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I am not sure how it all happened but from some information that I received a few things may fall in place. Just before leaving Las Vegas a week ago, I developed a couple infections. I think they resulted from shaving nicks on the Tuesday Evening before I left. By Wednesday afternoon my neck and chin were sore and swelling rapidly and by Thursday Night I had developed what seemed like a bug bite on my Left Cheek. This sore, by Saturday Night, had swollen and trippled in size and I was in enormous pain. I was starting to feel pain in the teeth and ear so I went to get it checked. With a stop to the ER the doctor made a few incisions and drained the sores and gave me a hardcore antibiotic. The culture came back MRSA positive which is a resistant staph infection that is not effected by most antibiotics and can be extremely serious. They say that it is possible that I picked up the bacteria in Vegas but that I could have gotten it before I left also. So, just be careful. It is picked up by touching contaminated surfaces and then touching open sores or cuts... It can reside (colonize) in your nose and on your skin and go unnoticed and without effect for some time also. Then, you touch your face or nose and then an open sore and you can catch it long later. Thus the possibiltiy that I got it elsewhere before I even went to Vegas.
A couple things lead me to think I could have picked it up IN Vegas. First, stories that indicate that Community Acquired MRSA is on the rise in and around LV as well as other parts of the country. Second the number of Purel dispensers all over the casino where we stayed. In the restrooms, around cashiers and change stations etc. In retrospect, It almost seemed that they knew something that I didn't. Use the hand sanitizer as often as you can. Carry a small bottle in your pocket. Avoid touching your face and especially open sores. If something gets red, infected and progresses rapidly have it looked at.
In my case, 2 weeks now, over a thousand dollars for the ER, Another apprx $500 for antibiotics, not to mention cost of special body wash, wound cleaner, gauze and bandages... and a bit of pain, I am doing better and probably lucky that I am coming out of this with only a couple small holes in my face. About the size of a pencil eraser. It could have been a lot worse though. Since the culture report came out, I have had two urgent calls from the ER Physician to make sure things were progressing well and impress on me the importance of seeking a follow up with my physician. I have another week of antibiotics, about 14 days since I started out, then have to see my doctor again.
I don't mean to scare people or dampen peoples enthusiasm for collecting chips and tokens but just be cautious. I would consider cleaning your used handled chips with alcohol or other disinfectant before putting them into your collection. At the least, clean your hands with Purel or other hand sanitizer before and after handling your chips. I really zero in on the chips as they seem to change hands so frequently while in play. Imagine a single chip being cirulated among 6 or 8 players, back and forth for hours and hours at a time. We all know the crud that builds up on them, we have discussed it along with discussions on cleaning chips. I used to take it all for granted and just chuckle it off. Not anymore. I always have taken table used chips back to my room and cleaned them with hand soap and water by just rubbing in the palm of my hand. That might be sufficient but I am now thinking that it might be good to wipe them with some sort of disinfectant or alcohol also. And, of course, PUREL on my hands after handling them. Just saying, Be Careful!!!
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