I know I know...

Oh wait that guy in IT who lived in his van? Off the grid guy?

BOUGHT TICKET! Yay. Talked to my mom, she was all "I don't want you to miss Mardi Gras!!!" EPIC EYE ROLL. I was like, lady, it will happen again next year and even if not, I THINK THIS MIGHT BE MORE IMPORTANT MAYBE???

I'm really more concerned about winter weather actually.

Anyway. I guess decent news about no MERSA (whatever that is) and no blood clots. He's comfortable and in decent spirits with two IV anti-b's. She seems a little better for the moment, but I know some of that is light of day and some of that is just basic survival instinct.

My sister's really frustrated with the medical info my mom is getting and wants to go up there and be a squeaky wheel.

Thanks for the support, it really helped me feel strong enough to get over my own personal issues about travelling up there and do what I know is best for everyone (including me.)

No MRSA is definitely good news. As is the rest. I'm sorry things have gotten so tough but I'm glad you can lean on your sister, and vv.

decent news about no MERSA (whatever that is)

That's *excellent* news. It's MRSA, which is methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus -- it's one of the "super-bugs" that is rapidly becoming VERY common in hospitalized people. What makes it a "super-bug" is that this strain of Staph bacteria is resistant to most antibiotics; the reason that methicillin is singled out in its name is because methicillin used to be the last-resort big-gun antibiotic that would kill this strain of S. aureus. But, as the name indicates, now it's resistant to it.

There are other antibiotics that can work -- MRSA is not un-killable -- but the problem with MRSA is that, in people who are already sick, it can make things so much worse, since it's hard to kill.

Scary fact: most of us could be walking around having been exposed to MRSA and/or are carrying it, but because we're healthy, it's no big thing.

So, to sum up -- it's FANTASTIC that your dad doesn't have it!

MRSA is methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, a common bacterial infection in hospitals.

P-C, I love (and am not surprised) that we both italicized S. aureus. IJS.

t /pharmnerd

Yay! MERSA must have been her phone's autocorrect...

Surgeon was in, he's going to get my dad on the table on Monday to flush things out in there, I guess. Then they will discuss the GI problems.

Oh wait that guy in IT who lived in his van? Off the grid guy?

YES. He was so weird.

Walking a fine line between advice and unnecessary nervous-making, I believe MRSA is also very common on planes? So maybe shower between the airport and hospital.

{{{Nora}}} I'm so sorry. Tons of ~ma for your dad. I'm glad that you were able to figure out a way to visit him.