I have MRSA (serious & long)

[Realmofo]

Hey guys, im posting a little information about a staph infection I expect I got from my local gym. Its actually pretty serious (life threatening) so im informing the community to be careful out there.

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What Is a Staph Infection?
Staph is the shortened name for Staphylococcus (pronounced: staf-uh-low-kah-kus), a type of bacteria. These bacteria can live harmlessly on many skin surfaces, especially around the nose, mouth, genitals, and anus. But when the skin is punctured or broken for any reason, staph bacteria can enter the wound and cause an infection.

How Do People Get Staph Infections?
In teens, most staph infections are minor skin infections. People with skin problems like burns or eczema may be more likely to get staph skin infections.

People can get staph infections from contaminated objects, but staph bacteria often spread through skin-to-skin contact ? the bacteria can be spread from one area of the body to another if someone touches the infected area

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Well this is the story or how I believe it went:

I have my gym membership at a nationwide gym (LA FITNESS) and my I frequent 2 gyms weekly. My gym which is closer to my home, and my workout partner/friend's gym which is closer to his house. My gym is not the cleanest around, its pretty old and the machines dont get cleaned as often as they should (literally never) and my friends gym just opened and they keep it up (wealthier area and people).

Anyway we have a weekly schedule where we attend one or the others etc... BUT one week we were quite busy and could not meet up so I worked out at my gym by myself. I always use paper towels when doing any machine that requires me laying down (bench press) etc... well this week I got lazy and did not use one.

The following week my girlfriend and my workout partner keep telling me my neck is pretty red and it had been itching for a while so I suspected ringworm. I used an over the counter product (Lamisil and Cotrimazole) and they did not work and it got worse. I looked in the mirror and my neck was VERY red and my scalp (bottom by my neck) had one puss filled boil on it the size of a quarter, the next morning I broke out in itchy bumps (I had chinese food the previous day) so I thought I was allergic to a spice or something so I took Benadryl. The itching got worse over the next couple of days to the point that I could not sleep so I checked into a clinic, I was prescribed a stronger Benadryl type pill which did nothing.

I then went to go see a dermatologist which prescribed me some antibiotic steroid for the bumps and some cream for the puss boil on my scalp and he took a sample of the bump to check what is was. The bumps went away and I missed the next appointment a week later. The bump on my head got worse and I called him, he told me it came back MRSA which is pretty serious and can be life threatening (I can die from complications).

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What is MRSA?

MRSA stands for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. There are various sub-types (strains) of S. aureus and some strains are classed as MRSA. MRSA strains are very similar to any other strain of S.aureus. That is, some healthy people are carriers, and some people develop the types of infections described above.

The difference is that, most S. aureus infections can be treated with commonly used antibiotics. In recent years some strains of S. aureus have become resistant to some antibiotics. 'Resistance' means that it is not killed by the antibiotic. MRSA strains are not only resistant to the antibiotic called methicillin, but also to many other types of antibiotics.

How serious is an MRSA infection?

MRSA strains of bacteria are no more aggressive or infectious than other strains of S. aureus. However, infections are much more difficult to treat because many antibiotics do not work. Therefore, infections tend to become more severe than they may otherwise have been if the cause of the infection is not diagnosed early, and antibiotics that do not work are given at first.

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So he prescribed another antiobiotic which I am taking now and it has not worked. I have an appointment today to see the Dermatologist again to see what we can do further. If you guys look it up its pretty serious stuff, it is life changing, I have not felt the full effects of it yet (and I hope I dont) because I will probably get hospitalized.

The worst part is I have not worked out in 3 weeks so I dont spread it on my body from sweating and to other people at the gym. I have been very careful not to spread it to my family and friends but I am a bit 'shaken' at what the future holds when it comes to getting rid of this thing which is killing people nationwide.

So guys be extra careful when working out, keep a clean hygiene and USE TOWELS at the machines, you never know who had what and left in the last machine. Also be careful where you get your haircuts, Ive been reading people are getting infected that way.

This is how it looks as of now:



You can barely see the boil (hair covering it) but its pretty big and nasty.

[neoplasia200x]

That's pretty scary...What antibiotics are you taking? You need to have the boil drained otherwise it won't heal quickly.

Go see an infectious disease doc instead of a dermatologist.

[melon]

Generally, in a healthy person with a normal immune system, MRSA isn't a big deal despite what the media thinks. Make sure you finish the complete course of the antibiotics however.

[Realmofo]

That's pretty scary...What antibiotics are you taking? You need to have the boil drained otherwise it won't heal quickly.

Go see an infectious disease doc instead of a dermatologist.

Well the boil broke on its own and its been an open sore since. The dermatologist took a sample of the area three weeks ago and the results came back MRSA and they checked it to see which antibiotic starts killing the mrsa and which dont (which he FINALLY told me yesterday). One being stronger than the other, well ive taken 3 so far and nothing, it has slowed it down im sure but not eliminated it. He newly prescribed me Bactrim which is a combination of two antibiotics (trimethoprim 800mg and 160mg sulfamethoxazole) twice a day and strong as hell according to him, if that doesnt work its to the hospital.

