Staph infection (MRSA)

[Joleen19]

This is my first post.  I am so glad I found this website!

My 6 year old daughter was diagnosed with MRSA a few weeks ago.  She had it in February 2011, too, diagnosed only as strepp.  It presents as a vaginal rash, pretty mild really, kind of looks like pink scalded skin.  Definitely not your typical MRSA manifestation.  Well, we did a course of antibiotics in February, but it must not have killed the staph.  My daughter was prescribed Clindamyocin this go round.  My husband and I chose not to treat the infection with antibiotics this time.

For the last month or so, my daughter has been on a wheat-free, dairy-free, sugar-free, and gluten-free diet.  In addition, she's taking 30B of probiotics per day, Vitamin C and D, high doses of Sovereign Silver, Children's Glycerite, and digestive enzymes.  Her rash has continued to get a bit worse, so a week ago we added liquid and topical allicin (purchased through Allimed) to the regime, but the rash is holding strong. 

I really don't want to use the antibiotics if I don't have to.  I've heard MRSA reoccurs often, although I don't know at what rate, and often worse with each flare up.  We are not working with an Infectious Disease Doctor at this time, only a Naturopathic Doctor. 

So, help please!!!

I've read some other threads suggesting Phenomenal Water and Manuka honey.  The honey sounds great, but really odd for the vaginal area.  Does anyone have any other ideas that have worked for them?  My cousin suggested Allimax might be better because it's 3rd party certified; any thoughts?

Thanks so much, and bless you all for sharing!

[Llyra]

Honestly? I think you should use the antibiotics. The fact that antibiotics are often overused or used inappropriately does not change the fact that they have a purpose, and treating dangerous infections is an appropriate use.

[mbravebird]

Originally Posted by Llyra 

Honestly? I think you should use the antibiotics. The fact that antibiotics are often overused or used inappropriately does not change the fact that they have a purpose, and treating dangerous infections is an appropriate use.

Antibiotics are of course useful...unless they don't work, which is what happens with MRSA. If OP's daughter has been tested and diagnosed with MRSA, and one round of targeted oral antibiotics didn't kill it, then it's absolutely reasonable to postulate that the next oral round may not, either. It's possible that IV antibiotics would do do it, but they aren't the next step and they're not 100%, either. Any reasonable doctor would tell you the same thing. "Treating dangerous infections" is not so straightforward with MRSA.

OP, we've never had MRSA, just the regular type of staph, and if you've read the other threads then you've read our experience with it. I don't have any other suggestions other than the pHenomenal water and the Manuka; they seemed the easiest and the most effective for us. Neither of them do harm, so it wouldn't hurt to give them a try.

We tried so many other things and had no success. Since the time of those threads you read, my son got another staph infection (non-MRSA)  from a bug bite under his eye. That can be dangerous because it's so close to the brain, so we did a round of antibiotics and the pHenomenal water. But I was really concerned about why his body was continually having trouble with staph. Then we found out we had mold in the house, stemming from a leak inside our walls, behind the drywall. It seems that the mold was behind many of his health susceptibilities -- repeated staph, repeated ear infections, severe croup, constant sickness. We dealt with the mold and his immune system appears to be functioning much, much better. We also have been using Olive Leaf Extract, the liquid Barleans kind, to both fight infection and boost his immune system, and have seen it be very effective.

So, mold and Olive Leaf Extract -- those are the only other things I can add to the discussion apart from the pHenomenal water and the manuka honey.

Edited by mbravebird - 8/5/11 at 5:47pm

[AnnaNova]

Manuka honey is quite wonderful, we usually use it for sore throats and such, there was an article on NPR saying that there was some research done that shows that manuka honey kills antibiotic-resistant bacteria, such as MRSA when applied in dishes. i dont think there has been any research as to how it affects bacteria once they are in a human, but there is no harm in trying it. and it actually is NOT wierd to put it on skin, even though its a vaginal area. in many cultures different honeys are used to treat wounds that dont heal or infections.... it might get a bit messy, yes, but otherwise, i dont see a reason to not try it. 

 

[Eligracey]

Originally Posted by mbravebird 

Antibiotics are of course useful...unless they don't work, which is what happens with MRSA. If OP's daughter has been tested and diagnosed with MRSA, and one round of targeted oral antibiotics didn't kill it, then it's absolutely reasonable to postulate that the next oral round may not, either. It's possible that IV antibiotics would do do it, but they aren't the next step and they're not 100%, either.

