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Staph (MRSA) Infection - And How I Overcame It

87K views 56 replies 33 participants last post by  Jungleboy 
#1 ·
This is a short history about my personal battle with a very nasty strain of Staph Infection called "MRSA" or "methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus" and how I won the battle (with very little help from the medical community).

I take that back ... I did get a few good tips from some medical professionals but I pretty much fought the battle and won it on my own.

Back in 2007 - late 2009 my wife and I both suffered from the ill-effects of the painful and persistent MRSA Staph bacteria. It ended up presenting itself in various ways but it started out with one of us getting a very painful, pimple-like boil. It was the beginning of a nightmare that required several trips to the doctor (even the emergency room once) and a ton of online study on my part as well as some trial and error.

My wife's and my biggest mistake throughout this ordeal was that we would pop the boils when they occurred. What we didn't know was that by doing so we simply spread the bacteria to healthy skin which would perpetuate the problem.

In some cases the boils would be as large as two inches across but the redness and general swelling surrounding the boil covered an even larger area. In other cases we (me especially) would have several boils within the same region of my body (back, arms, legs, etc.). My wife and I both had them on our faces at least once each and I would get an occasional sty which was directly tied to the MRSA bacteria.

These aren't pictures of me but illustrate what the MRSA infection looks like:







It also affected my joints and caused a numbing sensation from time to time.

Anyway, following are the "tools" that I ended up using to overcome the problem:

1) Dial antibacteria soap.

2) Hydrogen Peroxide.

3) Hibiclens (hand and body scrub used by doctors prior to surgery).

4) Any brand of Alcohol/Gel Hand Sanitizer.

5) And a doctor's prescription of Mupirocin Ointment (for the nasal passage).



After a few trips to the doctor and an absolutely horrifying experience with an antibiotic called "Bactrim" (a sulfa drug prescribed by a doctor that turned out to be worse than MRSA) I decided that I was doomed if I didn't figure out how to handle the problem myself.

Here's some basic information that found to be very valuable:

1) MRSA hangs out inside the nose (nostrils) as well as the joints. Both of these areas have a low concentration of blood so natural antibodies aren't present to fight off the bacteria.
2) Popping MRSA boils is the quickest way to spread the infection.
3) MRSA can easily be spread from person to person or from surfaces (counter-tops, door handles, etc.) to people.

Following are the steps I took to overcome the problem:

1) I almost completely stopped lancing the boils and simply let them take their course no matter how much it hurt. The two times that I did lance them I took some special precautions.
2) I bought several containers of Gel/Alcohol Hand Sanitizer and kept a bottle in my room, in my bathroom, in my car, and at work. I used it anytime I blew my nose or had my hands anywhere close to my nose area. I cleaned my hands several times a day.
3) I kept the bottle of Hibiclens in my shower area and would wash my hands and arms every morning. I would follow by using dial soap all over my body and allowed the suds to stay on me for a minimum of 2 minutes.
4) I used Hydrogen Peroxide to disinfect my bathroom counters and all the door handles in my home. It actually works better than Clorox for disinfecting surfaces.
5) I used a Q-tip to coat the inside of my nose with Mupirocin Ointment which helped kill the bacteria and held it in place by coating it with a Vaseline-like substance.

I also upped my intake of natural garlic and used a food grade Peroxide in water or juice which I would drink (be very careful with Food Grade Peroxide and follow the directions to a "T"). I'm not necessarily recommended and anyone else uses this method but I simply wanted the MRSA dead inside and out.

Anyway ... I haven't suffered from MRSA since late 2009 and have had ZERO boils ever since. I still use Antibacterial Dial every morning and I still let it sit on my body for at least 2 minutes. I still carry Alcohol Gel everywhere I go and I use it often. And I keep my hands away from my nose at all costs. If my must blow my nose I find a bathroom and wash my hands thoroughly and follow up by using the hand gel.

I suggest buying some of the supplies mentioned and adding them to your First Aid Kits. MRSA is often picked up from a doctor's office or a hospital and we never know when we might find ourselves there.

I hope my story can help someone else. Thanks for reading.
 
