McCarville: An MRSA Survivor’s Story

mrsa

Mike McCarville

A fellow follower of  the MRSA Survivor’s Network posts that he suffers from chronic fatigue and wonders if that’s related to the infection.

Yes. Chronic fatigue, a compromised immune system and other ills go along with this nasty bug. MRSA (pronounced meer-sa) is an acronym for methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus – also known as the “Superbug” and can cause deadly infections in patients in healthcare facilities and in the community.

I was just weeks into recovery from open heart surgery in 2011 when it hit me. I had been to my cardiologist to be fitted with an overnight heart monitor and a couple of days later, went to the lab have blood taken for testing.

Twelve hours later, I began chilling and a fever developed. I’d been told that if that occurred, to head immediately for  the ER. Infections do not treat replacement heart valves well and mine is bovine.

It took two days to confirm I had sepsis MRSA; it was in the worst possible place, my bloodstream. Then the heavy-duty antibiotic treatments began; this bug laughs at all antibiotics save one, and it must be administered regularly via a picc line in the arm. The doctors told me I had a couple of choices. I could go to a nursing home for the twice-daily treatments or go home and do it ourselves. My wife/nurse, God love her, didn’t flinch and six weeks later, we’d completed the antibiotic regime at home.

My infectious disease specialist twice warned me that if the infection attacked my bovine heart valve, the result would be “catastrophic.” He didn’t have to explain it beyond that. He also warned me about avoiding any chance of additional exposure, such as going into crowds, avoiding open wounds and washing my hands more often than normal.

The Superbug, unfortunately, remains with one for life.  I’ve found a reminder is the compromised immune system. I’ve had ills in the past three years I never thought I’d see. I wound up in the ER a few weekends back, likely due in part to the sorry state of my immune system, which sometimes needs a steroid kickstart.

The worst part of it is my reluctance to attend events where there are crowds. I don’t flinch at small groups, those I know, but that’s about it.

For those who have kindly inquired about my health, thank you for caring.

 

 

 

 


Print pagePDF pageEmail page

*

Copyright © The McCarville Report