View Full Version : MRSA Skin Infection
I have has SOMETHING for the past 10 years or so. I have gone to Dermatoligist ans she said it was acne BUT I don't believe it is. I have been doing some online research and come up with a Probable diagnosis for myself of MRSA.
The pictures I have found and the descritions I have read ALL sound just like what I have. Now, I may also have SOME acne but I also have something else going on and that is what I think is the MRSA.
It is an infection of the skin caused by Staph. It causes painful bumps, blisters filled with bloody fluid and occasionally there MIGHT be a bit of puss come out when I open the sorest spot with a CLEAN needle and squeeze it. The itching and burning and real PAIN is immediatly relieved once I get the fluid OUT. I also am prone to cysts. I had one bad one on my chest a few years ago which I squeezed daily for almost 6 months. I now have the same type of thing on my cheek, my FACE cheek, not my Butt cheek.;) I get so much bloody fluid out of that each day at least once that a whole Kleenex is red. I work on it a little at a time since I can slowly clean it out but it takes months.
Anyway. I will get some pictures to show you what this stuff looks like. I ordered some SraphAseptic from amazon .com but it hasn't arrived yet. I know this has to be a systemic problem but I don't know how to fix it. I have to figure it out by myself since I HAVE seen docotors about it and they don't seem to know anything about it. Even a Dermatoligist.
So PLEASE don't tell me to go to a doctor. I have been at least 6 times and nothing they have said or done has helped me.
Here is a pic I found online of what the typical thing looks like:
http://img122.imageshack.us/img122/7715/msravv0.jpg
This one is open and not a blister anymore since it is draining. I may have taken a pic of it I had on my upper back, I will have to look. ;)
This thing lasted about 6 months and I DON'T believe this is acne. What do you think?
http://img118.imageshack.us/img118/1281/abz001tb8.jpg
Ellie
08-13-2007, 12:31 PM
I know you don't want to see a doctor, BUT *ducks*, just listen...
I'd probably leapfrog the dermatologist and go to a rheumatologist (not to offend the derma, but the rheumy is going to know more, heh). Furthermore, you should no doubt get your blood checked. I checked online and it said, "MRSA can be detected in asymptomatic patients by a blood test". So, go get that blood test, which I am sure the rheumy would be familiar with.
Unless there's a rare form of acne I never knew about, that does NOT look like acne to me. If you don't have an open access insurance plan, call your normal doctor and tell him/her to refer you to a rheumatologist.
That looks quite painful, and an infection isn't something to mess around with. I can tell you're kind of PO'd with doctors right now but finding the right one might be what finds you a diagnosis and hopefully a cure so you can find some comfort. :)
You should at least try to get the lab work done, so you can find out if it is MRSA or rule it out. Regardless, keep in touch about what you find. :)
shiney sue
08-13-2007, 02:59 PM
What you are talking about is usally gotten in Hospitals and Nursing
homes. If you have it and had to go in the hospital,you would have
to be tested for Marsa,some hospitals will put you in a private room.
The staff is to wear masks,gown and gloves. And even though gloves
are used they must wash hands. Also if you go out of room while in
hosital you must wear same outfit as staff. Other hospitals hands are
washed and gloves are used only. If you are dignosed you must let Drs.
nurses and any health care staff knows. You need to be on very strong
antiboctics. You don't want to fool around,i see the Derms are doing some
thing wrong. The blood test can be done by a family Dr. but the answer
does not overnight. I totally agree with Ellie on Drs.,please take this
very serious because it can be..Sue
WENT to Doc #1. "Oh, it's just acne. here is script for antibiotic."
Took it with No affect.
Doc #2. " Oh, put heat on it. It will break by itself." No script given.
Doc #3 { Dermatoligist } Advice: Get NeoSporin and rub it into each one many times a day. :o
Doc #4. "Let's get sample of fluid from one and run test to see what is it it." Came back with "Nothing that shouldn't Normally be there." :(
Doc #5 "Here TRY this new antibiotic." No change. :o
Doc #6. "Here TRY this one." No change and gave me terrible diarrhea and stomach ache.
NOW you tell me to go BACK to doctor?? This has all happened over span of 10 years and I STILL have this THING. :mad: This is WHY I don't like doctors.
AND that StaphAseptic never arrived either. :o I ordered it 3 weeks ago. :mad:
" Staph Superbug Most Common Cause Of US Skin Infections
It is known as Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), or the Superbug. It is resistant to most standard antibiotics and is becoming more resistant to newer ones. MRSA is now the most common cause of skin infections in the majority of American cities, says Dr. G Moran, University of California, Los Angeles, David Geffen School of Medicine. He believes doctors should be giving patients who need antibiotics only those known to effectively combat MRSA. He says things have changed over the last ten years - a different type of bacteria is now the most common cause of infections.
You can read about this in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM), August 17 issue.
