Staph Infection?

[hgsouth]

I recently got a red bump on my chest that looked like either a pimple or a bug bite. It didn't hurt or itch or anything, so I just waited to see if it got worse. The red area was about the size of a nickel and had what looked like a faint zit or pimple but it wasn't big at all and I really could not tell what it was. After a week it seemed to get smaller but more red. So off to the Urgent Care and they didn't seem concerned....just said it was a minor infection. They gave me and oral antibiotic and topical Mupirocin and sent me on my way. They diagnosed it as cellulitis but I mean...looking at pics online it looks more like a Staph infection (I doubt MRSA because it never got that serious but still).

It has gotten much smaller and looks a lot better but now has a definite pimple of some sort in the center.

I didn't have a cut or any break in the skin in that area that I know of. But maybe it got a hair follicle. I HAD surfed Cardiff reef a couple times the past week or two.

Anyone ever get something similar?

 

[GWS]

I recently got a red bump on my chest that looked like either a pimple or a bug bite. It didn't hurt or itch or anything, so I just waited to see if it got worse. The red area was about the size of a nickel and had what looked like a faint zit or pimple but it wasn't big at all and I really could not tell what it was. After a week it seemed to get smaller but more red. So off to the Urgent Care and they didn't seem concerned....just said it was a minor infection. They gave me and oral antibiotic and topical Mupirocin and sent me on my way. They diagnosed it as cellulitis but I mean...looking at pics online it looks more like a Staph infection (I doubt MRSA because it never got that serious but still).

It has gotten much smaller and looks a lot better but now has a definite pimple of some sort in the center.

I didn't have a cut or any break in the skin in that area that I know of. But maybe it got a hair follicle. I HAD surfed Cardiff reef a couple times the past week or two.

Anyone ever get something similar?

Robert Weiner recently cut his foot on a rock at Malibu. He too went to urgent care and they cleaned it out and gave him a bottle of antibiotics. It got worse. Long story short, he wound up in the hospital for three days. There was some fear he would lose the foot. Staph. The joys of warm/dirty water. Screw urgent care. Sounds like you're getting better though. He was not.

 

[notrom]

Years ago I paddled through a rain-swollen river down here to get to the break. I had a small fin cut on my elbow. I went back to the States and a few days later my elbow looked the size of a softball and was bright red and hot. I went to my ortho guy and he drained it, left a drain in it, gave me some antibiotics and said to come back in 2 days. In 2 days it was worse and he said the lab results stated it was Staph. I was operated on the following morning and they took out the entire bursa, put me on some heavy antibiotics, and said cool it for a while. The bursa will regrow. And it did. The docs said if I waited, or stayed down south, I could have ended up with a full body sepsis.
Don't mess around with infections, especially in the tropics.
:wave2:

 

[hgsouth]

Crazy. Yeah this was never that serious, just rather unusual. It's fading slowly. It went from a nickel sized red patch with what looked like a faint pimple, to a slightly smaller but darker red patch with more of a pimple, and after I started antibiotics it turned into what definitely looked like a pimple and eventually popped leaving a tiny scab with a 1 cm red patch around it. This is over the course of 2 weeks. It never hurt and I felt fine physically.

The urgent care doc just threw drugs at me and was like "oh it just got infected". I wish he would have just discussed what it could possibly be and where it could have come from. Also how to identify and prevent.

I usually shower after surfing because I don't like being salty, so this is odd. I hope it's just an isolated incident.

But yeah I blame Cardiff! Never surfing there again...

 

[john4surf]

I suffered staph infections twice. While I can't say I got them at Cardiff Reef, they seemed to become noticeable within a week or so of 'bad' or, stinky days (out flow undr the bridge. One infection came from me scratching my lower left calf (ithing). The skin became inflamed and staph was discovered. A clinical 'wound specialist' from UCSD administered meds and wrapped the calf so oxygen could not get to the wound. The other infection came from clipping a toenail too close. Not enough to hurt but, tests came back staph.

Can't blame on water conditions when I was still surfing but, seems to be a good suspect. I also feel a potential for infection exists at the 24 Hour Fitness I visit daily. The calf infection was a an exact point where my calf made contact using one of the machines. I briefly chatted a fellow at teh water fountain who told me he got staph on his cheek. Close shaving and touching with hands during work outs was suspect according to his doctor but, it is simply conjecture.

The 'good' side of infections (when cured)... if you have to be hospitalized (hope not) tell the admissions or nursing staph you've been treated for staph. Instant guarantee for a private room at no add'l cost to you or your insurer! John

 

[hgsouth]

Yeah I'm truly guessing at the Cardiff thing, but having suffered many sinus infections in the past when I surfed there regularly, I pretty much stopped surfing there. But some friends were surfing there this time so I figured a session or two wouldn't hurt.

 

[Al Soldano]

I'm glad you have a staph infection.

 

[SurfDoc]

Staph is very common. Lives on the skin and loves an opportunity to get out of hand. Sea water cuts have all kinds of nasty bugs and should never be ignored, especially in the tropics. Warm water and soap, a bit of antiseptic and let them breath. Oxygen helps. Red expanding marks and pus are a bad sign. Then its time to see the local medicine man.