MRSA
A small sore caused be MRSA
Upon starting this project, I asked my father about our family history and any health related issues. To my surprise the list was rather extensive. Both sides of my family have histories of cancer, lung and heart problems, and Multiple Sclerosis. But then I remembered something that happened to my aunt very recently and thought that would be very interesting to write about. My aunt has a severe case of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus; also known as MRSA.
MRSA is a bacterium that causes skin infections and kills as many as 19,000 people per year. There are three types of MRSA based on where it is contracted: CMRSA is community-acquired, HMRSA is health-care-acquired, and EMRSA is epidemic MRSA. It often starts out as a rash with lesions that progresses into to an open sore and inflammation. Actually, it can look like a simple rash or pimple or it could get as bad as an entire limb rotting. (I have included a picture of a less severe case, but feel free to Google for your selves to see the worst. Although, you should not do this if you are enjoying a meal of any kind.)
My aunt first got MRSA one year ago. Her's is CMRSA. Along with her, three other people in her state got it and unfortunately all three died. Being the only survivor of this particular event, she was greatly affected. My aunt is very stubborn when it comes to going to a doctor. So when she got her first symptoms that led to her neck swelling and the pain going down to her chest, she ignored it. It wasn’t until she was unable to turn her head that she finally went to the hospital. The doctors discovered her infection only days before it would have gone to her heart and killed her. Not long after this first case, she got a very large open sore on her leg that started from scratching a bug bite. It took a long time but finally, after many medications and hospital visits, she was able to heal. Unfortunately the medications had other side affects on her. Her immune system is incredibly poor and some of her teeth were seriously weakend or even rotted. You see, from now on, every cut, bite and tiny scratch can turn into a very nasty and painful wound. MRSA is going to be a part of the rest of my aunt’s life. It is scary and interferes with her activities and each time it happens she has the potential to transfer is to other people.
By: Robyn Laughlin
MRSA is a bacterium that causes skin infections and kills as many as 19,000 people per year. There are three types of MRSA based on where it is contracted: CMRSA is community-acquired, HMRSA is health-care-acquired, and EMRSA is epidemic MRSA. It often starts out as a rash with lesions that progresses into to an open sore and inflammation. Actually, it can look like a simple rash or pimple or it could get as bad as an entire limb rotting. (I have included a picture of a less severe case, but feel free to Google for your selves to see the worst. Although, you should not do this if you are enjoying a meal of any kind.)
My aunt first got MRSA one year ago. Her's is CMRSA. Along with her, three other people in her state got it and unfortunately all three died. Being the only survivor of this particular event, she was greatly affected. My aunt is very stubborn when it comes to going to a doctor. So when she got her first symptoms that led to her neck swelling and the pain going down to her chest, she ignored it. It wasn’t until she was unable to turn her head that she finally went to the hospital. The doctors discovered her infection only days before it would have gone to her heart and killed her. Not long after this first case, she got a very large open sore on her leg that started from scratching a bug bite. It took a long time but finally, after many medications and hospital visits, she was able to heal. Unfortunately the medications had other side affects on her. Her immune system is incredibly poor and some of her teeth were seriously weakend or even rotted. You see, from now on, every cut, bite and tiny scratch can turn into a very nasty and painful wound. MRSA is going to be a part of the rest of my aunt’s life. It is scary and interferes with her activities and each time it happens she has the potential to transfer is to other people.
By: Robyn Laughlin