MRSA used to be known as just the 'Hospital Superbug'. It was found just in hospitals, nursing homes and some other health care facilities. It was very rarely found in the community - what is known as 'community associated infection' with MRSA used to be extremely rare. This is not the case any more. There are more and more cases of MRSA acquired in the community - outside hospitals.
MRSA is not an uncommon bacteria. Apparently about one third of us, and maybe more, carry it around with us in our nose, on our skin and in our throat. Most of the time it is harmless. However, it can occasionally lead to serious and potentially fatal infections. Something as insignificant as a paper-cut can lead to MRSA infection. "
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/49872.php
:(
Since I have been TRYING to figure out exactly what this is I have been doing some more research and it appears these things are Cystic or Nodular acne. As I said before, I have had this for almost 10 years. It all started around the time of menopause. It seems that bacteria are present in the hair follicle and it gets infected. I notice that where it hurts the MOST isn't right at the hair follicle but to the side of it. AND that's is where I get the majority of the pain and bloody fluid from it. Here is a diagram of what it looks like Under the skin:
http://img523.imageshack.us/img523/1038/cysticacnexk1.jpg
I also read something that seems particulaly pertinent right now. it said that it can get Worse if you are losing weight, which I have been over the past few months. I was thinking that. Maybe free floating fat in the blood might cause it or at least aggravete it and make it worse. The bloody fluid is actually blood and built up OIL. The Inflammation Spillage are tiny little bumps aroubnd it that hurt and also contain bloddy fluid and if I don't open them up and clean them out they get worse. I have tried leaving them alone but then they just get bigger. That's the spreading you see around the whole area.
I hope eventually this problem resolves itself because obviously medical science can't help me. Maybe if I get real skinny the whole thing will go away. :o
Ellie
08-28-2007, 01:18 PM
I know this is sort of off topic but on topic at the same time... BUT!
I frequently have problems with cysts, tumors and these sebaceous cysts that has been an ongoing problem since I was a toddler. For a long time they thought my sebaceous cysts were boils as unfortunately, they would show up in fairly unpleasant areas such as my rump and groin area where my panty lining rests.
They had put me on Doxycycline for the Lyme/Parvo and what's bizarre is I've noticed no cysts and some are even shrinking, excluding the one in my breast (it's solid and clearly not going anywhere). I did read on the bottle it's also used for acne treatment, but oddly enough - I broke out, but that may have some linkage with the pain medications combined with stress.
I stopped taking it because it made me puke, but it was nice for the time to go without the cysts that caused pain.
No Elle, not off topic at all. I too have a bit of acne but it's NOT these huge, blood filled bumpy things I am talking about. I wonder WHY we get these things. And they HURT sometimes until you make a hole in them and press out the fluid. I don't mean just "hurt" they drive me crazy with the burning and itching. I only had ONE that actually had pus in it. This IS a real problem for me. I have another one now on other side of back of my upper back near my neck and it hurts. I have opened it and got so much fluid out but it takes many sessions and eventually it does go away, months.
Ellie
08-28-2007, 02:43 PM
That really stinks. :( Hopefully you find a smart doctor one day who can get this diagnosed and treated. I can understand your discomfort (to an extent), they are painful and very bothersome.
I know. :( And there is Nothing you can do to make them go away either.
I just made appointment with Holistic Counsellor to talk about Many things and this is one of them. This'll be a new route for me eventhough I am a very Nature conscious person but obviouly Conventional medicine isn't working. :o Wish me luck. Maybe she knows people I can't find.
shiney sue
08-29-2007, 06:25 PM
Please do not put a pin in thease to drain,have you been ever told
you need to take a water pill , and what type of Dr. did you see
who told you you had acne??? I would think you need to see a
infectious Diease Dr. He-she will have to take a sample,just a swab
test,i bet you have had them before. When you break the blisters,
for lack of better word,your drangage will spread,and i bet it burns.
If you have no insurance, please go to heath department,they will
help you. Are you running any fevers,have tummy problems. The Antibs.
the nitwits are giving you are the wrong thing...I was a nurse,i have
had Marsa,i nearly lost my foot last year. Young nurses fear it will shorten
there lifes..You seem like such a loving and caring soul,now go take
care of yourself,please...Sue
Thanks ss but I have had a fluid culture done and get same answer I get even when I am sick with pneumonia " There is NOTHING there that shouldn't be." Which I think IS a Lame *** answer. As far as popping these things, I have no choice. They burn and sting SO much I can't sleep. The only relief I get is to relieve the pressure. No one else seems to be able to help me so I have to help myself.
I tried last year to get a referral to go to infectious disease Specialist, even had a friend, a Nurse Practioner come with me to my appointment but they refused to give me a referral unless I went through a whole bunch of unnecessary tests for all these unrelated things. A test for Lung function?? What does that have to do with Skin problem?? I had Lung function test done years ago for asthma and was given inhalers THEN which they now won't give me anymore unless I have Pap Smear. I mean, I am not going to jump through hoops for medical Mill anymore. This is like BlackMail. :mad: These doctors don't know what the hell they are doing. Or should I say their motives are geared MORE towards unnecessary tests to MILK the Insurance Companies than having concern for the Patient. I HATE doctors. I don't just say this without good reason. Doctors ran me ragged many times with NO results or improvements in conditions. I'm just not strong enough to go through all that again. I have to figure this stuff out on my own, sadly. :o
shiney sue
08-29-2007, 10:12 PM
What the IDD was doing was seing if your lung my have been invaded.
