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Staph Infection

81K views 39 replies 27 participants last post by  Matagi 
#1 ·
I recently had a staph infection and, being poor, was unable to go to the doctor to take care of it. I realized that I needed to add something to my FAK for staph infection in the event SHTF. There are a few over-the-counter remedies for MRSA and I thought I'd share their effectiveness with you. Remember, the best way to deal with a staph infection is to lance the wound and drain the infection, but you should only do so if you are well-trained and use sterile instruments. Lack of training and/or failure to use sterile instruments could result in worse infection.

Staphaseptic - This was the first thing I tried since it has staph in the name. It's an antibiotic but it didn't help. The makers of Staphaseptic claim that it's for PREVENTION of MRSA only. It won't help if you already have a staph infection, but if you get a cut or scrape and put some of this antibiotic on it, it will help prevent a staph infection with 99% effectiveness. For that reason alone I recommend getting some for your FAK.

Draw Out - Found this stuff at Rite-Aid and it's also called Drawing Salve, Black Salve, Bear Grease, etc. This stuff worked great to draw out the infection. Just apply some to a bandage then bandage the wound. It works for infections of all kind, and even draws out splinters. I highly recommend you get a tube of Ichthammol, the active ingredient in drawing salves.

Epsom Salt - Making an epsom salt compress helped relieve pain. Dissolve epsom salt into hot water, then soak a wash cloth in it. Hold the hot cloth compress on the wound for 5-10 minutes. Repeat. A hot compress followed by a bandage with Draw Out made me feel better. My research on epsom salt also shows it helps relieve itching due to herpes, if you have that problem :upsidedown:

By using the epsom salt compress followed by the drawing salve, I was able to get rid of my staph infection within 5 days, relatively pain free and without lancing the infection. I realize that a lot of you already know what you should do in the event of an infection. However, for those of you who don't, I hope you find this information helpful. MRSA is very serious, and can even lead to death if it enters the blood stream, not to mention it is HIGHLY contagious. And with approximately 25% of Americans carrying staph, it just makes sense to prepare for inevitability of someone getting it in a SHTF situation.
 
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#2 ·
i had staph infection and i found out the wasp , bees, spiders and scorpions all carry staph infection . i got mine from a wasp bit on my arm i got the stinger out then the welt around it kept growing and growing finaly a week later i was fourced by my wife to see a doctor and they said that if you wait too long it could have to be amputated
 
#4 ·
Well not all staph infections are MRSA (methicillin-resistant staphylococcus) MRSA is a specific kind of staph infection that is resistant to antibiotics. It is highly unlikely that you cured yourself of MRSA considering our best medicines are ineffective against it. In fact trying to treat a staph infection yourself sets you up even more for it to develop into MRSA. I think you are giving off the impression that you can easily cure staph with a few things from RiteAid.
If you believe you have a staph infection you should go to the doctor if at all feasible. I can tell you from experience you really don't want to know just what a serious MRSA wound looks like. For the curious google "Necrotizing Fasciitis".
 
#5 ·
yea staph is not some over the counter cure . who diagnosed you with staph infection ? heck i tried everything over the counter and it did nothing to even slow the redness down i got stung on my upper fore arm almost at the bend . and in a week my wrist was swollen also . ohh and i was diagnosed by a doctor. i thought i was just having a bad reaction to the wasp sting .
 
#7 ·
I was hospitalized with msra and its is some bad crap! I got celulitis (sp) 2 months after having my knee replaced and was really close to losing the knee. It is something that really scares me if I was to have to have another surgery. Luckily cleanliness does help keep it at bay and that is one the most important things I think about if shtf.




Randy
 
#8 ·
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#12 ·
Had a spot on back of hand that got infected.
Swelled up and oozed big time. Skin was peeling off like a sunburn.
Tried everything you listed, no help.
Even took some RX left over from surgery, no help.
Went to doc and got three big shots and new RX.
Shots were over $100.
If my hand didn't get better doc was gonna put me in hospital with drip line.
Lucky hand got better, hospital costs $Ks.
 
#13 ·
You were very very VERY lucky.

