MRSA is just a version of staph aureus that is resistant to some common antibiotics. The antibiotic resistant version is common everywhere now since we use so much antibiotics. The antibiotic resistant version doesn’t make someone sicker in and of itself than the non resistant version, it just doesn’t respond to some antibiotics. From context I gather this was MRSA pneumonia.
Staph aureus lives on all of our skin, mouth and external surfaces. It’s not like something you catch, it’s something that’s already there and takes advantage of an opening, like a wound, lungs already damaged by a recent flu virus or something, or a weakened immune system. It’s common that people in the hospital get staph infections, because they’re already there for something else making them sick that gives staph an opening. Strokes are also more common in hospitalized patients that are sick with other things. Strokes usually aren’t directly related to an infection, but the pro inflammatory response can increase clotting and make a stroke more likely. Strokes also can inversely make pneumonia more likely, if you have trouble swallowing and saliva and secretions are going down the wrong tube, then it creates an easy way for bacteria from your mouth like staph to get to the lungs and start up a pneumonia.
Tldr: MRSA is on your skin right now, don’t worry about it too much, don’t overuse antibiotics
Ever woke up and noticed a small zit or pimple? Yep, that’s likely a staph infection, although there might be some streptococcus in there as well. They probably also entered your blood stream, but got quickly eliminated by your immune system. It’s all about the bacterial load.
Which is why you should not scratch wounds, even when they itch really bad. Here is a pic of my leg from almost a year ago, it got out of control because I kept scratching the wound and ignored the occasional flaring pain until it got so bad that I almost passed out when moving my leg. This is a combination of staph aureus and strep pyogenes when they really thrive in your wound. If those had been resistant strains, I would have been in a lot of trouble.
Well, shortly before Christmas 2022, a friend from out of town came over to drink and reconnect. Somewhat late into the evening, I was going to the refrigerator to get some more beer and on my way there I have to pass 2 devious steps totaling about 15cm in height. I slipped, or tripped -I don’t really remember-, and fell bang on the edge of the upper step. A fair bit of my tumble was cushioned by my behind (left a bruise there) and the rest was absorbed by my leg. Pic below was from the morning after and the pic in my post above was after a month of scratching that wound and ignoring the damage I inflicted.
It’s a pretty neat comparison, you can really see the swelling and which parts of the wounds were surface scratches and which went deeper.
MRSA is just a version of staph aureus that is resistant to some common antibiotics. The antibiotic resistant version is common everywhere now since we use so much antibiotics. The antibiotic resistant version doesn’t make someone sicker in and of itself than the non resistant version, it just doesn’t respond to some antibiotics. From context I gather this was MRSA pneumonia.
Staph aureus lives on all of our skin, mouth and external surfaces. It’s not like something you catch, it’s something that’s already there and takes advantage of an opening, like a wound, lungs already damaged by a recent flu virus or something, or a weakened immune system. It’s common that people in the hospital get staph infections, because they’re already there for something else making them sick that gives staph an opening. Strokes are also more common in hospitalized patients that are sick with other things. Strokes usually aren’t directly related to an infection, but the pro inflammatory response can increase clotting and make a stroke more likely. Strokes also can inversely make pneumonia more likely, if you have trouble swallowing and saliva and secretions are going down the wrong tube, then it creates an easy way for bacteria from your mouth like staph to get to the lungs and start up a pneumonia.
Tldr: MRSA is on your skin right now, don’t worry about it too much, don’t overuse antibiotics
Ever woke up and noticed a small zit or pimple? Yep, that’s likely a staph infection, although there might be some streptococcus in there as well. They probably also entered your blood stream, but got quickly eliminated by your immune system. It’s all about the bacterial load.
Which is why you should not scratch wounds, even when they itch really bad. Here is a pic of my leg from almost a year ago, it got out of control because I kept scratching the wound and ignored the occasional flaring pain until it got so bad that I almost passed out when moving my leg. This is a combination of staph aureus and strep pyogenes when they really thrive in your wound. If those had been resistant strains, I would have been in a lot of trouble.
graphic image
What the fuck. How’d you get that wound? Looks gnarly.
Well, shortly before Christmas 2022, a friend from out of town came over to drink and reconnect. Somewhat late into the evening, I was going to the refrigerator to get some more beer and on my way there I have to pass 2 devious steps totaling about 15cm in height. I slipped, or tripped -I don’t really remember-, and fell bang on the edge of the upper step. A fair bit of my tumble was cushioned by my behind (left a bruise there) and the rest was absorbed by my leg. Pic below was from the morning after and the pic in my post above was after a month of scratching that wound and ignoring the damage I inflicted.
It’s a pretty neat comparison, you can really see the swelling and which parts of the wounds were surface scratches and which went deeper.
less graphical image
Damn. I would be in the same boat I feel. Glad you’re doing better now.