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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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#47 ·
I had this constantly from 2005-2007. Came up right after Katrina hit NO and evacuees came up here, coincidence??? Had to miss work frequently. In 2 years I would get 1-2 boils a week. I can say the medical treatments were very little help. I tried everything I could from garlic, hibiclens, Clorox baths, herbs, cleanses, antibiotics, even tea tree oil swabbed in my nasal passages. Doctors treating you like a piece of trash. It seems I virtually gave up because nothing worked. Even had a dr. try a pic line with a powerful antibiotic 2 times a day for a week. If you have never had these boils they are the MOST painful thing I have ever been through, no relief, no way to make the pain subside. I was on my knees begging for mercy from God. They gave me mupuricin to swab my nasal passages and antibiotics that were supposed to be effective. Every time the mrsa would show back up. What could stop it??? Many times on my knees in prayer. I decided to make one more trip to the doc for another opinion. He gave me the same antibiotics and more mupuricin. I reluctantly tried it. GONE..........!!!!!!! Now what stopped it I can't say for sure because the medicines and procedures were the same. I will say the Lord healed me.... Revelation 16:11 And blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and repented not of their deeds..... Everytime I read that my experience is what I relate that to except I would say turn to God and repent, seek Him.
 
#52 ·
My Dr. is sending me a Script of Doxycycline, and I have an appointment on Friday at 10am.
My first MRSA infection was back in 11'. I had never heard of MRSA, and had never had any kind of infection, so I thought it was a spider bite.
I had it for nearly a month before I mentioned it to my Dr. casually at an appointment for some other problem. He took one look at the festering boil on my leg and sent me straight down to the ER, where they confirmed that it was MRSA, and lanced, drained irrigated and packed it. I had to replace the packing myself til'' it healed up, and that was no fun.
I really thought nothing of it again til' around the 20th of this month, when I scratched what I thought was just an itch on my right buttock. The skin freely peeled away and it began expressing puss. I got into the shower with hot water, and dug at it, as I wanted it cleaned out. Then I put a rubbing alcohol compress on it and a bandaid with some neosporin.
Anyhow, I'm going to ask them on friday why they did not tell me about how to get rid of it entirely, and simply treated the symptom rather than the infection, which I likely have had since the first time.
The skin on my back feels like a sunburn sometimes too, and I want to tear it off with sandpaper, but that is apparently from the MRSA Bacteria too.
I hope to get rid of it for good this time and will be following the advice in this thread.
I've already been eating a lot more raw Garlic since just the other day, so that's a start anyhow.
 
#53 ·
MY husband gets leg ulcers. We swear by olive leaf.

Nothing like cleaning a nasty, infected, leg ulcer because he doesn't want to hear doc yell at him again. If he has more than one I use separate cleansing stuff on each.

He has some HORRIBLE scars.

Me, I'm boils. Vitamin A has been huge for helping with that.
 
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#54 ·
I had MRSA recently. That is why I posted about it on my thread. I had the same deal, looked like a pimple, turned into a boil about the size of a quarter, then doubled in size in one day, next day I had a football size red area full of puss and infection. Dr. opened me with a incision and the infection was pushed out. They packed the wound with a shoe string like gauze but did it to tight, per the ER Dr. I ended up seeing next. He said this caused it to push out through the epidermis (skin) between the muscle and skin. I could barely walk and with it on my abdomen it was not possible to drive. I had to receive vancomycin through an IV for 2 days and Morphin for the pain which stayed around a 9 to 10. I mentioned the rubber gloves in my thread because you can get 100 pair for like 8 to 10 bucks. Well worth it if it stops someone else or me from spreading this staff infection. I would not wish it on anyone. The Bactrim is only going to subdue the MRSA from getting worse, sorry brother but there is no cure it is just dormant in you for now. They do not have anything that kills this to date. What sus is you can get it anywhere on anything you touch, it is not airborne, but anyone who has the infection and is not sterile in treating it can easily pass it to others. I hate to hear you had such a tough time and your wife too.

Hope it doesn't peek it's ugly head out again for yall
 
#55 ·
By the way they had me on 4 antibiotic with zero results when I finally was sent to ER. Bactroban applies to the nostrils twice a day, and on any surface wound is key. Pimp, scratch, bump you think squeezing will make it egress the bump, Bactroban ointment on the area and do not touch your nose and then touch a wound, staff lives in the nose. Rubber gloves are smart, don't use iodine or hydrogen peroxide because these although they clean they also break down the skin not allowing it to heal. Only apply those the first day, then Bactroban and cover the open wound at all times, wash all clothes and sheets in hot water, and sterile, sterile, sterile bandage care for wounds. Diet and rest play a part in suppression of MSRA, when your body is weak you are more likely to see a problem occur.

Hibiscus Soap was prescribed by ER, it can be bought over the counter at CVS or Walgreens. The foam applicator allows move coverage rate per product than the pour out liquid container. It is not a bad idea to use everyday, if you have a certain type of soap you like for smell you caneed mix the hibiscus soap with your regular wash soap. This is the soap surgeons clean with prior to operating.
 
#56 ·
Poked my head into this thread because I have a boil. It has been there, on my inner thigh, for over a year. Sometimes it is big and painful, sometimes it "goes away". Last month I had a chance to sit with an onion pressed onto it for several hours and it did drain some pus after that but not the core, as I understand that has to come out before it can truly heal. It stopped swelling though, so I went about my business. Last night at work I felt the pinch and when I came home sure enough it was swollen again. I sat with the onion for a couple of hours and have been sitting with an onion again this morning for about three hours.

I did mention this to my doctor at one point last fall but I was basically brushed off and ignored. I'm not sure if it's a staph infection, but there's really nothing else it would be, is there? I am going to check it when I take my shower and put some tea tree oil on it. I've also tried witch hazel. Not sure what to do next; there's no way I'm lancing this thing myself.
 
#57 ·
My recent MRSA scare turned out to not be MRSA.
I simply had chronic dry skin from the soap I was using and washing/scrubbing too much and had a pimple that got infected, but it was not a MRSA infection.
Now, I use Dial soap and apply Baby Oil to my skin upon exiting the shower before drying off with a towel.
I feel much better now, and the itching, burning sensation is nearly gone. I'm also going to try a Gold Bond Medicated Lotion that is for itchy dry skin.
It seems my body just does'nt produce enough of it's own oils to keep my skin properly moisturized.
Anyhow, I forgot to come back to this thread and mention that.
 
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