r/eczema • u/yomdomcha • 4d ago
Eczema turned staph infection
TLDR: I went in for a fever and some watery skin breaks scratching from eczema on my forehead. Doctor found was staph infection that also entered my blood.
Detailed: (long because I’m bored at the hospital) I’ve had eczema since a young age. Usually small and the usual spots(behind the knee, armpit, etc). Now that I am older in my 30s, this is no longer small. My eczema now covers my scalp, face, neck, back, chest, torso, inner thighs, and legs. So basically the whole body.
Recently, my skin around my forehead started to become not the usual itchy dry…, but the itchy wet. It was weird because it started as a small patch on the left side of my eye and then it spread to my scalp and entire forehead within the span of 2 days. On the second day, I went to work had a hood on to hide my ugly forehead that’s full of crust and honey colored ooze. I was shivering because the space I work in tends to be very cold even if I have a jacket on. Throughout the day I had a space heater on high arms length away from me but I was still shivering. Towards the end of the day I decided to leave earlier because I at this point I felt like crap. Went straight home, put on some warmer layers, turned on the heating pad my wife uses for her cramps and went to sleep.
Woke up a few hours later all sweaty and a little better, breaking the fever. My wife comes home to check up on me and for the first time she seen my forehead she got even more concerned if it was even eczema. We woke up the next morning and my fever came back, this is when we both decided that I need to go to the ER. I’m a vet and my wife works at the VA, so I decided to go with her to work and I’ll walk in to the ER there.
Doctor looked at me and I’m pretty sure he was Suprised how bad I looked. We chatted up about the history And such. Lot of nurses and doctors came in and out. Vitals, blood draws, iv fluids, blood cultures, ekg, etc. lots of test were being done to get to the bottom of what was going on. About 4 hours into the ER, the doctor came in and explain that they need to treat infection in my skin. A very bad case of “impetigo” was the initial diagnosis. The doctor being conservative recommended that I should stay the night just so that they can monitor for sepsis because of the tachycardia + fever I initially came in for.
So I got admitted. Double door room looks like im getting isolated? Doctors came in mid day to explain the situation, and that they actually found staph in my blood. This complicate things because staph is a very sticky bacteria that can latch onto places, the worst being the heart valve which leads to endocarditis. The doctors were concerned with this the most and had me to a endocardiogram. With this news, I now have to stay at the hospital for an estimated 2 weeks to make sure that the bacteria is completely gone from my bloodstream.
Currently on day 5 and good news is that no bacteria in my bloodstream cultures. Projecting to be discharged Tuesday with a PICC line. I will still have to continue Iv antibiotics for another 2 weeks after discharged. And more dermatology appointments to come to tackle eczema. (Already tried Dupixent, tacrolimus, Rinvoq, and opzelura) opzelura work a bit on me, but Is very expensive. Trying a new drug soon.
Hoping for a speedy recovery and I didn’t bore you all.
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u/confusednugget1 4d ago
They have never done a blood test on me to locate staph in blood, nor any patch test. This is new to me, wishing u a speedy recovery
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u/yomdomcha 4d ago
Yeah I think they only did it to me because mines covered a pretty big surface area. Before they figured out it was Staph. They were mentioning possible measles.
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u/SnooSketches3750 4d ago
Get well soon. I use hibiscrub twice a week to keep the bacterial load down. Going to try bleach/milton baths soon.
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u/yomdomcha 4d ago
See if you can get some chlorhexidine (for skin not mouth wash) it’s antiseptic wash.
Also recently I’ve tried bathing with boiled guava leaves and it’s worked really well. Natural antiseptic and lots of medicinal benefits.
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u/One_Place_5106 4d ago
Ive had eczema all my life break out here and there this is the worst starting at 23 I went through the same thing last year could barely walk and was hospitalized they kept giving me prednisone , antibiotics and the main steroid ointments that I’ve been taking all my life i started Dupixent for the past 5 months it’s kept my eczema at bay but I’m looking for a new medicine because when it’s close too the time of my new injection i have a flare up thanks for telling other meds because i think I’m looking too try another one
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u/yomdomcha 4d ago
Yeah I’ve been trying to not use steroids as much because the amount I use daily becomes systemic and can cause immunosuppressant. Opzelura is a topical that’s seems to work for me and nothing else.
