Hi All,
Four weeks ago i had some minor surgery on my eye. I remember thinking at the time that it was odd that the doctor didn't sterilize the skin prior to driving that needle into my eye socket. Isn't that standard protocol to prevent staph infection?
Needless to say, a week later i developed an infection in that area that has since spread to my sinuses. My doctors (i'm in an HMO) have all just assumed until now that this was simply a sinusitis that just happened to occur right after this surgery. I've been treated with decongestants, nasal spray, and some oral antibiotics, and it just keeps getting worse. Finally, just this past friday, one of my rocket-scientist HMO docs decided maybe we should get the bacteria cultured. It turns out that it is a growing staph infection that i've now had for about four weeks.
I am concerned about my heart. It's been wacky for about a week now, and i honestly just feel like something is wrong. It took practically an act of congress to persuade my HMO that i should have an echocardiogram done tomorrow to see if my heart has become involved. Even if its not, i think the time has come to get me in the darn hospital and get some IV antibiotics in me to kill this infection once and for all.
Anyone out there with any experience in staph infections? What can i do? I get the distinct impression that my local docs have little or no experience with HCM, and that this just isn't a priority for them.
Thanks,
Jim
Four weeks ago i had some minor surgery on my eye. I remember thinking at the time that it was odd that the doctor didn't sterilize the skin prior to driving that needle into my eye socket. Isn't that standard protocol to prevent staph infection?
Needless to say, a week later i developed an infection in that area that has since spread to my sinuses. My doctors (i'm in an HMO) have all just assumed until now that this was simply a sinusitis that just happened to occur right after this surgery. I've been treated with decongestants, nasal spray, and some oral antibiotics, and it just keeps getting worse. Finally, just this past friday, one of my rocket-scientist HMO docs decided maybe we should get the bacteria cultured. It turns out that it is a growing staph infection that i've now had for about four weeks.
I am concerned about my heart. It's been wacky for about a week now, and i honestly just feel like something is wrong. It took practically an act of congress to persuade my HMO that i should have an echocardiogram done tomorrow to see if my heart has become involved. Even if its not, i think the time has come to get me in the darn hospital and get some IV antibiotics in me to kill this infection once and for all.
Anyone out there with any experience in staph infections? What can i do? I get the distinct impression that my local docs have little or no experience with HCM, and that this just isn't a priority for them.
Thanks,
Jim
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