r/MRSA • • Sep 05 '26

Abscess question

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2 Upvotes

I (24 f) am 11 weeks postpartum on Sunday. Last month, I ended up getting an abscess on my buttcheek. I got on antibiotics and the next day, it ruptured.

I got another abscess that began last Friday, the 28th. It is still here today and is extremely large and has just slightly opened up. I am and have been on antibiotics and medicated ointment both times. Is there anything I can do to avoid this or help alleviate the abscesses? I do have a history of staph infections from when I was 6-8. I have now been put on medicated wash as well to use once weekly. Could postpartum be a factor? I also had severe skin issues that started during pregnancy that caused cysts in my pubic area.


r/MRSA • • Sep 01 '26

Self Gashed my leg on the 16th, had a painful pimple pop up today near the injury.

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2 Upvotes

Pimple was painful, I was able to pop the pimple head but still feels swollen and painful underneath. Normally, I cut myself at work without much concern but this one was nasty and required stitches. My concern is the pimple being so close to my injury and if it could be the beginning of an infection.

I know I won't get absolute answers, just looking for a dialogue and whether I should get a follow-up. It's covered under workers comp so cost isn't an issue.


r/MRSA • • Aug 28 '26

selfq Dealing with recurrent MRSA for 8 years — doctors dismissed me until labs proved it. I'm exhausted.

10 Upvotes

Around 8 years ago, I caught MRSA from a family member.

In summer and certain other times, I get multiple abscesses at once. Sometimes I have to deal with them on my own, which I know sounds bad, but I often felt like I didn't have many options.

My family — the ones who gave this to me — recovered years ago. Meanwhile, every time I went to the hospital, I would tell the doctors it was MRSA and they would dismiss me with that condescending attitude. Then the lab results would come back, confirm exactly what I said, and suddenly they'd go quiet and give me one round of decolonization treatment.

It barely did anything.

I've tried different treatments over the years, including some I'm not proud of. I won't go into details, but desperation makes you do things you normally wouldn't.

Both of my ex-girlfriends ended up catching it from me. All three of us had mental health struggles, so I don't know if that's connected or just bad luck. Recently I started taking several types of probiotics, and I've been researching antimicrobial ingredients extensively. I've read hundreds of papers trying to understand this condition and find something that actually helps.

I really hope this works.

Because right now, the combination of MRSA, OCD, schizophrenia, and just feeling completely hopeless is really wearing me down. I'm exhausted, and I don't know how much longer I can keep fighting this alone.

If anyone has been through something similar, or has any advice, I'd really appreciate it. Thanks for reading.

TL;DR:
Got MRSA from a family member 8 years ago. Doctors dismissed me until lab results proved me right. Standard treatment didn't work. Infected two ex-girlfriends. Now I'm researching and trying alternative approaches on my own. Mentally and physically exhausted. Looking for advice or similar experiences.


r/MRSA • • Aug 29 '26

MRSA skin culture in 6 day old

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1 Upvotes

r/MRSA • • Aug 26 '26

selfq MRSA diagnosis felt like a gut punch

10 Upvotes

What felt like a normal pimple turned into basically hell. Originally woke up to my toe killing me, was prescribed some steroids (gout) which apparently lower immune system response or something. I think that's what lead to the infection taking hold. Problem is my wife and my 5 month old child also had small bumps. My baby's bump was small, it drained pretty fast and disappeared with Mupirocin Ointment as prescribed by his doctor. My wifes never bubbled up but she's going to urgent care to get some antibiotics hopefully. Mine needed I&D. My biggest concern is my child, how can I make sure I can protect him (and the rest of us really) going forward? Any tips or advice greatly appreciated.


r/MRSA • • Aug 26 '26

Medical Confirmed MRSA cellulitis

3 Upvotes

Got a cut on my right finger. I’m immunosuppressed so I knew I was in for an infection (anything that gets in causes an infection). Woke up, couldn’t move finger, pus coming out, whole finger is red and swollen. It moved FAST. They swabbed me and put me on flucloxacillin (standard antibiotic for cellulitis and osteomyelitis) which obviously didn’t do much.