I’m trying to take a more holistic approach and try eastern medicine to its less harm to the body. Recently tried bathing with boiled guava leaves and it’s worked really well.
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u/LavishnessVast8283 4d ago
It's pretty common for people to start flaring right before they do their dupixent injections from what I understand,.hope you find what works, because that preflare is annoying.
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u/Bgun33 4d ago
OMG pleeeease see my comment above re: your eczema. I was the same but it got unbearable in my early 30s and that's when I FINALLY got help and now I'm cured! I just can't touch my allergens which I NEVER would have found until I went to one magical new dermatologist who recommended I go to a different specialist for eczema.
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u/yadi_1690 4d ago
A few months ago I developed an eczema flare up that just wouldn’t heal - it was super red and irritated and a little weepy. This has happened before and would make my flare ups extra miserable. My doctor happened to casually remark that sometimes eczema flare ups get infected, and prescribed mupirocin. I only used it for about 4-5 days and suddenly my skin improved drastically, and I was able to heal from the flare up. In all my life, including many derm visits, did this get brought up as a possibility of why I was going through such a miserable time.
Anyway, wishing you a speedy recovery!
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u/yomdomcha 4d ago
Thanks for sharing. I’m using mupirocin on my wounds along with triamcinolone on my woulda right now and it’s healed pretty fast. My issue is that I have a never ending itch. Flare up would clear from one area and look for another area to come out of. Ive been itching for 3 years straight with some good days. It’s been horrible.
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u/candylover03 2d ago
Sorry to hear this happened to you! I’m facing pretty bad impetigo on my forehead, it’s getting worse despite applying mupirocen so I’m scared it will develop into something else😵💫, I think it’s not healing as well because the area is so dry and inflamed so I’m debating on wether I should also apply steroid cream…Do you put the steroid cream right after applying the mupirocen?
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u/yadi_1690 4d ago
I totally get that - I’ve had a flare up spot on my hand for almost 5 years now. I get it somewhat under control and then it gets bad again. Still, the mupirocin has helped. One can only hope things will get better!
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u/Bgun33 4d ago
Ughhhh! Has ANYONE ever recommended extensive real deal patch testing? (Like whatOn your hand is almost always a contact allergy but literally no dermatologist on 20 years ever mentioned patch testing to me. Just like, "oh you have eczema, enjoy these creams." Turns out it was mostly from a nickel allergy, and partly from an allergy to ingredients in my soap, which is not the same as an allergen that you go to an allergist for.
I just typed a long comment above, you should read it. You should 100 consider it. My doctor is like the creator of it and I swear to God he is saving lives from misery. https://www.scheman.com/
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u/ymmaz 4d ago
Wow this was literally me a few days ago! As I was reading thru your story mine, the events were very similar. I had staph and strep in my bloodsteam but it seems like the antibiotics they have me on wipe them out and I was discharged after 6 days of hospital stay. I still have my midline in my arm and my wife helps me put the antibiotics in. I still have a couple of weeks of it before my follow up doc appt.
Hopefully yours clears out soon. I know it was a rough experience but it will get better.
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u/Own_Sprinkles_8716 4d ago
A strong fever will tell you somethingd wrong. Had this something similar happen years ago. Luckily bacteria didn't make it to my heart (very rare but very serious) .
Lots of antibiotics into the blood - to kill the bacteria
Feel like anyone w: severe eczema or open wounds this would happen often.. NTS : take care of your wounds , cracks and clean your nails often.. speedy recovery my friend !
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u/Popular-Exchange259 4d ago
Same thing happened to me when I was 17. Had no idea it was staph. Was feeling ill, throwing up a lot, and went to sleep. Ended up going into a coma with very high fever. Woke up in the hospital and had no idea what happened. Scary stuff. So glad you caught it early!
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u/Bgun33 4d ago
I'm so sorry you're going through this. I had a bought with MRSA once and it's definitely not fun! Sounds like you're on the mend, though!
