MRSA Please Help.

Infections are a CURSE on humanity and the overuse of Antibiotics for decades has lessened their effectiveness to the point where situations like this are all too frequent in my opinion. Being in a situation myself with a MRSA infection in my right prosthetic knee joint that is threatening to cost me my leg, I have put considerable time into researching this issue and have discovered that there is a therapy available called Phage Therapy, which is actually over 100 years old but was shelved in the 1940's when antibiotics came along, and is only now seeing renewed interest because of the looming crisis of antibiotics that fail to work anymore from overuse. I am currently trying to get in to see Dr. Gina Suh or one of her colleagues in the infectious diseases department at Mayo, hoping that they are able to clear my infection using Phage therapy and save my leg from being amputated. There have been some barriers to this solution though, among them my being overweight and also the fact that Phage therapy (despite its long history and proven effectiveness) has NOT been approved by the FDA for widespread use yet. I'm hoping that I will qualify for treatment due to the nature of my case though.
Phage therapy is VERY interesting and amazing. I wish more people were aware of it and I believe that once it gains approval from the government, it will become more well known and its use will become the standard for treating infections that are resistant to antibiotics. In brief explanation, Phages (bacteriophages) are naturally occurring viruses that are all around us everywhere and even in our own bodies, but they are a VERY specific kind of virus that only has one function, which is to seek out and destroy bacteria (the cause of infections). They do this by attaching themselves to the bacteria and injecting it with their own DNA which kills the bacteria cells and replicates the Phage cells until all of the bacteria has been eliminated.
Even given your grandmother's age and her other conditions, I would think that Phage therapy could at least help rid her of the infection, which in turn, hopefully would help with the other conditions. It's definitely worth looking into and asking about, but just be aware that because it isn't an FDA approved treatment, there may be some resistance to getting the treatment approved. I will pray for your grandmother and I hope we both get the treatment we need. God bless.

Your poor grandma. I got MRSA in a hospital too. It is often treated with an IV antibiotic. There's no problem having it at home too. Her blood will be monitored weekly and the standard length is for. minimum 6 weeks. They put a PICC line (a semi-permanent line to heart) in for it as well. Please wish her well for me and that others are wishing good health for. her.

Yeah, I wish that was true, and it might be for her, I certainly hope so, but in my case, I had a PICC line for several weeks before switching to oral Linezolid and it didn't touch my infection. All the Linezolid is doing now is keeping it at bay because the bacteria have formed a Biofilm on the metal implant in my knee and they are resistant strains. It is predicted that maybe as soon as within the next 20 years, antibiotics will be virtually useless from overuse. That's why I am an adamant proponent of Phage therapy, even though I myself have not been lucky enough as of yet to receive it, I have seen what it can do and I know it works. Continued prayers for her and God bless.

I believe we’ve talked before. If you didn’t have IV antibiotics for minimum 6 weeks I can imagine the initial infection was never completely gone. Why did they switch you to oral? I’ve not heard good things about Linezolid and if I’m recalling it right, the older antibiotic used. Have you ever been on Vancomycin? That was the second antibiotic they had me on but the trough got so high it caused an acute kidney injury But that was the antibiotic I was on the longest. I know you’re very keen on the Phage therapy but my concern for you is this delay in getting it while your leg infection is ongoing. Please be careful and do you have a back up plan? I worry about you

Yes, I was on Vancomycin via a PICC line IV for a few months before they switched me to the Linezolid oral. NOBODY at any point along this nightmare of a journey for me has been completely clear about why they did anything. Nothing was thoroughly explained and still hasn't been. If you think you're worried about the delay, how do you imagine I feel? This has been going on since April of last year now! I just keep getting excuses and rejections and NO help at all. I haven't had any tangible support from anyone, it's been a one man battle. Supposedly, Mayo has all my records and information, but I guess they are still waiting on referrals from my doctors. It just really stinks knowing that there is a treatment available that can save my leg, but nobody is willing to treat me. It's almost like they are purposely delaying it and hoping I lose my leg or die. I certainly hope that isn't true, but it sure feels that way after all I have endured so far. And what really irks me the most is, that none of this is my fault. The only thing I can be faulted for is placing my trust in the medical professionals that advised and treated me. I have even contacted lawyers over all this, but even they won't talk to me about it. Seems pretty strange to me that I can't find any doctors willing to help or any lawyers either. Could it be that because I am reliant on Medicare and Medicaid, they just don't care, or because I am obese? I don't know, but there must be some reason why I haven't been able to find any help. The only backup plan I have is to just let them take my leg and essentially end my life. With my size and weight, I couldn't get a prosthetic leg and I wouldn't be able to take care of my own basic needs and would end up in a nursing home at 52 years old! I had gastric bypass surgery and lost almost 300 pounds, but does anyone care? NO! They only know that I still weigh 500 pounds and they think it's because I eat too much and I'm lazy! ALL I have done is make efforts to improve my health, but all I have been met with is negativity and resistance. How on Earth I have been able to keep a positive attitude this long is an absolute mystery, but my strength and positivity are beginning to wane.