Elena 
It’s definitely been a learning experience this week! Sam’s face looks A LOT better today. The swelling in his cheek is definitely gone and his lesion is down to about 3 cm from 5. His lip is still swollen, but he is speaking better and his appetite is back.
We did manage to get everyone to put the antibiotic ointment in their noses last night. What we did was clue the older kids in on why this was important and why we were doing it. (Sort of infectious disease 101 for kids!) Then we told them to act like this was fun. By the time Mr. Pete was done swabbing Izzy, Rosie DEMANDED to have her nose swabbed too! So we complied… hee hee hee. No problem at all.
Anyway, here is one of the best sources I could find on the web to explain what MRSA is and how to avoid it!
Methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA)
How can I protect myself from becoming infected with staph?
Keep your hands clean by washing thoroughly with soap and water. Cover and rub all surfaces of the hands. Lather and rub for at least 10 seconds. Alternatively, if there is no visible dirt on the skin, alcohol-based hand sanitizers (containing at least 60% ethyl alcohol) can be used to clean hands.
Keep cuts and abrasions clean and covered with a clean bandage until healed.
Avoid contact with other people’s wounds or material and surfaces contaminated from wounds.
Avoid skin-to-skin contact with persons who have skin infections.
Do not share personal items (e.g., towels, washcloth, razor, clothing, or uniforms) with other persons.
Clean objects and surfaces that are shared with other persons, such as athletic equipment, before you use them.
If I have a MRSA or staph skin infection, how can I keep from spreading it to others?
Keep infections covered with clean, dry bandages. This is especially important for infections that continue to produce pus or to drain material.
Follow your health care provider’s instructions on proper care of the wound. Pus from infected wounds can contain bacteria and spread the infection to others.
Wash hands (as described above) after touching infected skin and bandages.
Put disposable wastes (e.g., dressings, bandages) in a separate trash bag and close the bag tightly before throwing it out with the regular garbage.
Advise your family and other close contacts to wash their hands frequently.
Caregivers should use gloves, and wash hands afterwards, if they change your bandages or touch the infected wound or other objects that have been in contact with the wound or wound drainage.
Do not share personal items (e.g., towels, washcloth, razor, clothing, or uniforms) or other items that may have had contact with the infected wound or wound drainage.
Disinfect all non-clothing (and non-disposable) items that come in contact with the wound with a solution of one tablespoon household bleach mixed in one quart of water (must be prepared fresh each day) or a phenol-containing store-bought cleaning product.
Wash linens and clothes that become soiled with hot water and laundry detergent. Drying clothes in a hot dryer, rather than air-drying, also helps kill bacteria in clothes.
Wash utensils and dishes in the usual manner with soap and hot water or using a standard home dishwasher.
Avoid participating in contact sports or other skin-to-skin contact until your infection has healed.
If you have a MRSA infection, be sure to tell any health care providers who treat you that you have this infection.
I thought it was such a coincidence that this happened to your Sam just the same day I found out about Sam, I was at my neighbor’s house – her daughter has been in the hospital for a week with a severe case of MRSA. She’s only 3 years old too – and her liver and heart has been damaged – it was in her kidneys and she’s on three antibiotics I think now – but the family isn’t being treated – the doctor said she had flesh eating disease – which is what my neighor related to me and I freaked out ’cause Rocky was playing over there! But I don’t think she did/does – I think it’s staph, but not as bad as flesh eating disease or they wouldn’t have discharged her – although, you never know – this IS Canada….
Anyhow, stay on top of it. We’re staying away from there for awhile and using the hand sanitizer, etc.
This staph thing is really getting out of hand everywhere I hear. — Alexa
Local athlete in Columbus in the news having gotten MSRA. It was all over the Cincy radio station too – interviewed someone with how not to get it.
I read in the Columbus paper that using anti-bacterial soaps are bad because they end up producing more antibiotic-resistant bacteria! You can’t win with these buggers.
Found your post. So sorry to hear about Sam. This whole MRSA thing is scary. I was in clinicals today and we had three children diagnosed with this. Even though I use good hand washing technique, I am so scared that I am going to bring this home or get it myself! I hope Sam is on Clindamyacin for the MRSA.
While this is scary, it has been around for awhile now. It’s about time alot of attention is being given to it by the media. Perhaps they will put a stop to this before it becomes even more of an epidemic!
Jessica,
Clindamyacin is a good antibiotic, but not always well tolerated. It’s “cleaner” than Bactrum, but doctors usually start with Bactrum because it is more accessible, less expensive, the side effects are well known, and easier to take. MRSA is still sensitive to Bactrum, and Clindamyacin tastes horrible (I’ve taken both), so usually doctors start with Bactrum. I had a reaction to Bactrum, which is why I had to take Clindamyacin. When my baby had this, though, they put her on Clindamyacin because Bactrum is not safe for babies under the age of three months, even for a breastfeeding mother to take.
Catherine
Sam is on Bactrim, and finally responding to it! As of today he looks almost back to normal.