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C. difficile – Are your guts ever normal again?
Digestive Health | Last Active: Feb 20 9:02pm | Replies (645)Comment receiving replies
@sandyabbey @pines @ngorman25 and whoever else is worried about reinfection..!😩. My mother in law had CDiff 2 years ago. She had been on antibiotics for awhile for recurrent UTI’s. Well, she is in the hospital now with it again and has not been on antibiotics. I had my FMT on Feb 28 and for the last 2 weeks I am finally feeling better. I haven’t seen my MIL in over a month. Have your docs told you that you will forever be more susceptible to getting c diff again regardless if you have been on antibiotics? I’m concerned about the future of getting c diff again out of the blue like she did as well as concerned that I could have reinfected my MIL even though I took all the safety precautions. Other family members are taking care of her now and I will definitely stay away from her. This makes me so sad because I would like to help her but I can’t. Do you all feel like you are the plague, just moments away from infecting someone? I feel like no matter how clean I make my house, c diff germs are lurking. 🤦♀️
Replies to "@sandyabbey @pines @ngorman25 and whoever else is worried about reinfection..!😩. My mother in law had CDiff..."
@nettecoo, @sandyabbey @pines @ngorma25 I am sorry to hear of two cases of C diff in one family. Something we all dread. I have been super super concerned about infecting others especially my kids and grandkids and getting reinfected myself. I finally got appointments with an infectious disease specialist and a GI doctor who specialises in C. Diff. I asked a lot of questions about contagion. Here is what they both independently told me:
1. I am only contagious when I have active diarrhea. If i am colonized but do not have active diarrhea, I am not contagious.
2. As for my apartment and the spores lingering on counters etc. They said give it all a good cleaning, especially the toilet and surrounds, with a product that specifically works against C Diff (the K list at EPA website tells you which they are) , and then it is okay for any one to come to may apartment unless they are immune compromised. My little grandchildren, even the baby , are fine, they said.
3. The infectious disease expert said that C. Diff spores are spread all around and that the vast majority of people are not immune compromised and so are not made sick by them.
As for your question about whether we can get C Diff again without even taking an antibiotic --the doctors thought i probably would not get it again unless I took an antibiotic but they emphasized that I have underlying health issue (two markers in my blood that makes me somewhat immune compromised) . That made me wonder if maybe i could independent of taking an antibiotic. I have come to understand that it is really important whether or not there is some underlying condition that increases risk. I supposedly have that.
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@nettecook Oh I'm so sorry to hear about your mother-in-law. Do you also think you got it from her? I've not heard of any other family members giving it to each other. But I do understand how you feel about feeling like "you are the plague." I had people stay away from me for fear of getting it. Hand washing is really the key. I'm happy to hear that you are doing better after your FMT. Will your MIL be having FMT?