Those of you who know me know that I am not a fan of hospitals. I am not anti-medicine, nor am I anti-medical science. I think the medical profession is a necessary and noble art that has great potential to advance the quality life and overall health of mankind.
But the medical establishment in industrial America? It’s less about medicine and more about business. In my opinion, hospitals are becoming increasingly dangerous places to visit. From the rapid increase in hospital acquired illnesses, to the slew of unnecessary drugs and their understudied side-effects, to the frightening increase in medical kidnappings when parents and individuals decide to NOT be medical lab rats to vaccines or unnecessary procedures – I basically try to stay the hell away from hospitals and doctors when I can.
All of that said, a lot of my friends and family were shocked to learn that I didn’t want to have a home birth with Tessa or Thyme.
I chose to give birth in the hospital because, as I said before, I’m not anti-medical science, and in some instances – like birth, where any number of complications can arise – I feel that being in close proximity to life saving equipment in the event of a worst case scenario is the safest bet for my child.
So for the sake of my child, I intentionally chose to brave the hospital environment. I readied myself to risk the chance of a knife happy doctor increasing my odds of having a cesarean, and I steeled myself to beat back the vaccine happy nurses. (Luckily, Thyme being a girl, I didn’t have to worry about protecting my child from forced genital mutilation.)
Anyway, as many of you know, I had my beautiful daughter Thyme just four weeks ago in the hospital down the road from my house. Her birth was fast, relatively painless (all things considered!), with zero complications. In hindsight, there was really no need to spend two days and two sleepless nights in the hospital with nosy doctors and stammering interns interrupting us every 15 minutes.
Since I can’t tell the future, and had no way of knowing that I would have a complication free birth, I’m still content with my choice to surround myself with life-saving equipment and personnel.
But was my apprehension for my personal well-being in placing myself in a hospital warranted? Turns out, hell yeah.
Because when I brought my baby home from the hospital four weeks ago, I also brought home the deadly hospital superbug MRSA.
…And Then I Caught MRSA
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (aka, MRSA for short) is known as the “flesh eating staph infection”. It is a man-made superbug that has become resistant to almost all antibiotics, likes to hang out in hospitals where it thrives, and curing it is extremely difficult. It’s highly contagious. Oh yeah! And it’s deadly.
In the U.S., more people die from hospital-acquired staph infection MRSA than from AIDS. (MRSA is responsible for an estimated 94,000 life-threatening infections and 18,650 deaths a year.)
Being jumpy about hospital superbugs, I caught my infection fairly quickly. Most infections occur from hospital equipment, with infections sites starting wherever a piece of equipment came in contact with your skin. At one point during my pointless two day stay at the hospital (they insisted we stick around for two days, despite the completely healthy delivery) the doctor had listened to my heart with a stethoscope. Guess where my MRSA infection is? That’s right.. my chest, where the stethoscope touched me.
When I noticed the itchy, red, inflamed sore starting on my chest, accompanied by fever chills and body aches, I went to the emergency walk in clinic attached to the hospital, where they confirmed I contracted MRSA.
JUST FRIKKIN’ LOVELY.
Seriously, this has been just a joy to deal with while recovering from childbirth. This flesh eating bacterial sore has effectively eliminated my chance of sharing skin to skin time with my newborn, and the added bonus of being contagious to my entire family is just.. well, it’s just swell. And while it’s rare, there’s always the chance that the infection can get into my bloodstream and kill me. Woohoo!
The hospital started me on a ten day treatment of two different antibiotics, and I have been keeping myself and my hands as clean and sanitized as I can in the meantime.
My antibiotic treatment ended last week, and guess what? IT’S COMING BACK. So now I’m looking at starting another round of stronger antibiotics. While this is enough to anger and upset anyone, as a hospital weary, FDA hating medical industry skeptic, I’m downright furious.
I respect your choice to have your baby in an environment where she could have been helped when things went wrong. Sucks that the doc didn’t keep his stethoscope sanitized. Hope your infection heals quickly with the new drugs you’re on!
http://www.daisyperson.blogspot.com
We all should have a right to choose where we want to give birth.
So very sorry to hear about the MRSA it is one of the great worries when going into hospital, hope the stronger antibiotics clear it for you.
I so liked reading the last part of your article, interesting and worrying facts.
Take Care
All the best Jan
The problem is, more and more, hospitals are deeming parents “unfit” who refuse “doctor recommended treatments”. This ranges from vaccines to delivering in the hospital versus home. A doctor (who works for-profit) can basically say, “Buy my product” and if you say no, more and more parents are at risk of having their children taken from them by the state. Scary times!
Oy vey!!! I’m so sorry :(. Gives me a lot to think about…
Yikes!! I’m so sorry that you are dealing with this when you should be enjoying your beautiful family!!!
