Calm my nerves: has your child had a staph/ MRSA skin infection ?

[Anonymous]

My son had a scratch behind his ear that got infected, and after two days of topical antibiotics, the ped stepped up his meds to an oral antibiotic (an older sulfa based one). He said to watch for a sunburn effect on his body and limbs, which would indicate either an allergic reaction or a worse level of staph infection.

I am just about to flip out, and wondered if I'm overreacting. Should I get a second opinion? Is there more my doctor should be doing? Has your DC been through this and does it turn out okay 99% of the time? We had a family friend DIE last year (age 46) of an infection that went septic, despite her hospital treatment. I need to get a grip, but I'm really not doing a good job right now.

Thanks!!

[Anonymous]

Yes. Both my son and I have had MRSA infections. I am assuming he is on Bactrim? Did your Ped also give him Bactroban to put on topically? Bactroban is amazing stuff. According to my Ped, that is the standard treatment. We were also told by my Infectious Disease doctor to use antibacterial soap. How old is your son? Mine was just a few months old. I had a much more serious case. I developed mastitis from breastfeeding and it was MRSA. I was hospitalized on IV antibiotics. I have to be honest, recovery for me was a nightmare. MRSA is very serious but it is treatable. It is also becoming more and more common.

[Anonymous]

I echo the PP's suggestions. I developed MRSA during delivery and passed it on to my newborn. He bounced back quickly with topical bactroban treatment. I needed oral antibiotics.

Watch out for an allergic reaction to the sulfa drug -- my nephew had it. If you notice any type of rash elsewhere on his body call the ped immediately, stop the drug and start on benadryl.

[Anonymous]

Friend's teenage son had it and was hospitalized (football player). Her young son, 4 at the time, had it, too - got it from a cut. Both are fine, even though the teenager had a stubborn case.

It's treatable. So follow doctor's orders and be vigilant.

I always keep antiseptic wipes in the car and Neosporin just in case.

an ounce of prevention . . .

[Anonymous]

I have an adult relative who had it, contracted it in a routine hospital procedure. She is well, and fine, but I will say it took a loooooong time of vigilant treatment for her tests to come back "normal." Lots of antibiotics, soaps, laundry, etc.

I agree, it IS treatable. Just stay on top of it, if that's what you have.

[Anonymous]

Please be-careful what you read because the internet can totally freak you out about MRSA. DH got it approximately 1-month ago and we had an almost 5-month old at the time. I called the pediatrician immediately and they were less than concerned. They informed me to make sure that DH site of infection is always covered and he thoroughly cleans his hands before changing/handling our son. They informed me that very rarely do they see family members pass it to one another. Also, we were concerned whether the whole family should go on a serious/stronger antiobiotic that could totally rid our family of it and they very strongly advised against that. They treated DH with oral bactrim (sp?) as well as nasal swab to prevent spreading. They also said it would be safe for the whole family to swab our noses to prevent spreading since it can live for a month. Just keep a very close eye on the sore and make sure it does not worsen.... Bactrim is apparently one of the few drugs that can treat it but does so effectively -that is if it is MRSA.

[Anonymous]

It is also possible that it isn't MRSA. They can't really tell for certain unless they culture it.

[Anonymous]

PP here. I don't mean that to alarm you , but to reassure you. Sometimes another strain of staph can just get a grip in a body, and topical stuff just doesn't cut it. If he responds to antibiotics, that's a good sign.

[Anonymous]

Thanks everyone. DS3 was put on topical antibiotics Monday, after complaining his ear hurt. He has so many ear infections (asymptomatic other than ear pain) that's what I assumed it was when I made the appt.

I was shocked to see he actually had a blister behind his ear, I felt like such a bad mom to have missed it. The ped said it was impetigo or a general staph infection, and gave us Bactroban. Just like PP said, he told us it was 25x stronger than Neosporin and would fix things up.

Well, poor DS got so bad he spiked a fever and couldn't sleep at night from the pain of laying on it, or flipping on his bad side and waking up screaming from the pain in his ear. That next morning (today) I insisted on bringing him back to the ped for another look - - it wasn't getting better, it was worse.

What scared me was my ped said, what did I give him? I said Bactroban, and he said yes, but what did I give him orally? Um, nothing?!? To which he said, yup, that's what he needs now. I was/am nervous he is kind of undertreating him to start with and maybe still is.

My sister is an RN, and she said he's doing the right things with the Bactrim he gave him starting today (two doses in him as of now). If he's not better by Saturday morning or if he gets a sunburn rash, I'm to call back the on call doctor Saturday by noon.

He took a culture, but said he's treating it as MRSA regardless. I read there are stronger drugs they can use, which is part of my concern he's undertreating him.

Also, I told him DS had that fever and since his lymph nodes around his neck aren't inflamed, he thinks that may be a viral thing coming on. Of course, if you read that on the internet, it's usually a combination of flu and MRSA that is fatal to small children!! So, I'm still really freaked and hypervigilant but I'll give it through Friday to respond to the meds. It's just so scary to read about these little kids getting sick one day, and ending up dying within 72 hours!! It makes my stomach knot up just writing about it...

[Anonymous]

I think you should ask for the sore to be cultured. If it's MRSA, they can determine the sensitivities. In other words, they can identify what antibiotics it is NOT resistant to. Take him to the emergency room if you think the infection is getting worse. I would be particularly watchful of the fever. I wouldn't mess around with calling the Ped. There are stronger meds - most likely an IV would be used. I'm assuming your child is a baby? I know MRSA is very scary. I responded above. (I was the one with Mastitis and my son also got it.) Take care and keep us posted.

[Anonymous]

ALL staph is NOT MRSA!! Just take deep breaths and take it one step at a time.

[Anonymous]

I think my doc is doing the right things. He's upped him to oral antibiotics of Bactrim, he's cultured the wound to see what it responds to (have to wait until Sat for the results though...), I'm still putting Bactroban on his ear, and his fever is gone.

Doc warned me it would look worse today, and it does, so I'm at least grateful he's giving me milestones to feel my way through this nerve-wracking time. I hope that tomorrow morning it starts to scab over and heal.

Thanks for all the encouragement. I still had a nightmare last night that he took a turn for the worse... it was awful.

[Anonymous]

We had an episode of MRSA last year, and interestingly, the specialist we saw told us that MRSA is becoming resistant to Bactroban. There is a brand new topical equivalent on the market which the MRSA is very sensitive to. I can't quite remember the name of it since it was a year ago, but it starts with an "A"

[Anonymous]

All staph is not MRSA and that's why any skin lesions that are capable of being cultured should be cultured ASAP to determine the appropriate course of treatment. Insist on having them pierce it and culture it as soon as you notice it -- don't wait and see or try other topical treatments or antibiotics first.

I had MRSA that my OB missed -- he initially treated me as if I had a run of the mill staph infection. My primary care physician was the one who pierced one of the lesions and sent it out to be cultured -- and immediately treated it with the appropriate antibiotics (since the penicillin type drug wasn't working). FWIW, I presented with cellulitis at Suburban's ER 4 days post delivery and the ER doc told me he didn't know what it was and suggested I follow up with a dermatologist -- he said ER docs are better equipped to deal with car accidents and heart attacks.

[Anonymous]

I don't think anyone is suggesting that all staph is MRSA. When an infection shows signs of being resistant or if the infected person has a history of MRSA, it is common to treat it as if it is MRSA because MRSA is becoming so common in the community. Treatment typically needs to start before the results of the culture are known.