But i don't disagree with you about alot of the medical system milking,
the system.. You give the Holistic folks a try,i think for you and many
people this is a good idea. Good luck honey,but i hope you go. Sue
You're so sweet ss. I appreciate the words of support. :hug:
My counsellor yesterday mentioned to me that MAYBE something in my diet is contribting to these cysts so I have been doing a little investigation online. I found This to be very interesting:
http://sci.rutgers.edu/forum/archive/index.php/t-39328.html
" Acne and food. The cause is not well understood but has been pinpointed to oversecretion of oil (sebum) by sebaceous glands in the skin. When there is excess sebum, the skin pore that allows sweat and oil to come out may become clogged. Bacteria can grow on the sebum and infect the sebaceous glands, producing cysts that can rupture and cause scars. Because certain types of food can be associated with pimples, many people blame oily foods for their acne. However, the main cause of acne is hormones that stimulate sebaceous glands. That is why acne is so common in teenagers who are just undergoing their hormonal change. An oily complexion, irregular cleaning of skin pores, deficiency of vitamin A and zinc, and eating of oily foods aggravate the problem.
True food allergies manifest in very different ways. For example, the reaction to caviar or lobster that KLD describes is probably true food allergy. If a person is allergic to a particular ingredient in food, the immune system releases histamine which cause swelling of the lips, a rash, and other allergic symptoms including asthma, diarrhea, and heart symptoms. "
Curious
09-11-2007, 02:01 PM
wiix, have you looked into Keratosis Pilaris?
they can cause boil like cysts. not all the time.
my whole family has some form of this. me...i just get teeny bumps on the back of my arms. my son ended up with some boils.
No I haven't, never heard of it but I will now. ;) Thanks. :hug:
Nope, doesn't sound like what I have:
http://www.pearsonspromise.com/keratosis-pilaris.html
Curious
09-11-2007, 03:04 PM
in a nutshell...the keratin causes plugs in the pores. they can cause an infection. the skin can look goose bumpy or like goose bumps with horns or hard tops. but not always and doesn't have to cover a large area of skin.
mine is not even ike a patch of skin. i just get a few of these bumps.
my son had the little bumps all over his legs and his face. not really noticable. he has always had to be VERY good at keeping his skin exfoliated and clean.
grandson has it too. was dx'ed by in idiot dr as exzema and made horrbile by an rx. no problems since then. he still washes with baby wash. ..shhhh...don't tell his kindergarten buddies. :wink:
he got the boils when stepmother wouldn't believe his dx one summer. :rolleyes:
I keep myself impeccably clean. At least one shower and one bath a day. I did have those bumps when I was a kid but it all went away.
http://www.emedicine.com/emerg/topic259.htm
The above sometimes goes with the menstrual cycle. And may go away after
menopause.
What curious describes:
http://www.keratosispilaris.org/showthread.php?t=3628
This is much milder than what is discussed here which sounds more like
hidradentis.
The milder follicular hyperkeratosis responds very quickly to increasing omega-3
intake. I discovered that cure about 10 years ago when we did Omega-3s for us and the cats. It is amazing how smooth your skin can get on just flax oil!
But betacarotene and E, and zinc also help out.
I'd suggest a product called ACEs with zinc by Carlson for a trial to help the skin.
Lynda
09-19-2007, 12:26 AM
I understand your frustration. I started having a similar skin infection after a surgery in 1992. I worked for one of the doctors (not the main surgeon), and I knew the history of the hospital and unfortunately, there was staph in the hospital - as most any. They refused to say it was staph and I was sent to a dermatologist. She said I was allergic to overheating and exercise and given non-steroid cream and told to avoid overheating and exercise. Really made the doctor I worked for upset.
Fast forward to now. I have seen several dermatologists since then. No answers. I have been given various "answers," various prescriptions, even put on herpes medicine for a while just in case. Nothing helped. In the past year, the outbreaks have gotten bigger and more severe - and definitely seem to be linked to my immune system. There is a consideration that I have Behcet's because of it, but the dermatologist won't do the biopsies the rheumatologist needs. She gives me steroid cream by the pound to use. It helps that spot, then I get like 10 more.
I don't know what to tell you. I completely get your frustration. See the rheumatologist and do tests, then see a different dermatologist and insist on something different.
