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neebee
Social climber
calif/texas
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Oct 12, 2008 - 07:27pm PT
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hey there mazzystr... say, i saw this too late to help do any "before praying", but i can pray now, for whatever is still going on...
say, a co-worker at the cat/dog shelter had some small itch, or ache and pain, and just ignored it for a few days--as she does already have other health trouble as to neck pains, etc...
well...... her husband took her into the hospital finally, cause she could not walk... just after they arrived, the area swelled up hugely and was all red, and infected..... her lower leg got huge but the DID stop the infection from traveling any further into her body....
seems it had started from the hip area, and moved down...
she showed up pictures of her leg and it was swellled, and looked all bruised up after all this...
some infection was all they could come up with, antibiotices, etc, while in the hospital, was what was done for her...
she is well now....
say, i am very sorry to hear this for you buddy... i will really pray too, hope that there is still some kind of a good intervention that can come to him....
(her trouble may have started from a flea bite area, OR MAY NOT have... ) no one really knows...
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neebee
Social climber
calif/texas
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Oct 12, 2008 - 07:37pm PT
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hey there mazzstr... say, after someone a "bit above my post" mentioned this: fasciitis...
here is a link to this:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Necrotizing_fasciitis
*there is some more links if you scroll down, of well-known folks that have had this happen, and the results...
some ranging from recover, others amputation or removal of large parts of area, and some, even died...
:(
*please let us know how your friend is doing, we are all rooting for him, and feel very sad that his wonderful trip turned out so terrible ....
god bless, and prayers for way for both of you...
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stevep
Boulder climber
Salt Lake, UT
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Oct 12, 2008 - 07:42pm PT
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Sounds pretty extreme for a spider bite. More like a bacterial issue like MRSA. Not usually found outdoors, but the showers would be a possiblity.
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enjoimx
Big Wall climber
SLO Cal
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Oct 12, 2008 - 07:56pm PT
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OW on pitch 2?
On Nutcracker?
Nutcracker?
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Anastasia
climber
Not there
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Oct 12, 2008 - 09:47pm PT
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Wow... I am wishing him a full and quick recovery. Scary stuff, especially when it just hits you out of nowhere.
AF
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Mazzystr
Gym climber
Homeless...
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Topic Author's Reply - Oct 12, 2008 - 09:51pm PT
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I just got back from the hospital.
There has been no spread of the infection up or down his arm. he is in really good spirits. We all had a healthy discussion about that dumbass rap bolting half dome, lol!
The docs say the same thing about the mrsa bacteria. They think he hasn't been on antibiotic long enough to have an effect so they're putting him through another cycle. Tues they will open his elbow to drain the fluid.
Rush thanks everyone for the support and advice. So do I.
/Chris C
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Mazzystr
Gym climber
Homeless...
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Topic Author's Reply - Oct 12, 2008 - 09:59pm PT
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I have to make a correction.
He was given amoxicin orally last week then he was given vancomoxin via IV on friday night and saturday morning and this morning with no change in the infection.
I got all the cin's backward after 20hrs of travelling...
I'll update when/if I hear something.
Thanks,
/Chris
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Brock
Trad climber
RENO, NV
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Oct 12, 2008 - 10:03pm PT
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Ebola? think da Valley should be quarantined so i can climbed all by myself in a viral safe bodysuit approved by the CDC
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Mazzystr
Gym climber
Homeless...
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Topic Author's Reply - Oct 12, 2008 - 10:08pm PT
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Nutcracker -
go up the 5.9 finger crack that is to the right of the standard start scramble. you know? the crack that you always look at but can't climb? yea that one. LOL! just kidding about that!
Anyways, go up the 5.9 finger crack. Belay at the second tree. The 5.7 fist and off hands is past the third tree just below the P3 platform.
/Chris C
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Peter Haan
Trad climber
San Francisco, CA
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Oct 12, 2008 - 10:38pm PT
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Mazzy,
It's really impressive that you are so powerfully involved helping your friend. What a climbing partner! Thanks for sharing your dilemma here and wishing you two the best. And it sounds more like toxicity than infection.
ph
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freefall
climber
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Oct 13, 2008 - 12:23pm PT
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Man, I'm real sorry to hear about this, I had high hopes for your trip to the valley. Everyone here at TRC wishes Rush the best and will keep him in our prayers. I'll try to get over there today. Thanks for keep us informed.
The TRC crew
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healyje
Trad climber
Portland, Oregon
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Oct 13, 2008 - 12:48pm PT
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Just a note that our bodies are inherently filthy with all manner of opportunistic bacteria that, under just the right circumstances, can guickly get wildly out of hand. CMRSA or MRSA are certainly a possibility, but only two of many. I do very much doubt this has anything to do with a 'novel' bacterial in the Valley.
A few years back I had a friend get lightly knicked in the ankle by his fin while windsurfing in the Columbia River Gorge, which is not all that uncommon an occurance. One thing led to another and before it was all over he ended up with his leg laid open from ankle-to-crotch down to the bone, airing it out for gangrene. Once they put it all back together it looked like the Rift Valley running down the inside of his leg - not pretty.
These kinds of infections can be tough to pin down and also be hard to identify by stain or culture - which the docs can't wait for anyway. Seems like your friend is getting the canonical treatment - hopefully he'll respond well with it. It also sounds like good news if the infection isn't spreading further.
