Contact with Mrsa, now I'm so afraid?

Nurses General Nursing

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I work at an nursing home and I'm a CNA there until I finished school for nursing. I was working with a patient and she was on Precautions. Well stupid me, I made a few mistakes. Ok, when I went in her room, I used a gown and gloves. I had to help with her dressings and she has so many. It takes to nurses and so I had to hold/ support her on one side of the bed while they took care of her dressings. And her body was pressing against me. Mistake. Thats when I learned she was on contact for mrsa- she said it was in her foot only. But doesn't it affect the whole body and she said that it had healed and she waiting to be retested.

Now before that, i wasn't as careful as I should have been, once while I was getting her ready for bed, I put my soiled gown in a bag and had an emergency put the bag down ( a patient was having a heart attack) then came back to the bag and picked it up with no gloves. Prior to knowing she had mrsa. She was on our rehab unit. And I set up her food and touch her without gloves because I didn't know she was even on contact until she was on our side and I have a daughter and I'm so scared and paranoid and I'm going to the doctor tomorrow and asking to be tested, but I'm so afraid thinking back on how I wasn't careful enough. Any advice?

Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.
Yes, but I had one on my face and hand (OPEN CUT). i JUST DON'T WANT TO PASS anything back to my daughter. And yes its very scary about nursing thinking your going to be colonized or eventually have it. I've read we have some type in our nose. I wash my hands and use hand sanitizer like crazy. But prior to that. She wasn't on our unit and i set her up before. Her hand touched mine, i honestly came in contact with her. And my charge nurse has me freaking out, thinking if you even come in contact with her, you can contract it and touch her and its messing with me. When i get off, i shower in anti bacterial soap, is that enough to get it off of me?
touching a patient won't hurt you...you need to speak with your PCP and/or your daughters pediatrician to ease your mind.

Some theories think the over use of anibacterial soaps and antibiotics have lad to this multi-durg resistant problem we face now. Simple cleanliness and clean clothes are fine. My only suggestion is to leave your work shoes outside of your home....or at work.

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Ass AD- I do! I've always done that. Thanks

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Thanks EVERYONE, I really appreciate it! I was about to have a break down. Now I can inform my charge nurse.

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Specializes in Primary Care, OR.

The advice given here is excellent. I suggest you take this opportunity to review standard precautions, airborne, droplet, contact etc. and also review your chain of infection, reservoir host, susceptible host etc, and check yourself in best practices. These are things they probably gave you info on in CNA classes and also nursing classes (your in nursing school now, correct?). Take this time to speak with your professors and maybe even practice these precautions in skills lab to make sure your getting it. You seem very fearful and maybe a review would ease your mind.

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Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.
Thanks EVERYONE, I really appreciate it! I was about to have a break down. Now I can inform my charge nurse.

It probably isn't a good idea to challenge your charge nurse.....just take comfort in the knowledge you have gained.

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Specializes in LTC,Hospice/palliative care,acute care.
It probably isn't a good idea to challenge your charge nurse.....just take comfort in the knowledge you have gained.
Most of us have some type of irrational fear that we have nightmares about now and then. I'll admit that I truly believe that someday I'll get sick and die from a simple pneumonia because I've spent so many years inhaling antibiotics during med pass.I'll grown some never before seen funky thing and that will be the end of me...I just hope I get through most of my bucket list before it happens....
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My advice is improve your technique, period.

Interesting that you were only concerned about yourself and your daughter... nothing regarding the other patients or the community at large.

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Specializes in PCCN.
My advice is improve your technique, period.

Interesting that you were only concerned about yourself and your daughter... nothing regarding the other patients or the community at large.

Like I said- I always thought gowns/gloves were to protect the other pts/residents (customers,lol) from getting exposed via our own clothes/self.

Which makes sense, we are going from room to room- washing hands, not washing our clothes.

Soap and water FTW :)

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