MRSA....worried sick

[caija]

Hiya, I am 14+2 with dc3 and went to visit my gran in hospital yesterday, I have now just found out that she has been moved to a side room as she has contracted MRSA! Worried sick about my gran :( poor thing, she's 85, but what are the chances that I could have it or be now carrying it? I am soo worried :( I have a severely disabled ds who cannot fight off infection easily :( please help

Anyone??

I really don't know much about this but can see you are worried - I would suggest giving your GP a call to see if you need to be tested. AFAIK Many people are carriers of MRSA without ever knowing it.

www.mrsa.uk.com/docs/passed_on.htm

www.patient.co.uk/health/MRSA.htm

My Dad had MRSA which caused some problems when he was ill a few years ago. He was nursed is a side room and also had C-diff some weeks later.

Apparently a very high percentage of us have MRSA on our skin and it is just a problem when it multiplies and is in someone who has less defense to fight it off.

I used to visit him and leave DD in the buggy at the door (staff not too happy about this but I had no-one to watch her.)
I kept touching him to a minimum and washed my hands thoroughly with hot water and soap after leaving the room.

The best way of avoiding cross contamination is really good hand hygiene (soap and water, and the alcohol gel stuff). People can have MRSA and not even know, and it can be picked up from door handles, money, surfaces etc. not just in hospitals. To do any real damage, MRSA has to be in your system somewhere, like a wound, chest, urine, etc., rather than on your skin, so it is highly unlikely that you or your baby will be affected, or your DS, if you have washed your hands well and don't have open sores etc. If your grandma, just has it up her nose or something (common site) then you will all likely be fine, your DG as well. If she's known to have it and in a side-room they will be treating her (or should be) and will screen her again in about a week, after a course of treatment. Also, IIRC, and I haven't looked at the research recently, there was some evidence to suggest that tea tree oil deals with superficial MRSA effectively so perhaps you could wash with that and put a couple of drops in your DS's bath (if he doesn't have any other contraindications to that).
I hope your DG gets better soon :)

I have some limited experience of MRSA so not an expert. DD was given MRSA when they ventilated her and we were told it wasnt an issue even though she was swabbed and they found it in her nose and throat because she didnt have any open wounds.

She was however a real danger to other patients who had had surgery so we were in isolation and not allowed to use any of the public facilities in the hospital

I presume with the elderly there are huge risks from bedsores and ulcers hence the precaution they are taking.

They also told us a lots of people carry it on their skin harmlessly so i wouldnt think theres a danger to you or your DS if you have no injurys.

We were lucky really as this was nearly 13 years ago, before the age of Dr Google. I actually believed what i was told back then and didnt dare question it!

Hopefully someone from the medical profession will come along to reassure you.

If you are worried then speak to your GP. MRSA is quite common, most people carry it but never have any problems. To become ill with it, it has to enter the skin through a cut/wound. Even then it is easily treated with the right course of antibotics (they will do a swab to find the right ones). Your nan would have been moved to the risk of it speading, hope she is better soon.

I'm sure your son will be fine, and have also heard mrsa is vey common on peoples skin. All the same, i would probably shower/wash hair/clean bath/launder towels and clothes used yesterday for peace of mind that you have done what you can to avoid passing any bugs from hospital.

I see MRSA +ve patients in my hospital job all the time (and continued to do so during my first and this pregnancy). There is no risk of infection if you use good hygiene (hand washing etc) and even if you are in contact it's only a problem if it gets into an open wound. You are much more likely to come into contact with it on public transport as a large percentage of the general population have MRSA cultures on skin, nose or throat. It's not a risk in pregnancy or for you son with a disability. Hope this makes sense and provides some reassurance.

Yes, as the others have said, it is likely she will have been moved to prevent others who are vulnerable, getting it.

IIRC, healthcare workers are screened for MRSA late in their pregnancies - it isn't to protect them, it's to protect everyone else on the ward at the time (they get put into siderooms if possible). The MW I was speaking to joked that finding out you're colonised and therefore need your own room might therefore not be the end of the world, compared to a six-bedded bay!

Good hand hygiene, and following the rules the hospital put into place for visiting times, should protect you.

Sorry - should have read, "everyone else on the ward at the time, in case there is someone vulnerable to infection".

Hey everyone. Thanks soo much for all yr replies n for yr kind words regarding my DG, she does have an open wound on her foot which is how she must've contracted it. You've all made me feel so much better and put my mind at rest. Thanks again, millions,
Angela