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#3 ·
I so glad you were able to cure yourself. I'd like to recommend that you buy a jar of activated Manuka honey. Hospitals in the UK and some in America are now using it as a wound dressing because it kills MRSA on contact. They are also using silver solution and silver impregnated dressings because the colloidal silver also kills MRSA on contact. So, both would good to have on hand.
 
#6 ·
I've heard that honey is a good, natural antiseptic or even antibiotic. I was going to mention silver but I tried that therapy in the early stages of my MRSA episode and it didn't help at all. I spent hundreds of dollars on colloidal silver but was very disappointed by the results. That doesn't mean that it might not work for other ailments but it was as effective as shooting a BB gun at an elephant where my MRSA was concerned.
 
#4 ·
I got a MRSA infection in May 2011 - still on anti-biotics and using Hibiclens soap. Also baths in water with a little bleach in in the water - couple of cap fulls in the tub.
What a pain this infection is!
Had to find a new doctor after my doctor was not aggressive enough in helping me - he had a wait and see attitude! Dumped his ass ASAP! Doctor I have now is great - was very aggressive in the treatment course he had me take!
There are two types of MRSA - The one you get in hospitals - real nasty and community aquired MRSA - bad too but not was bad as the one you get in hospitals.

Lysol spray is good to have when you travel - spray the heck out of every thing in the hotel rooms
 
#8 ·
I wasn't aware that there were two strains of MRSA. I knew that there was more than one strain of Staph though. I would be willing to bet a million bucks that I had the worst strain known to the universe. At least it felt that way. :mad:
 
#12 ·
Food grade is very powerful and potentially dangerous if used incorrectly. Standard USP grade peroxide is about 3% peroxide stabilized. Food grade is closer to 30% - 35% peroxide. Very good product if used wisely.

http://www.foodgrade-hydrogenperoxide.com/

The problem is that all peroxides begin to degrade the moment they're bottled. I refrigerate mine to make it last longer.
 
#11 ·
MRSA is a bad bacteria. The hospitals are full of these nasty bugs.

A friend of mine is a nurse and she gave it up because of all of the infections that were coming through the hospital. She had small children at home, both her and her husband decided that she should quit working as a nurse.

I don't blame her. There are horror storys coming out of our hospital.
 
#14 ·
Okay, first off, thanks a lot for this post.
I read somewhere that mersa kills more people than aids every year...

Now, hyd peroxide doesnt seem to store very well long term.

I would think antibacterial soaps would store fine, and manuka honey I imagine stores almost indefinitely, much like regular honey?

So, I'm thinking of stocking up on the soap and the manuka honey
 
#17 ·
It didn't work very well for me in this instance. That doesn't mean that I believe it wouldn't work for a lot of other things. I had purchased a lot of colloidal silver for internal use and some silver salve for the external boils and it had little effect. Maybe it would work better for someone else though.
 
#20 ·
MRSA can be deadly. I nearly lost a family member to MRSA pneumonia. In the after math we went through months of battling MRSA to get it out of the home. Some of the advice given I agree with. Wash cloths and sheets in hot water with bleach. Add a cup of bleach to a full tub and soak to kill bacteria on the skin. Old time disinfectants like Iodine and Hydrogen Peroxide are more effective than some of the anti-baterial soaps and ointments that are available over the counter. Yellow bar Dial soap is a good preventative, but only retards, does not kill all the bacteria on your skin.

Popping blisters is generally not a good idea. The bacteria spreads all over when you do that, and Staph thrives on oxygen. Once exposed it festers even worse. But sometimes you have to drain and wick the abcess or your antibiotic will not work. Wicking the abcess involves cutting it open, debriding it, and packing it with a sterile wicking strip. Doing that yourself pretty much s**ks. I know, cause I've done it.

Sulfa based antibiotics are a first line antibiotic. Some of these are close to useless against MRSA. I've also known people to get Clindamycin, Genomycin, Rifampin, and even Cipro. I wouldn't sleep easy with those and a serious MRSA infection. By serious I don't mean a huge pimple, I mean one that has potential for sepsis or pneumonia. Pairing some of those up might be effective depending on the strain of MRSA. But the only sure fire antibiotic is Vancomycin. Doctors don't like to prescribe the Vanc because you have to take it through an IV and it can have serious repurcussions. But if you have a serious, potentially blood borne or pneumatic MRSA request the Vanc.