Good on you for being such a fine friend and best of luck to your partner.
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micronut
Trad climber
fresno, ca
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Oct 13, 2008 - 01:04pm PT
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Hey man, I hope your buddy is on the way to a full recovery soon. Just a couple things.
1. There are NO brown recluse bites in California.
They get diagnosed by uneducated MD's all the time in ERs, but there are no brown recluses here and never have been, though everybody seems to know "an uncle who got bitten by one and almost died." Here is a great link to all the myths surrounding this little "bug." http://spiders.ucr.edu/myth.html
2. Sounds like MRSA or cellulitis and it can be impossible to find the origin. Often healthy people get these scary infections from minor trauma ( imean minor, like buping a knee on a coffee table)and they can be quite destructive. As long as his team of docs keeps this at the top of their differential diagnosis he should be ok, but they need to go after it hard. None of this "lets wait and see for a couple weeks" stuff.
Again, hope he mends soon. Bummer for such a thing to happen in such a great spot as the Valley. Hope you guys had a good time out here.
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SteveW
Trad climber
The state of confusion
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Oct 13, 2008 - 01:26pm PT
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Hope all's going better with that nasty infection.
And kudo's to you for stickin' with him through this
tough time.
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Mazzystr
Gym climber
Homeless...
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Topic Author's Reply - Oct 13, 2008 - 01:54pm PT
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I spoke with Rush today on IM....damn iPhones. Theyve freed people from computers! He sent a picture of his hand. It is a much more normal looking hand. He also said they did full blood work and confirmed MRSA.
I noticed last night that I have a pinky finger nail size lump on my forearm that resembles a mosquito bite but bigger and harder. its still there today. i dont have any pain or fever or headache so I hope that that is all it is.
/Chris
ps...Hellz yea! TRC representin on the taco, YO!
pss...PeterHann, thanks for the compliments. I feel kind of bad for 2reasons. 1, I hyped up Yosemite by talking about how awesome the place is and the people are and 2, I kind of shrugged him off at first. so i feel a bit guilty and at fault for all this biznizz
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micronut
Trad climber
fresno, ca
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Oct 13, 2008 - 02:01pm PT
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Dude keep a CLOSE eye on that thing. mrsa is VERY contagious....very. The fact that you were in close quarters with him and he has a diagnosed case of it should not be ignored. If that thing doesn't go away asap, you gotta have it looked at. DO NOT mess with this stuff. Take care.
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HighDesertDJ
Trad climber
Arid-zona
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Oct 13, 2008 - 02:05pm PT
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Dunno how I missed this thread last night it's a good one! MRSA is pretty much every provider's top concern and you need a pretty solid dose of Vanomycin to knock it down.
Your buddy did not likely contract MRSA from the rock itself. Either he or someone he can into recent contact with (perhaps even yourself) has MRSA colonized in your nose and some snot made its way into his wound. Someone wiped their nose or sneezed on some carabiners or whatever, then he touched them and then touched his wound. His body couldn't fight it off (cause of all that heavy drinking) and then it turned into a full blown infection.
Note that MRSA typically takes 4-5 days to turn into a recognizable infection. I'm not sure if this falls into your timeline or not, but he could have had it brewing well before you guys climbed that crack.
When you said it was growing it sounded like necrotizing fasciitis, but it wasn't moving quickly enough. Necro is caused by strep mutations that simply live on the skin or in the throat and mouth. Infections can be caused by even the smallest of breaks in the skin. A physical therapist here in Flagstaff apparently got it from shaving her vagina and then shaving her armpits. The necro moved on the razor from her vagina and then was introduced into her body by a micro cut on her armpit. She died in a helicopter being flown down to Phoenix for treatment.
That's great they figured out what it is so that they can take care of it. It might be worth it to your crew to get checked for MRSA colonies in your nose. Some hospitals have instituted policies swabbing every single nose of every single admitted patient in an attempt to knock out the MRSA colonies in their communities. MRSA is very contagious but it only actually harms a small percentage of the people who have it. There are people reading this forum right now who have it living in their nose and are healthy as can be.
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rush
Trad climber
NC
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Oct 13, 2008 - 03:04pm PT
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So after a few days in the valley clinic and a couple of days back on the east coast in a local hospital the doctors have determined that it was in fact MRSA. I think Karl Baba had suggested this earlier in the thread. Anyhow this strain of staph is not to be taken lightly and it is fairly communicable (more so than a typical infection) and there are only two antibiotics that will treat it.
A few people have mentioned having picked this up in the valley, so a word to the wise if you think you may have an infection go to the clinic and have it looked at. Everyone at the clinic is amazing.
Luckily I was able to catch it soon enough that I may not have to undergo any surgery, although there has been discussion. I have been hooked up to two extremely potent antibiotics on drip for the past three days and my forearm and hand have almost deflated back down to the original size. The only major concern at this point is the fluid in my elbow.
Thanks for all the support guys.
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HighDesertDJ
Trad climber
Arid-zona
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Oct 13, 2008 - 03:50pm PT
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MRSA isn't any more communicable or virulent than any other form of Staph. It's just resistant to the most commonly used (and least harsh on our bodies) antibiotics.
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