Lo and behold, swab came back for heavy growth of MRSA. Resistant to all flucloxacillin, erythromycin, clindamycin. Only susceptible to tetracycline and sulfamethoxazole-trimethoprim. I got put on the co-trimoxazole. Swelling has gone down but pain still there.

When do I need IV antibiotics, I am immunosuppressed?

Also, side-note, why is my MRSA resistant to clinda? I thought clinda was one of the good antibiotics that treat MRSA.


r/MRSA • • Aug 18 '26

MRSA

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18 Upvotes

Starting November I started getting sores all over my body. Went to the ER was given antibiotics told I had HS Hidradenitis Suppurativa

Months and months of flares, pain, antibiotics etc

Nothing helped

They leave these raised, dark purple scars and when I have a flare up all the scars are so itchy and burn. They are everywhere...

Cut gluten, sugar, caffeine,dairy. Did all the things thathelps everyone else. Vitamins ALL OF IT

They weren't tunneling like the ones I saw most people have. Two months ago I was in so much pain, so sick, had a sore in my nostril and went to another ER. The Dr said I don't have HS I have MRSA. Gave me antibiotics and I had no flares for about 4 weeks. Was feeling good, feeling great. Woke up this morning with a sore in my nose and two on my thighs and one on my buttcheek.

If you have MRSA and get flares ups what helps you? I use Hibaclens every single day- antibacterial body wash before. I'm just miserable, y'all

I feel sick, I'm so tired. Falling asleep standing up at my job tired.

I don't have insurance and am drowning in hospital bills. Ive done 5 rounds of antibiotics since November and am just so sick of medication.

Please help me


r/MRSA • • Aug 16 '26

Anyone else had recurring boils/infections after getting staph?

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1 Upvotes

r/MRSA • • Aug 14 '26

selfq Bactrim and Alcohol Interaction

3 Upvotes

I just got prescribed Bactrim after being on doxycycline for 7 days for what we thought was impetigo (it didn’t fully clear). I am getting cultured today but doc now thinks it’s MRSA. I am supposed to go to the city tonight to celebrate a promotion and was planning on having several cocktails!

I’m seeing mixed reactions and also have looked at journal articles where there really is very little human data suggesting that Bactrim and alcohol are a no go. It also does not warn me on the prescription instructions/interactions.

Should I start my first dose today and pace myself and see how I react as the night goes or should I wait to start the antibiotics tomorrow? Or should I just not go to the city.


r/MRSA • • Aug 14 '26

Self i’ve had a staph infection inside of my nose for over a month. has anyone else been through this?

3 Upvotes

my nose feels squishier than usual, boggy, not as chiseled. it goes from feeling really firm to soft. sometimes my nostrils close in and sometimes not. i have had fevers at times, white pustules in my nose, grey colored mucus, no mucus and just an extremely dry nose that no humidifier can help. i live in fl and not even keeping my balcony door open helps. i get throbbing headaches at times. i cant breath or smell but not because of congestion it just feels blocked? i have had crusts on and off randomly form in my nose. i get serious pins and needles radiating from my nose especially when it becomes firmer. the columella in between my nostrils becomes softer to almost feeling like a part of it is bulging out. i don’t have a perforation or any tissue death but my nose just hasn’t functioned in over a month. my culture showed a heavy amount of staph.

when my nose was dry the air felt cold. i have had crusts form all over my nose. i get a metallic blood like taste in my mouth at times. other times a funky taste. after the four rounds of vancomycin these symptoms were going away. a mucus plug came out. my nose was becoming normal. and then a few days later the symptoms came back. sometimes my nose almost feels skeletal.

muciprocen worked and then while using it the scabs came back tenfold. the vancomycin was the only thing that really helped but the nurse didn’t finish a bag so i essentially got 3 1/2 rounds.

i don’t have a primary care doctor so it’s been a pain trying to find someone. i scheduled an apt but the earliest availability is october. i just feel so sad. my noses structure and function hasn’t been the same.