I have known more than one person who went in for a routine procedure that ended up with MRSA – horrible.
There are a couple of local gals who got MRSA at the same hospital, also while delivering their babies. It’s scary! And frustrating! 🙁
Oh my … hopin’ and prayin’ for a quick, complete recovery, friend …
Scary indeed! I’m so sorry you’re dealing with this Gingi. I can’t believe that your insurance company allowed you to stay in the hospital that long. I had a c-section when I had Alex and I was only allowed to stay for two and a half days, and that was 23 years ago! I’ve heard that most women are discharged within 24 hours for a normal birth these days. My mother had a quadruple bypass 14 years ago and was sent home two days later because they didn’t want her to pick up a virus or a bacterial infection. It’s crazy that you had to stay that long. The thing is though, you could have contracted MRSA right after your delivery, or on day one, or day two. You’ll never know.
Like any industry, there are the good, the bad, and the outright ugly. I’m appalled by the doctors who hand out meds like they’re candy. I can’t stand that our society seeks out pills to “cure” everything that ails them. Instead of promoting healthier lifestyles doctors suggest pills that can cause a plethora of side effects that are worse than the problem that they’re trying to fix.
On the other hand, because of good doctors, hospitals, and yes, even pharmaceuticals, I have many friends and family members who are still in my life who might not be if not for the aforementioned.
One of my good friends is a doctor and she said that the biggest problem that we’re facing is the over use of antibacterial products and the antibiotics in meat and dairy. Because of those things the bugs have become, or are becoming, resistant to the drugs that used to kill them. Now that my friend, is scary!
Get better soon and keep us posted. Make sure you’re consuming probiotics to keep the good bacteria in your gut balanced.
Yeah, I agree with a lot of what you said.. I would have a lot more hope for the future of the medical industry if it focused more on health from a preventative view, and focused on healthy living and eating.. but unfortunately, prevention doesn’t pay, only “cures” do. A well person won’t find themselves in a medical office seeking advice. So it’s not entirely the fault of those who make a living from the medical profession. But the widespread use of antibiotics? TERRIBLE. And the blind peddling of drugs for minor issues that are solved through real foods? SAD.
But ANYWAY (I could ramble on and on, haha!), YES, I am pushing the probiotics! In addition to probiotic rich foods, I’m taking a probiotic supplement from Garden of Life!
I am also not a big fan of hospitals. i hate them. But I was told I most likely wouldn’t be able to deliver my son due two having narrow hips.. I was like seriously? This wide load has narrow hips!? I wanted to have a natural no medicine delivery… I tried for 30 hours to have it my way and ended up with an epidural and an emergency cesarean. So I am thankful I was in the hospital for this, and even though we were stuck in the hospital for 6 days we were both perfectly healthy, thank goodness! With this history I agreed to a planned cesarean with my daughter so we didn’t have to go through all that again. And it was very smooth and she was perfect! We just have to do things we don’t want in order to provide the best chance for our babies!
Shame on that doctor for not keeping his equipment sterile! I am so sorry you caught MRSA Gingi! That is terrible and not a pleasant thing to bring a new baby home with! I hope you recover quickly!
Yeah, whenever I hear cases like yours, I marvel at the “home birth ONLY” crowd.. There is actually a website, Hurt By Homebirth, where women share their horror stories of home births gone wrong. Everything from deaths to mental handicaps from lack of oxygen. When I shared this info with a home birth advocate, they said, “Well OF COURSE they’re anti-home birth, they’re biased from their experiences!!” Well, uhhh, duh?! Anyway, I think hospitals are a great resource for emergencies and special instances like birth.. buy they sure could use a lot of reforming!
BTW, I am so glad you had healthy deliveries with your kiddos! That’s a blessing!
Oh my goodness that is terrible! I am so sorry. My best friend’s Dad was an ER doc and he said so many people are carriers for MRSA and don’t even know it. Some never even treat it! I am glad you zeroed in on it and and are getting treatment. I hate going to hospitals and cringe whenever I have to walk into one and wonder what diseases I am going to bring home to my family.
Yeah, my husband has always teased me about being so paranoid about hospital acquired illnesses.. Even at clinics, I wait for the very last moment to arrive for routine appointments (like well baby visits). And don’t even get me started on the pointlessness of well baby visits! lol..
This is so informative.
I still don’t have a baby and i don’t want hospitals too LOL
XO
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This is so informative.
I still don’t have a baby and i don’t want hospitals too LOL
Great post
XO
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Oh my gosh! This is just crazy! I can’t believe you contracted it from the stethoscope. That seems like the least dangerous thing ever. I was thinking it would have been a needle or something more invasive. Please keep us updated! Praying you have a quick recovery and that the meds kill off all the MSRA.