Lynda
Well, my new Councillor and I have discussed this. She is into very Natural healing, as I am. She came up with this Theory, of which I am going to take heed of. I am dehydrated and my kidneys, accounting for the Cloudy urine, aren't filtering out all the toxins in my body so my SKIN is taking over. She said in some circles the SKIN is considered a Third kidney and will take over when a person is chronicly dehydrated, which I AM. she suggested I begin drinking MORE water. I have begun yesterday with a Quart next to the sink I fill in the morning and keep a small glass next to it. Everytime I go into the kitchen I fill the small glass and drink it. I have a very difficult time "Drinking" anything. Unless it's a big ice filled glass of Koolade or Coca Cola on a hot day. I PROMISED her I would do this for 2 Weeks and see if there is any change in my condition. At this point I am will to try ANYTHING. I found a site yesterday that described me to a TEE:
http://www.diagnose-me.com/cond/C5223.html
READ IT!!! ;)
Well, sorry to say nothing has changed. The skin eruptions are still going strong. Sometimes they burn and itch SO bad I have to open them up with a clean needle and squeeze out all the bloody fluid. ONE of these will bloody an entire Kleenex. That's how much fluid builds up inside one. :o That really does help, so at least I can sleep. I got some ointment for boils that is a topical pain reliever. It works pretty well but does stain your clothes. I also use NeoSporin with pain reliever
It's a shame I have to live like this. Bloody, itching, oozing sores on my skin that no one call figure out What it is and how to make it go away. :( It's so depressing. :(
CRITTER
12-15-2007, 07:20 AM
I have 3 friends with MRSA...one has had it for around 20 years, she nearly heals & then it recurs. One friend contracted it recently by merely bumping his leg on his wooden desk. The skin was NOT broken, however he has severely swollen legs and they "weep" and he developed MRSA 4 days later and the area started as dime sized & is eating a hole through his leg...it has progressed to quarter sized. He's being treated with twice daily I.V. antibiotics and an oral antibiotic. He's had 40 I.V.'s so far and is no where near done yet. My third friend, the youngest of the three, at age 30, has lupus. His mrsa is so severe and they've been treating it recurrenntly for 3 or more years. Now, they are at the point of amputation of the leg. My friend is weary of all the treatments and pain and has decided to allow them to amputate. MRSA spreads and can nail your lungs, internal organs...I recently read of the girl below (I've been searching for an hour to find u this article) who nearly died in a very brief time. Had she had an immediate diagnosis, perhaps the result would have been much better with immediate treatment.
I too, hate most doctors as I've had to try to diagnose myself. We are not our own best doc's for sure but wth else can we do when we're blown off by our docs?! I wish I knew how to help you with your dilemma...it doesn't seem to be mrsa but I'm no expert. I DO think you harbor toxic elements in your blood which will manifest as such...so will allergies cause skin eruptions of many kinds. I wish you luck in recovering and I will keep you in my prayers. Hugggs! Critter
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Methicillin-resistant_Staphylococcus_aureus
http://www.everydayhealth.com/PublicSite/searchresultsdynamic.aspx?q=MRSA
http://health.msn.com/health-topics/respiratory-problems/articlepage.aspx?cp-documentid=100122883
http://www.themonitor.com/news/mrsa_5950___article.html/infections_children.html
Peyton Spence nearly lost her daughter, Hunter, 12, to a MRSA infection in May that rapidly took over the girl’s entire body. In less than a week, Hunter went from feeling a little pain in her leg to being on a ventilator at Driscoll, fighting for her life.
“The doctor said it didn’t look good for her — as progressed as the disease was, he thought she had a 20 percent chance of pulling through,” said Spence, who lives in Victoria.
The doctors who saw Hunter early on attributed her leg cramps to “growing pains” and her fever to the flu. By the time a doctor decided to test her for MRSA, the bacteria had invaded Hunter’s blood, bones and organs.
Today, the youngster is recovering, although she can’t breathe as well as before, her mother said.
Spence said she doesn’t blame the doctors for not testing for MRSA, but said she wants to make sure healthcare providers and parents are educated about the infection.
“All it would have taken was a simple blood culture that very first day,” she said. “She could have been treated with oral antibiotics.”
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/west_midlands/6444553.stm
CRITTER
12-15-2007, 07:26 AM
P.S. I have a buddy who has gotten skin boils and also large cystic acne-type eruptions almost all his life. Large, painful & they left scars all over him. He grew up on a farm where they used chemicals...plus he determined that wheat was a culprit. They had him on low dose tetracycline for years, to no avail. They tried withdrawing the pus with a syringe & injecting cortisone. They gave him salves, other junk...nothing helped except dietary changes. He's much better now but still occasionally gets them. He had the worst of them on his shoulders, upper back, neck & some on his face & chest.
P.S. I have a buddy who has gotten skin boils and also large cystic acne-type eruptions almost all his life. Large, painful & they left scars all over him. He grew up on a farm where they used chemicals...plus he determined that wheat was a culprit. They had him on low dose tetracycline for years, to no avail. They tried withdrawing the pus with a syringe & injecting cortisone. They gave him salves, other junk...nothing helped except dietary changes. He's much better now but still occasionally gets them. He had the worst of them on his shoulders, upper back, neck & some on his face & chest.
