Staph Infection

Ashley Fettuccine

Well-Known Member
#1
Hello All! I hope you're all doing okay in the world. I wanted to ask something because right now I'm going through this and it helps me to other's experiences if they've gone through the same thing (if you don't feel comfortable telling your story, that's totally okay).

I recently got over a killer cold this past Christmas, but then I realized I had dried mucus stuck on the outside of my nose and inside. I peeled it off and it made a scab, but I hate the feeling of anything crusty on my nose, especially since it affected my appearance. I tried to hide my nose as much as possible while I stayed at my boyfriend's house a couple days before New Year's, and on the night of New Year's, my best friend squished a cupcake on my nose...I've been feeling a little angry at her since then because of what I've ended up with now. I went to the doctor's a few days after and they took a culture swab of my nose and found out that I have a staph infection. Luckily, my doctor gave me antibiotics that I have to take for a whole week 4 times a day so I've been feeling okay with those, but now the thing on my nose has scabbed over and, to me, it looks awful. I don't even want to go out in public places where people can see me because I'm afraid they'll stare.

I'm also afraid to peel it off because I don't want to risk spreading the infection to anywhere else in my body, so I'm leaving it crusted over. It has been getting smaller, so that's something to be positive about. I'm also feeling anxious that I'll have to do another round of antibiotics after this round if not all of the infection is out. It just makes me feel angry that I'm spending my break cooped up in my house with an infection and I'm not enjoying it. If any of you could tell me your experience, it would help me feel a lot better (if you feel comfortable)
 

1964dodge

Has a frog in the family
Safety & Support
SF Supporter
#2
i'm sorry you have to go through this, I have no personal experience but what I know is in most cases it's a minor incident. try to be patient the infection and scar will be gone soon. if the scab bothers you can you cover it with a bandaid? either way I hope things get better soon. mike *hug
 

Ashley Fettuccine

Well-Known Member
#3
So...an update for those who care:

I received my results back explained by my doctor, and I apparently have a rare growth of staph and a light growth of strep. I'm not too worried about the strep, but I am worried about the rare growth of staph because I'm not sure if the antibiotics I am taking won't clear it up. I'm going to continue taking my antibiotics and possibly scheduling a follow-up to see if the rest of the infection is gone.
 
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BlueGreen

Well-Known Member
#4
It sounds miserable Ashley, but it sounds like your doctor is on to it. Is it still getting smaller? That's a good sign. I was going to suggest zinc cream for the scab if that's not getting any better. I swear by one by Uriage 'CU-ZN' you can find in chemists - but anything with zinc would probably help - and leave it on overnight as it's usually a thick white cream. If you do pick the scab then Uriage Bariederm is an absolute miracle product. It's like a white paste and covers and protects open skin and heals really quick. I think you will have to be patient with the infection but I hope you get better soon.
 

Ashley Fettuccine

Well-Known Member
#5
It sounds miserable Ashley, but it sounds like your doctor is on to it. Is it still getting smaller? That's a good sign. I was going to suggest zinc cream for the scab if that's not getting any better. I swear by one by Uriage 'CU-ZN' you can find in chemists - but anything with zinc would probably help - and leave it on overnight as it's usually a thick white cream. If you do pick the scab then Uriage Bariederm is an absolute miracle product. It's like a white paste and covers and protects open skin and heals really quick. I think you will have to be patient with the infection but I hope you get better soon.
it looks like it's getting smaller, even my family says the same thing. It looks a lot better than it did last week for sure. I'll look into the zinc cream, do I need a prescription for it?
 

BlueGreen

Well-Known Member
#6
That's great news! Hope you are feeling more positive. The zinc cream is available everywhere. I think it's even in nappy creams. Best to ask advice from the chemist though. They might suggest something else.
 

MarvelFan

Vanity of Vanities
#7
My friend had a bad staph infection from the sweat from the wrestling mats in highschool on his ear and he got a bad fever from it and was in the hospital for 2 weeks on anti-biotics. It all cleared up for him.
 