Except the OP herself said that:

 

Originally Posted by Joleen19 

My 6 year old daughter was diagnosed with MRSA a few weeks ago.  She had it in February 2011, too, diagnosed only as strepp.  It presents as a vaginal rash, pretty mild really, kind of looks like pink scalded skin.  Definitely not your typical MRSA manifestation.  Well, we did a course of antibiotics in February, but it must not have killed the staph.  My daughter was prescribed Clindamyocin this go round.  My husband and I chose not to treat the infection with antibiotics this time.

So the MRSA was misdiagnosed the first time and she was not given "targeted antibiotics" as you said. She was most likely given an antibiotic that MRSA is resistant to. Now that she's correctly diagnosed, she has been given a targeted antibiotic for MRSA. Which will most likely work. If she tried it.

Next, mbravebird, you said that "it's absolutely reasonable to postulate that the next oral round may not work either" so she shouldn't even bother with antibiotics. I can't understand your reasoning here. If something's not 100% foolproof you shouldn't even bother trying it?  So because carseats don't 100% protect your kid from dying in an accident you just let them run around the car unbuckled? Because feeding your kid healthy food doesn't guarantee that they won't become obese you just let them eat oreos and cheezy-poofs all day? Because locking your doors doesn't 100% guarantee that you won't get burglarized you just leave the door open all night long every night so anyone can wander in as they please?  I don't get how this works for your family.

Joleen, please please give your daughter the antibiotics.  Or look up death rates from MRSA. It's not something to take lightly.

[mbravebird]

Originally Posted by Eligracey 

Except the OP herself said that:

So the MRSA was misdiagnosed the first time and she was not given "targeted antibiotics" as you said. She was most likely given an antibiotic that MRSA is resistant to. Now that she's correctly diagnosed, she has been given a targeted antibiotic for MRSA. Which will most likely work. If she tried it.

Next, mbravebird, you said that "it's absolutely reasonable to postulate that the next oral round may not work either" so she shouldn't even bother with antibiotics. I can't understand your reasoning here. If something's not 100% foolproof you shouldn't even bother trying it?  So because carseats don't 100% protect your kid from dying in an accident you just let them run around the car unbuckled? Because feeding your kid healthy food doesn't guarantee that they won't become obese you just let them eat oreos and cheezy-poofs all day? Because locking your doors doesn't 100% guarantee that you won't get burglarized you just leave the door open all night long every night so anyone can wander in as they please?  I don't get how this works for your family.

Good point about them being targeted to strep the first time, not MRSA. I hadn't noticed that, and that would make a big difference to me, if it were my child.

I never said she shouldn't bother with antibiotics. I don't actually believe that. But she wasn't asking for advice about that. I was just defending her choice to ask about alternatives/complementaries, which I think is a vital part of the MRSA treatment picture, precisely because it's so hard to treat. The cases where antibiotics work with MRSA is much much less than 100%, not just a little bit less. It's a real problem, and medical professionals are the first to talk about that. Antibiotics are of course worth the try, for sure, in my opinion. But this is a situation where also looking at alternatives/complementaries could be life-saving. I'm answering her question about alternatives/complementaries because I know how serious it is, and how scary it can be if the antibiotics don't work.

Again, I wasn't giving advice about whether or not she should do antibiotics -- I was just defending her choice to ask about additional treatment experiences. Her decisions are her business, and she's already getting good medical advice. This discussion is in addition to that. And I think it's an eminently important discussion to have.

Remember, I gave my own son with a staph infection antibiotics -- twice. I told her that. And I tried to be sure OP knew about the IV antibiotics, which are most effective with MRSA.

I think you've really misunderstood my post and my opinion. Your point about the first round of antibiotics being non-targeted to MRSA is well taken, and a very good addition to the discussion. If I had noticed it I would have pointed it out too. I'm glad you brought it up. But the attack on me is unwarranted.

Edited by mbravebird - 8/7/11 at 4:20pm

[Alenushka]

I would absolutely do antibiotics. MRSA is nothing to joke around. There is now a lot of community aquired MRSA as well.

Honey in the vagina would lead to yeast infection. Sugar is sugar and yest loves it. Yeast leads to itching and scratching. Not a good combo.

Did they culture it? What about IV? That can be more effective. Also, be vigilant with your family as far as handwashing.