Mrs. A Nose

I mentioned on Monday how my nose was hurting and I thought it was probably acne or something like that.  Well yesterday, I went to my LLMD's office because the pain increased tenfold overnight.  It was (is) excruciating.  I was hoping to get a HBOT treatment, but my LLMD's office went through some remodeling and they haven't put the HBOT back yet.  They decided to take my blood to check out my CBC and chem panel and while they were accessing a vein they gave me a 3 hour IV.  The funny thing is that this IV always takes 3 hours.  It never takes less, but sometimes takes more.  Well, it only took 2 hours for it to run yesterday.  It didn't seem to be dripping any faster than usual, but I guess it was. 

Well by the time I got home, there was a message from one of the ladies saying that my LLMD wanted me to go to my regular doctors to get my nose looked at.  He thought maybe I was presenting with a sinus infection, although I typically don't present this particular way. Keep in mine, he never saw me so he was just going based on what others were telling him.  Well I woke up this morning and the pain was worse.  So I called my PCP to see if they had an appointment.  They did, but the first one was 30  minutes prior to another appointment and the second one wasn't until 5pm.  I decided to take my chances on Fast Med. They have always treated me well.

Today was no exception.  I pulled up their website and "got in line."  This is a great feature.  I can show up and there be 5 people in line, but if I got in line before they showed up then I'm ahead of them.  I arrived and there was only one person in front of me (but I had new paperwork to fill out since I haven't been there in 2012) so I waited a little bit.   Finally I saw the PA and she brought in her little nose looker.  I told her what was going on and laughed off that I'd probably leave with her telling me I had massive boogies. She laughed, but said that "boogies" wouldn't cause the pain, swelling or redness I was experiencing. 

She took a look and said that I had a serious looking staph infection in my left nostril. I came "this close" to asking, "What does  a funny looking staph infection look like?"  She sent me home with two prescriptions and instructions.  First prescription:  Doxycycline.  Second prescription:  Bactroban Nasal.  Instructions:  Warm compress on nose several times a day.  Doxycycline, been there done that.  Two hours away from supplements.  Stay out of the sunlight (artificial or otherwise).  Drink full glass of water.  Take on full stomach, but not with dairy.  Makes me want to vomit. 

However, I have never used Bactroban Nasal.  So I pulled out the handy dandy guide that came with it.  So, Instructions say, "Twist off cap" and "apply one half in one nostril" and "apply 2nd half in other nostril" and "massage nostrils for one minute. discard tube."  I unfolded the paper that came with it and began to read.  I'm reading along when I see this ....


BACTROBAN NASAL is indicated for the eradication of nasal colonization with methicillin-resistant S. aureus.

Let me repeat the last words:

methicillin-resistant S. aureus.

Now let me give you the commonly known acronym. 

MRSA!

Seriously?  I have MRSA in my nose.  *sigh*  I went to the bathroom to check out my nose and applied 1/2 of the tube into my "clear" nostril and then applied the other 1/2 in the "mrs. a nostril."  Then I attempted to squeeze my nostrils together as indicated.   I cried.  I was having to inflict pain on myself on purpose.  After a full minute of massaging (and the clear medicine oozing out of my "clean" nostril), I went to the kitchen and took my Doxy.  I gagged. 

Leave it to me to mistake MRSA for a ZIT!

I'm very glad I didn't wait another day or two to head to the doctor.  It could have had serious consequences.  On another note:  My follow up for Lyme has been moved up to next week since I've been having so many symptoms here lately.  I highly suspect that the words PICC or PORT will be used and I will be starting oral and IV antibiotics soon.  I will be very interested to see how I react to Doxy.  The known and well used Lyme Disease antibiotics.