[slyfink]

ok, so my wife is 8 months pregnant. her dad had a stroke early this week. he lives in a town 2 hours away from us, so we headed over to stay with her mom and two brothers. it looks like he's stabilizing now, but we still don't know what the long-term outlook is now.

now here's the thing. This is a big hospital in one of the biggest cities in Canada. before going in to the hospital, I tell my wife (who is 8 mo. pregnant, as you'll recall) that we should ask the doctors about the dangers of catching a "superbug" in the hospital, given her "condition". we are told, not to worry people with contagious diseases are in different campuses of the hospital.

so today, we find out the first hospital her father was admitted to before going to the neurosurgery hospital has found a strain of MRSA. a drug resistant superbug. her dad is now in a form of quarantine, so now we have to wear gowns, masks, and gloves before going in. My wife doesn't want to stop seeing her dad.

I'm freaking out. those fukking bugs are nasty and my wife wouldn't be able to get treatment anyways because she's pregnant. wikipedia tells me this particular strain has been known to lead to that flesh eating disease.

are there any monkeys with experience in this? is the risk really acute, and we should gtfo of town??? or can she still go visit her dad, taking all the necessary precautions?

how the fvck did it ever get to this?

 

[boostindoubles]

yikes. You have a situation on your hands! A pregnant lady who is filled with emotions is a force to be reckoned with. Hell women in general are intense as fvck. You should help her see that she needs to be concerned foremost for baby. Her dad has already lived his life. Its probably best not to put into jeopardy the upcoming one.

 

[dhmike]

that's focked . i hope for the best for your family .

 

[Toshi]

MRSA is everywhere. Not a big reason to freak out.

 

[Capricorn]

how did it happen? a combination of mutation, over zealous docs wanting to make a quick buck, and lazy patients who dont finish their medications according to prescription (quantity and time).
The over-zealous greed bit leads to prescribing anti biotics for anything, even if largely unrelated. Flu and colds? goto bed. R&R is all it needs. it's viral. give it time and your body should nullify it. Instead, ppl get so worked up docs see a gap and prescribe anti-biotics. Granted, if there is a genuine secondary infection that can be dealt with using AB, then by all means, of course.
Lazy patients: get prescribed their ABs. but dont take it to completion once their situation improves. The simple analogy that comes to mind is like leaving one or two injured soldiers on the field instead of making sure everyone's dead. Those buggers fix thsemselves up, and report back to HQ. Reinforcements with updated intell is bound to kick your ass later on. Similarly with bugs exposed to certain levels of drugs. They build up an immunity, and this is where the mutation bit comes into play. The above mentioned scenario + environmental factors can make bugs mutate to super immune levels. In ZA we have XDR (extremely drug resistant) TB. More and more cases of multiple and/or extreme drug resistant bacteria are cropping up. Scary thing is, AB technology is lagging behind a bit.

 

[jdcamb]

MRSA is everywhere. Not a big reason to freak out.

if i microwave my Cheerios will that kill it? I'm freaking out Dude! I heat up my spoon until it glows then quench it in the Milk? I haven't died yet so I must be doing it right? Map gas is starting to get expensive though. Can I get the gubmint to pay for it? Phugging MRSA's are after me.... What are the symptoms? My doctor is not answering the phone man!! Should I call 911? Maybe Obama? I'm freaking out Man!!! Can tonsils grow back? What is likelyhood of getting chicken pox again? Should I use Compound W on Poison Ivy? It seems to me that it would do more then Kalamine Lotion.... Ahhhhhh.

 

[Dartman]

MRSA is everywhere. Not a big reason to freak out.

Right. Don't freak. **** is on your skin all the time. It's when it get's pushed below it's a problem.

Don't let infections go. Get to a Dr. or ER and get it taken care of quick.

I spent three days in the hospital from the zit from hell. But have recovered nicely.

 

[sundaydoug]

Posting about this on Ridemonkey was definetely the right call. Mountain bikers with nothing to do all day other than argue on the internet about mountain bikes should be able to give you helpful insight about MRSA.

 

[AngryMetalsmith]

if i microwave my Cheerios will that kill it? I'm freaking out Dude! I heat up my spoon until it glows then quench it in the Milk? I haven't died yet so I must be doing it right? Map gas is starting to get expensive though. Can I get the gubmint to pay for it? Phugging MRSA's are after me.... What are the symptoms? My doctor is not answering the phone man!! Should I call 911? Maybe Obama? I'm freaking out Man!!! Can tonsils grow back? What is likelyhood of getting chicken pox again? Should I use Compound W on Poison Ivy? It seems to me that it would do more then Kalamine Lotion.... Ahhhhhh.

Holy crap dude ! You better check under the bed, it might be hiding there. Then to make sure, saw all the legs off your furniture.

