100 Yr Old Great Granny Has a Staff MRSA (Resistant Kind) Suggestions

well, there are really three drugs that could help here - vancomycin, gentamycin, and tobramycin. vanc is the most brutal of the bunch. if vanc is chosen, it MUST be given IV b/c the actual vanc molecule is too large to be absorbed through the "gut", the large molecule is also the reason that vanc is incredibly painful during IV administration. have they actually cultured her puss to be sure that it is MRSA? if you are not satisfied with her treatment, i would have her moved. but do this understanding that at 100 years old, her body is not equipped any longer to take an extremely aggressive "cure". if it hasn't been done already, i would insist on an infectious disease specialist being called in. good luck and i hope your granny gets better.

W.,

There are antibiotics out there for MRSA, it just takes culturing the wound (which can take up to 5 days), but in the meantime, they can try several antibiotics that are broader spectrum and known to work against MRSA. Vanc is one of them. Also...it is on her bottom...i am guessing if she is 100 that she is sitting or in bed a lot? Sores on the bottom are a big issue and a person in bed a lot of the time or sitting needs to be turned, etc...in the hospital we turn our patients ever two hours to prevent these issues. Even then, it sometimes still becomes a problem. Cipro and bactrim are not going to work on MRSA. I would get a new doc for sure...and make sure that someone is placing barrier cream and mepilex (a special pad for infected sores on the back and bottom) on her sore and changing it ever day. My hubby is a nurse...if you need any other questions answered! Good Luck! Oh, and i just read the response by Laura below...nurse or not...she is hitting you with the worst case scenario doom's day stuff and assuming that your gm is weak or that you are being too aggressive or that the docs did things right and you are overreacting. I think she should save the pessimism and judgment until she knows some of the answers rather than assume and make the blanket statements that she made. It is pretty obvious by a doc giving Cipro for MRSA (if it is known MRSA) that the doc is pretty lame...

By all means, insist on an infective disease specialist - but understand that the potent antibiotics - the ones effective against MRSA - are themselves quite toxic to human tissue. She may not be strong enough to tolerate them. Find a doctor you trust, and trust them.

S.

My aunt (much younger than 100 though) has MRSA in the same area and she was in the hospital for over a week... they had to cut it open and drain it several times and had LARGE doses of medications... Great Granny is still at home?!?! Good luck!