(Find an update to this post: MRSA, Victimization and Shooting the Messenger)
(And a further update, posted 8 months later: MRSA: Patient Ignored, Left to Die — Redux)
In the past two days, I have heard three stories, all related to MRSA and other hospital acquired staph infections, and all relating to heinous — even (in my not-so-humble-opinion) criminal acts on the parts of healthcare providers or politicos.
One story came from a colleague who visited a woman in the hospital. The woman contracted an infection after surgery almost a year ago. She is still in the hospital, on life support, not because of the surgery, but because the infection has just consumed her.
But she is the better story — she is, at least, being treated.
The second story came from a woman I’ll call Maxine. Maxine had surgery last fall, and noticed spots as soon as she got home. Her husband then contracted the infection, and then her son. Her husband was diagnosed with MRSA and given an antibiotic which, of course, did nothing for him. Now NONE of the three can find anyone willing to give them a test for MRSA — because, she tells me, in her state, if they are diagnosed with one of these superbug infections, then that doctor must, by law, treat them. No doctor wants them as patients. She has reached out to me asking what can be done.
The third story is probably at the root of the other two, regardless of the fact that it comes from somewhere else. A man named Jeff thought he might have picked up an infection while at his gym. He went to the emergency room where they began checking him — with no gloves on. When he asked the doctor to wash his hands (you go, Jeff!), the doctor looked at him like he was crazy. The doctor laughed! then told him “that stuff about infections has all been blown out of proportion.” Jeff was given an antibiotic which has done nothing (more than two months later) — but wonders, too, what about the next patient that doctor treated?
And let’s not forget the federal government! It’s has come up with its own unique way of killing off its citizens. At least this is a place we can take action… link to learn more.
Is there some deep, dark conspiracy to make sure these infections continue to kill people? Why is it that providers are, on the one hand, pretending they aren’t dangerous — but on the other hand, they are making sure patients don’t get the treatment they need?
I really just don’t get this one…. and except for harping on the hand-washing advice for my readers, I just don’t know what else we patients can do.
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(Find an update to this post: MRSA, Victimization and Shooting the Messenger)
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Keeping patients experiences active was the key reason I set up PatientsTalking.com a free website that allow people to write a diary about their experiences within a safe & solid platform. I set it up as I wanted to read about someone with my experience to enable me to feel less alone & create some sort of understanding which is a positive self help tool.
I found looking for blogs on specific medical experiences by patients difficult to locate and took a lot of searching time. It works because you write a diary on any medical experience and can search within one website for specific medical conditions to read about others patients going through simular experiences. Although I have yet to officially launch my site the feedback has been very good and it is up and running with just under a 1,000 members.
Patients Talking have chatted with several BBC local radio stations, work with NHS PCT’s, the Long Term Conditions Alliance, E-Health, the Cardiac Network Group & the Expert Patient Programme. We were included within packets at the 3rd Annual Conference Patient Information Forum (Producing Effective Information for Patients: The Key Issue which took place on 11/03/08) and have an article coming out in E-health online in April 2008.
Patientstalking.com share your health experience today…
Kind regards, Soozi (Founder of Patients Talking) (currently looking at blogs!)
my mum went into nottingham city hospital for cancer about 5 weeks ago.the opp seemed to go well they she contracted MRSA,the hospital lead me to belive that there was nothing to worry about. even so much so she was being discharged,on that very day she was coming home she started to cough up blood & clots, so much so that they had to give her blood to replace whot she had lost, then they took some blood and left her, because her blood came back as ok they left her. 2 oclock the next morning she started to cough up blood again,at 6oclock in the morning they decided to take my mum to surgery when he put the camera down my mums throat he said all that he could see was blood.They couldnt get the blood back into her fast enough, so WHY DID;NT THEY DO ANY THING THE FIRST TIMR IT HAPPENED INSTEAD OF JUST LETTING HER BLEED TO DEATH. would this be down to the MRSA this was in her chest where the surgery was done.this is only half of the story im disgraced by this hospital and the way they treat both patients and relatives.oh and as for hygiene i think that the goverment should be looking at the staff as well, because they dont get tested for MRSA WHY NOT
My mom who lives in Fresno California was recently diagnosed with MRSA. She got it after a surgery. She started to have pain and was throwing up. Her doctor that performed the surgery was in denial that she had MRSA. Before my mom had the surgery she was scared that she was going to get MRSA. She has Lupus so her immune system is not good. She did have the surgery and 4 days later she got violently sick. The doctor would not run a test to see if she had it. The hospital doctor had to step in and order the test and four days later sure enough the test were positive. After that her doctor finally came by to see her ( which he had not been back to see her since she first got ill and she had requested to be tested for MRSA ) he called her some unkindly names and refused to treat her. Everything happened in front of the hospital staff. He is the one who did the surgery and now he is REFUSING TO TREAT HER! And the scary thing is that he had orders for her to have a catheter put in her. The hospital doctor of course did not put a catheter in her. The hospital doctor had to treat her and the doctor for disease control is also treating her. They discharged her after 3 weeks in the hospital. So don’t tell me that MRSA is no big deal and don’t tell me that doctors and staff will not refuse to treat someone. I know that by law they have to but that does not mean that they will. They will come up with some kind of reason of why they can’t. Not everyone can be treated by text book. In my moms case she already had a bad immune system you would think that after knowing my moms medical history that it would make sense to test for MRSA before having the surgery. Now after being out of the hospital for 1 week she started to throw up and was having pains again. Since she can not find a doctor that will treat her she had no choice but to go to the ER. The staff there was rude! She informed them that she has MRSA and that she currently has an open wound and she also has a vacuum that is sucking out the drainage in her belly she was also throw up