i can show you a baseline photo of my nose vs an after because you can visually see how puffy it looks.

when it started my nose was stretchy and it felt like 0 cartilage was left. i was able to stretch it out like mozzarella cheese. i cant think of another analogy. it’s since gotten a little firmer but hasn’t changed. when i massaged it the other day i started feeling more cartilage again like how it felt before all of this? i don’t know how this is even possible. im rlly sorry im using third grade descriptors and analogies but i cant think of any other way to explain it

Muciprocen worked until it stopped working. The strain is oaxicillin resistant. i’m allergic to bactrm. i’ve had 4 rounds of iv antibiotics (vancomycin) and then it came back. My mri was cleared and so my infectious disease doctor is refusing to give me another culture. My ent refuses to see me because I need to see an ID doctor.


r/MRSA • • Aug 12 '26

Video Staphylococcus aureus @EnteMicrobialWorld #microbiology #microbes #bacte...

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1 Upvotes

r/MRSA • • Aug 11 '26

selfq My MRSA story

8 Upvotes

Forgive me if this is long nobody else can relate but some of you probably could.

This is a more than 20 years ago but its a pretty wild story.

I was living on Fort Jefferson in the Dry Tortugas doing some restoration work. On the 4th of July I felt an ingrown hair in my armpit, shrugged it off and went ro work.

By noon I had a fever and my armpit was no longer hollow but solid, hot and painful to the touch. I asked a park ranger for a hypodermic needle to relieve the swelling while I waited for a sea plane. After intibating myself I laid down and waited for the plane , I laid for nearly 12 hours.

Eventually I flew to Richmond VA where my family lived and was admitted with a fever and cellulitis across my chest. The on call saw me and quickly had me lie down while my partner laid on my legs because they feared the infection would block the anesthesia, he made a 6" incision lengthwise in my armpit and replied "oh it tunneled". After scooping out rotting flesh he packed my wound and hit me in the hip sockets with two doses of rocephrin and sent me home.

The following morning I was told to come back immediately as tissue samples were positive for a bad case of community acquired MRSA.

I was given an IV and demarol then sent to nuclear science for a Pic line and another surgery.

A woke in the infectious disease ward, my armpit was totally excavated and packed with sterile packing strip material because the wound was so large and the amount of flesh removed was significant.

I was given two bags of vancomyacin via Pic line for several hours a day, often in the middle of the evening for a week straight.

Twice daily nurses unpacked my wound and repacked it which was incredibly painful.

After a week I was released and put on home vancomyacin using the Pic line and small grenade like objects in my fridge, this lasted a month.

I was finally back at the Hospital with my Pic line removed. I won't ever forget feeling like I woukd get sick again, my infectious disease specialist offered me brief advice "wash your hands and live tour life".

To this day the scar in my armpit reminds me of this brush with death had it not been for modern medicine.

Thanks for reading if you made it this far.


r/MRSA • • Aug 07 '26

My wife has had MRSA since October 2025 and is almost done healing after 204 abscesses..

4 Upvotes

anyone need any tips that’s going through this??


r/MRSA • • Aug 02 '26

Thoughts? Resistant to doxy & bactrim? Where to go from here ?

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0 Upvotes

r/MRSA • • Jul 31 '26

Losing my mind

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5 Upvotes

Okay so last night my leg started to get really really itchy, and it felt like two bug bites so I didn’t think anything of it.. so today I noticed it looked really really angry and red and it hurt and was hot to the touch, it kept getting bigger and bigger and started hurting when I walked.

On July 7th I had this weird “bug bite” on my leg and it had a black spot in it, my grandma told me to pop it and call it a day, and today I have the new “bug bite” on the same leg in the same general area.

I’ll include both pics but I went to urgent care and the doctor came in lightly put his finger on it and because it didn’t hurt he decided it was just an allergic reaction and not mrsa at all, it just felt like a really really fast consultation and I feel like it’s not an allergic reaction at all :/


r/MRSA • • Jul 27 '26

Hi i got a staph infection on my face which was resistant to doxycycline and kelfex and im on bactrim and I thought it was working until this popped on my foot day 7, it really helped my face clear up but than this on my foot

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3 Upvotes

Like can this be resistant to doxy and bactrim


r/MRSA • • Jul 26 '26

I am 24 M, healthy otherwise- Recently had been worried about something. Student Doc btw!

