All Rileyed Up

I wholeheartedly endorse the site StopMRSANow.org, which I learned about from MomCentral. I have been planning to write a post on MRSA infections since The Boy and I were diagnosed them. The post was to be both informative and funny – yes, I know how to make jokes about these things:

–having my leg lanced (Yes, Doctor, I do feel what you’re doing, that’s why I’m alternating between clenching my fists and rubbing my forehead)

–experiencing my tears turning red:

Me: “Too bad we’re not closer to Halloween”  

Doctor: (long look) “This isn’t funny.”

–how the doctor’s office employs foul mouthed hoodlums

–how one should never assume the pharmacy is 24 hours

–how being deprived of alcohol for a mere 14 days really makes you realize how much you drink

–how one can lose 9 pounds in 14 days (possibly to do with above sentence)

–how to walk around with the hairiest of hairy legs because you still can’t shave it (I am so hot right now.)

Yes, yes, all good fun things to talk about. But here’s the thing: I don’t to write about things like infections until they’re over and I. STILL. HAVE. IT!!!!!! IT. WON’T. GO. AWAY. I’ve been duped by it several times, thinking the end was in site, then I am reminded it is not.

The Boy and I were both diagnosed separately the first week of October (him at the start of the week, me at the end of the week). We both took antibiotics. He finished his up first. Shortly after I finished the last of mine, the doctor told me it was still lurking and I prescribed another batch of antibiotics. Shortly after that, two new MRSA bumps showed up on The Boy.

He started his same antibiotic treatment,and today, I took him to the ER because it seems he may have developed an allergy to the exact same antibiotic he just used. And because his severe eczema always leaves him with open wounds, the doctor’s worried we might be headed for a much more vicious cycle than either of us anticipated.

Stop MRSA now. Seriously. Check out the site. Don’t get this infection. Trust me when I say: you don’t want it. And while you’re at it, say a prayer, make a sacrifice, think like The Secret, and say aloud, Please let MRSA leave the House of Riley alone.

Also, follow these steps:

Scrub up - Wash hands frequently with soap and warm water for at least 15 seconds or use an alcohol-based hand rub sanitizer.   

Wipe it down - Use a disinfecting bleach solution to wipe down and disinfect hard surfaces. (1 tablespoon of disinfecting bleach diluted in 1 quart of water)

Cover your cuts - Keep any nicks or wounds covered with a clean, dry bandage until healed.

Keep to yourself - Do not share personal items, like towels or razors, that come into contact with bare skin.

Use a barrier - Keep a towel or clothing between skin and shared equipment.