Truckstop showers

[oncedrove]

This was posted on another forum, BUT it is really worth reading........
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Just wanted to let everyone know of my current problem after using a truck stop shower.

I always use flip-flops in the shower and try my best not to touch anything and spray disinfectant on my flip-flops and even wash them in bleach in a washing machine when I can....this isn't good enough!

I just spent a week in the hospital with mecca/staff infection hooked up to real strong anti-biotic the kind that can shut down your kidneys, they even started combing the anti-bionics to try and stop the spread of the infection.

Then they told me not to drive the truck for another week and to keep my leg elevated all the time.

As of today I'm still taking oral anti-biotic and will be for a week or so, my right leg is still swollen from the knee down and sometimes it's not as purple as other times.

This is some bad stuff! and I just wanted to let my fellow drivers know how important it
is to disinfect the shower floor prior to getting in.

There was a very slight crack in the skin by my big toe and that was all the infection needed to kick my butt!

I always thought I was safe as long as my foot didn't touch the floor but my wife said that the water bouncing up from the floor will carry the germs as well.

Hope this helps!

Dr. said I could return to work today but I have to keep an eye on my leg and take a break every couple of hours, he said it may take 4-6 weeks for this to clear up.

 

[piper1]

I carry a spray bottle of real strong disinfectant (supposed to kill HIV even) and spray down the shower walls and floor. Almost all disinfectants need to sit on the surface (wet) for 10 minutes so I spray everything and then do my...um...sitting. By the time that is done 10 mins has passed and I shower away. If I have even the slightest cut, I bandage it and use neosporin before I even go near the showers, and leave the bandage on in the shower. I also won't shower in a dumpy truck stop.

 

[cheri1122]

I try to refrain from correcting typos and/or misspellings, but I think this time it matters: the "mecca staff" infection is almost certainly MRSA [for methycillen resistant staph aureus], and it is nasty, indeed.
Resistant to every antibiotic except intravenous Vancomycin [and not always that, either], it's a real problem for hospitals. As the OP mentioned, the side effects from the Vancomycin can be lethal as well, so unless there's a newer antibiotic that works, which doesn't seem likely, it's something that's better avoided than treated.
I'm not sure how much help all the shower precautions are - hospitals wage all out WAR against the bug, and often lose - but that doesn't mean we shouldn't try to protect ourselves. Piper's comment about waiting 10 minutes was a good one, and may be a part of the reason the bug often survives attempts to kill it: few folks will wait the 10 minutes.

 

[Dakota]

I am becoming more and more like Monk, I rarely if ever touch the bathroom doors without a towel or something, never touch the handle on the toilet or stall door, and usually turn on the water run the towels down, then wash my hands, grab the towels and turn off the water
OCD maybe but bathrooms are disgusting places

 

[fketchum]

When I,m on the road I use bleach, its one of the cheapest most effective disinfectants available. It works on just about everything including MRSA http://www.epa.gov/oppad001/list_h_mrsa_vre.pdf . 1/4 cup to a gallon of water is recommended but I go with a little stronger mix. The only catch is the surface being disinfected must be clean. but then again I won't get into a dirty shower. but the down side is any spills could be trouble but with care that has not happened yet.

 

[CharlesD]

When I,m on the road I use bleach,

I prefer soap. It's a lot easier on the skin.

 

[greg334]

Charles, that's funny..... haha....

Seriously though, bleach is the best defense for most of the cr*p floating around in the "Truck Stop Shower".

 

[Dakota]

Charles, thank you got a good laugh out of that one

 

[CharlesD]

All kidding aside, since I joined a gym, I don't use the truck stop showers unless I can't find a gym around. The membership pays for itself with the showers alone and I've lost about ten pounds to boot. The gym I belong to is part of IHRSA, and any other clubs that are members will honor one another's memberships. I can usually find one in most major cities. I use the truck stops for those times I'm on a long run and I want to grab a shower on the way without wasting too much time.

