C. diff. Patient Experience — Never Giving Up Hope While Advocating For A Family Member

Hi,

My name is Kelly.

My Father contracted C.diff .when he was taken to the hospital for a stroke.

He was placed in a stroke ward.  I knew he had loss stool before he was discharged. I even cleaned up his bathroom there because he had an accident. I really didn’t know about C.diff. Now thinking back the hospital staff should have! They discharged him anyway never testing for C.diff..

The next morning at home he was so weak he couldn’t even sit up in bed.we call for ambulance. So it begins! He was in and out of hospital and rehabs for about a year. Only being home maybe a week tops in between. None of medications could keep it a way.

We found out about fecal transplants from our own research and through me talking with a customer where I work who had C.diff.  an had also done the fecal transplant.

My dad didn’t seem to have the serious pain in belly but he had deteriorated in many other ways. Every time he would get well enough for rehab it either came back or his insurance said it was time to go. This was his new base line,     NOT EXCEPABLE……BUT thank God the fecal transplant worked and we were looking forward to recovery.

It’s been over six months and so far so good…. During all this and with a lot of pushing they discovered a gall stone very large blocking his bile duct so they removed that. I always wonder if that had any thing to do with the recurrence.but never could get anything out of Dr about it. We brought him home from rehab in December,  but again do to all the muscle break down he had a fall in the bathroom and fractured his hip.back in hospital and 3 pins later then back to rehab.In January we brought him home for the first time in like a year it year and a half we finished all his therapy at home.

By the way — home for him is still my house not his because I can keep him on one floor. This was an exhausting experience on him, mom and me plus my husband and kids…..but what irks me the most was felt so alone.. Drs acted like no big deal or they just didn’t have much to say and God forbid you ask questions or doubt them…..sometimes I think we knew more then them.they don’t treat the patient just the c-diff or symptoms…we got more answers from research, other people and the C Diff Foundation then ever at the hospital.   Gosh and trying to explain every time it was not from antibiotic use but hospital acquired……we have also finally found a 2 great GI Doctors .

He just recently had a breathe test because of loose stool,which has not been C. diff.. He has a abundance of bad bacteria in his intestines…so being treated for that and never giving up his Probiotic ……thanks so much for listening.

PS. One day while outside the ER I CALLED the C Diff Foundation Hot-Line (1-844-FOR-CDIF) — I was so upset we were here again and didn’t know what to do. A woman (Triage Nurse) talked to me and led me though it with info on what to do and ask for and support…..I don’t remember her name but she did more for me in that one call then anyone else including hospital staff….she will never know how grateful I am

One thought on “C. diff. Patient Experience — Never Giving Up Hope While Advocating For A Family Member

  1. I had cdiff 16 months ago. Was on two rounds of Flagyl and tested negative. Started feeling pretty good for a month and then really bad again. Put on Flagyl again but my test was negative. Have not felt good since. Don’t want to eat and if I do eat I don’t feel good. I’ve taken every probiotic out there but they seem to give me gas and upset stomach. Bowels are fine. No more diarrhea. Just feel lousy most of the time. Any thoughts?

    Like

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