That sure does sound like me. :o
Please do not put a pin in thease to drain,have you been ever told
you need to take a water pill , and what type of Dr. did you see
who told you you had acne??? I would think you need to see a
infectious Diease Dr. He-she will have to take a sample,just a swab
test,i bet you have had them before. When you break the blisters,
for lack of better word,your drangage will spread,and i bet it burns.
If you have no insurance, please go to heath department,they will
help you. Are you running any fevers,have tummy problems. The Antibs.
the nitwits are giving you are the wrong thing...I was a nurse,i have
had Marsa,i nearly lost my foot last year. Young nurses fear it will shorten
there lifes..You seem like such a loving and caring soul,now go take
care of yourself,please...Sue
Actually the Holistic therapist suggested I drink MORE water, which I have been doing. But I quit seeing her after 3 and a half months since she really wasn't offering me anything I hadn't already come up with myself. I was actually telling HER things she didn't know. She sent me to an Acupuncturist/Herbalist. HE looked at it and said something like "EEEWW, what's THAT?" :eek:So right there I lost any confidence I might have had in HIS treatment. I just left.
I know. :( And there is Nothing you can do to make them go away either.
I just made appointment with Holistic Counsellor to talk about Many things and this is one of them. This'll be a new route for me eventhough I am a very Nature conscious person but obviouly Conventional medicine isn't working. :o Wish me luck. Maybe she knows people I can't find.
Well, I just explained how THAT went. :o
Well folks. I have another one on the other side now, a real WOWSER too. Here's what I'm dealing with tonight. It burns and itches so bad I am almost crying over here. A long, hot shower and some NeoSporin with Pain relief and some Tylenol and some Benedryl is what I have to take every night to get to sleep. This one started shortly after the other one got better. It's totally gone now. This one seems to be bigger and worse than the last one too. :(
http://img513.imageshack.us/img513/4761/cyst1wb1.jpg
I hope I doesn't gross any of you out. It Grosses ME out looking at this and it's ON ME!!! This is the first time I've seen it too. I hold the camera up over my head and point it towards it to get the pic. I can't even see it in the mirror it's in such a wierd spot. I wish these things would just STOP.
prettypearlgirl
03-26-2008, 12:26 AM
Gee, that looks like what my sister used to get when she was a kid. It turned out to be a form of dermatitis. She had to put this salve on it for a long time. Eventually it cleared up for her. However, now every once in a while she will get it still. It's mostly on the back of her neck where her hair keeps things warm and she tends to sweat.
Did the dermatologist ever suggest that it might be dermatitis?
Carolyn:hug:
I get Nothing from doctors. They tell me to put heat on it, don't touch it, yet it's like I am being eaten alive with the biting itching and burning. http://img505.imageshack.us/img505/3364/8monthsam5.jpg I still have this same one, now for almost 8 months. It's a cyst. I have to keep squeezing it everyday or the pain makes me want to throw up. It's like someone pinches you really hard then TWISTS it. It's unbelievable. Or like I am being stabbed. How can they say NOT to do anything. let THEM live with this misery see how long they won't TOUCH IT!!! :mad: No one can help me so I have to do the best I can. I am NOT happy about this. Going on 10 years now.:(
lefthanded
05-21-2008, 06:46 PM
Have you been checked for pityriasis rosea http://www.aad.org/public/publications/pamphlets/common_pityriasis.html
http://www.dermnet.org.nz/viral/img/s/pit-rosea3.jpg
or dermatitis herpetiformis ?http://www.aocd.org/skin/dermatologic_diseases/dermatitis_herpeti.html
G]
I have been seen by doctors, I said that in previous post, I think. :confused: No, it's not Rosea, these things are UNDER the skin, like BubbleWrap. There are many blood and fluid filled sacs in each cluster. It is still there, 10 months now and it bothers me Everyday STILL. it has got to the point almost where I can't drive because it hurts so much to turn my head. It's down in the muscle now, just eating away at it. :(
Gee, that looks like what my sister used to get when she was a kid. It turned out to be a form of dermatitis. She had to put this salve on it for a long time. Eventually it cleared up for her. However, now every once in a while she will get it still. It's mostly on the back of her neck where her hair keeps things warm and she tends to sweat.
Did the dermatologist ever suggest that it might be dermatitis?
Carolyn:hug:
Dermatitis only means Derma= Skin itis = inflammation. Just Inflammation of the skin. doesn't REALLY mean anything.
Has this lesion been biopsied?.. recently?
The location of this suggests it started with a nickel reaction (jewelry?)
Then became secondarily infected with some organism or more than one. I have a friend who had a blister
on her palm (while raking leaves). This became infected with staph and herpes. It goes down, and comes back
periodically. A biopsy revealed what the organisms were. So she uses erythromycin and zovirax when it flares.
You know there are specialty clinics now for wound care.
Your lesion is definitely a wound.
The new treatments today involve COVERING the wound with specially designed products --often impregnated with silver compounds to retard infection.