 

[Wingnut]

We carry a spray bottle of CLOROX CLEAN-UP with us and not only use it to disinfect truck stop showers but also motel showers. It's cheap and you can buy it in most department and grocery stores.

 

[SHARP327]

I confess!!

I'm the original poster of thread and when it comes to medical terms and spellings of medical terms I sometimes need help.

So thanks to Cheri and my wife (who's a medical professional turned truck driver) I went back to the original post and made the corrections...but for the life of me I don't know
where mecca came from, I had written merca...kind of spelling the way it sounded.

I bought some lysol disinfectant but I've decided the bleach is the way to go because
I've found that it won't kill MRSA and with bleach it's dead on contact...no waiting needed, but I'll be spraying down the shower area and floor with bleach then shave then shower.

MRSA according to my wife is at epidemic levels in the United States.

This isn't athlete's feet and shouldn't be taken lightly.

 

[Turtle]

Shower after swimming to avoid MRSA, scientist advise | Science | guardian.co.uk
Researchers found that people who went swimming at a popular beach in Florida had more than a one-in-three chance of coming into contact with the Staphylococcus aureus microbe. A small proportion of these were the potentially life-threatening drug-resistant strain, MRSA.The bugs get into seawater when they are washed off the skin of people who may be unaware they are carrying the infection. "Staphylococcus are shed by individuals into the waters and if you do go into these waters you are likely to be exposed," said Lisa Plano who led the research at the University of Miami.

MRSA 'superbug' found in ocean, public beaches - USATODAY.com
"Staph is a salt-loving organism. It's not surprising to see it in the ocean."

Also, One can contract MRSA through the shared use of towels, razors, gym equipment and showers. Here are some tips for avoiding staph infection in the gym.
How to MRSA: Avoid Staph Infection in the Gym

 

[SHARP327]

charlesD you may want to check out turtles post...there's a section on staph infections
in gyms and there's advice on how to avoid contact with infected areas.

There's a product listed called Puregreen24 that I'm going to check out, don't really know
how well I'll be able to handle a strong bleach odor and the wife has breathing problems
so I'm sure bleach is not an option for her either.

 

[Turtle]

Yeah, the reason I pointed out the gym thing is that I know someone who contracted staph from some workout equipment at the gym. Several others there contracted it, as well. Locker rooms and workout rooms on high school and college campuses, and even in professional sports, are known to harbor some nasty bugs.

 

[layoutshooter]

My great-aunt contracted that "bug" while in the hospital for surgery to fix a broken hip. It is a "nasty" little son of a gun. I wonder just how many more of these things we are creating with our over use of anti-biotics?

 

[OntarioVanMan]

Joe..exactly...in the 50's it took only 100,000 mgs or so to cure the clap...now it takes over a million mgs...why? because the disease has adapted to the penicillin and become more resisitant.

 

[Dakota]

Joe..exactly...in the 50's it took only 100,000 mgs or so to cure the clap...now it takes over a million mgs...why? because the disease has adapted to the penicillin and become more resisitant.

OVM the OBGYN

 

[DannyD]

This is a bit off the subject of driving but could be just as important for you or your hub/wife at home. It is on this same topic though.

Vacuum cleaners, where ya have the filters ya have to clean.. often have millions of micro organisms on them. So if you have to clean those, ya may want to wear gloves. At the very least, don't clean those filters if you've got a cut on your finger.

 

[Moot]

I have a complete CDC approved bio-hazard suit left over from my school bus driving days. The chest area has a large port to accept water from a shower head. Each leg has a smaller drain port. I never have to come into direct contact with a truck stop shower, ever!

I simply open the chest port, add liquid soap and fill with water. I jog in place for a few minutes and drain. Add fresh water for the rinse cycle and job some more.

After I'm clean, I open all 3 ports and somersault out to my van. This gentle tumble dry cycle works well and is followed by a light towel dry.

 

[Wingnut]

OMG Moot, that is just too funny!!