Seems like I'm not the only one who's
dealing with a staph infection...
Two months ago I bought a cheap belt from
a local consignment store. The belt
buckle was nickel and I developed a rash
on my lower abdomen from contact with the
metal. I made the mistake of scratching
it, after about a week, two abscesses
formed where the rash had been.
I treated them myself with topical
antibiotic ointment, I showered
frequently, and they both healed in about
11 days time. Shortly after, I developed
another abscess on my lower abdomen. I
went to a family practice clinic and
received a prescription for Keflax (2000
mg per day for seven days). I felt
better, and no new abscesses formed during
that time.
About three days after finishing the
prescription, another abscess developed on
my left thigh, and then my right thigh
(outward facing sides). I waited too long
to see the doctor and within a week the
abscess on my right thigh grew slightly
larger than that of a golf ball. The
worst of it came the night before I went
back to the doctor. The abscess was large
and maroon in color. The top of it was
very dark. It hurt to the point that
walking was difficult. During this entire
ordeal, my temperature was between 99.5
and 100.5, on this night it was 101.00. I
could hear the blood rushing in my ears
and in the morning I experienced watery
green stool. I cannot describe my
feelings during this time with justice...I
felt like I would die.
I went to the doctor and had the larger
abscess on my right thigh drained. He
left a drainage tube in for two days as it
continued to drain during that time. I
was placed on 4000 mg of Keflax and 1000
mg of sulfameth for one week. I finished
that prescription three days ago.
I feel ill again. Before each abscess, I
experienced a strange cracking on the
corner of my mouth, almost like a
cold-sore but not red...just dry, flaky,
and crackly. This time, it's in both
corners of my mouth, and I feel the
typical pre-abscess lump I've so
unfortunately come to know too well on a
lower portion of my left thigh.
These abscesses have not yet been
cultured. My hygiene is good, I shower
daily, and while ill with this I've
showered twice daily, changed my sheets on
a regular basis, and tried not to re-use
my towels. I have a dog, I've considered
the possibility that he is the source of
the re-infection. I've been shoving soap
up my nose to try and kill staph in my
nasal passages don't know if it's doing
anything except making me feel rather
paranoid. I so desperately want this to
go away.
Does this sound like a staph infection
spread to the blood system? Why are the
antibiotics not knocking this out for
good? Am I being re-infected or is it
just the original infection haunting my
body? None of these questions, I realize,
can be accurately answered by just reading
this...but I'd like some opinions about
what may be going on, and what to do about
it.
