. I tell you, I just about freaked! One doctor visit later (luckily the pediatrician understands my budget), and a tube of prescription Bactroban in hand, we were told to swab our nasal passages with a dab of Bactroban ointment on a cotton swab twice daily, for a month. Then we were told to wash everything in hot water (and when able, bleach) and to especially keep the washing machine clean by periodically giving our machine a bleach bath.
What shocked me most was that although we are not the cleanest people in the world, I certainly could have won a clean laundry contest, as I was doing at least 20 loads of laundry a week.
To avoid germs, wash most things in warm water, towels in hot water, and clean your laundry machine periodically with a heavy bleach solution (at least one cup of bleach to a full load of water by itself) to avoid bacteria.
To frugually make the most of all that washing, do full loads. Buy your towels all in the same color - in my opinion, preferably white to bleach and know they are clean. Buy cheaper washclothes in bulk and use as one-time use hand towels - this avoids spreading germs between household members.
And, ooo gross, should you have a runny nose that won't stop (MRSA colonizes in the nose!), or a huge boil that appears out of nowhere, please go see your doctor immediately. MRSA can kill if you don't catch it quickly. For more information, do a search on the CDC (Center for Disease Control) website for MRSA.
Be healthy! Terre
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