could also come from somebody scratching you. Hard to avoid.
Where can one get Xango? Is it available at stores like "Whole Foods"?
Be very careful with staph infections! And definitely make sure your doctor diagnosed correctly and gave you the right treatment.
I got staph a few years ago from mats and I had meds for about a week before I saw some improvement.
I went through a 10 day dose and it barely improved. So then they put me on a 5 day, but with 2 different meds and that did the trick.
Foliculitis is how I got it and that is hard to avoid, it just happens.
"Don't be surprised if it is completely gone in two to three days."
and don't be surprised if it gets worse.
I have scars from it in 4 spots on my body.
Wear the cream, DO NOT TOUCH IT.
and shower 2-3 times a day.
I also agree with everything Ringgirl said, but want to add something:
"But I also know of instances where there was no explainable reason for the staph appearing."
Staph is what is known as a 'normal flora', which means that it exists naturally on your skin. Staph becomes a problem when it gets into places it is not supposed to be, like the bloodstream, under the skin, etc. Anyway, a lot of times the infection can come from staph that is normal flora.
There are several species of staph. One of the more common is Staph Aureus, which is the common cause of staph infections. I've seen debate over S. Aureus being normal flora on the skin, some say it only exists in throat and nasal channels, where a different strain exists on skin. Those people say that S. Aureus on skin indicates that the person is a 'carrier' (not normal). Others say S. Aureus exists on everyone's skin as normal flora. Either way, S. Aureus is normal flora somewhere in/on the body.
I had bad folliculitis on the back of my neck last year and was misdiagnosed as having a staph infection, because the PA took a skin swab without accounting for the fact that there was going to be staph on the skin. I went through 3 antibiotic cycles for nothing. I had talked to her about this when she first took the swab, asking her if she should break one of the 'zits' for the sample. She got all offended. Go figure.
Oh and if there are any ways to get rid of staph that doesn't involve antibiotics, go for it!
New2MMA -- thanks for the info! Sucks you had to endure all those antibiotics for no reason!
The second time I had a staph infection, it was close to my right wrist and was subcutaneous. The reason I say there was no explainable reason, was that I had no cuts in my skin, no abrasions, no encounters with anything different like manicures, etc. So the doctor wasn't sure why I suddenly got it.
She put me on Cipro and that didn't kill it, so then she put me on Bactrim and something else, can't remember. I was on a few different things the first time I had it too, which was in my elbow due to mat burn, and I went through the whole ER visit and having them draw on me with a sharpie to warn me to come back if the infection spread past those lines, etc. Not fun stuff!
Impetigo and folliculitis are different, Impetigo is usually caused by strep and doesn't necessarily affect the hair follicles where as folliculitis by definition affects the hair follicles. Folliculitis is usally caused by staph or strep. Bactroban cream is absolutely appropriate, he could have added a oral antibiotic but it's not always necessary and almost never necessary for localized impetigo. Staph is part of normal flora, but the staph that usually grow out in cultures is Staph Epidermidis if it is just a skin contaminant, not staph aureus which can cause more serious infections. It is true that we are all colonized with staph bacteria and several other types of bacteria. The more pathogenic methicillin resistant staph is more common now in the community than it once was, and I see it commonly in my practice, and there are several different antibiotic regimines that can treat it but you do need culture and sensitivities to be sure.
New2MMA - "I had bad folliculitis on the back of my neck..."
Ugghh - thank you for not rolling with me on Tuesday!
Thanks for all the valuable help everyone, i think it's getting better, kind of hard to tell, i've been using the Bactroban cream 3 times a day.
"Ugghh - thank you for not rolling with me on Tuesday!"
That was a while ago. My 'Typhoid Mary' days are long over!