Spinal Injuries-Halo Vest.

I really hope theyve got this wrong Elaine - I'll keep everything crossed here and, as MF says, we're here if you need to let off steam

 

OH Elaine!
Sending out prayers and good thoughts for you and yours

 

MRSA.Can`t believe it.Nurse said today,Yes,she is infected.Nose,throat and bowel.Aparrantly they`d taken swabs at the weekend and confirmed Monday!

 

As marley says..'All' of us are here Elaine.

 

all fingers possible are crossed here

 

Hoping & praying for you & yours Elaine lots of love. xxx

 

Elaine can you ask them one question when you go in. Is your cousin colonised with MRSA or is one of her wounds infected with it. There is a difference - and from your description i.e. nose, throat and bowel, it may be colonised i.e. picked up on routine swabbing rather than a wound infection. On most orthopaedic wards, patients are routinely swabbed on admission or if an infection is found on the ward. But either way it usually can be treated very effectively so don't start hitting panic buttons yet.

However that does not excuse the lack of communication by the nursing and medical staff, and I would strongly suggest that your cousin's family raise this. Both she and they need to be fully informed with what is going on and certainly not communicated with in the way you describe.

My thoughts are with you, and I hope your cousin continues to improve.

 

Elaine,
Sorry to hear about this accident.

I am a nurse also, so can offer a little support. I have looked after three patients with halos in the past, and all three have survived and have not had any long standing problems, all of them are walking tall and have gone back to work.

MRSA - just ask everyone who enters the room to apply alcohol gel to their hands before touching your cousin (includes all visitors, nurses, doctors, physio's etc.). They should all wash their hands before leaving the room also.

This will help prevent spread of the bug. Also try not to take anything into the room which does not need to go in e.g. outside coats, bags. That will also help prevent spread.

Don't sit on the bed and be vigilant. Somebody could have brought the bug to her, or as Fran says, she may have already been colonised prior to the accident.

If the nurses cannot answer your questions (some can, some can't), ask for the infection control officer.

Hope this helps. It is not my speciality anymore, so I hope that my information is ok.

The infection control officer will be able to answer any questions that you may have.

 

Echo what has been said - but it might be some comfort to you to know that quite a lot of people get colonised with MRSA if they're in hospital long enough - patients and staff. It's not that much of a big deal.

The letters stand for Multi Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus or sometimes Methycillilyn meaning much the same thing. It means that the bug is resistant to many antibiotics.

However, it should be remembered that Staph Aureus itself is a natural commensal in the alimentary canal (from mouth to rectum) and we would soon notice if it was absent because it contributes to the healthy working of the gut. You soon know it when you take antibiotics which knock out all the natural bugs and you get dia....dio (the trots!!). (Never could spell it!!)

But even when it gets resistant, it's not too much of a problem as long as it stays where it belongs. It's when it's passed to other people and gets into places where it shouldn't be that the real problems start. Surgical wounds being a prime example. That's why hospitals go into hyperdrive when it's found anywhere!

Never the less, you've had good advice from others and I also am praying that your cousin soon sheds her disorientation and then makes a full and speedy recovery.

 

Hi Elainefiz What a terrible thing to happen and dreadful worry for you all. It bad enough having all those injuries without contacting MRSA. My bother some years ago fell down the hold of the ship (this was in Melbourne) and was in a coma for 4 months. so I know what you are going through. Being thousands of miles away did not help but he had a Nursing Sister who belonged Newcastle originally and she kept Mum informed what was going on. He did wake up and is now 78 years old and very good for his age. So where there is life there is hope and keep on praying My thoughts are with you Jazz

 

Thinking of you and your cousin Elainexx