How My Husband’s Staph Infection Has Affected Our Lives

In July, my husband had a sore that began on his foot. He has an allergic reaction to poison ivy and had recently been in contact with the plant, so he assumed that was the problem. Treating the spot with poison ivy lotion from Benadryl seemed like the right thing to do at the time.

As the other blotches of poison ivy began to heal on his arms, the spot on his foot lingered. Within two days the tiny red boil had grown larger, his foot began to swell, and the infection was traveling up his leg. Upon a visit to the doctor, he was told it was staph. The lab results confirmed this finding. This was all before the MRSA scare that has swept the nation. After several days off of work, and three medications later, the staph infection subsided. He continued to have some trouble in the vicinity of the original staph spot on his foot, but the most significant change has been with his immune system.

My husband is typically very healthy. He never misses work or goes to the doctor. Since this staph infection, he seems to be under the weather more frequently. It has zapped his energy, too. Instead of wanting to stay up and watch television after the kids go to bed, he is eager to get the children tucked in for the night, and turn in himself.

Now, he has again been diagnosed with staph, just three months later. Of course, we were very concerned. The doctor shows concern, but acts as if staph is just floating around in the air like any other bacteria or virus. According to the doctor, he is susceptible for getting staph now, even more than before. Now, isn’t that comforting?

More antibiotics should ward off this nasty infection. But, now, the kids come home asking daddy if he has that nasty bug from the news. How do you look at a seven year old and explain that all should be well, trust the doctor, and follow the advice, when notes are coming home from school, and the media is all over this bacteria? Let me tell you from experience, it can be tricky.

Just this past weekend, the local school system called to inform parents that they were disinfecting the classrooms to prevent staph. My nine year old girls are bopping around in their ponytails around the living room making jokes about the staph cootie in our house. Isn’t childhood wonderful?

I know the staph crud is everywhere right now, or so it seems, but it sure makes a mom want to scrub, disinfect, wash, cleanse, or toss about anything that even appears suspicious. Of course, we don’t all go poking around at daddy’s foot and then sticking our fingers in our eyes or anything, but still. We wonder.

Family and friends are ultimately concerned about the staph infection and want to make certain my husband is alright and recovering. No one has avoided our family or our home. It isn’t quite the plague of the century. We take the infection seriously, but can’t sit around waiting for flesh-eating varieties to attack us in our sleep.