Yeah, isn’t that crazy?! I’m just so glad my daughter didn’t catch it. *shudder*
Gingi, I want to say how shocked I am, but I’m not! But a stethoscope, unreal. Now that you say it, I can totally see how you’d get MRSA this way. And yes, I’m even more freaked out that usual about hospitals. WHen my daughter was born with a rare condition called congenitial chylothorax (fluid leaking into her lung cavity making respiration a HUGE issue and of course she could eat nothing for 8 weeks because she couldn’t process food at all, hello expensive IV’s) Anyhow, while there, she got RSV from one of the hospital workers. So my precious daughter who was already on the fence of whether she’d even make was almost guarteened to not make it…not with fluid leaking into her lung cavity from the chylothorax and the RSV, she just wasn’t strong enough to fight both. Praise God, He gave us the strength to make it through and saved her even though they said she’d surely die from the RSV. And the hospital blamed me for giving her the RSV, not them!!! They said it was my fault! Unbelievable.
Oh WOW. Your story scared the crap out of me, I am so glad your little one made it through, that is TOTALLY a God thing (what else COULD it be?!).. And they blamed you?! Go figure. I have pressed the urgent care staff to confess that I got it from the hospital, and they literally change the subject or ignore me like I didn’t say anything!! I asked if they are going to take any steps to inform doctors to sterilize equipment or inform staff that MRSA is being spread in their facility and they straight up ignored me! It’s unbelievable and soooo shady IMO. Can you imagine if car companies were run like the medical industry? Any manufacturing defects would be YOUR fault! There would be no widespread recalls, just a shrug and “Oh, that’s the nature of the business!” Scary!!
Oh no!!!!!
This is SO scary. I’m so sorry this happened to you. I hope your next course of meds/ and or any great alternative med options you find cures it quickly. 🙁 #notcool
Yikes! That is so scary! I’m really sorry you had to go through that!
Melanie @ meandmr.com
My heart goes out to you! What an ordeal and I know how very real these superbugs are! A tiny cut while roller bladding many years ago for my oldest daughter resulted in one and blew up her knee like a grapefruit. Keep your immunity strong, Gingi with a great diet and lots of rest. ( I know, tough with a baby.) Please read this post I did on superbugs as it is such an important issue: http://www.thehealthminded.com/2014/06/resistance-film-on-how-superbugs-will.html
And protect that digestion with all those anitbiotics. Try to incorporate fermented foods in your diet. I am praying for a speedy recovery, Gingi.
I swear, you blog about everything that I want to blog about! haha! Seriously love your blog. I am taking as many steps as I know how to protect my digestion. (Taking probiotic supplements, along with lots of fermented foods..) I hate taking antibiotics. 🙁
How scary! I’m so sorry this is happening- especially during a time when you just want to be bonding with Thyme. 🙁
-Ashley
Le Stylo Rouge
Please please please get yourself some colloidal silver liquid AND silver gel. I talk about it on my blog a lot. Please do it. xo
I have heard that manuka honey and colloidal silver are recommended for holistic approaches to MRSA. I’m looking into getting those, plus honey and garlic. I’m pretty much trying EVERYTHING, haha.
Visalia hospital has a real MRSA problem. My little cousin has cerebral palsy and has to go into the hospital occasionaly for treatment. I think she’s gotten some kind of staph infection every time!
Yeah, I’ve talked to a couple people who know friends that got MRSA at Kaweah Delta in Visalia.. including some who also got it while there to give birth! SO scary. Why aren’t they warning people?!?!
How sad!! I still think going to the hospital was the best option, but never trying to judge anything!
I’m sorry to hear about your infection and I hope your new meds will finally kill this superbug.
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Oh dear, that sounds terrible! You just don’t expect to catch things like that, do you? I had no idea that stats were that high and bad!
Corinne x
I knew it was a possibility going in.. I just can’t believe how easy it is to catch. 🙁
Oh Gingi, that’s awful! I’m so sorry. I think it makes complete sense to give birth in a hospital, in case of complications. I hope you get completely better soon.
I hope you recover soon! That is a very unfortunate situation.
Gingi, that is awful… I hope you find something to cure it once and for all…
As for all the meds, I am anti med most of the time, if there is an odd side effect I get it… and I always have to take the mildest forms of anything… I think the pharmaceutical companies are allowed to get away with too much and a lot of the reason there is so many people addicted to anything starts with the pills they are given… that is very sad.
I had a skin graft done back in early 2013 and they gave me a prescription for dilude and I ripped it up before I left the hospital, it is highly addictive, the were glad I did.. I just used advil…
I will pray for you and your family that they don’t get infected either xox
Yeah, FAR too many people are pill happy. It’s awful! 🙁 I’m glad you take a healthy approach to pain management! Too few people do…
I’m typing this comment as I’m sitting in a hospital and after having been here for nearly 48 hours. As clean as they are, they do harvest some of the worst germs and bacteria. My entire body feels like it’s shutting down, but I’m not sure if that’s do to the lack of movement or the fact that most of the air I’m breathing is being polluted by sickness and diseases.
