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.