This article explains them:
http://www.worldwidewounds.com/2004/november/Thomas/Introducing-Silver-Dressings.html
I have a huge problem understanding your doctors' advice to leave open!
Not only are you shedding some potentially virulent organism, you are open
to infection from the environment.
The new research shows wounds heal FASTER when covered.
However, the new dressings are especially made for long term coverage. Up to 7 days for some
of them. Don't try to use a homemade one that way. You have to have the new dressings which
are complex in other ways in addition to having the silver in them.
I think you should find a wound center near you and get an opinion!
Often wounds like yours become secondarily infected with herpes virus, or fungal organisms. If you had MRSA you'd be very ill... this new mutant would get into your blood stream and go systemic quickly. MRSA staph has an enzyme that deactivates your immune system...so it gets nasty quickly.
You may have regular Staph in there however.
Squeezing is very problematic, because it forces material deeper. So each time you squeeze it, some comes out and some goes deeper.
Yes well, as I said before. I am the only one who can help myself when I feel like and animal is biting me. Opening it up, OR better yet, Making a small hole where it hurts the most, that is where the pressure is building up, and squeezing out the fluid DOES relieve the pain, burning and itching for about a day or two. Then it builds again. I do keep it Very clean and covered with NeoSporin and I take frequent showers the hottest I can stand and that oo relieves some of the pain so I can sleep.
The time of build up is getting farther apart so there IS some improvement going on. The actual Worse bubble is getting smaller now and the fluid id coming out more Clear than bloody so I am getting to the bottom of this thing. I think a month in the sun would clear all this up. I can't go out anywhere to sit in the sun. My city is over run with Violence and Gangs and for an older woman out there alone is life threatening especially on a secluded beach.
Noidy
05-25-2008, 10:46 PM
Have you tried petrolium jelly(vasaline) or a drawing salve like neosporin, put on very thickly and let to sit? I'd ask a doctor first, and this sounds crazy.. but thats' what I do for bad sores and ..welll, my ferrets if they get cysts or sores. Looks painful. sorry to hear it hurts you so muc. Feel better soon. I'll keep ya in my thoughts and prayers.
I go through a one ounce tube every two weeks, sometimes more. I also have a numbing salve for boils I use sometimes mixed with the NeoSporin when the pain gets Really Outrageous.
SandyC
05-26-2008, 12:38 AM
When Jim breaks out in small blister type sores we places a sterile gauze with saline on it. Vaseline may actually make it worse because it cannot breath. The only time you should be placing anything on it besides saline is if it is infected. Then you use antibiotic cream.
He is now on a steroid cream for maintenance and so far no more sores. For him it was medicine induced. His face used to get so red, blotchy and blistery and it would spread to his neck and chest area.
I hope you find out what is going on with you and get the proper treatment. In the meantime try the sterile gauze and saline and see if it helps. Hugs!
BUT....
The truth of the matter is this. Anatomically this lesion is situated on a fat pad that exists on the back of the neck. This is insulating it so far from your
systemic circulation. Once the infection breaks thru to underlying structures,
you may be in serious trouble.
You may have this:
http://www.ecureme.com/emyhealth/Pediatrics/Neck_Dermoid.asp
In any event...your lesion is getting ugly. It needs attention by a good doctor,
and if a cyst, it needs to be removed.
I know you are taking good care of it so far...but really is it large and exposed and a physician should be able to remove it, and put an end to it so you will not be risking serious infections.
You also need to make sure it is NOT a basal carcinoma.
If you decide to cover it, choose a sterile Telfa product/pad. This has a non-stick barrier that will not
pull away new healing skin, when you remove it. Sterile gauze will sometimes be messy and destructive.
This is an example:
http://www.drugstore.com/products/prod.asp?pid=13085&catid=44621
Most pharmacies carry these commonly.
This is an example of the NEW Wound healing dressings that are coming out now for
common use:
http://www.drugstore.com/products/prod.asp?pid=55452&catid=44601
They are based on the occlusive research showing faster healing when wounds are kept
moist. However, with your issues of draining...you need that potential of a cyst checked out first.
I would not use these until you get further medical support.
imanurse3702
05-27-2008, 11:24 PM
You may have a chronic condition called hydradenitis. This requires long term antibiotic therapy, like cephalexin. And don't open these sores! Your skin is the best defense you have against superbugs like MRSA! If you DON'T have MRSA, you might get it if you keep picking your sores open. A dermatologist is most likely to treat hydradenitis but a rheumatologist may have some answers as well.
GOOD LUCK!
You may have a chronic condition called hydradenitis. This requires long term antibiotic therapy, like cephalexin. And don't open these sores! Your skin is the best defense you have against superbugs like MRSA! If you DON'T have MRSA, you might get it if you keep picking your sores open. A dermatologist is most likely to treat hydradenitis but a rheumatologist may have some answers as well.
GOOD LUCK!
Welcome to NT, imanurse. This thread is getting long over a long time period.
The hydradenitis suggestion has been made already on post 23.
