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My Mother caught this horrible illness after her doctor refused to test her, even though I told him there was blood. She went to a new doctor and he sent her to the hospital and they were going to send her home but I requested rehab at the NH. The request was due to my father in law , grandson, and my own children, wanting to keep them well. With all of them in the home just couldn't and didn't want to take the chance. She has been in there for 30 days and still has it. Should I be concerned or will she ever really get rid of it. I would like to bring her back home but now she is also not sitting up or walking since this illness started. Has anyone got any advice?

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Oh my gosh! I just was notified by my doctor that I have c diff I am 42 years old and doctor say I picked it up at work I am a Med Tech / Caregiver. I have been feeling so bad like I am on my death bed can't eat it hurts to move I pray I get better these stories are really scaring me I am on antibiotics now thanks for the info.
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my husband was admitted to the hospital with a urinary tract infection, infected pancreas and sepsis. He was given lots of antibiotics, not sure how many or what they were. He was released to rehab one day after coming out of ICU. He spent four days there and was neglected. He had a bowel movement that was black. He improved a little and then one night he managed to get out of the bed and was found in the floor the next day. When he began acting "strange" they sent him to the emergency room. He was readmitted mostly because he was out of his head. They didn't know what was wrong with him, it was terrible the way he carried on . I know now it was delirium. He began to have bad diarrhea and we mentioned it to his doctor's assistant. She said he might have C-Diff and wanted his stool tested. The nurses said it didn't smell bad enough to be C-Diff. In the meantime they inserted a feeding tube in his stomach. He was so delirious they had to put mitts on his hands which tormented him. They began giving him iron in an IV and asked my permission to give him a transfusion. They gave him two. Then they suctioned blood from his feeding tube and said he was bleeding internally. He was being treated for C-Diff and the nurses began wearing gowns and gloves. His delirium got worse and worse. The doctor said that he would not be able to stand tests to see where the bleeding was coming from and suggested hospice. We agreed and they came and removed everything from him and only kept giving the morphine and adivan for anxiety. It was started on our 57th wedding anniversary and he never spoke again. He lasted 15 days with no water or food. He died on Dec 13th 2016 with one daughter holding her hand over his heart and me holding his hands. My other daughter was whimpering like a wounded animal. I don't have the death certificate yet but after reading about C-Diff and everything it can do I think that is why he died. I believe it had caused holes in his intestines and that is why he was bleeding. He never said goodby and didn't talk to us for the 15 days he was on hospice. It was so very, very hard.
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Yes, contact the CDC. My husband was was stage1 ALS, dec 1st he was hospitalized with c-diff, after a month, he was having severe diahrea and vomiting feces. I had to call the CDC or they would have killed him. He was not being treated right, and the hospital did not call their CDC dr ON CONTRACT WITH THE HOSITAL UNTIL I HAD ALREADY CALLED THE CDC about them. She was a specialist on infectious disease. Don't trust the staff where she is located. Good luck to you, my husband died 3 months later,he never recovered from it. He was only 62
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Yes, contact the CDC. My husband was was stage1 ALS, dec 1st he was hospitalized with c-diff, after a month, he was having severe diahrea and vomiting feces. I had to call the CDC or they would have killed him. He was not being treated right, and the hospital did not call their CDC dr ON CONTRACT WITH THE HOSITAL UNTIL I HAD ALREADY CALLED THE CDC about them. She was a specialist on infectious disease. Don't trust the staff where she is located. Good luck to you, my husband died 3 months later,he never recovered from it.
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My dad recently contracted C-Diff while being treated for a UTI at a rehab facility. My frustration is the facility only told me my dad had a infection not what kind, or to take any precautions. He was sent home with the C-Diff with no precautions explained to me. Three days later he is in the hospital being treated for it and the hospital fully explained the infection and precautions that need to be taken. My fear is that myself and my family has been exposed. My question is what can we do to insure we do not develop symptoms?
