Joan
As told by her daughter, Elaine.
My mom had been sharp minded and physically capable before breaking her leg on February 12, 2017. Following surgery to place a rod and pins in her femur, she contracted C. diff during a protracted recovery. The C. diff infection was worse than her recovery from the femur break or the pneumonia she had before that. I had not heard of this terrible infection before. I came across www.cdiff.org to educate myself and am so fortunate to have done so. It was so discouraging and relentless, and I was scared I would get it too the whole time. I hated to do it, but I hardly took my gloves off for three months while caring for her.
After three recurrent bouts and a weight loss of twenty pounds, finally I was able to get a GI doctor to prescribe Dificid. I was told the cost would be $5000, but I would mortgage my house to stop the C. diff. Fortunately for me, a very caring pharmacist at Walmart stepped in to help negotiate a better cost with the manufacturer. I paid $1500, and it was worth every penny. It has worked. However, I shudder to think how many patients do not know to ask for this and who cannot afford to get it anyway…
Because of my mom’s advanced age, I think a fecal matter transplant is very risky (anesthesia again and hospital again) and would be our last resort. Thank you PLF for your top-notch resource for advocates! I pray that this infection becomes widely known as almost no one I know had heard of it before talking to me.
We hold our breath still that it is really gone. We always clean with bleach, never eat with our hands, and fight for a healthier gut every day with Florastor and Culturelle. The probiotic Florastor is excellent for gut health and recovery. It was recommended by the GI doctor, and it is the only probiotic that helped my mom. It is a different strain than Culturelle and others and is very effective for gut health. I have no affiliation with Florastor or any drug company, just want to tell others what worked!
We also use this tip from a nurse: no uncooked/fresh produce. That’s hard because it means no salads and no fresh Georgia peaches! But if it prevents an aggravated gut, it is worth it! We will remain cautiously optimistic and stay away from antibiotics as much as possible.
Other Stories
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Mira
In December of 2019, my husband got sick with C. diff. It was after he was prescribed antibiotics for what they thought was a case of diverticulitis. In hindsight, it’s clear he may have simply had C. diff all along. He was treated with vancomycin… -
Beth W.
My story began in 2018 when I went to see a colorectal surgeon for the incision of a thrombosed hemorrhoid. In order to ‘prevent’ an infection, the surgeon prescribed me both Amoxicillin 800mg 2x daily and Vancomycin 500mg 3x daily. Upon completio… -
Mollie Lauck
My Husband and I were expecting our first child. We were so very excited. My Pregnancy was complicated to begin with- I was considered “Advanced Maternal Age” and had Hypertension and Gestational Diabetes. Though it was a labor of love, Pregnancy … -
Ken Fredrickson
I’m 62 and generally healthy, I’ve never had an intestinal issue. I went to the ER on Jan 2, 2023 and a CT scan revealed Diverticulitis. They sent me home with a 2 week course of antibiotics. Four days after completing the antibiotics, I developed… -
Jan
I am a healthy active older woman. On March 1, 2019 I had an explosive episode of diarrhea, out of the blue, no idea what caused it. The smell was indescribable, like nothing I had ever experienced in my long life. That was the beginning of a long… -
Dr. Melissa Geraghty, Psy.D.
At the start of 2018 I was diagnosed with C. diff. I never really heard much about C. diff outside of people acquiring it in a hospital setting or people of advanced age contracting it. Oh, was I wrong. After being sick for about 8 weeks with w… -
Cassie Padilla
As a nurse for 35 years I thought I knew a lot about C. diff but as a patient I’ve discovered I knew NOTHING about C. diff. I have had 2 episodes of C. diff in my life. The first was in 2017 following (prophylactic) antibiotics after surgery. That… -
Julia
I’ve been suffering from this infection for the past few years. When I was first diagnosed, I was shocked and thought this was something that only the elderly suffered from. It’s been 3 years since my first infection, and I still suffer daily. I’v… -
Sue
I had emergency surgery for a ruptured appendix and was given SO MANY antibiotics in the hospital. I was also given Protonix for the acid reflux that resulted from all the antibiotics. Looking at the list of risk factors for C. diff, I fit every o… -
Howard
While many of us who battle C diff have quick success with the usual antibiotics, the purpose of my entry here is to emphasize the high rate of success of the Fecal Microbiota Transplant. My C diff experience was such that A) a lengthy course of V…