This is an odd spot for a lesion of that tho. And this is her only one...and most hydradenitis sufferers get them in several places over time.
We need to all encourage Wiix to get appropriate help, and treatment.
The way MRSA is spreading thru the community now, any open sore/wound
needs careful attention.
Many people confuse MRSA with other staph infections Wiix.
MRSA is a mutant form of staph, that has acquired the capability to neutralize our own white cell defenses...with a enzyme that deactivates kills neutrophils.
It does not respond to conventional antibiotics and requires special treatment.
http://www.efluxmedia.com/news_New_Study_Shows_MRSA_Tricks_Immune_System_105 65.html
However, Wiix, we do have regular Staph on our skins, as a normal situation.
When introduced into wounds, it is capable of causing serious infections too, but these are more easily treated, in most people.
Your longstanding wound may be complicated with fungal organisms, and viral Herpes simplex. When that happens treatments become more complex. You need biopsy/and cultures to see what is in there now. Please get thee to a doctor.
All sores that do not heal should be evaluated for skin cancer...there are so many types and they all look different.
Thank you all you good people talking about this with/for me. I am almost positive this is a cyst. I do get cystic acne on occassion of this same sort and I was diagnosed with polycystic disease in my teens. I found pics online of what a cyst is like, two sacs, one on top of the other. The top one on surface is mostly bloody fluid and under that is clear fluid. After a while of getting bloody fluid out, the end of these things are clear fluid. Once I get down to that it is nearing the end for this thing. But there are many of these in a cluster so if I open it on different spots, depending on where I am with that certain one the fluid may be bloody OR clear. Right now I am at the very center of the cluster getting out the bloody fluid. All around the edges are beginning to be clear fluid and the entire area is beginning to shrink and heal.
I likened it to "BubbleWrap". Her is a picture of what it looks like inside:
http://img140.imageshack.us/img140/5412/cystpe0.jpg
Many different sacs. That is what I feel.
As I said before I HAVE been to doctors, 6 or 7 times, with same results. Put heat on it, blah, blah, blah. I know a neighbor had one of these and he had it surgicly removed. They went in and took OUT the sac walls so it wouldn't keep filling. I also had one of these on my chest a few years ago and easily could get at it and SEE it. This one now being where I can't see it, is VERY difficult for me to deal with. Contorting my arms and neck to do what I have to do, somedays, leaves me in so much pain in my arms, neck and head that I have to take long, hot showers and take pain pills and go to bed. My left shoulder, elbow, back and chest muscles get stretched and I think I may tear them a bit. Believe me, I am suffering over this THING. BUT I am making progress.
I don't think you can interpret a human cyst as comparable to
something affecting the honey bee's sperm producing organs!
The picture you provide is a microscoptic view--showing individual cells in a honey bee! Now, all organisms do have cells...and arrangement of cells, but functions differ hugely from animal to animal.
Here is an article on HUMAN cysts...as you can see it is complex...there are many types.
http://www.aafp.org/afp/20020401/1409.html
What is important here, is to keep you, Wiix from developing secondary
infections which may end up being very dangerous.
I'd seek out an experienced surgeon for a consult....
Your issue is very long standing and the cyst wall may be damaged:
The Cyst Wall Will Not Come Out of the Tiny Incision. Cysts that have previously ruptured or been inflamed may have significant adjacent scarring. The scarring may preclude removal with the minimal excision technique. In addition, less-experienced physicians are often not vigorous enough when compressing the cyst. Pressure applied with the thumbs can loosen the cyst wall from the surrounding tissues. Inability to remove the cyst should prompt the physician to perform a formal excision procedure.
I'd love to watch one of those. I don't think I have any infection though. I am VERY clean and keep IT very clean and covered with NeoSporin most of the time. I tried putting a bandade on it and next moring it would be soaked with bloody fluid plus all caught up in my hair. I'd end up losing some hair too getting the bandade OFF. That wasn't fun at all.
When this thing first started I would open it and squeeze it out multiple times a day and soak multiple Kleenex. Now it's once every couple days and it takes longer time inbetween to fill up and start hurting. That's WHY I say I am making progress.
Yes, it would have been nice to have it excised when it began but that was 10 months ago and I think the worst is over by now and if they wouldn't help me then WHY would they do it now?
shiney sue
05-28-2008, 09:44 PM
Last time,it's not fun to get you hair caught up in tape,but Wix honey that
will be the least of your pain soon..Mrs. d has tried so hard,as well as I and
all the rest. But sweetie get your self to a wound and burn clicic ,no you do not have a burn,I will leave it to them They are experts they test dress and you will have to let them do there job..It takes time to heal they have a hard job,what you have i'm sure is very painful,burns are awful but there coming up and have new things for pain and dressings. I'm in the hospital with
Marsa,Legionaire,and pneumoia..You been through alot and we are all different, Good luck honey,Hugs to all please reread a lot of good advice. Sue
Oh my ss. You have Legionaires right now?? I had it two years ago for 5 months. I was horrible. I didn't think I was going to ever get over it. I ate so much citrus during that thing, at least 3 times a day an orange or a grapefruit, Limeade, Lemonade, orange juice, cranberry juice, as much Vit C as I could stand and I did get better but it took a long time. 3 Courses of antibiotics but only the last one made dramatic improvement within a few days. I can't remember what that was. I THINK Clydamycin but then I got all Yeasty and got Thrush. I still have bouts with that now too. :(
kuikdraw05
06-09-2008, 10:49 PM
I currently have pityriasis rosea... I know it's not what you have but ... my doctor suggested not to use hot water.. or the heat is not good..... not sure if this help!
