Why you shouldn’t laugh at Johnny Isakson’s ear pimple
As the weekend approached, my AJC colleague Bob Keefe in Washington spoke with U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson about the cause of those two trips to Atlanta hospitals he made this spring, once for possible blood clots:
“I had a little infected bump in this ear,” he said, running a finger along the top of his right ear. “It was kind of like a pimple, but it was under the skin.”
The bump, according to Isakson, somehow got infected with the potentially fatal Staphylococcus — aka, staph — bacteria that quickly spread through his body.
“They say this happens to one person a year in Georgia,” Isakson said. “There’s 10 million people in Georgia, so the odds are one in 10 million.”
We’ve had some snarks about how anyone could possibly be hospitalized for a pimple. But the senator’s comments prompted this note from Maryn McKenna, a former AJC staffer now living with her husband up in Minneapolis:
“Sen. Isakson’s experience was authentically terrible, but it’s less unusual than he may know. Drug-resistant staph — technically methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA — commonly starts as a tiny bump.
“Victims often describe it as looking like a spider bite. MRSA used to be amenable to common antibiotics, but it is now resistant to dozens of antibiotics that we use in medicine everyday.
“Because it is so difficult to treat, it’s not unusual for an infection to blow up into septicemia, or blood poisoning, or to cause DVTs, dangerous blood clots that start deep in big veins and travel through the body.”
McKenna is no doctor, and freely acknowledges that caveat. But just by happenstance – okay, there’s no coincidence at all – McKenna has published a new book, “Superbug: The Fatal Menace of MRSA,” available through Free Press/Simon & Schuster.
McKenna says she spoke to more than 100 victims of MRSA.
“Probably half of them had never heard of the bug and had no idea what the acronym meant. Yet MRSA kills about 19,000 people a year and sends at least 7 million to a primary care doctor or ER. In 2004, about 1.5 percent of the population were carrying it without knowing it,” she wrote.
In other words, Isakson may have a larger constituency than he thought.
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13 comments Add your comment
Sick of Republicans
June 14th, 2010
1:38 pm
You are right – nobody should laugh at something this serious but dear Johnny shouldn’t be sitting back laughing and ignoring us seniors who receive only SS as income and use the excuse that prices are not going up. Just left grocery store and what I paid $32 bucks for a week ago – same thing was $38 this week. Utilities keep going up. They seem to think since gasoline fluctuates that cost of living isn’t higher – guess again – and we won’t forget any of this come election time. Take care of your elite and rich buddies but they alone can’t get you elected.
Raquel Morris
June 14th, 2010
1:52 pm
No, we shouldn’t laugh. Isakson should not have voted against health care reform, either. He is blessed to have the best health insurance available in the country.
Ellen
June 14th, 2010
2:00 pm
Rachel, you are SPOT ON!
Brian
June 14th, 2010
2:22 pm
Sick o Republicans: If all you have is SS then you obvisously ddn’t plan very well for your retirement. The Governement is not and should not be your bank. How about place some of the blame where its due, ON YOURSELF!!!!!!!
sick o thieves
June 14th, 2010
3:16 pm
Hey “Sick o Rpublicans”, what gives you the right to get anything from the government for free? Everything the government gives away to bums like you had to come from somewhere. Guess where that is? It comes from the people who work. With the threat of violence, government takes our money and gives it away. And since you go along with it, approve of it and vote for it, that makes you a thief. A common, ordinary crook. And the same goes with all of you who wanted the health “reform” bill passed. You can’t get something for nothing. Someone has to pay for it. Nothing has been done that will lower costs, but lots to raise them higher. But that’s all ok because someone else will be paying for it.
Retired Solider
June 14th, 2010
3:25 pm
Sick-
What do you want Johnny to do for you? Is it his fault, my fault or society’s fault you didn’t save for retirement? Don’t get me wrong, I’m sorry you are having a difficult time. Have you talked to your pastor? Have you given up all non-necessary purchases like smoking and drinking? Have you thought about going back to work in some way?
Bottom line we are responsible for ourselves. We can’t expect others to do for us what we failed to do for ourself.
phoenixfalcon
June 14th, 2010
4:10 pm
@sick o thieves
what? ANYBODY who has ever had a real job has paid into SS. so how is that getting something for ” free “? you need to pull your head out of your arse, then maybe you can see things for what they really are. I have to pay for old Johnny Boy’s pimple, how come you are not harping on johnny getting his health care for ” free “? use the common sense God Gave you, does it make sense to you that the rich and powerful get their health care paid for with taxpayer money? the same health care plan that they get they don’t want us to have, now think to yourself, ” self “, why on earth would they not want us to have the same helth care plan as they have????????? hmmmmmmmm
Bob in Winder
June 14th, 2010
4:36 pm
Johnny is a nice man but as a Georgia Senator he is a total failure. We want less spending and a smaller government but Johnny Bailout gave a $34 BILLION Housing Bailout. Chuck Donovan is a true CONSERVATIVE not a RINO like the Baliout Senator from Georgia.
http://www.donovanforsenate.com/
Retired Solider
June 14th, 2010
5:02 pm
Falcon-
Talk about heads stuck where the sun doesn’t shine. It must be a long time since you came up for air. 1. People who worked and paid into social security earned their benefits, we conservatives have no problem with that.2. Of course Johnny has federal health insurance, he is a federal employee. What’s strange about that? He pays for it just like postal workers or an employee at any federal job. Are you saying Johnny shouldn’t have health insurance?3. The health care plan that was passed by Congress “for the people” was what the democrats and Obama wanted you to have. If it’s different than a U.S. senator you have reid, pelosi and Obama to thank.
You sir need a dose of the real world.
phoenixfalcon
June 14th, 2010
5:32 pm
@Retired Solider
old Johnny does not pay one cent for his health care WE PAY FOR HIS HELTH CARE. ” Are you saying Johnny shouldn’t have health insurance? ”
where in any of my post did i say that?
3rd. the plan that johnny is on IS NOT the one that passed, the plan that he is on has been in effect for 20 yeras or so, LONG BEFORE OBAMA, reid and pelosi, i really have reagan to thank.
try again, and this time try not to put words in my mouth.
Q-Tip
June 15th, 2010
9:16 am
the healthcare solution is simple: if it is good enough for Members of Congress then why not make it available to the taxpayers who are footing the bill. We seem to forget that Members of Congress are government employees who set their own salary and benifits. Show me any other organization (private or public) that has such a system.
Q-Tip
June 15th, 2010
9:24 am
Did anyone notice that Mr. Isakson joined Harry Reid and Chris Dodd, two liberal Dems, to extend the deadline to qualify for Uncle Sam’s homebuyer tax credit? More big government intrusion, welfare give aways. Sounds like a RINO to me.
Retired Solider
June 15th, 2010
9:54 am
Falcon-
Are you trying to say Johnny does not have a deduction taken form his pay for heathcare? Wrong.
I did not say Reid. Pelosi and Obama gave the cureent congress the health care currently in place. I said those three are to blame the health care plan they passed was not the same as the one Johnny and other members of Congress have.
Liberals keep blaming everything on republicans/conservatives. You guys OWN the federal government. If you are displeased, blame thy self.