PHYSICAL THERAPIST WITH C DIFF

[DONNA RADOCHONSKI]

I am a physical therapist who works at a skilled nursing facility. I have had recurrent c diff for the past 5 weeks and have been on flagyl and now vanc. There is no doubt that I contracted this bug from there. My boss seems to think that I cant return until I have 3 negative cultures. My GI feels I should look for a job in a different setting. Are there any other healthcare professionals out there who have dealt with this problem?

[Sheila1]

Hi Donna,

I have run cross some medical professional sites, like allnurses.com where some of the professionals have said they got cdiff and other infectious diseases. You might try some of those - physicaltherapyforum.com; rehabedge.com has a forum too.

Hope one of those helps!

[Bobbie]

Donna,
Welcome to the site. Read the first forum ALL USERS READ THIS FIRST & its subtopics. They will guide you in using the site & answer some of the most frequent questions. Read Dr. Borody’s & Dr. McDonald’s articles and the areas in FAQ that interest you – especially FAQ-Hygiene, Nutrition, & Testing.

Let's hope you are one of the lucky ones who recover with one to two rounds of Flagyl or Vanco. If antibiotics contributed to your C. diff., be careful about taking them again. (See FAQ-Antibiotics.)

We've had similar cases, & the posters (often nurses) have usually returned to work when they have several neg. cultures. Be aware, however, that for a more accurate culture, you should be off Vanco. or Flagyl for 10 to 14 days (l4 best) before retesting. See FAQ-Tests.

It's your ultimate decision where you want to return & possibly contact C. diff. again. Perhaps you could work in a facility where C. diff. isn't as prevelant.

Good luck.