My daughter also got a staph infection (during a hospital stay for another reason). She ended up in the ICU for over a month. Had a combo of 13 (no, that is not a typo) different antibiotics going in thru 3 IV lines......and STILL nearly died from it, before the infection slowly began to respond to treatment.

Staph is NOTHING to fool around with, trying a do-it-yourself treatment with OTC products from the drugstore. It's highly dangerous, and a lot of people die from it, every year.
 
#17 ·
My daughter had it last year. She had a small red spot the size of a quarter on her thigh when going to bed. We thought it was an eczema spot. At 6am she woke up with a 103 degree fever and half her thigh covered in a bright red inflamation. She spent the next 6 days in the hospital. No matter what they pumped into her, the infection would not improve. She was finally sent home with a prescription for zyvox. All the treatments at best kept the infection from getting worse.

I think if we didnt have access to modern medicine and outstanding health insurance provided by my work, she would have died. It gave me a lot to think about concerning just how bad things will be if society were to completely collapse.
 
#14 ·
My wife the nurse is always seeing seeing people come in with "spider bites". What it usually is a minor staph infection with a bit of necrotizing fasciitis. People jump to the conclusion they've been bit by a brown recluse which are extraordinarily rare out here.

Sorry ma'am. That's not a spider bite. That's ordinary flesh eating bacteria.
 
#15 ·
Draw Out - Found this stuff at Rite-Aid and it's also called Drawing Salve, Black Salve, Bear Grease, etc. This stuff worked great to draw out the infection. Just apply some to a bandage then bandage the wound. It works for infections of all kind, and even draws out splinters. I highly recommend you get a tube of Ichthammol, the active ingredient in drawing salves.
I've never heard of this stuff before and my son recently had a splinter I couldn't get out (it eventually came out itself). How does this stuff work and when you say it drew out your infection, what exactly do you mean?
 
#18 ·
I had a MRSA infection when I was on vacation in northern California back in May - I saw a doctor there and he gave me two strong anti-biotics - cleared up the infection pretty quick - or so i though. As soon as I got back to NYC i went to my doctor -someone i have been meaning to replace for some time. He praised the doctor i went to and said I shouldnt have any lingering effect. A week later i am breaking out in boils!
I finally found a good doctor and showed him copies of all the blood work that was done in California - he said I was still infected and would need more anti-biotics and monitoring for a long time to come. I am on Septra DS now - one of the meds the California doctor gave me - and it seems to be working again - side effect SUCK!
 
#19 ·
MRSA is your own bodies inability to fight an infection. Staph as other have said is a normal bug in your body. The best way to not get MRSA is to be very clean with plain old soap and water. Limit the use of antibiotics and if needed take the entire prescription. Anyone who doses themselves or buys animal antibiotics are setting themselves up for MRSA or worse.
Antibiotics will do more to hurt our society than any terrorist attack!!!!
 
#21 ·
Methicillin Resistant Stapholococcus Aureus is a bacterium that has an altered genotype through mutation that makes it resistant to being killed by Beta-lactam type antibiotics that would normally kill S. aureus. It is NOT your own bodies inability to fight an infection, that would be known as an immune deficiency syndrome. (AIDS, Cancer, Radiation poisoning/treatment, Chemotherapy, various other inate disease states that cause the immune system to malfunction.) MRSA is contracted by close contact with a person or persons who already have it. Once you have it, it is nearly impossible to get rid of it. That does NOT mean that you will constantly have a "staph infection" but that your body is now colonized with MRSA and if given an opportunity, it may cause a cellulitis (skin infection). Hospitals and nursing homes are the common places to contract MRSA now as it is ubiquitous in these settings.

I agree that good hygiene is extremely important in reducing the chances of getting MRSA or cellulitis. I don't agree that antibiotics are worse than a terrorist attack. The overuse of antibiotics is the major reason for the development of resistent strains of bacterium and there are some really bad ones out there that truly frighten many physicians. However, without antibiotics, there would probably only be about 1/4 of the current world population, and life expectancy would be drastically shorter. People would readily die of simple infections, from Strep throat to an infected hangnail. The lack of antibiotics, IMHO, would be much more terrifying compared to someone blowing up a building. :eek:
 
#20 ·
There are literally dozens of causes of cellulitis, commonly called "staph infection" by the lay population, so my question to you is, --Did you get a wound culture to determine the etiology of the infection?