It is crazy to hear you got MRSA after having a baby. My husband has gotten it about 5 times in the 4 years that we’ve been together. It’s crazy because people don’t ever really take it seriously unless they’re in the medical field. He got it on his arm one time, but a nurse told him it was just a bite and that he was fine. The next day I had to rush him to the ER because his arm had become so swollen and numb. I’ve never seen someone in so much pain from such a little bump (which, of course, quickly grew in size).
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Oh no!! I hope everything is okay! I am soooo uncomfortable being in hospitals.. I’m afraid to BREATH in there, lol. I especially get nervous now with my little girls.. especially the newborn, with her immature immune system. Yikes!
And I am sooo sorry you guys had to deal with MRSA too.. It’s awful!! I’m lucky that mine isn’t so terrible, I caught it VERY early, the skin had only just started to split by the time I got my antibiotics in hand.. and even that was tiny, because I’d been packing the wound with raw honey, garlic and apple cider vinegar the moment I suspected I may have staph (literally discovered it on day one out of the hospital). But still… I can’t imagine not catching it till far later! 🙁
Really sorry to hear about the infection, it must be so terrible and annoying! Wishing you a speedy recovery, God bless!
Prudence
http://www.prudencepetitestyle.com
Oh noooo! I hope you get cured and that you be fine shortly. What a terrible story – being infected by a stethoscope after delivery… Dear friend it makes me sad that you have to go through this <3
Oh no, I am so sorry! That is awful! 🙁 I hope that will be gone soon! I cannot believe that you got it from a stethoscope. Well, actually I can believe it. I hate hospitals, I always get kind of paranoid when I just have to visit somebody there and wash my hands as much as possible. I avoid hospitals and even doctors as much as possible. I don’t take pills unless there is no other option.
From now on, I’m going to request that they sanitize their equipment before ANYTHING touches me! Grrrrr…
Oh my, I had NO idea. You poor thing – get better FAST.
Scarlet’s birth was great but Des’ experience nearly ruined me. His bloodwork showed up with an infection so they rushed him by ambulance to another hospital – one with a NICU.
Do you know what the bloodwork revealed? A staph infection. Meaning, it was tainted blood and he was fine.
But still had to spend a week in the NICU “just in case.”
Sob.
That is frightening!! And I am soooo scared of having a baby be in the NICU, with my fears and overactive imagination, I would seriously lose it if my baby had spend time there.. *shudders* You poor momma!!
first of all congrats my dear…and as for the mrsa, so so sorry to hear that. but i do hope you are all better now.
kisses from dubai ♥
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Gingi, I am praying that this horrible infection is cured. I am glad that you caught it right away.
I am not a fan of doctors although I use them as needed. We had hospital births. Up until last year the girls never missed their yearly appointment. I didn’t take my oldest because her birthday is in winter and that is usually when her appointment is scheduled. I didn’t want to risk her good health.
This is so scary! I have had a bit of a distaste for hospitals after being in and out of them for over a year while my father had cancer. He sadly passed away, but two months before that happened he was going into liver failure the Friday before Labor Day weekend and they were going to send him home because he didn’t have a high enough fever! My mother went mental on them and they ended up admitting him and found just an hour after she demanded they admit him that he needed emergency surgery to have a port put into his liver or he would probably die during the night. I also won’t even go there about how my father’s cancer could have been caught a lot earlier if it weren’t for the bureaucratic processes with insurance companies and doctors. I’m sorry this happened to you. I get into it with people a lot over medicine. I know doctors are not miracle workers (for the most part) but I think you’re right, the business side of it all costs lives. Lots of lives. More than are saved? Maybe not, but those numbers you put up are not okay either. Ok – done with my rant! Feel better!
I am so sorry to hear about your father.. I can’t even IMAGINE, that has got to be hard! And everything you guys went through?? Oh man. And I am right there with you on the hospital views.. I think more lives are ultimately saved than lost through shady business practices with medicine.. but the number are NOT okay!!
Oh my goodness. I would be furious too! I’m so sorry to you have to go through this! On top of having to care for a newborn and healing, you have another unnecessary hassle to deal with.
The thing that scares me about hospitals is their hours. Nurses and doctors work unnatural amount of hours, making it more likely to make mistakes. They should follow 8-hour days as much as possible and take regular shifts like everyone else!
Yeah, WHY is that?! I’ve never understood that!!
Oh my goodness, that really is terrible! I hate that it’s coming back again! I hope it heals SOON and stays gone!
Gingi- I’m so sorry to hear about the MRSA. I hope you’ll be able to rid yourself of it soon. I’ll be thinking of you…. -Kim