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My 90 yr old mother had CDif in 2012 while in rehab after a broken leg/surgery. She came through with only one round of the antibiotics and has been symptom free ever since. This fall, she has had several infections...from pink eye, ear infection to UTI and then in December she started having diarrhea on Sunday and Monday for 3 weeks...the rest of the week she was fine. Her doctor ran the cdif test and lo and behold she has come back positive! she is showing no symptoms...in fact she is having good BMs...she will finish the meds today and her dr has told me she will be quarantined for another 2 weeks as he will not do a recheck until then.... She is in a memory care unit of asst living and I see her abilities dwindling after one week of not walking and moving around. I am with her every day , making her walk a few steps around her room, entertaining her with magazines, movies, and simple exercise. I am so concerned that the lack of movement etc. is going to do irreparable harm but I have no choice. I understood that we all have this bacteria in our bodies...my question is...could she be a carrier of this now and that is why she came back with a positive report or should I thank my lucky stars that we caught it quickly and she will come through with minimal damage? any thoughts?
My heart goes out to all of you who have lost a family member to this bacteria...My brother in law who was 76 lost his life to this..He was taking antibiotics to get ready for dental surgery and got Cdif - it killed him 5 days after his diagnosis!
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I got C-dif during hospitalization to treat diverticulitis. 19 days later,I finally started to recover. I was 48. Since then I have had a colon resection and so far I have avoided the traumatizing reinfection. Nothing has been the same "bathroom wise" for me since I got c-dif, but after working diligently on bowl health for 14 months I finally feel good. I contribute that to drinking kefir water daily. Even better then any probiotic on the market.
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This my 3rd round with C-Dif inside of a years time. The first time doctor used Flagil, next time the Flagil did not work, then moved on to Vancomucin , it slowed it down for a while but now I fear it is back, spent three days in hospital getting pain under control.Now I am scared, the meds are expensive, and the doctor copay are pilling up. I have not lost my appetite but am tired all time with upset stomache, abdominal pain, loose bowels, and a sore hind end
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First of all I'm so sorry for what you're going through. I know how hard it is. I think you just need to remember that even if she was treated with antibiotics her quality of life wouldn't be what she or you would want. I agree with purplesushi. At some point let nature take its' course. My brother and I decided a few months ago that we would no longer treat my 90 year old mom with anticiotics for anything. Over 3 1/2 years ago after back surgerery she got c.diff and it basically ended her life as she knew it. They treated it for many, many months then quit treating it with anitbiotics. Funny thing is, once they quit treating the c.diff went away. Having said that it would have been better if the Lord would have just taken her. She's had a miserable existance since and it's been heart breaking. Please try to rejoice in the fact that she will no longer be suffering if and when she passes. No one should have to live like some of our loved ones are living. I know my mom wouldn't. Stay strong.
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(((hugs for sadcindy))) It really is hard watching our parents suffer. When meds only prolong the suffering instead of curing the problem I believe, no matter how difficult, that sometimes it is best to let nature take it's course. It is very sad, but what kind of life are they really living? Sometimes I think antibiotics are a hindrance instead of a help - and doctors are so afraid of lawsuits that they don't dare "not" treat an infection, even if they know it will never be cured. The whole situation is sad. May you find peace with your decision, and may your Mom find peace as well.
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mom is almost 95, her birthday is Nov 11th.
we have been on a horrible rollercoaster ride for the past two months.
uti c-diff, uti c-diff on and on. shes very weak pitted edema in her legs ankles and feet. Hospice has come in and told us infection is one of the best ways to die and the patient usually goes to sleep (coma). so as of today we have taken her off all medications. I dont know if this is the right thing to do or not, I just dont want her to suffer any longer. Feeling sad and praying alot
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I live in an island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. We should qualify for US domestic mail cost but a lot of sellers/companies (including Amazon and Barnes & Noble) view us as International. They won't accept orders from here. And if they do, they charge us international cost despite my telling them to do the Priority domestic Flat rate. I do order gloves via Ebay. It's still a savings even if the shipping cost is $19.00 or $25.00. I have to order the gauzes in Ebay because the quality is sooooo much better than what I can find on island. Here, the quality is so poor, you need atleast 2 gauzes to clean mom's trache and stomach tube. Whereas, I order it off-island, and the gauze is thick and very good quality that it doesn't unravel when it's time to clean her open wounds. Quite gross when you use the poor quality gauze and it unraveled and some of the string went INSIDE mom's stomach tube. Eeww!!! Really really gross! So, I am willing to spend whatever cost to get the good quality gauzes. I just ordered recently in Amazon - 10 packs of 100 gauzes for only $35.00 with FREE shipping!! I even emailed the seller telling them that this is such a steal - that I'm willing to pay $15.00 to help with the shipping cost. Seller wrote back thanking me but said, "No, it's free shipping." Wish I could find a seller who would tell me that above disposable latex gloves!! I go through those fast with 2 bedridden parents.
