My rant. C Diff gets no attention..

[Suezer]

The more I look around the more I am convinced that the country is getting rich off of all of us. Pharm companies making literally millions off the Vanco, every food company known to man is jumping on the pro biotic wagon and C Diff is spreading like wild fire.

Now reverse these observations.

C Diff is spreading like wild fire

Pharm companies are making millions.

Food companies start making every known product with pro biotics in them.


I found Cereal with pro biotics in it today, frozen yogurt granola bars with pro biotics in them, cottage cheese with pro biotics.

*Note-Of course I appreciate having so many products to help with recovery, that is not my point.


And we wonder why MRSA is known all over the world and C Diff is barely known. Think of the millions that would be lost in dollars.<-This is why,I am firmly convinced C Diff gets no "real" attention in the everyday media. Sure a small article on the 100th page of some magazine, maybe a brief clip on a news program ONLY after 13 people or 100s die in an outbreak in some hospital far away.

It angers me alot that this disease/illness gets no place in the spot light and countless lives are lost to it when there are many ways it can be avoided or diagnosed earlier if people knew the symptoms, as well as the ways to avoid it.

And shame on Doctors for prescribing over the phone and not even telling people to eat yogurt while taking antibiotics.

I could just spit nails when I start thinking about this stuff!

That is my rant, thanks for bearing through it.

[monacat]

i think that i am going to draft up some sort of letter to send to my local drug stores to urge the pharmasists to inform people out of moral obligation to take a probiotic with meds. they will probably think im nuts but hey... it's better then nothing.

[Suezer]

Well just toss in there some mention that it will increase their sales, I am sure they will jump right on the band wagon. :)

Cynicism aside,Great idea . I might try something like this as well.

[fire7163]

Suezer:

Great idea !!! But there is a small problem...Scope of Practice....It defines what and what you can't do medically. For a Pharmacist it would probably limit what and how they could recommend drugs, suppliments, or a course of treatment, if they could at all. You have an excellant idea, but we need to include the Doctors who are issuing the scripts for the offending drugs. I've talked with a number of MD's, Infection control nurses, and they are all interested. I refer them to this site for info.

Fire

[Nancy1]

You are absolutely right that cdiff gets no attention. I think it's because it's such a yucky disease. We have tried a number of things over the years to boost public awareness. We even had a letter-writing campaign to Oprah, to see if she'd cover it on her show. Nada. So any ideas that anyone has are most welcome!

[Bobbie]

Suezer,
I agree with Nancy. C. diff. will not get the attention MRSA rates (even though it exceeds it in many areas) because C. difff. is a "yucky" disease.

I've known about C. diff. since l979 when my younger son first had it. For years, there was no publicity about it. Now there is, but it is "bottom line: or "back page."My son had it again years later, & I had it from l993-l997 & again in l999.Did anyone care? Not many.

We need to present ourselves as more professional on this site. "De emphasize" the disgusting symptoms. (For some reason, "bathroom humor" has always been laughable.) Concentrate on what it has done to your life.

If I were a doctor/researcher on this site, I doubt if I would pay much attention because many of the posts resembles the ad. "Where were you when your Imodium ran out?"

Let's emphasize the cramping, the pain, the pain, the fear of relapse, the fear of taking antibiotics again, De-empatheze, "color, consistency, frequency, etc." . Don't know if this will help -- it can't hurt.

[cindym]

It is my opinion the frequency, consistency and the color are the very least of our problems! At least for me anyways!

Nuclear Heart test were today........my heart has no blockages thank goodness but in view of the palpitations and the blindness episodes and the extreme pain a few weeks ago they are now going to do echocardiogram and have me wear a holster monitor for 48 hours. I almost passed out during the stress test and it was was stopped immediately. I was given some kind of drug that made me feel better within seconds. I also had the cartoid artery ultrasound today and there is only minimal plaque which is good. The cardiologist in reviewing my history told me it is a wonder I made it as far as I did in the test.......made me feel a little better! Will keep you all posted on my next round of results and please keep me in your prayers. Thanks!