Other organisms that cause cellulitis in varying forms and situations include but are not limited to:

Haemophilus influenzae type B
Streptococcus pneumoniae
gram-negative rods (eg, Pseudomonas, Proteus, Serratia, Enterobacter, Citrobacter)
Helicobacter cinaedi
Fusarium species
Cryptococcus (rare)
Capnocytophaga canimorsus
Eikenella corrodens
Pasteurella multocida
Streptobacillus moniliformis
Aeromonas hydrophila
Pseudomonas and Plesiomonas species
Vibrio species
Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae
Mycobacterium marinum
V. vulnificus

Sorry just a pet peeve of my that people seem to always assume they have MRSA or a staph infection. You very well may have had a form of Staph and I am glad it is better. And I agree that antibiotic treatment and Incision and Drainage are the appropriate treatment steps if there is an abscess present. If no abscess, no incision. Abscess present, you almost always need an I & D with irrigation and packing if it does not open and drain on its own.
 
#22 ·
Look up Manuka Honey on the net. They are beginning to use it in hospitals in England and, I believe some in the US, to treat wounds and burns instead of the usual antibiotic ointments. It kills MRSA and other resistant bugs.

Taken internally, they are finding that it prevents most uglies from reproducing because it attacks a protein in them that is needed to build cell walls and to reproduce. There is a lot of research being done on it. And there are a number of news articles - in real publications, not only the pro-organic or anti-medical web publications.

I've ordered some for my medical supplies and will be ordering more soon. Since it's only produced in New Zealand, where the manuka plant lives that the bees feed on, it's going to become more scarce as more hospitals and people start to realize its potential. Plus, there's no doubt in my mind that Big Pharma and the FDA will get together to ban it if it has real use. So, I'm stocking up now. Honey has a perpetual shelf life so it will be good forever. Also, even regular honey has good antibiotic properties (which is why honey found in archeological digs - thousands of years old - is still edible).
 
#23 ·
I used to box in college and would use the schools gloves once a week or so. I developed a sore on my left thumb that was not healing. I went to the school clinic and the guy said I had herpes on my thumb. This was rather dumbfounding as I think herpes is a contact transmission and I am right handed. I was pretty busy with girls in those days but not with my left thumb.

Anyway, it did not get better and ended up a an actual real dr. rather than the clinic. Guy explained I had staph after some tests and likely from sharing the boxing gloves. That was some nasty stuff - thumb literally appear to be rotting off. Dr did some cutting with the scissors and I took antibiotics and soaked it in soapy water for two or three weeks to clear it up.
 
#24 ·
I'm not a doctor and NOT advocating self medication, but my husband had MRSA and the doctor gave SMZ-T for it 500 mg twice a day for 14 days. You can buy it from veterinarian supply houses as fish antibiotics (see other posts on this board). Just make sure to take 500 mg as the fish antibiotics are sometimes a smaller dose.
MRSA is nothing to mess with, can lead to death or amputation. I'd go to the doctor and just pay them $10 a month like clockwork. I have heard that as long as you give them at least $10 per month they can't turn you over for collection, but don't ever be even a day late for a payment.
 
#25 ·
I recently had a staph infection and, being poor, was unable to go to the doctor to take care of it. I realized that I needed to add something to my FAK for staph infection in the event SHTF. There are a few over-the-counter remedies for MRSA and I thought I'd share their effectiveness with you. Remember, the best way to deal with a staph infection is to lance the wound and drain the infection, but you should only do so if you are well-trained and use sterile instruments. Lack of training and/or failure to use sterile instruments could result in worse infection.

Staphaseptic - This was the first thing I tried since it has staph in the name. It's an antibiotic but it didn't help. The makers of Staphaseptic claim that it's for PREVENTION of MRSA only. It won't help if you already have a staph infection, but if you get a cut or scrape and put some of this antibiotic on it, it will help prevent a staph infection with 99% effectiveness. For that reason alone I recommend getting some for your FAK.

