Staph is a type of bacteria that is present on your skin now. It
occurs there naturally. If it gets in, it can cause trouble.
A puncture or wound can be an entry point.
I thought I had the flu really bad one time. I rested in bed for two
days and waited for the fever to break. When it didn't break I
decided it was time for a doctor visit. After I got out of the shower
my wife gestured at my shin and asked what happened. I looked down
and saw for the first time a small wound surrounded by angry red skin.
I had banged my shin on a Cedar chest a few days earlier and thought
nothing of it. I suppose because it was on my shin I didn't notice it
like I might have elsewhere. I'm glad I didn't wait any longer than I
did. I've had flu/fever/chills before but never missed work or school
because of it. This was like flu times ten.
If it goes untreated a bacterial infection can spread into surrounding
tissue and even into bones. If it gets in the bone it must be
removed. I think they scrape it out. That cannot be pleasant.
|