MRSA in C-Section Wound

May 13th, 2007 · 11 Comments

This is a story of a woman who acquired MRSA in her C-section wound. Remember these tips when you go into the hospital for any invasive procedure.

I had a baby March 2, 2007. I was is surgery for 3 hours due to excessive bleeding. On March 5th I was released, but the night before that I was have chills and got very sick. I was released but that night I went into emergency (Now it’s March 6th). I had a fever, green fluid leaking from my wound, and a left swollen leg. My ob decided to do nothing and just sent me back home. I layed in bed sick all day, and finally that night I called my ob and told him how high my fever was and how sick I was. He told me that it was because my breast were engorged (I was not breastfeeding). I went to sleep (Now it’s March 7th) I woke up at 3:30 with blood and green fluid all over me and my bed, I screamed for my mom to help and she rushed me to the hospital. My ob came to the ER with the doctor he operated on me with. They opened my wound back up, took a biopsy, and packed it with gauze and admitted me on triple anti-biotics. Later that day tests revealed I had MRSA. I was put in a room by myself, and I was extremely sick. They swiched my anti-biotic to vancomyicin through IV and flagyl by mouth. After a week my temp was still very high, they decided to do x-rays. They found a mass of fluid inside my body (behind my wound). I had a procedure done where they stuck a tube in and removed the fluid, the fluid also turned out to be MRSA. Finally I started getting better. A couple days after I finished my anti-biotics that I was sent home with (zyvox and flagyl) I was back in the emergency room because my mom noticed green in my wound and we could smell an odor coming from it, I was now put on bactrum. My mom had to pack my wound for weeks once I was released from the hospital, so she was put at risk for getting MRSA, and I was told this is something I will now have for the rest of my life. I was also sent to wound care regularly and Infectious Disease as well as appointments with my ob. [source]

She is looking for an attorney to take her case, but most of them won’t touch them, partially because you sign away your rights to litigate for infection by signing a document accepting infection as a known risk when you check in. What can be done about that? No idea here. My mother had a hernia surgery last week, and it just made me ill when the nurse read that to her and made her sign it.

11 responses so far ↓

DEBBIE // May 23, 2007 at 12:07 pm

My dad too got MRSA in a hospital in Tucson, Arizona and died 2.5 months later after abdominal surgery. I also would like to sue, because getting an infection postop opposed to getting MRSA is a totally different life-threatening infection. I would like to sue the hospital for poor hygiene, etc and the health care workers not doing protocol hand washing/sanitizing.
Sage // May 31, 2007 at 12:51 pm

Just thought I’d let you all know that you do not HAVE to sign anything. Simply cross out what you do not agree to and then sign it. Just because someone puts something into a contract doesn’t mean you have to accept it. I don’t really go to the hospital but the couple of times I have or even to the doctor I simply cross out what I don’t agree to. It’s simple really.
Sallie // Jul 8, 2007 at 4:37 pm

I have a friend who has resitent mrsa from a past surgery where something was left in her body from the surgery. They tried to drain the wound and they think the infection has become the consistency of jello. We need to find a super specialist asap. She has under gone numerous rounds of vancomycin. Would appreciate any names of specialist.
Ashley // Jul 12, 2007 at 3:36 pm

I just had a son by c-section 4 weeks ago. Before we left the hospital I noticed my son’s left eye was infected, and he had two knots on his head. I told the pediatrician at the hospital and she “assured” me that this was normal. After a few days at home and nothing getting better, only worse I took him to a different pediatrician. She did a culture on his eye and it came back MRSA. For safety precaution she also did a culture on my 14 month old daughter…which also came back possitive for MRSA. Then it was my turn…guess what..positive. Now we’re all off of our medication, but I cant help worrying over every little thing. I now have a UTI and i’m scared to death that it’s caused by MRSA. I dont have any boils or blisters…no fever…but I have a terrible head ache and the UTI. My ob wont even talk to me about it and in fact refused to do the culture in the first place ( my childs pediatrician ended up having to do it.) Please help….any comments or suggestions would be helpful. Also, if you know if I should take any special precautions for disinfecting my house(if necessary) please let me know.
Finch // Jul 12, 2007 at 5:34 pm

