Son-in-law in hospital

[forrealone]

My son-in-law, Bill, has just been admitted into our hospital here.  He has MRSA.  I am not sure how severe it is, but having dealt with it with other family members before, hospitalization is not usual for early stages.  Please remember him in your prayers.

Never heard of MRSA before, but obviously I've heard of staph infections, etc. Do you know how he got it?

Good to know he's better(ish), though

MRSA stands for Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, meaning a strain of Staph bacteria that has evolved to resist most antibiotics and continues to do so as new medications are created.  It typically occurs in hospital environments since we all know how those types of places are NOT good about sanitation like they should be.  Those are called HA-MRSA (Hospital Acquired).  However, since MRSA lives inside of us (especially in the nasal cavities), it can also be acquired in the community CA-MRSA (Community Acquired).  Fortunately, most of us have immune systems that are "used" to that bacteria and only if and when our systems are compromised, can it reproduce and cause serious illness, the worst of which is sepsis.  Sepsis occurs when a bacterial infection invades the bloodstream, targets the organs and one can die rather quickly. 

I have had two friends who became septic and both nearly died.  Fortunately, I know what to look for symptomatically, and got them both to the ER in time.  One of them lost a toe due to MRSA having infected that toe and the MRSA moved into her lungs.  They both had extremely high temps (105+) and felt horrible.  

It is a very scary bacteria and one should REALLY be aware of symptoms, most of which are visible on the skin that start as a small pimple looking thing.  In the nose, there would pain, swelling, possibly some oozing from the nostril.

If it is internal, a fever is definitely there with extreme not feeling well, etc.

It IS very contagious through any kind of physical contact such as hand shaking, sharing drinks, etc.  Families pass it to each other quite easily.  The whole house needs to be disinfected, bathtubs bleached, bedding washed in hot water.  It is a real challenge to prevent re-infection.

Okay, so much for my daily health lesson.  Sorry, I get a little carried away.