Posted on

Living with MRSA: Nearly Ten Years On

I have MRSA – to be specific I have HA-MRSA.  MRSA is a superbug – its full is name methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus bacteria – the HA denotes I contracted it in hospital – if I had contracted it outside of hospital it would be denoted CA-MRSA – community acquired MRSA.

Superbugs are a group of microorganisms that are resistant to at least one or more commonly used antibiotics.  The commonly accepted list of superbugs is as follows:

MRSA  – (Staphylococcus aureus strains resistant to multiple antibiotics) , VRE (Enterococcus species resistant to vancomycin), PRSP (Streptococcus pneumoniae strains resistant to penicillin), ESBLs (Escherichia coli and other Gram-negative bacteria resistant to antibiotics such as cephalosporins and monobactams) and multiple drug-resistant Clostridium difficile.

Continue reading → Living with MRSA: Nearly Ten Years On

Posted on

MRSA Revisited: “Out, D-a-m-n-e-d Spot! Out, I Say!”

Four or five months ago when I was doing my routine self-breast check I found a small pea sized lump on my breastbone, nestled in my cleavage.

A quick check with our doctor at the time confirmed what I had first thought — a fatty lump or sebaceous cyst — nothing to be concerned about.

Continue reading → MRSA Revisited: “Out, D-a-m-n-e-d Spot! Out, I Say!”

Posted on

Copper Reduces Nosocomial Infections by 58%

When I was teaching Public Health at the graduate level at UMDNJ, the notion of how nosocomial infections  spread was a major source of my research intrigue.  What constitutes a nosocomial infection?  Patient-to-patient MRSA?  The patient’s own flora?  A rouge and evil nurse?  The answer to all those questions is a resounding, “Yes!”

Continue reading → Copper Reduces Nosocomial Infections by 58%

Posted on

When Eddie Got AIDS in 2012

One of the store clerks in our neighborhood — let’s call him “Eddie” — went missing for over a month.  Janna and I always loved seeing Eddie during our weekend shopping outings and he was always warm and friendly and talkative.  We also knew Eddie was Gay because of the personal stories he openly shared with us as we shopped.

Greying and testing middle age, we also knew Eddie, a proud Latino, had dedicated the last twenty years of his life to living with, and taking care of, his unwell mother.  His daily routine was to wake up, work in the store, and go home to her.  He had no social life.  He life was “job and mom.”

When Eddie disappeared six weeks ago, we knew something terrible happened and last Sunday our worst fears were confirmed when we finally saw Eddie again, behind his cash register, looking wan and uncomfortably thin.  He told us the horrible news with a calm resignation:  At 50-years-old, he wasn’t just HIV positive, he had full-blown Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome.  Eddie had AIDS.

Continue reading → When Eddie Got AIDS in 2012

Posted on

Brain-Eating Amoebas Make a Deadly Neti Pot

I am a big proponent of using a Neti Pot to clean your sinuses.  You brush your teeth three times a day, why wouldn’t you at least “brush” your sinuses once a day with saline and baking soda to better help preserve your health?

Continue reading → Brain-Eating Amoebas Make a Deadly Neti Pot