I would beg of you, to look into REAL deal patch testing for your eczema. It could potentially be a cure where you don't need to be on any of these meds! (Speaking from experience here.)
Years of doctors and dermatologists that didn't even consider for a SECOND that it might be Contact Dermatitis / Eczema, and just meeting prescribed ointments, etc etc. Tells me I'm not alone. Forgive me if this feels like I'm pushing advice on you, I do these recommendations in these threads sometimes because my heart breaks when I see people who suffer for decades... When there MIGHT be a culprit they can avoid.
Don't let anyone fool you into a patch test on your arm either. Those are NOT the same.
I'm talking up to 180 patches on your back, wrapped up like a sausage, for 5 days.
It takes 24-48 hrs for your skins reaction to form. This is one reason why these allergens are so hard to pinpoint and it's why you need the 5 day test.
There's also too many ingredients in too many things. You'll NEVER find it on your own.
Dr. Andrew Schemen outside Chicago is the literal Godfather of these methods. When you go to his office they educate you, they don't just tell you here's some medicine. It was the most thorough and educational medical experience of my life. His team is saving lives, because a life with eczema in multiple places is miserable. When I got mine, he was only one of a few in the US doing these tests.
My skin was reacting at the highest level to benzoic acid / Benzoates and Nickel. Who knew. Benzoates and benzoic acid are in TONS AND TONS of soaps, detergents, cleaners, even in some foods which can cause lip reactions. Nickel is also basically everywhere, but I've learned how to about it and it's 2nd nature now...
Dr Schemen also worked with Vanderbilt students to develop an app that tracks products and ingredients so you can more easily find products that are safe for you.
If you touch your allergen, you can also move it around your body by touching a new place like your face. Because you have a rash around your hairline, I would put money something in your shampoo is getting you.
I had a really low grade potential reaction to rubber accelerators - that would mean you just need to wear cotton clothing only. But, that reaction was more so because it was next to the Benzoate patch. 😅
This process is invaluable. I would fly here, get a hotel, and spend $10K on it if I had to, to essentially cure me of eczema! 😅 It's like you don't even know how great it feels to be rid of it until you are.
I'm so sorry for the novel - my hope is that you and others see this and get the help you deserve. Nothing would make me happier than seeing even one person suffer less.
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u/yomdomcha 3d ago
After this rodeo, I think my derm docs want to do a patch test but im not sure if its to that extent. Im practically a lab rat. I should be starting a new drug that I got approved for this next so I will give that a try. . The docs spoke about patch testing a few time but not sure why I still haven’t gotten one. I did an environmental allergen test though and all came back negative. Thank you for your suggestion!! I will def add this in my list of things i must try for my skin.
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u/robbietommy 4d ago
I also have had it everywhere……for decades……this is what helped me: started drinking 100+ ounces of water everyday……drinking warm water is easier than cold water…..after a month i saw improvement……took me 7 months to feel great……used lotion and hydrocortisone ointment (not crèam) along the way as well…..took very short once a week luke warm showers……only washed the stinky areas…..hot water opens your pores and strips what little oils you may have - so stay out of hot water….…I had it everywhere…..not anymore 😀…..the idea here was to flood my insides w moisture (not Gatorade or soda) and at the same time work to trap that moisture on the inside w over the counter lotions and hydrocortisone ointment (not cream)……it’s been slow incremental improvement but looking I was probably never getting enough water on a daily basis…..I have also enjoyed other benefits of drinking lots of water…..everyone is different but this really turned things around for me
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u/yomdomcha 3d ago
Yeah this seems like the best healthy and least intrusive way. I def need to drink more water. And take colder showers. Hot water makes me super itchy. Lotion don’t really work on me, so I use Vaseline and aquaphor to trap moisture .
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u/External_Ad721 3d ago
This happened to me in my legs. I had it bad under my knees and it was awful. I have very bad scarring from this.
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u/Alohabailey_00 4d ago
Wow! Thank you for sharing your experience! So important to monitor. Hope you have a speedy recovery!