Resistant microbe entering hospitals

My daughter had MRSA in her leg a few years ago and almost died.

Wednesday: She woke up scratching what looked like a small bug bite on the back of her upper calf. She said it felt like a mosquitto bite but was smaller and she thought a spider had maybe bit her while she was in bed sleeping.

That afternoon (still weds) she said it was starting to really hurt and bother her. It didn't look like anything but a mosquitto bite so we told her to tough it out, a spider bite might sting a bit after all.

Thursday we took her to the doctors office because she had started to limp a bit. He gave her an antiboitic and sent her home saying to come back Monday if it wasn't better.

Friday it was worse so we took her back to the doctor. More red, tender, and alot more limping. Doctor changed the antibiotic and said come by Monday for a look see.

Saturday she could hardly walk so we took her to the ER of a medical center about 40 miles away. Red, starting to swell, maybe the size of a silver dollar. Doctor gave her a shot and changed her prescription again. Said this will cure it but it might take 24 hours to show improvement, see you Monday. (what is it about Monday???)

Sunday she woke up in more pain, more swelling. Red marks about the size of a dollar bill on her calf, right up to the crease at the back of the knee. She couldn't put any weight on it at all. About 10a.m. we headed back to the ER. Doc was going to give us another shot of the same stuff and have us come back again on monday. (this around 1 or 2 p.m.)

We thru a fit (large loud fit) Guy had us wait another couple of hours so they could call another Docter in that was on-call at home.

New Doctor walked in and looked at her leg and instantly started B'ching us out why in the world didn't we bring her in sooner, what kind of parents were we??? Admitted her to the hospital and scheduled her for surgery. ( he was a thorasic surgeon)

Around 11p.m. Cut her from her thigh down the back of her calf real deep and opened her up so he could get his hand in and clean her out. Couple of hours on the table.

Guy said good thing we complained because she'd have been dead by monday morning. this was about 2a.m.

Monday morning: A new doc came in and looked her over. Told us none of the meds were working, there was nothing they could do, would send her back to surgery to put a morphine catheter in under her arm so she would be comfortable and we could take her home where she would feel more at ease around family ect.

Shocked I pulled the guy into another room asking all of the "what the hell" questions? she's dying? can't you cut her leg off or something?

Nope, it's in her blood and just a matter of time now...

Was told the surgeon would be back in a few hours to talk more to us. Was making plans ourselves to throw her into a wheel chair and get her up to Rochester to the children's hospital. No way, they were sending her home to die like that.

About 10a.m. the surgeon showed up and we had another fit. He calmed us down, saying we misunderstood or something. Told him b.s. we even had a nurse there and there was no misunderstanding.

Doc said, this is all b.s. only one guy is liscensed to cut her and thats me, and ain't nobody cutting on her, chopping her leg off, or giving her morphine.

He called the other doctor in, and reamed him like I've never seen another person reamed, like he was a recruit in the marines.

The "she's dying" doc apologized, shaking and almost in tears, to us and said he was turning the case over to the surgeon.

Surgeon said he had started her on a new medicine during surgery and that from what he could tell she was stable and expected to improve. He had already called Phizer (why he was late on rounds this a.m. because he was on the phone) and Phizer was air-freighting a 30 day supply of meds for her to the hospital since they only had the one dose in stock.

With in 12 hours she started looking better. 2 years later she is still a little screwed-up emotionally and has a very small limp.

The meds were very hard on her system, had to eat a very restricted diet and spent a year in physical therapy.

Most of these cases are easily and quickly resolved. Just relating this here: IF SOMETHING IS SWELLING AND PAINFUL LIKE A BUG BITE AND IT ISN'T GETTING BETTER VERY QUICKLY OR IF IT STARTS TO GET WORSE!!!

GO TO THE DOCTOR!!! IF IT ISN'T GETTING BETTER AFTER THAT GET TO A DIFFERENT DOCTOR AND FAST!!!!

The CDC website has articles showing a surprizingly large number of deaths annually in this country because most doctors don't have a clue how nasty this stuff can be, some don't know what is available for treatment, and by the time they figure it out, YOU ARE TOAST!!!

Most will never get MRSA, just saying, make sure you get the right doctor because a $100 in antibiotics can fix it with zero problems.

Get the wrong doctor and you can die fast or like us; run through a string of doctors, almost die, be scared and scarred for life, and making payments on 142k bug bite, that wasn't a bite at all, just a fiasco from start to finish.