The Girl had/has staph. You may be asking what is staph. Or more aptly maybe you should be asking, 'What isn't staph?" as apparently there are several different types, 30 to be exact, and various resulting conditions from staph.
Staphylococcus is a group of bacteria that can cause a multitude of diseases as a result of infection of various tissues of the body. It can be found normally in the nose and on the skin. Staph related illness can range from mild and requiring no treatment to severe and potentially fatal. (Sited from www.medicinenet.com). Staph first appeared on our scene back on August 4th when it appeared as one single red spot, no bigger than a pimple, under the Girl's arm. By her birthday that single spot had grown exponentially into a much bigger spot and changed from a red dot to what appeared like a blister after it has popped or the skin has peeled away from it, resulting in a raw, open sore. That combined with the Girl's complaints of pain landed us in the local walk-in clinic for a few hours on the morning of her birthday. After taking a few cultures the attending doctor informed us that it was most likely a staph infection and sent us on our way with a prescription for an oral antibiotic to be taken 3 times daily for one week. We quickly learned that staph is a nasty, nasty thing and spreads rapidly. By the morning after her birthday the spots had spread considerably, were oozing and dreadfully painful for the Girl. Luckily once the antibiotic kicked in, the spreading came to a halt and the sores started to scab over. By the end of the week on antibiotics it was all but gone and only a slight discoloration to the Girl's skin in the locations of the sores was the only clue that the staph had ever existed. One might think that that is where our saga with staph ends. Not so.
On Sunday night, less than 24 hours after having finished the antibiotics, the Girl complained of her arm hurting again and so I inspected it closely only to find another small red bump forming. First thing on Monday morning I called to schedule an appointment with the Girl's pediatrician and we headed in early yesterday morning for her appointment. According to our much-loved pediatrician, staph infections are fairly common in children and at times can be very antibiotic-resistant (MRSA) and difficult to get rid of. (As you can see in this picture, it took less than 48 hours for her small spot to multiply in size and turn raw.) She prescribed another round of oral antibiotics and then a topical antibiotic ointment to use for up to two weeks after the oral antibiotics have been finished. Sheesh. And just so you know,
Staphylococcus comes from the Greek staphyle meaning a bunch of grapes and kokkos, meaning berry which is what Staph look like under the microscope, a bunch of grapes or little round berries. Kind of pleasant for something so invasive and nasty, don't you think? Much to her credit, the Girl has been a real trooper in dealing with the pain which at times has been almost too much for me to bear, like when the sleeve of her shirt was stuck to her arm because of the oozing which had crusted and dried. Through it all the Girl's crying and complaints have been minimal. She has done much better than I'm sure I would if it were me. She's kinda like her Dad that way.
The Girl had/has staph. You may be asking what is staph. Or more aptly maybe you should be asking, 'What isn't staph?" as apparently there are several different types, 30 to be exact, and various resulting conditions from staph. Staphylococcus is a group of bacteria that can cause a multitude of diseases as a result of infection of various tissues of the body. It can be found normally in the nose and on the skin. Staph related illness can range from mild and requiring no treatment to severe and potentially fatal. (Sited from www.medicinenet.com). Staph first appeared on our scene back on August 4th when it appeared as one single red spot, no bigger than a pimple, under the Girl's arm. By her birthday that single spot had grown exponentially into a much bigger spot and changed from a red dot to what appeared like a blister after it has popped or the skin has peeled away from it, resulting in a raw, open sore. That combined with the Girl's complaints of pain landed us in the local walk-in clinic for a few hours on the morning of her birthday. After taking a few cultures the attending doctor informed us that it was most likely a staph infection and sent us on our way with a prescription for an oral antibiotic to be taken 3 times daily for one week. We quickly learned that staph is a nasty, nasty thing and spreads rapidly. By the morning after her birthday the spots had spread considerably, were oozing and dreadfully painful for the Girl. Luckily once the antibiotic kicked in, the spreading came to a halt and the sores started to scab over. By the end of the week on antibiotics it was all but gone and only a slight discoloration to the Girl's skin in the locations of the sores was the only clue that the staph had ever existed. One might think that that is where our saga with staph ends. Not so.
On Sunday night, less than 24 hours after having finished the antibiotics, the Girl complained of her arm hurting again and so I inspected it closely only to find another small red bump forming. First thing on Monday morning I called to schedule an appointment with the Girl's pediatrician and we headed in early yesterday morning for her appointment. According to our much-loved pediatrician, staph infections are fairly common in children and at times can be very antibiotic-resistant (MRSA) and difficult to get rid of. (As you can see in this picture, it took less than 48 hours for her small spot to multiply in size and turn raw.) She prescribed another round of oral antibiotics and then a topical antibiotic ointment to use for up to two weeks after the oral antibiotics have been finished. Sheesh. And just so you know, Staphylococcus comes from the Greek staphyle meaning a bunch of grapes and kokkos, meaning berry which is what Staph look like under the microscope, a bunch of grapes or little round berries. Kind of pleasant for something so invasive and nasty, don't you think? Much to her credit, the Girl has been a real trooper in dealing with the pain which at times has been almost too much for me to bear, like when the sleeve of her shirt was stuck to her arm because of the oozing which had crusted and dried. Through it all the Girl's crying and complaints have been minimal. She has done much better than I'm sure I would if it were me. She's kinda like her Dad that way.
1 comment:
Kids are amazing things. It is amazing how when something serious is going on they can be calm and very strong. I hope she gets better. I will be praying for you guys.
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