#9
So, update: Today was my last day of antibiotics and the next appointment I have is on Monday, so I'm hoping everything goes well!

This may be gross to say, but the scab inside of my nose is starting to peel. I am not touching it at all, it's doing it all on its own. Does that mean it's healing or fully healed? I'm not too sure.
 

Mahal

SF Supporter
#13
Hi Ashley, Good to hear you're getting better. One of the things I take as a preventative, particularly for bacterial infections , is Manuka honey. This honey is so powerful it will even kill MRSA which is antibiotic resistant bacteria. Here is a link to a 2008 WebMD article explaining:

https://www.webmd.com/cold-and-flu/news/20080922/humble-honey-kills-bacteria

Since it only comes from New Zealand it is pretty expensive. Luckily we have a local bee farm that partners with a bee farm in New Zealand so I can buy it at a Whole Foods store here in Chicago for about half the price. I know it works because I haven't been sick in years, even through the cold Chicago winters. I only take a small teaspoon of it per day. I hope this helps.
 

Livelife

SF Supporter
#14
So, update: Today was my last day of antibiotics and the next appointment I have is on Monday, so I'm hoping everything goes well!

This may be gross to say, but the scab inside of my nose is starting to peel. I am not touching it at all, it's doing it all on its own. Does that mean it's healing or fully healed? I'm not too sure.
Hi Ashley...........you are at the end of the healing process regarding the skin and mucous membrane itself. So happy to hear you are not touching it. Washing your hands multiple times a day just in case is still probably a good idea in case you do touch it by accident. the scab is a protective cover as well as just the normal response of the immune system and the creation of new cells. The scab will finish releasing and finally come off completely. Hopefully the doctor will tell you on Monday that all is well.....
 
#15
Thank you all for the supportive comments, I really appreciate it!!

Another update: I woke up this morning and my nostrils inside felt all dry with crusted boogies, so I got two tissues for each nostril to clean them out. I cleaned out the first nostril and it was okay, then I cleaned out the second one with a different tissue and it got caught on part of my scab and when I pulled the tissue out, more than half the scab came out with it, then it fell off. The skin underneath is not bleeding at all and it looks like it healed entirely!! I'm hoping this means that my staph/strep is gone! The scab on my left nostril hasn't peeled yet, but my grandfather told me that it won't be long before it does if the other one did. *dance1*dance1*dance1
 
#16
Hi Ashley, Good to hear you're getting better. One of the things I take as a preventative, particularly for bacterial infections , is Manuka honey. This honey is so powerful it will even kill MRSA which is antibiotic resistant bacteria. Here is a link to a 2008 WebMD article explaining:

https://www.webmd.com/cold-and-flu/news/20080922/humble-honey-kills-bacteria

Since it only comes from New Zealand it is pretty expensive. Luckily we have a local bee farm that partners with a bee farm in New Zealand so I can buy it at a Whole Foods store here in Chicago for about half the price. I know it works because I haven't been sick in years, even through the cold Chicago winters. I only take a small teaspoon of it per day. I hope this helps.
I will definitely look into that, thank you!
 

BlueGreen

Well-Known Member
#18
Thank you all for the supportive comments, I really appreciate it!!

Another update: I woke up this morning and my nostrils inside felt all dry with crusted boogies, so I got two tissues for each nostril to clean them out. I cleaned out the first nostril and it was okay, then I cleaned out the second one with a different tissue and it got caught on part of my scab and when I pulled the tissue out, more than half the scab came out with it, then it fell off. The skin underneath is not bleeding at all and it looks like it healed entirely!! I'm hoping this means that my staph/strep is gone! The scab on my left nostril hasn't peeled yet, but my grandfather told me that it won't be long before it does if the other one did. *dance1*dance1*dance1
Oh, I missed your update. That's great news Ashley. Hope you are feeling back to normal now!
 

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