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Mon 13 Feb, 2012 06:53 am
so here's the story
we get a phone call on Saturday to say that a family member has been admitted to the hospital and has been operated on for flesh eating disease
the previous saturday this person (from out of town) attended a family and friends event (about 50 people), there was finger food and self serve beverages including a punch bowl
i was already planning on contacting my doctor for some advice, but on sunday the situation changed dramatically as the person infected died
most of the information on the internet talks about pretty intimate (bodily fluids, shared food etc), personally the most contact i had was to shake his hand, and eventually eat some food off the buffet table
still waiting for the particulars of his condition, we know he was admitted to the hospital on friday with a pain in his calf, the operated on saturday to remove infected tissue and he died of toxic shock on sunday morning, no indication of whether he had injured his leg (cut or other sore)
any info others might have if they've experienced this type of situation would be appreciated
@djjd62,
No info...but i am very sorry.
MRSA? you can find out alot just by googling.
It was not about the food.
Most likely this has been going on for a long time, from a previous injury or a sore that would not heal. Did that person have diabetes?
@djjd62,
Oh gosh!
I don't have any info either. I'm sorry to hear about your relative and your scare.
When do you get in to see the doctor?
@PUNKEY,
PUNKEY wrote:MRSA? you can find out alot just by googling.
specifically, Group A streptococcal infection
lots of info about what it does, and it's various incarnations, but not a lot of info about transference through casual contact
have an appointment to see my doctor this afternoon, they don't seem overly concerned, but think it's a good idea to check it out
spoke with a representative of the local Health Unit, who spoke with the Health Unit in the city were the deceased lived
the don't feel that the contact made with the deceased represents a health problem but want all of us to touch base with our health care providers and to monitor any symptoms for 30 days from point of contact
i have to admit, this has been the freakiest medical incident i've ever been personally associated with
@djjd62,
That's quite freaky indeed.
My condolences re: your relative's death, and I sure hope that there hasn't been any further contagion.
@djjd62,
Punkey, MRSA is a methicillin resistant staphylococcus aureus, not a streptococcus.
Didge, I'm sorry about your family member.
@djjd62,
I have a friend who had strep. It got into a crack in her fingers - (dry hands) and ate her flesh. They just about had to amputate her finger. Apparently strep when it gets into a wound becomes flesh eating. It was quick. She said her finger was sore that morning and by that afternoon it had turned black and she was in severe pain.
I am sorry about your friend. I am glad you are checking it out.
My understanding is that conditions have to be just right....this led to them diagnosing her with Cushings Disease, which apparently causes folks to be very susceptible to this kind of occurence.
No personal stories, but my understanding is that folks who have compromised immune systems, recent skin wounds or rashes, and heavy use of antimicrobial soaps and/or ointments are more susceptible than others. You skin is covered with bacteria (staph epidermidis) that help prevent infection from other staph and strep bugs. The more often you wash your hands with anti-microbial soaps the less natural immunity you have.
@JPB,
i rarely use hand sanitizers and basically only use plain soap to wash my hands
actually i'm bad for not cleaning cuts (especially if i'm working, i'll just wipe the blood away on my shirt or a rag and see to it later), but that's probably just toughening me up
talked to the nurse a few minutes ago, they were glad that i had let them know (ie if any symptoms do appear they'll have a starting point for possible course of actions), but they don't see a big cause for concern, at this point
@djjd62,
You've covered your bases and you know to keep an eye out for new cuts. It sounds like your lifestyle and health history put you at pretty slight risk. The human body is a fascinating organism. We sometimes do ourselves a disservice by screwing around with it's natural abilities and built in controls.
My condolences on the loss of your family member.
@djjd62,
I am a nursing student and not a doctor; however, i have some information that you may find useful. In general, typically these kinds of bacteria or their spores are abundant in nature (i.e.: the soil), the organism is typically blocked by your skin barrier or overrun by a healthy immune system. Therefore, there was a deep puncture where a spore had gotten inside they body and replicated this may or may not be complicated by a weakened immune system. These kinds of pathogens are not easily caught or transferred from one person to another, so everything's probably fine. To be completely sure of what you were dealing with you would need to know what the bacteria's name was. Ideally always talk to your doctor, he/she would definitely know the best.
@nursingStudent85,
Welcome to a2k, nursing student.
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