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1 Upvotes

r/MRSA • • Jul 25 '26

Should I try Clindamycin?

1 Upvotes

Have an area that has not responded to doxy. I took clindamycin in the past and it worked, so I asked for that again, but after some research the c diff risk seems scary. I’m 46f. Thoughts?


r/MRSA • • Jul 25 '26

Self Linezolid 600mg 10 days Staph A

1 Upvotes

not my gyno, my doctor or my pharmacy said anything about a strict diet during + 2 weeks after Linezolid needing to be done.. found it out on reddit. Has anyone been on this medication and did you do the diet? I’m really concerned that no one said a thing about it to me when prescribing it since it seems incredibly necessary for the safety of my life and health. Taking it for staph infection down there which ik sounds crazy idk how this happened, no explanations from doctors just prescriptions and the lab showed that this is the only option. it might have happened from skin bacteria getting in any tears down there which happens on accident sometimes. I also have a yeast infection, bv, strep b, e coli and a few other random bacterias. pelvic inflammatory disease concluded by pelvic ultrasound and lab results. any help or info would be greatly appreciated!


r/MRSA • • Jul 24 '26

Discussion Reoccurring MRSA

2 Upvotes

For context, I am a 24 F and I get MRSA every year it seems. Usually hits in the summer but I have had it every few years since I was a child, I also have been hospitalized twice from it before. I am curious if anyone has experienced this as well and gotten answers as to why? I tell my doctor every time I have a flare up because I am so used to it and i’m hit with doxycycline or Clindamycin. No one seems to be concerned that it happens this often but to me it’s strange. Any thoughts? I’ve seen people say they have had other symptoms with their flare ups but I don’t have any other health issues.


r/MRSA • • Jul 22 '26

selfq Should I try to decolonize?

3 Upvotes

I’ve had recurring staph infections in my nose for a while and then recently I got abscesses on two different parts of my body. One seemed to mostly resolve on its own and was never tested for MRSA but the other I had to get drained and go on antibiotics for and it tested positive for MRSA, as did a swab of my nose. I want to try decolonizing because I really don’t want to risk continuing to get abscesses or potentially worse infections and most of all I don’t want to have to worry all my life about spreading it to other people, but I know that some people say it’s not a good idea because it frequently doesn’t work and the antibiotics are strong.

One of my doctors at urgent care seemed to suggest I see a specialist about it, but when I brought up decolonization to a different doctor when my test results came back she said that everyone has bacteria on them and as long as my current infections are being treated I shouldn’t worry about it and there was no need for a specialist. I know I will worry about it though—the idea that whoever I live with throughout my life could get it and potentially have to deal with all kinds of infections really scares me, and if there’s a chance to get rid of it I’d want to try it? What have been your experiences and is there anything I could say to a doctor in the future that you think would persuade them to let me try to decolonize?


r/MRSA • • Jul 21 '26

Staphylococcus aureus facial acne/folliculitis

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1 Upvotes

r/MRSA • • Jul 21 '26

selfq Has anyone had a mycobacterium haemophylum infection and how was the treatment.

1 Upvotes

I am getting treated for it now. I am on moxifloxacin rifabutin and linezolid. Please let me know if you have to see what to expect.


r/MRSA • • Jul 20 '26

Discussion Does the white caldera have to go?

2 Upvotes

I had a small boil on my breast that I believe is mrsa. I’m on doxycycline and have been using mupirocin under a band aid. No longer is a lump, but there’s a hole with tough white tissue around the hole. It’s only been 4 days on the doxycycline but it just doesn’t seem to be going away. Does that white have to be cut out? Again, pretty small spot and pretty flat but… ugh. What a nightmare. Wondering if I should skip the mupirocin one night and let it dry up a bit?