Draw Out - Found this stuff at Rite-Aid and it's also called Drawing Salve, Black Salve, Bear Grease, etc. This stuff worked great to draw out the infection. Just apply some to a bandage then bandage the wound. It works for infections of all kind, and even draws out splinters. I highly recommend you get a tube of Ichthammol, the active ingredient in drawing salves.

Epsom Salt - Making an epsom salt compress helped relieve pain. Dissolve epsom salt into hot water, then soak a wash cloth in it. Hold the hot cloth compress on the wound for 5-10 minutes. Repeat. A hot compress followed by a bandage with Draw Out made me feel better. My research on epsom salt also shows it helps relieve itching due to herpes, if you have that problem :upsidedown:

By using the epsom salt compress followed by the drawing salve, I was able to get rid of my staph infection within 5 days, relatively pain free and without lancing the infection. I realize that a lot of you already know what you should do in the event of an infection. However, for those of you who don't, I hope you find this information helpful. MRSA is very serious, and can even lead to death if it enters the blood stream, not to mention it is HIGHLY contagious. And with approximately 25% of Americans carrying staph, it just makes sense to prepare for inevitability of someone getting it in a SHTF situation.
How many times a day did you change the drawing salve please
 
#27 ·
Yes, it is an old thread but can be pertinent today. I ended up with a horrible knee infection back in 2016 from what I believe was a needle from an MD doing injections in my knee. I ended up not walking for close to 3 months and that's when the docs at UCLA finally did an MRI and found the Staph infection. Then it was 2.5 months of IV' abx drugs....finally was able to start to walk, but talk about FEAR. Could not do a lawsuit as I kinda looked at that. I was down for 4.5 months in hospital and 3 rehabs. All medical mistakes.
 
#30 ·
You can drink it inhale it and put it on your skin how do you figure it wasn't a colloidal silver "job" It's literally imbedded into sheets at many hospitals to prevent mrsa after surgery and stronger than any antibiotic. I'm not a doctor though so I'm not the 3rd leading cause of death in America. Either way hope you're all healed up.
 
#31 ·
I was not able to stand up or walk for close to 3 MONTHS, and after all is said and done the infection was MOST LIKELY caused by a needle from injections I was getting in my knee by an MD. I was carried out on a gurney to UCLA and it took the team of docs 2.5 months to finally do an MRI and found the infection.... They kept doing xrays and the infection does not show up on xrays.....so much was unknown for some months.

This was NOT a C.S. job.

Medical negligence and again not for C.S.
 
#32 · (Edited)
I would just soak a discolorized iodine on a bandaid pad gauze part and put it over the affected area for a 2 day or so. Continue doing that for two days. Then switch medicating with topical salve like PRID or itchamol on a band-aid and stick over it. Both make sure it covers affected area if not adjust the gauze part with different size band-aid or sterilized gauges cut to cover affected area .

Iodine kills the MRSA/ GERMS almost 100 % and draw puss out with by ointment .
 
#33 · (Edited)
Best of luck with staph infection without medical intervention! A staph infection in my knee went from 0 to nearly loosing my leg or my life within 2 days. They said I was half a day or less from blood poisoning and would have been fatal.

They had to put me on powerful IV antibiotics and cut my knee open, cleaned out everything they could, waited 2 days and did it again. I was on IV infusions for 2 weeks after the surgery because that's all my crappy insurance would pay for. The surgeon was pretty angry when he found that out.

A few years or so later they diagnosed me with Fibromyalgia (I know, fake condition, it's all in my head) they figure was a result of the infection and lack of a full run of antibiotics. Now after more than a decade & a half it's significant and debliltating. Don't screw around with staph, if you can get to a doctor DO IT! Here endeth the lesson! :p
 
#34 ·
It can turn bad fast. I felt bad at supper time and 24 hours later I'm in the emergency room. Sepis can change your blood chemistry fast. It was during covid, too. Glad MsMacy stayed after their ass to get me in the emergency room. Ambulance will get you in the door. Worst I have ever felt. At one point, I Prayed to God to take care of my family, and was sorry I was such a piece of ****. I really thought I was a gonner and I am not even playing.
 
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