Answer needed on medical infection on an open wound. Staph? Strep?

this open, smelly, dripping wound on my lower shin bone hasn't cleared up in 3 weeks. Obviously infected , but what kind of germs ?? regular cleansing c H2O2 not effective. HELP???

Answer needed on medical infection on an open wound. Staph? Strep?
Hi Sandy, yes everyone is correct to say go see a doctor and you have... but that doesnt help you in the meantime to deal with a messy leg. Staphlococci is more than likely the germ as this lives happily on your skin..... and is annoying when it gets in somewhere it shouldn't!!





Cleaning in water isnt a problem in fact it will wash away the debris nicely. Adding a little salt to it ( a teaspoon to a pint ) will help it more. The basic principles of wound care is to keep the wound clean, moist and safe so it can heal. Commencing antibiotics is good to prevent the infection from travelling further (like into your bone). Anything topical over the wound will give minimal effect however there is a product you shoould be able to get over the counter called Betadine (povidine iodine). This is extremely strong on any open tissue so must be diluted ( half a teaspoon in a cup of the salt water). Betadine is a known antiseptic we use in hospitals. It has be proven to be effective against all known microrganisms when in contact with them for over 20 seconds. ( the tricky part is the concentration. ) If you put in on undiluted it does kill infection, but it will also damage the underlying tissue making the wound bigger.





Most wound care specialists have their own ways of treating wounds. Not having seen your wound, I would advise to clean with the salt mixture, then wash it again in the diluted betadine mixture, then cover it with any product that you can purchase over the counter at your drug store that will keep your wound slighlyt moist and protected (Comfeel and Duoderm hydrocolloid pads are good products).





Expect this wound to take longer to heal because you are on prednisolone. Not only does it make your skin paper thin but your healing time is delayed 2, if not 3 times longer.





Good luck.
Reply:Hello Sandy...this one SOUNDS like a Staphylococcal skin infection most likely, though it is not impossible for a streptococcus organism to secondarily infect an open wound either. Hydrogen peroxide, even when properly applied is not really meant to promote wound healing, per se, but simply to keep it cleanses, and slowly allow the wound to heal "from the inside out" to avoid pockets whereby abscesses can form! The sounds of your question imply that it now may well be time for an antimicrobial medication that is both an anti-Staph antibiotic that also covers strept!! GOOD LUCK and get that looked at by all means. Untreated wound infections CAN progress deeper...all the way to the bone in the worst case!
Reply:Go to the doctor.
Reply:probably a staph infection, but if it's been there for 3 weeks, you should see a wound care specialist.
Reply:Only a DR can tell you what it is. Go seek medical Atten: Now
Reply:Go to the Emergency Department of your local hospital, go right away. If you've had it for that long, you need antibiotics before you develop something worse like gangrene. You didn't mention if you are diabetic or not as this occurs frequently in poorly controlled diabetics and this kind of infection in a diabetic can lead to amputation if not promptly dealt with.
Reply:Go online and research olive leaf extract, grapefruit seed extract, and most especially colloidal silver at 500ppm. These are natural anti-virals/bacterials and have had great success by researchers. The silver alone can kill over 650 types of viruses, bacterias,yeasts,and fungi. It can be used internally and topically, remember they used to put silver nitrate drops in babies eyes when they were born? Good luck!
Reply:obviously the wound culture will show what is growing and what antibiotic is the best for your situation. H2O2 is horrible for wounds that are trying to heal. try dilute vinegar and very diluted bleach compresses. Two tablespoons per gallon of water. This should help with the topical infection.
Reply:First and foremost you should always consult with your doctor. It is probably a staph infection. There is a new strain of staph which is highly contagious, called MRSA- Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus. A couple of antibiotics used to treat it are SMZ/TMP DS, and Cephalexin. An open wound requires special care. The open wound should be cleaned at least twice a day while there is pus.Deep open wounds can be irrigated with a syringe and a sodium chloride solution. The open wound should also be packed. Packing is done with iodoform packing strips.The packing helps absorb drainage and tissue that is not healing. The packing also promotes healing from the inside out. See your doctor regularly and don't miss any appointments.
Reply:the only answer i have to offer is go see your doctor. infections like the one you describe can be harmful. any medical conditions you may have may complicate things too. i think you best bet is to get to the doc.
Reply:sounds like a staph infection. A few years back I had a nice tumble down a hill of black lava rocks. Head over heals, yes this was in hawaii and my shin was punctured and cut over my entire shin. My friends disinfected it and actually scrub and cut out all of the lava rock. My imune systems is nil due to Hep.C. At first I thought my leg was healing since it was scabbing up slightly. Along with it being cleaned out,scrubbed and bandaged several times a day. A few weeks had gone by and the smaller cuts were just about healed but I had a huge hole the size of a silver dollar that just seeped and got worse daily. Then my leg was in severe pain,my shin bone was killing. I went to the doctor,general practisioner and pretty much told me to continue to treat it as i had been. Next faze was surrounding the opens wound my skin begane to harden and turn a dark purple/black.


It was maybe 6 weeks now and landed in the hospital from effects of liver failior and a nurse took one look at my leg and summoned a specialists. And yes it was a severe staph infection that was not healing it was infact spreading tremendiously. I thought i was doing right by seeing my doctor but obviously too much time had passed and the infection started to take over.


Please do not wait or second guess yourself as i did. It took me months to heal and was told if i had waited much longer I could of became severely ill. too this day the scar from the hole that would never heal is 2 inches wide and actually the size of a walnut in depth,do not settle for a nurse or doctor who seems unsure.Request for a specialist who deals with infectious wounds.there is not anything over the counter that will heal it or cure it if you do have a staph infection. Be careful and please tend to it immediately.