MRSA

[preciosa1974]

I’m not even sure if I totally understand this but I had the nose swab done to check for MRSA. I apparently have staph that is asymptomatic (I guess 30 % people have this in their system with no infection) and I’m concerned how susceptible this makes me to staph infection after surgery. Has anyone also experienced this?

 

[pellicle]

just generally speaking your body is often colonised with microbiota which are unable to do anything. Being methicillin-resistant (the M and R in MRSA does not make Staphylococcus aureus more potent nor more likely to go from a surface colonisation to an infection (this link clarifies the stages) it just makes it hard to treat with existing antibiotics (note the word resistant is not the same as impervious). Our bodies are often swarming with things (you only imagine you are clean) and that our natural barriers (skin being one, mucosa {where mucus come from, IE the wetness inside your nose} being another) prevent from getting into places where they shouldn't be (surgery is a great opportunity for these little fellas to get in where we don't want them).

So as I understand it (and although it was a while back when I did my biochem / microbiol degree) this isn't anything specific to worry about NOR is it anything you'd want to take antibiotics for (yet).

I would be guided by what the medical people say about your level of colonisation.

BUT here is what I'd do.

1. make up your own saline solution with 9g per Litre of *boiled* tap water (yes, boiled for at least 1 minute)
2. do not use table salt or that filthy pink crap, use cooking salt (it doesn't have the anti-caking agent). White is purity.
3. when cooled bottle that in sealable and clean (no residues of other things) bottles (I use clear water bottles) to check visually for turbidity.
4. get a big (no, really big) syringe and use that to flush your nasal passages
5. method: draw up about 40ml of the saline mixture (I pour out ~100ml into a glass); then leaning over the sink with your head horizontal looking down gently place the nozzle of the syringe into your nose (just inside, don't jam it in) and (holding your breath) squirt it up there as hard as you can reasonably do with just thumb and forefingers. You'll feel it in behind your eyes if you've got it "just right". Now let that drain out and breath out again through your nose in a gentle and regular exhalation.
6. repeat with the other nostril

if you do this once a day for a few days you'll have created an environment with some saline nature that will be highly unattractive to the bacteria. After a week or two you will probably find that swabs come back with no colonisation.
If you desire put a gram of baking soda into the mix when making up your liter.

here is my syringe, I got it from an auto-shop

you can lengthen the usage time of this by

1. removing the plunger from it after use (and quickly rinsing the interior to remove saltwater
2. as the lubricant on the plunger wears off, put a very small smear of Vaseline on the inside of the base of the syringe (which will eventually begin to accumulate at the top and can be cleaned by inserting a paper towel in there and rotation clean it (I use a chopstick as the tool)

apparently all that lab work had some benefits ;-)

NOTE: If the mix is too saline for you you'll know it by a subsequent salty feeling in your nose (if you've been surfing you'll know this feeling) and if its a bit "stingy" then it usually means you have not got enough salt in the solution. Simply add a little to the bottle.

Let me know how it goes.

 

[preciosa1974]

just generally speaking your body is often colonised with microbiota which are unable to do anything. Being methicillin-resistant (the M and R in MRSA does not make Staphylococcus aureus more potent nor more likely to go from a surface colonisation to an infection (this link clarifies the stages) it just makes it hard to treat with existing antibiotics (note the word resistant is not the same as impervious). Our bodies are often swarming with things (you only imagine you are clean) and that our natural barriers (skin being one, mucosa {where mucus come from, IE the wetness inside your nose} being another) prevent from getting into places where they shouldn't be (surgery is a great opportunity for these little fellas to get in where we don't want them).

So as I understand it (and although it was a while back when I did my biochem / microbiol degree) this isn't anything specific to worry about NOR is it anything you'd want to take antibiotics for (yet).

I would be guided by what the medical people say about your level of colonisation.

BUT here is what I'd do.

1. make up your own saline solution with 9g per Litre of *boiled* tap water (yes, boiled for at least 1 minute)
2. do not use table salt or that filthy pink crap, use cooking salt (it doesn't have the anti-caking agent). White is purity.
3. when cooled bottle that in sealable and clean (no residues of other things) bottles (I use clear water bottles) to check visually for turbidity.
4. get a big (no, really big) syringe and use that to flush your nasal passages
5. method: draw up about 40ml of the saline mixture (I pour out ~100ml into a glass); then leaning over the sink with your head horizontal looking down gently place the nozzle of the syringe into your nose (just inside, don't jam it in) and (holding your breath) squirt it up there as hard as you can reasonably do with just thumb and forefingers. You'll feel it in behind your eyes if you've got it "just right". Now let that drain out and breath out again through your nose in a gentle and regular exhalation.
6. repeat with the other nostril

if you do this once a day for a few days you'll have created an environment with some saline nature that will be highly unattractive to the bacteria. After a week or two you will probably find that swabs come back with no colonisation.
If you desire put a gram of baking soda into the mix when making up your liter.

here is my syringe, I got it from an auto-shop
View attachment 888929

you can lengthen the usage time of this by

1. removing the plunger from it after use (and quickly rinsing the interior to remove saltwater
2. as the lubricant on the plunger wears off, put a very small smear of Vaseline on the inside of the base of the syringe (which will eventually begin to accumulate at the top and can be cleaned by inserting a paper towel in there and rotation clean it (I use a chopstick as the tool)

apparently all that lab work had some benefits ;-)

NOTE: If the mix is too saline for you you'll know it by a subsequent salty feeling in your nose (if you've been surfing you'll know this feeling) and if its a bit "stingy" then it usually means you have not got enough salt in the solution. Simply add a little to the bottle.

