Metal Sludge — Don’t take tomorrow for granted, or any aspect of your health folks.

Time is always ticking and as we get older life will surely challenge all of us at some point or another.

While I am not one to talk publicly about a health issue, I felt the need to address this as I will soon be out in public doing shows, performing live, taking photos, doing interviews and more.

With that, if my nose or face looks a little jacked up the next time you see me, well here is why.

I am recovering from battling MRSA or what is medically defined as Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus, also known as a Staph Infection.

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As is detailed by the Mayo Clinic this is what I had: “Staph infections are caused by staphylococcus bacteria. These types of germs are commonly found on the skin or in the nose of many healthy people. Most of the time, these bacteria cause no problems or cause relatively minor skin infections.

But staph infections can turn deadly if the bacteria invade deeper into your body, entering your bloodstream, joints, bones, lungs or heart. A growing number of otherwise healthy people are developing life-threatening staph infections.

Treatment usually involves antibiotics and cleaning of the infected area. However, some staph infections no longer respond, or become resistant, to common antibiotics. To treat antibiotic-resistant staph infections, health care providers may need to use antibiotics that can cause more side effects.”

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So back in early August I woke up one Sunday morning with what appeared to be, 2 tiny pimples on my nose.

I didn’t think anything of it other than: “Why am I getting zits in my mid 50’s” and made my morning coffee.

As the day wore on, these 2 little zits, became more sore, red and noticeable.

By Monday they had worsened to a point where I was googling MonkeyPox as it was all the rage in the news for much of the summer.

Of course I am thinking: “What is this on my face” and “Do I have MonkeyPox“?

As each passing hour went by these sores became more concerning.

Roughly 48 hours later on Tuesday morning I woke up to realize it had worsened a lot over-night and I immediately called an Urgent Care.

Within a few hours I was in a Doctor’s office and upon seeing my face his words were: “Oh wow, you have a Staph Infection, this is very serious. We have to start treating this immediately.“

I was like: “Huh?“

“Yup. You could end up in the hospital and in some cases people have died from this stuff” the Doctor informs me.

At this point I am completely dumbfounded and thinking: “How did this happen?”

The Doctor then asks me a bunch of questions, and of course I asked many more.

I mean this stuff came on so fast, it was almost like one of those crazy flesh eating bacteria stories that you see on the news where people have had to have a leg amputated or worse.

So if I am being honest, I was legitimately scared.

After talking with my Doctor, we’ve determined that I likely contracted this while training at my local gym.

As most know, I have been working-out and lifting weights forever, and still do to this day but in going to gyms for 40 years, I have never had an issue of this nature or even close.

Adding, I am one of those guys who sits in the Hot Tub after my workout, and have started to use the Sauna as well over the summer, to really try and sweat out some of these excess old man pounds.

Weights, tread-mill, sauna, hot tub and the rest, 3-4 days a week for years and I guess my number was up.

After being diagnosed, I immediately went home and Googled Staph Infection, and sure as sh!t… the gym locker room is one of the top noted places where people get these infections from… including MMA fighters, wrestlers, weight-lifters and athletes in general.

Over the next few weeks I was in and out of the Doctor’s office multiple times for various treatments, shots, and was prescribed a fist-full of antibiotics and related remedies.

I have also since been to my Dermatologist who was seriously shocked at the photos, and was wide-eyed in her reaction to my explaining the timeline and how fast this all unfolded.

Of course the biggest concern for me was that it wasn’t on my arm, shoulder, or leg… nope, right in the middle of my face.

It looked so bad, that for a period I was thinking “Am I going to lose my nose over this?” which I have now learned from these medical professionals was not out of the realms of possibility.

Good thing I went in as quickly as I did, or it may have been catastrophic to my appearance.

Well thankfully I didn’t lose my nose, but I did lose the tip of it, or so it appears.

I have already accepted that I might be permanently scared from this, and while an altered nose or face is not my idea of a good thing, I am thankful it wasn’t an even more serious health scare that many others have dealt with in their world.

I am sharing a few images here with some general time line to show how fast it progressed and how I look today.

I can only hope that in 6 months or a year, that my honker will be somewhat back to normal.

Some might recall that Billy Idol was dealing with a similar serious health scare earlier this year when he battled a Staph Infection (MRSA) for many months and was forced to withdraw from his scheduled summer tour with Journey.

Aside from this crazy update, I am bummed to say that TUFF was offered a last minute slot at Rocktember that we couldn’t fulfill due to my situation and I was also invited as a guest to the Stadium Tour at Sofi Stadium in Los Angeles which I also had to turn down.

Ugh, timing is everything but all is well, and hopefully something good comes our way in the future.

In other news, as was previously announced I will be headed to Brazil in late October to play some shows and TUFF will be playing in Ohio in early December, these will be our first live show since the Monsters of Rock Cruise earlier this year.

Also, just added to the calendar TUFF will be appearing on the Glam Fest tour of Australia in January of 2023 with Faster Pussycat, Wednesday 13, Eclipse, Enuff Z’Nuff and Pretty Boy Floyd.

I am very much looking forward to a full year without the restrictions of the crazy world-wide pandemic that we have all battled in recent times.


Thank you so much for reading and take care of yourself, Stevie Rachelle




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