With respect to MRSA pneumonia, I'll add this. If you have active MRSA and are colonized in your nasal cavity and get the flu, or other upper respiratory illness you have a slight, though signifcant, risk of the MRSA getting into the lungs. MRSA eats your lungs in a matter of days. It is a very serious, deadly, infection. Don't mess around with MRSA.

I hate giving medical advice on an internet forum. If you have MRSA consult a physican. If it gets in your blood or in your lungs it will kill you. To get it off of you and out of your home: Bleach, Iodine, Hydrogen Peroxide, yellow bar Dial soap.
 
#21 ·
MRSA can be deadly. I nearly lost a family member to MRSA pneumonia. In the after math we went through months of battling MRSA to get it out of the home. Some of the advice given I agree with. Wash cloths and sheets in hot water with bleach. Add a cup of bleach to a full tub and soak to kill bacteria on the skin. Old time disinfectants like Iodine and Hydrogen Peroxide are more effective than some of the anti-baterial soaps and ointments that are available over the counter. Yellow bar Dial soap is a good preventative, but only retards, does not kill all the bacteria on your skin.

Popping blisters is generally not a good idea. The bacteria spreads all over when you do that, and Staph thrives on oxygen. Once exposed it festers even worse. But sometimes you have to drain and wick the abcess or your antibiotic will not work. Wicking the abcess involves cutting it open, debriding it, and packing it with a sterile wicking strip. Doing that yourself pretty much s**ks. I know, cause I've done it.

Sulfa based antibiotics are a first line antibiotic. Some of these are close to useless against MRSA. I've also known people to get Clindamycin, Genomycin, Rifampin, and even Cipro. I wouldn't sleep easy with those and a serious MRSA infection. By serious I don't mean a huge pimple, I mean one that has potential for sepsis or pneumonia. Pairing some of those up might be effective depending on the strain of MRSA. But the only sure fire antibiotic is Vancomycin. Doctors don't like to prescribe the Vanc because you have to take it through an IV and it can have serious repurcussions. But if you have a serious, potentially blood borne or pneumatic MRSA request the Vanc.

With respect to MRSA pneumonia, I'll add this. If you have active MRSA and are colonized in your nasal cavity and get the flu, or other upper respiratory illness you have a slight, though signifcant, risk of the MRSA getting into the lungs. MRSA eats your lungs in a matter of days. It is a very serious, deadly, infection. Don't mess around with MRSA.

I hate giving medical advice on an internet forum. If you have MRSA consult a physican. If it gets in your blood or in your lungs it will kill you. To get it off of you and out of your home: Bleach, Iodine, Hydrogen Peroxide, yellow bar Dial soap.
This is the most important thing, get yourself checked out. MRSA needs to be treated agressively. Had a lady die on our ward yesterday morning from MRSA sepsis :( horrible way to go.
 
#23 ·
DH got a very nasty cut a couple of months ago and in the ensuing time, had to have nurses come to the house 3 x week to change the dressing, etc. He was also seeing a doctor at the hospital once/week for follow-up. After stitches were removed and the doctor decided to do a skin graft because the wound wasn't healing as hoped, the doctor kept him in hospital for about 10 days. While there, they tested for MRSA and yes, he had it. No one knows for sure if he picked it up at home (from the nurses) or from the hospital. He is home now and has the worse cold he has EVER had...he is in his 60s. I believe it is related, but we're still watching the MRSA closely.

Btw, I'm interested in OP's cure. Have you been tested negative for MRSA, or just had the symptoms disappear? It was my thought that everyone has MRSA bacteria on them at all times, but that elderly, very young or those with compromised immune systems are the ones that most often have it develop into something more serious.
 
#24 ·
Howdy. I'm no expert but during my research on the subject I learned that everyone carries Staph. It's a bacteria that will never go away. The reason the MRSA version is so powerful is because it became resistant to over-used antibiotics that have been prescribed over the years.

So I doubt that I got rid of the Staph but I've zero symptoms for about 2-1/2 years now.
 