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Believe it or not, I found my mom 2 cases of diapers on craigslist of all places! There are also a TON for sale on eBay for decent prices - if you get mail, you can order them. It never hurts to check all sources.
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Yes, when they have diarrhea-like problems - pull ups are so messy. Be careful when you buy the ones that show "tabs" in the pictures. I bought 2 bags and it was "bikini-style". In other words, it did not cover ALL the area. Think the regular diaper as granny-panties and that other version as bikini-style. Bikini style is no good for diarrhea. Not enough coverage when their poop is very liquidy and just flows. Unfortunately, when it's runny, and they sit, it spreads out the poop and leaks. I read somewhere here, several times, of a diaper that is much better than the regular brands. Sorry, I can't remember the name. Maybe someone here reading this will know the brand.

I agree that it's getting harder and harder to find the TAB diapers. Kmart here has mostly the pull-ups. And only bring in limited supplies of the TABS. So, when I see it, I buy 5. Come back a week later - it's all gone and only pullups are left. We live too far away to order our supplies. We're dependent on the stores here.
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Yes, vancomycin is ridiculously priced. The last time my mom was on that, the rehab place told me they have their pharmacist mix up the IV form into a solution to drink. Needless to say, it didn't taste good at all, but they said it was a lot cheaper than the pills. Ridiculous that they have to go through all of that just to make it more affordable...big pharm at it's finest. As for the diapers and fecal incontinence, my mother uses the tab-style (NOT the pull-up style), as it's near impossible to get the pull-on ones off when they need to be changed and are dirty without getting "stuff" everywhere. (Plus they have to undress from the waist down to change them...) The sad thing is that it seems all the "big name" companies that make these undergarments are now migrating to the underwear-style because they THINK that's what people want - obviously they haven't asked for opinions on the matter from their consumers.
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My brother is now home again after 2 bouts of Cdiff in rehab facilities. He still is on Vancomycin until March 4th. This medicine is so EXPENSIVE but if he has to have it, then that is what we must do. I heard liquid costs less but our pharmacy said they do not have liquid and it would have to be ordered from somewhere else?? Is this true? I was told that only hospitals and rehabs get the liquid??? Also what can we expect as far as bowel movements now? He is totally on adult diapers because of MS and so this is always going to be an issue. Can he get on some sort of bowel schedule so family is not always worrying about being called to duty anytime of day or night?? This can be very stressful to say the least!!! Oh and yes 1 more question....does anybody know what adult diaper is the best for bowel incontinence? some just do not work for this type of problem! Thanks for any advice and also for having some contact with other caregivers in my position. It really does help to hear your stories.
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Heads up for those taking antibiotics to combat C dif. I just read this article and it does make sense. I experimented last year. Whenever I take antibiotics, I always get yeast infection. Always. I remember seeing the commercials on probiotics and yogurt. I don't care for pills, so I decided to take simultaneously the antibiotics and the yogurt. Sure enough, I did not have any flare ups of yeast infection. 2nd round of antibiotics - I ate yogurt also. No flare ups.

So, this is from the article I just read regarding C Dif:
If you want to avoid a “poop transplant” or RePOOPulation, there is a third option. Research shows regular use of probiotic supplements can help restore positive bacteria and crowd out the bad stuff, like C. diff. This may help protect you against getting infected in the first place.

Our advice: If you take an antibiotic, heartburn medication or need to go to the hospital, make sure you take a probiotic.
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@treatmenttime - this is the first I have heard of sugar or sugar subs causing c-diff to flare. I am going to look into that, because my mother, being diabetic, uses the substitutes daily in her tea. Thanks for the heads up. :)
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My MIL was taken to hospital on October 13, 2012 and is expected to be in rehab until some time in Feb 2013. The C-diff cleared up and returned several times, putting her back into ICU from rehab. We learned that for her, sugar and ALL sugar substitutes cause a "flare up" of IBS and then the imbalance of good bacteria would start it's cycle over because even though it was weak, it was there.
I can tell you DO NOT try to clean anything that was in contact with diarrhea during C-diff. It was explained to us that even the furniture can hold the contamination and re infect her......and in her weakened state it would probably be deadly. Because of MIL hoarding and no cleaning in her room at her house, 99% clothes and furniture were discarded in biohazard style, even the whole bed. ICU Dr told us if we didn't comply a child or elderly person visiting the house would almost certainly pick up the bacteria. Chlorine bleach is the ONLY thing that will stifle the germ, not purell or alcohol.
