I was prescribed Bactrim DS to treat an ORSA Staph infection foll...

I was prescribed Bactrim DS to treat an ORSA Staph infection following some vein surgery in my right leg. The original prescription was 1 pill 2xday with a refill after 7 days if needed. Since the infection did not seem to be responding very well and I had not developed any side effects (at day 7) I told my Dr. I was going to refill it. I continued to take it another 4-5 days when I then developed bumps and a slight rash on both of my lower legs. I went to the Dr. (my primary physician - not the vascular surgeon - who had originally prescribed the Bactrim) and was told it didn't "appear" to be an allergic reaction to the medication since it wasn't on my torso. Within two days the rash had intensified and spread all over my legs. Then within another 3 days it spread to my arms. The itching is relentless and varies between raw, searing, burning pain and plain old itch. Last night I cried myself to sleep for lack of any way to relieve it. The newest side effects are nagging pain in my right knee ( I've never had any joint pains before) and a feeling of tightness in my chest. I'll be calling my Dr. back tomorrow, if only to find out just how long I can expect this joy to last. I will never, ever, take Bactrim or any related medications again. Someday, some genius research scientist will invent a test to determine an individual's tolerance to this drug - BEFORE they take it and develop side effects.