If you think of it pray for me

Praying brother Josh, I have you on my prayer list. Hope you feel better soon.

Hi Josh,

Do you know you can buy staphylocco-static skin wash, which will make a [u]huge difference[/u] to the effectiveness of the antibiotics, and you can carry on using it after they finish?

As you probably know, we have skin flora at different levels of our pores, and some of these are protective. Also, some of these are really bad if they're disturbed from their usual site, and get tangled up with an open lesion.

Staph is nasty, and it is very serious if it gets out of hand. You may be [i]feeling[/i] fine, but you should be treating your body with respect in terms of rest, if you want it to do its part in overcoming this. Also, eat properly.

Skin is the largest organ in the body, and on that basis alone, it is worth a lot to you to do what's best for it.

Has anyone anointed you with oil, and prayer for healing?

I don't mean just anyone... Ask the Lord who you could approach, and try to avoid it becoming a whole-church issue. Take some time to hear the from the Him and trust Him to give the kiss of death to this germ when you get anointed. Keep praying and keep looking after yourself.

Skin can take a long time to get back to full strength, so even after there's nothing to see, give it another six weeks or so to begin to build up layers, before you tax it more.

OK, that's the end of the lecture. I'll be praying. :-)

Praying for a speedy recovery.

Good medical advice from Dorcas.

Betadine is what hospitals here use.

Ask the pharmacist how much to put into warm water for a 20 minute soak.

You sure have our prayers Preach.

Take good care of you and let us know Monday.

LORD Bless!!!

What's that? Anti-bacterial soap?

I'm struggling to remember the name of the active ingredient, but a pharmacist should be able to recommend a topical preparation. If it's not staph-specific, don't bother buying. A very basic gentle antiseptic, diluted correctly for use on skin, is remarkably effective.

Always wash from the clean area of skin towards the infection. A few cotton wool balls can be broken in half to make them go further.

Remember to wash your hands separately before and after, and also the little bowl you used. If you can set aside a towel just for the drying of your arm, that would be good too. (This is all basic nursing practice. I hope it doesn't sound over the top.)

If you decide to use latex gloves to protect your nails and any cuts on your hands, still wash your hands before use, wash the gloves afterwards and don't touch anything you shouldn't while you're wearing them.

I've had a look online and it's a minefield of people advertising the latest invention. What I'm suggesting is not new and needn't cost a lot.

I've prayed for you already, so you might not need all this palaver!

:-)

What about Betadine or peroxide Lynn? Should you soak it does that help??? :-(

Still praying! :-) Please keep us up to date.

Hi Josh,

I admit I had thought we were talking about something (much) bigger. :-?

Now you could consider making up what used to be called affectionately 'a mag sulph soak' to lay on it at least twice a day, maybe three times.

All you need is a small jar of Magnesium Sulphate crystals (Epsom Salts), clean gauze swabs, and something to hold the soaked swab in place. Probably you can fold a swab in 4 and tape it down with micropore, so there is some air getting around it, while protecting and keeping it clean. You could use a dry swab as well on top if you like, before the sticky tape.

The label on the jar, or the pharmacist should be able to give you precise quantities (but this is cheap, so it just needs to be an effective strength). A small amount of crystals in hot water provides the solution in which to soak the gauze. Squeeze out excess fluid so it's not dripping, and lay it on the sore. It really is very good and there should be no possibility of the sore closing up again before it has healed.

I'd keep the anti-bacterial soap for your hands, and leave the skin flora around the sore to recover its natural balance and pH.

I'm praying too.

Praise the Lord! :-) That's great news. I will continue to pray for your full recovery.

Josh said

I would say about 99% of the swelling is gone. Yesterday the swelling was half way up my forearm and was beginning to go toward my bicep. It was about to get where I couldn't bend my elbow normally.

I woke up this morning and said, "Wow." As I mentioned before I've had staph infection before but I've never had one heal this quick.

Since you posted, I've been thanking and praising Him for doing what [i]He[/i] knew was necessary. Amen. We serve a Compassionate God.

:-D

Praise God!

How is your arm?