#26 ·
My wife got a normal staph infection. With antibiotics she got well. Them six months or later I got an infection. Antibiotics got me over it, too.

A couple of pointers that my doctor offered:

Wash your bar of soap thoroughly after bathing. If someone else uses it they can get it. You'll be spreading the bacteria on yourself too. I went out and bought liquid anti-bacterial soap after hearing that. I kept my wash rags sequestered and washed them separately in hot water and bleach. My infection was under arm. I wore old shirts and washed them in hot water and color safe bleach.

The feet pick up the bacteria, so disinfect the bath tub or shower floor after bathing. I used a strong bleach solution in hot water and my wife and daughter did not get infected.

The whole ordeal had me feeling like Typhoid Mary. The sequestered laundry had me feeling like I was sitting on a biological dump. I stayed home as long as I could, but they needed me. I kept myself sequestered as best I could. I had someone else make the coffee and tea that I normally made as the first one in and I did not have any.

I got off light. Mine was a simple staph infection, rather than the MRSA one. Power to you Action Jackson!
 
#32 ·
#37 ·
#38 ·
I'm AJ's wife and I can tell you that things were bad for awhile. I didn't get it nearly as often as he did. Plus his infections were a lot worse most of the time. He had to go to the doctor 3 times and the emergency room once. I only saw a doctor once. I'm just glad it's over with. His googling and studying found the answers we needed and it's worked ever since.
 
#39 ·
Well, welcome! It's great to see couples on here.

It seems like I've read that staph bacteria (not necessarily MRSA) resides on our skin pretty much all of the time. It strikes more often when your immune system is lacking, or when your overall health isn't tip top.

I lost my son awhile back. I tried my best to realize there was nothing that I could do to change that and that I had to strive to take the pain without allowing it to drive me insane. It was close to a year later that I crumbled. I was mentally and emotionally drained and defeated and that's when I got my staph infection.

Doing your best to maintain physical, emotional and mental well being is important to enjoy the quality of life. It also tends to ward off such infection in my opinion.

I had a great job, but I found that I was being aggravated for no good reasons. Not long after I healed up I left. I'm doing much better now. I guess that it was a constant reminder, or something. The change allowed me to rebuild my over all health.
 
#41 ·
As someone that is extremely allergic to most antibiotics (cause anaphylactic shock) I cannot speak highly enough of honey especially manuka honey. Be warned manuka honey is extremely expensive, at least in the U.K..
As a smoker that suffered severe whooping cough as a small child resulting in permanent lung damage (I know, I am stupid to smoke, but it is the last of my addictions and the next on the list to be defeated) I got chest infections every winter without fail. They would take forever to clear up, sometimes requiring a stay in hospital where they could fight to keep me alive whilst the antibiotics fought the infection. After learning about manuka honey, I started to take it as soon as I noticed any sign of a chest infection and never again did the infection last more than a few days. A few winters ago I didn't have the money to pay for manuka so I got 'normal' honey. Again, the infection was gone within days. Now I have a spoonful of honey when I get up and one before bed and don't get infections. My girlfriend and our kids joined in and also never need antibiotics. In fact I am proud to say that my youngest has never had or needed antibiotics in all of her 5 years and my eldest has only had them once and not since she was two years old and I discovered to 'magic' of honey. I am much more disappointed to have to say that many of their classmates require antibiotics on a regular basis. Although I use it orally I have read of it being used topically with great success but have never needed to try it. I also recently read (offline so unfortunately don't have a link) of a woman whose husband was stricken with MRSA. The hospital sent him home after being told they had done all they could and there was nothing else they could do. Not happy to just sit an watch her beloved die she researched until she could find anything that might help. Her discovery was fermented goats milk applied topically. This allegedly cleared up the infection within weeks.
 
#45 ·
That's a cool idea and something I have never thought of. Since posting this thread several years ago I can say with joy that I still have not had anymore run-ins with MRSA and I still follow the procedures I listed in the OP.
 
#46 ·
I'm not doctor and don't take my advise without doing the research but I bought a dropper and put about 7 drops in an 8oz glass of water or juice. I believe "they" advise people to start out with 2 or 3 drops per glass and progress over time.
 
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