 

[Dog Welder]

I was exposed to and continue to be exposed to MRSA on a nearly daily basis as a firefighter. This time last year I was off work for nearly two months with two MRSA infections. I had to get IV antibiotics through a PICC line. Its a two foot long IV line that drips straight into my heart, because the antibiotics they were giving me were so hardcore that they would have torn up my veins.

Having been through through that experience and the research I've done into the subject. I can honestly say that you don't have much to fear. IF you simply wash your hands, shower on a regular basis, and cover up any wound with a bandaid...the chances of you getting MRSA is low.

LIke Toshi said it is everywhere. I'm even willing to bet if you and your wife had your noses swabbed and cultured, they would find MRSA there. IT is not a superbug, simply a bacteria that is resistant to the most common antibiotics. There is stuff out there that will kill it. IF you are young and in good shape, even if you do get an infection more likely than not the most you will develop is a large boil that will hurt like hell but may come to a head and self drain without the use of antibiotics.

I'd say you are pretty safe to continue to see your dad. Its not like MRSA is airborne and even if it was it still needs an access point and a compromised immune system to do any real damage.

After my experience all I have left that was evidence to my exposure is a scar the size of a dime on my thigh.

 

[stevew]

I spent three days in the hospital from the zit from hell. But have recovered nicely.

you're one of those people....

 

[Dartman]

Ughh... no.

 

[trib]

well that was attractive

 

[slyfink]

Posting about this on Ridemonkey was definetely the right call. Mountain bikers with nothing to do all day other than argue on the internet about mountain bikes should be able to give you helpful insight about MRSA.

Not all monkeys are college kids. Most do more than just ride bikes... but thanks for your input.

I was exposed to and continue to be exposed to MRSA on a nearly daily basis as a firefighter. This time last year I was off work for nearly two months with two MRSA infections. I had to get IV antibiotics through a PICC line. Its a two foot long IV line that drips straight into my heart, because the antibiotics they were giving me were so hardcore that they would have torn up my veins.

Having been through through that experience and the research I've done into the subject. I can honestly say that you don't have much to fear. IF you simply wash your hands, shower on a regular basis, and cover up any wound with a bandaid...the chances of you getting MRSA is low.

LIke Toshi said it is everywhere. I'm even willing to bet if you and your wife had your noses swabbed and cultured, they would find MRSA there. IT is not a superbug, simply a bacteria that is resistant to the most common antibiotics. There is stuff out there that will kill it. IF you are young and in good shape, even if you do get an infection more likely than not the most you will develop is a large boil that will hurt like hell but may come to a head and self drain without the use of antibiotics.

I'd say you are pretty safe to continue to see your dad. Its not like MRSA is airborne and even if it was it still needs an access point and a compromised immune system to do any real damage.

After my experience all I have left that was evidence to my exposure is a scar the size of a dime on my thigh.

this is kinda what I was looking for. Thanks Dog Welder, Toshi and Dartman. A night to sleep on it, a talk with the attending physician and head nurse, and a friend who's an ICU nurse helped me bring my freak out under control.

Sometimes, it's not about looking for advice, but rather being provided an opportunity to vent. Thanks to RM for that. Now, back to the topic of this board, and those World Champs 4 hours up the road!

p.s. whoah, Dog Welder, that sounds like a pretty heavy experience. Glad to hear you're ok...

 

[Batman]

Haven't read other replies but here's my two cents.

I work in a hospital (in southern Ontario at that) and am exposed to all sorts of fun stuff daily. MSRA is mostly dangerous as a liquid and not transferrable airborne. Wash your hands thoroughly, gown up when necessary and shower when home. Shouldnt be an issue. We are exposed to a lot of this stuff without ever knowing. Hope the dad is doing well and best of luck with the soon-to-be.

If you dont mind telling, which two hospitals are you dealing with?

 

[jdcamb]

Holy crap dude ! You better check under the bed, it might be hiding there. Then to make sure, saw all the legs off your furniture.

Man that was a lot of work......

 

[slyfink]

Haven't read other replies but here's my two cents.

I work in a hospital (in southern Ontario at that) and am exposed to all sorts of fun stuff daily. MSRA is mostly dangerous as a liquid and not transferrable airborne. Wash your hands thoroughly, gown up when necessary and shower when home. Shouldnt be an issue. We are exposed to a lot of this stuff without ever knowing. Hope the dad is doing well and best of luck with the soon-to-be.

If you dont mind telling, which two hospitals are you dealing with?

Thanks for the response and the well wishes.
To answer your question, the first hospital he was admitted to was the Lakeshore on the West Island of Montreal, and the second, where he is now, is the Royal Victoria

 

[sanjuro]

Palin warned us about socialized medicine...