Let me know how it goes.

I will give it a try. No one has notified me regarding the result so I’m assuming it’s nothing urgent but this sure couldn’t hurt! Thank you’

 

[pellicle]

will give it a try

A while back i developed an annoying post nasal drip, this keeps it in check. I've naturally honed my water snorting since I started

Best wishes

 

[Survived03]

Hospitals in the US have MRSA screening protocols so that in the case where a Hospital Acquired Infection occurs they can say yay/nay that the patient had MRSA colonization upon admission. If screened negative and patient acquires an infection the hospital eats the additional expense associated with the infection. No bueno.

 

[pellicle]

Hospitals in the US have MRSA screening protocols so that in the case where a Hospital Acquired Infection occurs they can say yay/nay that the patient had MRSA colonization upon admission. If screened negative and patient acquires an infection the hospital eats the additional expense associated with the infection. No bueno.

interesting, and in my view wise to do so (as hospitals are notorious as a good "disease spreading central station")
Hopefully there is some protocol to keep MSRA patients a bit more "glove" clean from the other patients (and staff)

 

[preciosa1974]

My surgeon’s office called and they want me to treat it now. Before surgery.

 

[pellicle]

My surgeon’s office called and they want me to treat it now. Before surgery.

Is there a plan proposed, I'm interested as to how it will be approached

 

[preciosa1974]

Is there a plan proposed, I'm interested as to how it will be approached

They gave me muciprin (sp?) ointment 2 times a day for 5 days. No re trst

 

[Midlo_dave]

I was given that as well. They took my nose swabs late, so they won't get the cultures back in time to treat a positive result.....so they gave me the mupirocin ointment as a precaution. Not sure why they even took the nose culture....won't really matter.

 

[tom in MO]

Pellicle's method is cute but runs the risk of infection and contamination.

• In general, you don't want to store saline solution for nasal lavage, you make it up fresh before each use. You don't have to boil water if you use distilled water. These practices are to avoid bacteria, mold and other things that can grow in stored and routinely handled solutions.
• You also should occasionally clean out the delivery device with soap and water and microwave it to keep the nasties at bay.
• In addition, you should use USP grade sodium chloride that's made pure and tested to be sure it's pure enough for this use. Do not use commercial table salt. Don't use sea salt. Don't use "organic" salt.
• You can have too little or too much salt. Too much can be uncomfortable in your nose and too little isn't as effective. You can buy pre-weighed single use sachets for a set volume of water to assure the correct concentration.

If you want a nasal lavage, buy one of the products sold by NeilMed: https://www.neilmed.com/usa/ or a competitor's product, I think CVS has one. My family uses the NeilMed lavage bottle, which is better than a netti-pot. It comes with pre-weighed sachets that matches the lavage bottle's marked volume for water. There are other devices as well, e.g. netti-pot.

Nasal lavage can help with sinus difficulties, but it often doesn't last long enough. You may be able to buy it with your healthcare flexible spending account money.

 

[preciosa1974]

Pellicle's method is cute but runs the risk of infection and contamination.

• In general, you don't want to store saline solution for nasal lavage, you make it up fresh before each use. You don't have to boil water if you use distilled water. These practices are to avoid bacteria, mold and other things that can grow in stored and routinely handled solutions.
• You also should occasionally clean out the delivery device with soap and water and microwave it to keep the nasties at bay.
• In addition, you should use USP grade sodium chloride that's made pure and tested to be sure it's pure enough for this use. Do not use commercial table salt. Don't use sea salt. Don't use "organic" salt.
• You can have too little or too much salt. Too much can be uncomfortable in your nose and too little isn't as effective. You can buy pre-weighed single use sachets for a set volume of water to assure the correct concentration.

If you want a nasal lavage, buy one of the products sold by NeilMed: https://www.neilmed.com/usa/ or a competitor's product, I think CVS has one. My family uses the NeilMed lavage bottle, which is better than a netti-pot. It comes with pre-weighed sachets that matches the lavage bottle's marked volume for water. There are other devices as well, e.g. netti-pot.

Nasal lavage can help with sinus difficulties, but it often doesn't last long enough. You may be able to buy it with your healthcare flexible spending account money.

I’ve already had surgery. They prescribed an ointment for 5 days. It was a non issue thank Gid!