Can Anybody Help Me in My Fight with MRSA?

[MRoeber]

Hello!

 Our family has been dealing with MRSA for three months now and I am at my wits end! I have found the most helpful information from reading the stories and advice on various other forums and discussions boards, so I figured I’d start my own.

My son was born on June 17 by c-section and by June 27, 7 days after leaving the hospital, him and I both had MRSA. Both of us had a single, very superficial, blister in our groin area. My c-section incision, thankfully, never became infected. No one suspected mrsa (although my ob must have, even though she said she didn’t, because she prescribed me Bactrim). DS was started on Keflex. We both healed up nicely. A week later, DS had another blister in his diaper area. This time they assumed it was MRSA because of the previous culture and treated him with Bactrim. We were in the clear for a month and DS developed a boil right on his scrotum. We went to an ID doctor, did an intense decolonization (mupirocin in all of our noses, Hibiclens, bleach baths, sheets/towels washed in bleach, etc.). We were clear for two weeks after the decolonization was complete and now my DD (almost 4 years old) has an infection on her leg. I THINK it started as a bug bite, but I’m not sure. I could kick myself for not attacking it with the mupirocin and manuka honey immediately, but it really looked like a bug bite and we had been at the beach all day. She's now on Bactrim.

I don’t know what more I can do! I use tea tree oil and manuka honey, as well as the mupirocin to topically treat anything that looks even remotely suspicious. We all take weekly bleach baths. We never use towels twice and change sheets weekly. All sheets and towels are washed with bleach. I scrub my house weekly and daily disinfect the kitchen and bathroom. I am so frustrated! I feel like this stupid bacteria is winning the battle! Thankfully, all of our MRSA infections so far have been easily treatable and it has mostly just been annoying. However, I know that it can be really dangerous and if we keep getting infections, I feel like it’s only a matter of time before one of us is in serious trouble. I’m scared and frustrated and feel like I’m just spinning my wheels.

I would love to hear any advice, ideas, or similar stories. Has anybody struggled with MRSA like this and beat it? I need to hear some happy endings!

[Karen DeStefano]

Read info about honey healing MRSA worked for my nephew

[lookatreestar]

my ds had staph... we took him to an herbalist who gave us a tincture to take orally, and a topical herbal powder that i mixed with neem oil and applied daily. it instantly shrank it and healed it. i know golden seal was involved... maybe a few more stronger herbs.

[Caterina]

So terrible to be dealing with this with tiny kids 

I had a virulent and systemic case of MRSA several years ago and did all these things too - the Hibiclens, bleaching etc.  I ended up taking a combination of 2 intense antibiotics to clear it up. It came back with just one or 2 boils a couple more times in the year following and I killed it with very high doses of Vit. D and garlic supplements with allicin. I worked with a naturopath to come up with doses that were high but still safe. A friend has recently been struggling with this and was told that Keflex is now usually on the list of antibiotics that MRSA is resistant to, even though it made a difference for her too, with her first one (which also started as an infected bug bite) She had a second boil within a couple of weeks of finishing the Keflex and went to see a different doctor who told her that and prescribed her something else, but I don't know what it was unfortunately. 

I think that seeing a doctor who deals with MRSA regularly is really important. Most family doctors and GP's don't see it often enough and don't know the latest ways to deal with it effectively. Sounds like you have that though. Good luck. It's stressful and so draining. 

[kayleesmom]

wow so sorry i dont have any advice but wanted to send along hugs.

[erinby]

Poor family!  I can totally empathize. I had a similar experience after a c-section, the little boils (but more like 7 of them, including two infected glands) in my groin area.  Due to my high fever, I had to go "western" on them and spent three days going to the hospital twice a day for IV antibiotics (clyndmiacin, sp?) then a 10 regimen of doxycycline, while pumping and dumping and feeding (thankfully) donated breastmilk to my 3 week old. Very lucky it did not spred to my new one at that time.  She did have an outbreak of mrsa several months later, and it was dangerously in her throat.  No one wants to hear that story it is too scary!

I want to offer support and let you know you are not alone.

I blamed myself like we weren't clean enough, but I came to the conclusion that it was about my immune system.

When I became ill with mrsa, I learned that it is all around us, all the time.  mrsa lives in the back of most of our noses, in the bathroom, of course, but is most prevalent in the hospital!.  I became susceptible because of exposure in the hospital, and ill because I was so sleep deprived and stressed.  No one around me became ill.  While infected, My naturopath suggested that I continue to cosleep but wear clothing covering the sores and lots of hand-washing, etc.  She also recommended that instead of becoming a "germaphobe" I assess our possible immune deficiences.   My partner, child and I have been infection free for 10 months, without even a cold.  I credit breastfeeding and enhancement of our immune systems.

If you are comfortable using vitamin c, a bit of zinc, and immune enhancing herbs ( I use elderflower, osha, goldenseal) and probiotics, try that too.  Also sleep, calm and family support go a long way in the fight with mrsa.  If you are nursing or have actual immune disorder, of course ask your doc.

[Chicky2]

Sending to a friend who just whipped MRSA's butt....

[MomToEmerson]

I just went through this and had huge abscesses deep in my armpit which were lanced but more developed and it cross contaminated into my eye. I used besivance drops which cleared the eye, and we did the mupirocin in the nose. I was prescribed but did not take bactrim as it can cause it to become more resistant - and I tried something else first which worked great. I used a product called Acid to Alkaline http://www.neurobiologix.com/SearchResults.asp?Search=acid 6 capsules of the herbs twice a day. But you can use the Ph strips included to check if you need more or less to bring you to maximum alkalinity. MRSA needs an acid environment to thrive (as do lots of other stuff). The 3 golf ball deep tissue abscesses left under my arm began shrinking immediately (they were not ruptured so did not drain - just shrank). I also used ozonated olive oil because I had some on hand and figured it might be a double whammy. It took about a week to completely clear up and I am continuing the Acid to Alkaline as a preventative.