I feel like **** and look like ****, the first antibiotic was an oral steroid which I took over 10 days and I look like crap, im bloated as hell and have retained a lot of water weight (7lb's worth) but whatever its part of the deal.

Im heading to a lab hopefully this week to check my white blood cell count, if they are elevated it means the mrsa is in my bloodstream, and if it is then it will start to attack my organs so if it is caught early enough then I should be fine, if I let it persist and it does attack my organs (if I have it) then I risk death which is not an option. Im looking into the disease doc as we speak.

Generally, in a healthy person with a normal immune system, MRSA isn't a big deal despite what the media thinks. Make sure you finish the complete course of the antibiotics however.

Im a healthy person overall, the only thing I can think of was a bad batch of AAS that I used for about 3 weeks 6 months ago that made me extremely sick of all sorts (Tren Ace) and my body had fully recovered over a month period and since then I was perfectly fine until this crap got on my head. The current antibiotic is for a good 14 days so im not waiting that long, its been a month already im definitely getting checked up.

[Realmofo]

Hey guys,

I havent been on here in a long time and I had several PM's from people regarding MRSA.

Everything cleared up 3 months after my last post on here, and I never had any other breakouts. I took so many prescribed drugs, holistic drugs, and my mom even poured silver on my neck every evening to help it as it was looking worse and worse.

Anyway, the MRSA never made it to my bloodstream, and eventually everything cleared up using topical creams and oral antibiotics and steroids. I have been MRSA free since September 2007 and it never came back.

These days from what I hear its a lot easier and safer to treat as doctors know what they need to prescribe and they have made some cocktail drugs to deal with it. Back in 2007 (not long ago), doctors had NO IDEA what the hell it was.

Downside to it all, due to all the drugs and steroid style things I was taking, my T levels went down and my estrogen levels up. I knew what it was and I caught it in time (thanks misc!) and I eventually self medicated with Femara when my doctor did not want to prescribe legal T (he wanted me to have surgery). I dosed it slowly and eventually it all worked out perfectly.

[luke2023]

Thank you for sharing your experience. It's hard to believe but there are not many online forums discussing this.

I got MRSA skin infection too and it keeps coming back. You only had one breakout?

Hey guys,

I havent been on here in a long time and I had several PM's from people regarding MRSA.

Everything cleared up 3 months after my last post on here, and I never had any other breakouts. I took so many prescribed drugs, holistic drugs, and my mom even poured silver on my neck every evening to help it as it was looking worse and worse.

Anyway, the MRSA never made it to my bloodstream, and eventually everything cleared up using topical creams and oral antibiotics and steroids. I have been MRSA free since September 2007 and it never came back.

These days from what I hear its a lot easier and safer to treat as doctors know what they need to prescribe and they have made some cocktail drugs to deal with it. Back in 2007 (not long ago), doctors had NO IDEA what the hell it was.

Downside to it all, due to all the drugs and steroid style things I was taking, my T levels went down and my estrogen levels up. I knew what it was and I caught it in time (thanks misc!) and I eventually self medicated with Femara when my doctor did not want to prescribe legal T (he wanted me to have surgery). I dosed it slowly and eventually it all worked out perfectly.

[munirashraf9821]

Well the boil broke on its own and its been an open sore since. The dermatologist took a sample of the area three weeks ago and the results came back MRSA and they checked it to see which antibiotic starts killing the mrsa and which dont (which he FINALLY told me yesterday). One being stronger than the other, well ive taken 3 so far and nothing, it has slowed it down im sure but not eliminated it. He newly prescribed me Bactrim which is a combination of two antibiotics (trimethoprim 800mg and 160mg sulfamethoxazole) twice a day and strong as hell according to him, if that doesnt work its to the hospital.

I feel like **** and look like ****, the first antibiotic was an oral steroid which I took over 10 days and I look like crap, im bloated as hell and have retained a lot of water weight (7lb's worth) but whatever its part of the deal.

Im heading to a lab hopefully this week to check my white blood cell count, if they are elevated it means the mrsa is in my bloodstream, and if it is then it will start to attack my organs so if it is caught early enough then I should be fine, if I let it persist and it does attack my organs (if I have it) then I risk death which is not an option. Im looking into the disease doc as we speak.



Im a healthy person overall, the only thing I can think of was a bad batch of AAS that I used for about 3 weeks 6 months ago that made me extremely sick of all sorts (Tren Ace) and my body had fully recovered over a month period and since then I was perfectly fine until this crap got on my head. The current antibiotic is for a good 14 days so im not waiting that long, its been a month already im definitely getting checked up.

It's important to follow your dermatologist's advice closely and monitor your condition. Getting your white blood cell count checked is a good step to ensure that the infection hasn't spread. Please prioritize your health and seek medical attention promptly if needed. Take care, and I hope you recover soon.