Yes well, as I said before. I am the only one who can help myself when I feel like and animal is biting me. Opening it up, OR better yet, Making a small hole where it hurts the most, that is where the pressure is building up, and squeezing out the fluid DOES relieve the pain, burning and itching for about a day or two. Then it builds again. I do keep it Very clean and covered with NeoSporin and I take frequent showers the hottest I can stand and that oo relieves some of the pain so I can sleep.
The time of build up is getting farther apart so there IS some improvement going on. The actual Worse bubble is getting smaller now and the fluid id coming out more Clear than bloody so I am getting to the bottom of this thing. I think a month in the sun would clear all this up. I can't go out anywhere to sit in the sun. My city is over run with Violence and Gangs and for an older woman out there alone is life threatening especially on a secluded beach.
Last time,it's not fun to get you hair caught up in tape,but Wix honey that
will be the least of your pain soon..Mrs. d has tried so hard,as well as I and
all the rest. But sweetie get your self to a wound and burn clicic ,no you do not have a burn,I will leave it to them They are experts they test dress and you will have to let them do there job..It takes time to heal they have a hard job,what you have i'm sure is very painful,burns are awful but there coming up and have new things for pain and dressings. I'm in the hospital with
Marsa,Legionaire,and pneumoia..You been through alot and we are all different, Good luck honey,Hugs to all please reread a lot of good advice. Sue
Thanks. But I don't WANT to lose hair over this. My hair is Very long and to lose clumps is very noticable. I haven't cut my hair in over 25 years so you must know it has signifigance to me. I don't need to add baldness to this.
I have been to doctor and had cultures taken and they said there was nothing unusual in the fluid. DUH!! :eek: I mean just the fact that there was a huge balloon of bloody fluid under my skin you'd Think it'd be SOMETHING. DUH!! :mad: Then the doc says, "Put heat on it." And that was what I got. So now you are telling me to go Again to the doctor. For WHAT??? I came out and ASKED him to stick a needle in it and draw out the fluid or cut it open and get it out, he wouldn't. I left the office in tears, went home and started opening it myself. No one will help me so I am helping myself. I mean what did people do when they didn't have a doctor?? Home medicine. You do what you can when there is no help for you. I have training as a medical assistant and I did work for a few doctors years ago but your basic cleanliness and some idea of what you are dealing with ISN'T Rocket Science.
I have seen some Horror stories recently about people who had similar things and go under general anesthesia and they catch on FIRE in the operating room and are scarred for life. I mean their whole face and or head is burned up. No Thanks.
http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Consumer/Story?id=2215961&page=1
I'll take my chances on my own. Besides, like I said, I am making progress, it IS getting smaller and parts of it are flat now and healing. It's just the center part no that is getting smaller and is taking longer and longer time inbetween filling up again.
Actually the Holistic therapist suggested I drink MORE water, which I have been doing. But I quit seeing her after 3 and a half months since she really wasn't offering me anything I hadn't already come up with myself. I was actually telling HER things she didn't know. She sent me to an Acupuncturist/Herbalist. HE looked at it and said something like "EEEWW, what's THAT?" :eek:So right there I lost any confidence I might have had in HIS treatment. I just left.
Well, I just explained how THAT went. :o
Well folks. I have another one on the other side now, a real WOWSER too. Here's what I'm dealing with tonight. It burns and itches so bad I am almost crying over here. A long, hot shower and some NeoSporin with Pain relief and some Tylenol and some Benedryl is what I have to take every night to get to sleep. This one started shortly after the other one got better. It's totally gone now. This one seems to be bigger and worse than the last one too. :(
http://img513.imageshack.us/img513/4761/cyst1wb1.jpg
I hope I doesn't gross any of you out. It Grosses ME out looking at this and it's ON ME!!! This is the first time I've seen it too. I hold the camera up over my head and point it towards it to get the pic. I can't even see it in the mirror it's in such a wierd spot. I wish these things would just STOP.
Well, Finally there IS much improvement. here is how it looks now. About one TENTH of it's original size and healing:
http://img76.imageshack.us/img76/6899/betterwk9.jpg
I copied earlier pic so you can SEE the improvement. It has been almost a year dealing with this thing but it looks so much better now and seems to have stopped filling up and itching like crazy. I only go at it now if I feel it filling again. probably once every 4 or 5 days.
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