and they laughed when she asked them to wear gloves before touching her. Her arms were wet and moist and the triage person did not care to wear gloves even if it was to turn her arm a certain way. She then asked if they have a separate waiting room to put her in and they again laughed and said you have to wait in the main waiting room like all of the others. Why wouldn’t they have a room for contagious people that have MRSA that is currently vomiting? Or what happens to people who have chicken pox and they sit next to someone like me who is 30 years old that has never had chicken pox. What happens to the people who have a weaken immune system and they sit out there with the healthy sick people. My mom waited out in the waiting room for 4 hours and she ended up leaving. The next day her home health nurse made her go back to the ER because she has lost 20lbs and was still actively throwing up. She went in thru triage and immediately was sent back to a room. She is still in the hospital and they did find 3 other pockets that is filled with fluid and they need to be drained. I understand the MRSA is different for people who are healthy. They usually can bounce back. But what about the ones who have a weak immune system. And by the way my mom is a clean freak. So what happens when the bloggers like the ones who are on attack and are in denial of how serious MRSA really is start to blame the patient on poor hygiene when it is the hospital staff and the hospital itself that laughs when they are requested to wear gloves. And if you have ever seen some of the staff that cleans the hospital do you think they really take that much pride in cleaning. I know people who use to work sterilizing the equipment. What a big joke of workers they were. Needless to say they no longer work there. They were given the job because their mom was a head nurse and no one had the balls to say that person did not perform her job well because you do not want to have any conflict with her mom who was one of the head nurses. This all is bad. My mom is only 54 years old she looks terrible and who knows how much longer she will last. I wonder if those other bloggers work in the medical field.
I found out I had MRSA right after mothers day. I am still fighting this horrendous infection after 7 treatments of antibiotics. My leg had a lesion on it the size of a golf ball and was swollen twice as big as the other leg. It was very painful. I could barely walk. I was having fever, rash, chills, and no appetite. Thank goodness for my husband cooking and making me eat, because I probably would have die. I went through so many bandages and tape. We bought up everything around us. Today I am still buying bandages, thank god it is not as big. My husband was infected with MRSA in April of this year and then I was infected 3 times worse than him. I do not think the doctors or cdc give you enough information regarding this infection. I also do not think they inform the general public about how contagious this really can be. I am one of those patients with no insurance and of course you know a whole lot of doctors are hospitals are not going to treat you do to the expensive antibiotics they have to give you. I have paid $700.00 for antibiotics since mothers day and yet still not cleared. The type I have is resistance to alot of antibiotics and 1 I am allergic to sulfa drug. This being the main antibiotic to clear this infection. I was pretty much told I was out there on my own by and infectious doctor since I was allergic to so many drugs. My doctor I have been going to has been very good to me. I have even started trying the natural remedies do to so many side effects with meds. I don’t know if they will cure this infection, but it is worth a try. I have pulled skin off my leg from tape and bandages and just bleed and hurt very bad. I am physically, mentally, and financial stressed. I really feel for someone with this infection. My mother and father are now suffering with this awfull infection: My mother has raynoids syndrome and my dad is a diabetic. Both have been to a wound doctor and they seem to be healing, but the real question here is do you ever really get over this horrible flesh eating bacteria. I have not read anything stating to that affect. Also I would like to point out you if the person giving advice has/have not had this infection they have no clue what all of us are going thru. Until they have been in our shoes and the pain and suffering we all have been thru, I just don’t see where they can tell us how we feel. I am sure alot of people will agree with me. I would like to know more information on how to actually get rid of MRSA instead of everyone telling how not contagious this infection is, because we all know it is very contagious. Honestly I believe it is airborne and they just don’t want to tell us. Thank you for your time and forum for us to post our feelings.
I also suffer from MRSA infection received from surgery for a peristomal hernia. My infection was diagnosed ten days after the day of my surgery by the ER doctor. Who immediately sent me back to the doctor and hospital that did the surgery, which is located at my state’s capitol. The next day the surgeon and the hospital were telling me that I had an infection but it was not MRSR. I was blown away! By their actions it seems that something was wrong. The charge nurse stood in my room and told me that I was fortunate that I did not have MRSR. I stayed in the hospital for a week and half. I came home with a wound vac along with home health. Two weeks later, the home health nurse sent me back to the surgeon. Readmit to that same hospital I now was being treated if I had a fistula. Before being test for this ailment, the surgeon told that I would be placed with stents in my kidneys and a feeding tube. Thank God for a gastroenterologist who explained that this treatment was only experimental and had a low percentile of success. I remain in the hospital for five days then discharge with the wound vac, appointment with a wound specialist, and home health care. After seeing the wound specialist for two weeks I was admitted to a local hospital. I was in an advance care unit because of the severity of the MRSR. I develop abscesses through out my abdomen. My hospital stay this time was thirty days before being sent to a specialist in another state. There I send an additional five days hospitalizes.
I have been home for forty-three days and off antibiotics for sixteen days. I still have an open wound but it is must smaller. I had been told that the surgeon failure to prescribe antibiotics were the cause for this prolong infection. From the start I expressed to this surgeon that I was concern that he was not taking this surgery seriously. I spent five months previous to seeing him with consultants from local doctors who would only advice me to go larger medical center. He admitted to my family following the surgery that it was more intense than he ever image. But what I am most upset about is that this surgeon refused to assist in giving his information concerning my surgery to these new doctors. Even though I am outrage I have not attempt to sue him or that hospital for theirs negligent.
BEWARE the medical world DOES refuse to help whosoever they pleased – I know by personal experience.