UGH! MRSA infection
Posted: Tue Sep 05, 2017 2:25 pm
So, a few weeks ago, I woke up with some swelling around my port where I get my chemotherapy. I thought the port had failed. Nope, turns out it was an infection. The covering doctor gave me some bactrim for a week. (My surgeon was away).
A week had gone by and the swelling was no better...back to the surgeon. This time I saw my surgeon. He gave me some clindamycin for a week.
A week went by and no better. I went back to see my surgeon's partner. He looked at it and said that it was no worse but no better and I had no fever so, he gave me Cipro for a week. That was a Friday.
Saturday night, I was cold but the temperature outside was fairly cool too. I went to bed and started shivering. My husband piled the blankets on me. I woke up Sunday morning feeling like Chemo Crash day. I went downstairs and promptly threw up. I sat on the couch and took my temperature. 102.
I waited 20 minutes because well, I had been under all those covers. Took my temperature again. 103. No, I couldn't possibly have a fever that high.
Took it again. Still 103. Now I had to get back upstairs to get my husband up to help me get to the hospital. I was dizzy but managed to make it upstairs.
We called the doctor on call and he had to call in someone else to meet us at the hospital.
I got to the hospital and was promptly whisked back where they started me on vancomycin. My port was still slightly swollen but not really remarkable. The covering doctor saw me and thought we could save the port if we did the vancomycin for a couple days. They were not completely convinced it was the port that was infected. They drew blood cultures.
Well, Sunday night, at 1 am (I guess Monday morning), they figured out they needed a second IV to give me more than one med. Really? We had to wait til 1 in the morning. They failed to get the IV and it hurt like a bastard. They decided it was okay to wait to give me my next Vancomycin late rather than get another IV.
Monday morning, my surgeon was back from vacation. He stopped in to see me and couldn't understand why I wasn't NPO so he could remove the port. He said "it has to come out". So, he made me NPO for Tuesday.
In the meantime, my blood cultures had started growing. It was staph. UGH. Luckily, that meant I only needed one IV. BUT the one IV I had was not looking great. So, they decided to access the port even if it was infected. That would give the IV site a chance to rest.
My surgeon came to see me Tuesday morning and said he would see me at 2:30. UGH! I went down to the OR at 2:30 only to find out he was running an hour and a half behind. That meant I had been without food for 24 hours.
But even worse, my IV had completely failed. They had to remove it. They stuck me five more times trying to find access and failed. I finally said I had had enough. My surgeon came to see me and said "That has to come out. You have MRSA". I said "I know, but what am I supposed to do". He said "Well, wait a minute, we can remove it under local anesthesia". Thank GOODNESS.
An hour later, he had basically ripped it out of me (it was so scarred down it was stuck in there good).
So, now I am on Zyvox which is a really strong antibiotic with a lot of restrictions. No aged cheeses. No cured meats. No alcohol.
Anyway, it's better than being in the hospital on Vancomycin. I am on this for two weeks and then once I have a clear blood culture, they will put the port back in.
Cancer is a bitch. Don't get it!
A week had gone by and the swelling was no better...back to the surgeon. This time I saw my surgeon. He gave me some clindamycin for a week.
A week went by and no better. I went back to see my surgeon's partner. He looked at it and said that it was no worse but no better and I had no fever so, he gave me Cipro for a week. That was a Friday.
Saturday night, I was cold but the temperature outside was fairly cool too. I went to bed and started shivering. My husband piled the blankets on me. I woke up Sunday morning feeling like Chemo Crash day. I went downstairs and promptly threw up. I sat on the couch and took my temperature. 102.
I waited 20 minutes because well, I had been under all those covers. Took my temperature again. 103. No, I couldn't possibly have a fever that high.
Took it again. Still 103. Now I had to get back upstairs to get my husband up to help me get to the hospital. I was dizzy but managed to make it upstairs.
We called the doctor on call and he had to call in someone else to meet us at the hospital.
I got to the hospital and was promptly whisked back where they started me on vancomycin. My port was still slightly swollen but not really remarkable. The covering doctor saw me and thought we could save the port if we did the vancomycin for a couple days. They were not completely convinced it was the port that was infected. They drew blood cultures.
Well, Sunday night, at 1 am (I guess Monday morning), they figured out they needed a second IV to give me more than one med. Really? We had to wait til 1 in the morning. They failed to get the IV and it hurt like a bastard. They decided it was okay to wait to give me my next Vancomycin late rather than get another IV.
Monday morning, my surgeon was back from vacation. He stopped in to see me and couldn't understand why I wasn't NPO so he could remove the port. He said "it has to come out". So, he made me NPO for Tuesday.
In the meantime, my blood cultures had started growing. It was staph. UGH. Luckily, that meant I only needed one IV. BUT the one IV I had was not looking great. So, they decided to access the port even if it was infected. That would give the IV site a chance to rest.
My surgeon came to see me Tuesday morning and said he would see me at 2:30. UGH! I went down to the OR at 2:30 only to find out he was running an hour and a half behind. That meant I had been without food for 24 hours.
But even worse, my IV had completely failed. They had to remove it. They stuck me five more times trying to find access and failed. I finally said I had had enough. My surgeon came to see me and said "That has to come out. You have MRSA". I said "I know, but what am I supposed to do". He said "Well, wait a minute, we can remove it under local anesthesia". Thank GOODNESS.
An hour later, he had basically ripped it out of me (it was so scarred down it was stuck in there good).
So, now I am on Zyvox which is a really strong antibiotic with a lot of restrictions. No aged cheeses. No cured meats. No alcohol.
Anyway, it's better than being in the hospital on Vancomycin. I am on this for two weeks and then once I have a clear blood culture, they will put the port back in.
Cancer is a bitch. Don't get it!