Hello, I acquired a staph infection from my second spinal fusion surgery in 1997. Since then I have had to deal with eight more spinal fusions and six more clean-out surgeries from the staph Infections. I ache 24/7 in my muscles and bones from head to toe. My blood always says I'm clean but the very next day after surgery my incisions burst open and I have full blown staph again and usually it ends up being two or three different strains of staph. The staph has eaten up my vertebrae, discs, and all the tissues of my spine from L5/S1 and now it's all the way to T-4. I'm going to undergo another fusion to try to stabilize my spine as it's moving so much in the thoracic area now that it's causing me heart issues and breathing problems that are getting to be very bad. The staph is in me and it won't die with the antibiotics that they run through me. I have air inside and around all of the discs in my spine so there is no stability at all. I ache so bad from the staph. My pain medications don't do a good job for the staph pains. I'm 56 years old now and I feel that this is going to take my life pretty soon. I'm taking a big risk for this next surgery but I need to try to stabilize my chest area so I can breathe and lay down sometimes without cutting off my air and making my heart hurt so much and go into these crazy beating patterns. I'm so sorry all of you have staph. Good Luck Everyone!

Over ten days ago, I fell on an unkept sidewalk that was and is covered in mud every time it rains. After I fell, I was covered in mud that smelled like feces. Immediately I went home, threw my clothes in the garbage and showered. I cleaned the open wounds from the fall and applied antibiotic cream. Two days later, I could not walk. Went to the doctor and was advised it was cellulitis. I believe it was because of the mud.