From the article: MRSA and Other Superbug Infections
According to the US Centers for Disease Control, 101,000 Americans die from hospital acquired infections like MRSA, C. Diff or VRE each year. Have you or a loved one experienced an infection? How did you know you were infected? How did the hospital take care of you? Have you been able to recover? Please share your story to help others. Have You Been Infected?
Staph infection from surgery
- I went into the hospital to have back surgery. I was having my old haardware taken out and new hardware put in fusing up 2 levels. They were placed against a nerve, 2nd surgery 1 week later. Had severe pain, and was not healing, obvious infection, My surgeon admitted me immediately and I had surgery for the 3dr time in 3 weeks to insert a PICC line and to try and get rid of the infection. I was in the hospital for 1 week on massive medications, Infectious disease was coming in to check on me about 2 x's a day. Blood was taken daily out of my picc line. I went home very very ill. I had to be on a picc line and do IV meds 4 x's a day for 4 months. I was unable to work or even take care of my 3 year old. I was losing weight daily, coudln't eat or drink, had fevers. I have not been able to hold down a FT job since. I take alot of pain medication daily just to survive. So after 3 years I am still affected. It is the most painful thing I have ever been thru. I have no immune system.
- —lmsilva
patient
- Twice, after 2 different C-section surgeries, I suffered serious staph infections. It was the same hospital, almost 2 years apart, and there were several other patients who had the same experience. Yet I was told that I had caused my own infection. (A nurse confided differently later.) Some patients had to have a second surgery when their incisions would not heal. Instead, my doctor opted to lance my infected incision in his office once or twice weekly--cold turkey. I will never forget those terribly painful experiences. When my daughter had intestinal surgery, the woman who cleaned the floors was sent in later to wash my daughter's hair. I have yet to have a nurse, doctor or any hospital worker wash their hands before touching me. I'm sure most would say they use hand disinfectant, but I don't see that used routinely, either. It does seem that sanitation is often no more than a word in hospitals. But when you're at someone else's mercy it's wise to choose carefully the ear you bend.
- —Guest Frances134
