I have been an RN for 25 years now, over half my life. I have worked mostly in the hospital setting. I have worked in many areas including critical care, cardiac, neonatal intensive care, pediatrics, psychiatry, and surgical. I first received my RN after graduating from the Lutheran Hospital School of Nursing. Later I received a Bachelor’s degree from Indiana Wesleyan University.
I am the father of 2 great kids…both teenagers. I was born in 1964, and at that time my parents attended Third Street United Brethren Church. We were at Third Street until I was 8 years old. Just before leaving Third Street, I gave my heart to the Lord, with the help of a very dear Sunday School teacher named Juanita Sivits. Coming to Anchor (which used to be the Third Street UB Church) was like coming home, and I know this is where the Lord wants me to be.
As a Parish Nurse for Anchor, one of the ways I will serve is by blogging on various health care concerns. Some of my blogposts will feature informative subjects. Some will feature information that is geared toward prevention, some toward treatment issues. If at any time someone at Anchor would like me to discuss a certain topic, please feel free to mention that to me.
One topic that comes up repeatedly these days is MRSA. This is the acronym for Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus - MRSA. A very big name to be sure. Many stories have been told about this organism which have left the public with a high degree of anxiety.
The basic form of MRSA is just called Staph aureus. This part of the organism usually resides on the skin and sometime the nasal passages of a healthy individual. MRSA is a special strain of S. aureus that responds poorly to many of our most powerful antibiotics. MRSA can be an easily dealt with problem if it is for example just on the skin and it is diagnosed and treated early. MRSA can become a serious problem if it gets into the blood, heart, bone, etc. An important concept is not to immediately allow anxiety to rule the day if a physician tells you that you have MRSA.
There are two types of MRSA. One type is acquired in the hospital. MRSA is very hard to get rid of. If you have been in the hospital, or had surgery in the last year you are at increased risk for MRSA infection. Again, allow common sense and early treatment to rule the day. The other type of MRSA is acquired in the community. This is becoming more of a problem to deal with. Some of the people at risk include athletes who share equipment, children in daycare facilities, persons in the military, and those who get tattoos.
Symptoms of skin infection may include drainage of pus or other fluid from the site, fever, warmth around the infected area. Watching for fever is an excellent way to watch for MRSA. Fever is one of our most basic indicators of overall health and one of the easiest things to check. More serious infections may include chills, cough, fatigue, fever, feeling bad, headache and muscle aches, rash, and shortness of breath. Treatment will vary according to the type and severity of the MRSA infection.
MRSA is getting increasingly hard to treat as different strains of the organism get resistant to available antibiotics. One of the more frequently used antibiotics for MRSA is Vancomycin. Any antibiotic that your physician orders for you should be taken until it is COMPLETELY finished. Many infections have the ability to rebound if antibiotic therapy is stopped too soon.
Scott G. Eddy, RN BSN
References used:
National Center for Biotechnology Information
U.S. National Library of Medicine
National Institutes of Health
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