In response to Ashley: MRSA will colonize in you nose and will require you and all family members to use bactroban nasally to eradicate it. But, this is quickly becoming a community acquired organism. In other words, you could reinfect yourself they day you eradicate it. The best of all practices to teach your family is to not pick their nose, or rub their eyes (that’s how you inoculate yourself in the first place with all microbes). Have a tube of bactroban for all cuts in the house. Encourage handwashing - #1 way to prevent infection. Keep nails short. Have sanitizing foam in every room and encourage family members to use. Lastly, remember to keep your immune system strong - eat protein and green vegetables etc., the sick, very young and old are most susceptible. Remember, medicine is a practice - there are many bad and good practioners. It’s impossible to know it all in medicine. Find the doc that fits you (Preferably an infection disease specialist) and never be afraid to get another opinion. - Sincerely, just a wound care nurse
Tammy // Oct 12, 2007 at 7:56 am

Hi. Just wantted to say How great this site is. I was dx with MRSA last week and I have learned more about it on line then with my own Doc And would like to learn more. So if anyone would like to share info with me that would be great. I need as much info as I can get (well I think we all need as much as we can get). Plus I all so have Crohns disease and a blood clot disease call factor 5( Think I am falling apart:) Like I said i am new to this disease so any and all info would be great so please if you would like to talk e-mail me Or I.m me . And again I think sites like this are great. With out them many well at least me would be lost. Doctors look at me like I have 10 head give me med witch are CLINDAMYCIN,CIPROFLOXACIN and a ointment called MUPIROCIN. does this sound rigth to anyone? Please if it does not let me know And tells me the boilel i have looks like someone stabed me (Thanks doc : ). so that tells you how much help he is . So THANK YOU all for the help you have given me PLEASE e-mail me@ blubee66@yahoo.com or BlueeBee66@aol.com Have a good Day
KARLA // Oct 19, 2007 at 12:15 am

All this really scares me. My Dad died from complications after surgery (thats what they called it) I call it MRSA. Who could believe in a op room my father would get MRSA. Just today my son brought home a letter saying that there are 2 kids in his jr high with Mrsa! What should I do, I need to protect the rest of my family from this deadly infection!
Besh // Mar 6, 2008 at 3:44 am

I got MRSA from a c-section, too. It has been a year and a half and my husband, baby, and I cannot get rid of it. We treat it with antibiotics and nose medicine and a few months later it reappears as an abscess on our thighs or butts. It is really scary to think this could affect us the rest of our lives. Will I have to worry every time my daughter gets a scratch?
Deanna // Mar 10, 2008 at 11:31 am

I had a baby on dec 10,2007 via c-section. After they took my dressing off there was a foul oder and alot of drainage. The hospital nor the doctors did anything about it. They told me it was normal. When I went for my staple removal a week later, my incision came back open. When it did all this nasty looking fluid came out. They put me on antibiotics for a week, and sent nurses out to pack my wound every day. Well here we are in march and I still havent healed. And I just started going to a wound clinic. They cultured it and told me that the infection I have, that has never went away is MRSA. I found out from family friends that was at the hospital, that when they took me into OR the nurses broke sterile field several times. One nurse came out and closed all the doors to the OR with her sterile gown and gloves on and she came right back to my table and kept working without changing them. They never cleaned my stomach before cutting me. I have consulted an attorny and he said that they are responsible because they were neglegent. But it doesnt change the fact that I have to deal with extremly painful dressing changes everyday, or the fact that I have MRSA now.
kim // May 20, 2008 at 4:02 pm

i had a c-section april 18th 2008 i was o.k untill the 8th day after the surgery i had noticed a red bump on my stomache above the incision by the way the incision was healed and closed anyway after i noticed the red bump the next day my whole stomache was inflamed and painfull i had a high fever so the obgyn opened the incision and some fluid had drained,so i was discharged and told to go and get my packing changed daily the part he had opened was not even an inch,the next day iwas getting the packing changed and the nurse informed me i had an even bigger opening that had to be packed apparently the rest of the incision had bust open because there was so much fluid inside of me as time went on i was put on antibiotics and finshed but realized i was not getting better i was then swabbed at the site of my wound and later found out i have mrsa i was shocked i have not ever heard of this and the only way i figure i got this is by the surgery
MRSA Cured // Jun 3, 2008 at 2:40 pm

I had a C-Section with my daughter on October 11, 2005.. Left the hospital feeling great, only to have a boil underneath the left side of my incision a few days later. I had no job, no money, and no insurance, but I had a strong feeling it was MRSA. I skipped over all the topical creams and after about a week of the oozing, itching, and burning - I sprayed the sucker with regular Lysol - It dried up the very next day!! Have had NO recurrances of it since and I’m now pregnant with my 2nd child due in January and I’ll never forget my Lysol “cure”. I hope this helps someone.

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