Please be attentive to this horrible bacteria, many do not survive the imbalance of it in our system.
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I am sorry to say I had cdiff from April last year until August last year..I was on heavy doses of Flagyl and Vancomycin...finally in August my infection control doc found a new drug that was approved from the FDA..its called Dificid..it cleared me up...it is very expensive but perhaps your moms insurance can cover it...if not go to the company that makes the drug..you can apply for financial aide...my heart goes out to you and your family..Bleach will kill the spores on surfaces...lots of handwashing with warm soapy water..do not use hand sanitizers ...they do not kill the cdiff spores......it must be so hard bc she is older...Blessings to all of you
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Please, please look into floregen3. This probiotic helps. You need to start out with larger amounts than shown on the bottle (at least 2 tabs 3 times a day in the beginning)., you can open the capsule and mix it with plain yogurt. It must be given at least an hr before or after the antibiotics so it can be effective. Only thing that helped us. One antibiotic after another killed all her good bacteria. She had to have it all replaced.
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I was told that when it showed up in my mom's system but was not toxic...she did not have to be isolated. later, when it came back and she had the symptoms (very smelly diarrhea and a puffy stomach),the test showed that it had developed toxins- that is when they isolated her.
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No, it won't show positive until it is an active infection - then it will multiply like crazy and move from the lining of the intestines (where it "hides" until antibiotics throw off the balance) and into the stool.
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Does a person who had C-diff always show a "positive" in following stool cultures or..after being treated can they show up with a negative result?? I have received 2 different answers and was wondering what anybody else has heard about this??
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For the record, a person can take Culturelle daily - not just when they are trying to kick c-diff - there's no need to worry about ever taking it for too long. It's good stuff!
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reverse... my mom is taking culterelle once a day...no sign of constipation... on Sat. I spoke to her doc and he discontinued the antibiotic..she had been on it for 7 days then. by Sunday, diarrhea was gone and has not returned. she takes a capful of miralax every day (except during the diarrhea time) and she has stayed very regular. I am going to continue giving her the culterelle until all 30 caps are gone - it wont hurt. my sister told me today that she takes one that is even stronger that she gets at whole foods and starts it when she feels a little sick (cold type sick) and it makes it go away very quickly! who would have thought!!!

we had never had a problem with cdif until this past hospital visit in OCt when she broke her leg and then in rehab they said she had gotten it from hospital but I think they were covering their rears....
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LGveal, I will look for the culturelle , do I do it daily? I didnt know it was in their system, she never got diareahea (knock on wood) and takes amox to prevent UTI's. I do however give her a full yogurt daily if that helps The Culturelle wont constipate her will it? Thanks all!
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The information about a fecal transplant may have been on one of those 'medical' TV programs but it is also done by 'real' doctors and, when successful can cure resistant C. dif infections within a matter of 2-3 days. When done properly, it works by repopulating the healthy bowel flora by transplanting the normal, healthy flora bacterial population from the donor to the recipient infected with C. dif. I know that it may sound like a gross treatment, but it has been done by respected medical facilities like the Mayo Clinic with a very high success rate. It can be life saving when conventional treatment has failed. After reading all of the other answers to this question posted here on this blog, I feel so sorry for all of the people suffering and sometimes even dying of this infection when this treatment might have helped them. Anyone who is dealing with this serious infection should be able to access information about this new treatment on the Mayo Clinic website, among others, and I urge you to talk seriously to your doctor about it since it might save your life.
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so far, for my mom, depends is the best...of course, she doesnt normally have diarrhea and she is semi incontinent...she will occasionally tell me she needs to go to the bathroom... thats one of the little excitements of life...she broke her leg in oct. and was bedridden for severasl weeks and even after therapistss were getting her up I couldn't so she had to go in the depends for about 2 months - with her dementia, I was afraid she would lose that skill but she still seems to be able to tell when she needs to go - nighttime she doesnt tho....
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Thanks everyone for your answers. I never knew about about any of this until Sept 29,2012 when my brother was in the hospital. I will certainly heed purples advice and get the probiotics and yogurt. I am still looking for the best adult diapers for fecal incontinence. He has a perm catheter so urine is not the issue.
Just the other!! It really does help to know how others handle these issues in their own families. Thanks again for all the good advice!
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