Finally!!!

[michellebue]

On February 6, 2006 I took Omnicef. I hardly ever take anti-biotics, because I have Ulcerative Colitis and I am usually very cautious about drugs, but when I have had to take them I had NEVER had a problem. This time I did.

I took my first pill in the evening before I went to bed. I woke up and my stomach hurt but I thought it was from the cough syrup. I didn't take the cough syrup but took another Omnicef. My stomach was in so much pain the entire day. By the evening I was on the toilet with the unmentionables that everyone knows all about. I knew it was the anti-biotic. I called my gi first thing in the morning. She prescribed me a 14 day course of flaygl.

The flagyl made me feel better but never made me 100%. When I stopped the flagyl I got sick again. Then I went back on the flagyl and then still stayed sick. Then my Ulcerative Colitis kicked in. I was put on Vancomyocin and was then on and off of Vanco.

After a year of battling with c-diff at home, in the hospital, 3 different infectious disease doctors, 2 gis, a colonoscopy, 2 flex-sigs, 2 ct scans, an ultrasound and I don't know how many stool cultures and blood work, I am finally C-DIFF FREE!!!! I am still roughing it out with IBS which I always had along with my IBD (UC) but it was a lot worse after the c-diff. I am just now finally starting to have more frequent normal bms. I know within a month or two they all will be!!!

When you are going through it you swear it is never going to end. At first I thought that it would be impossible. I had never heard of c-diff before in my life. Since I got it last February I have seen a good friends healthy and active grandmother die from it, another friends father die from it and found out through this website that a teacher at my high school died from it. So you could imagine what fear was going through my head. I was on immunosuppressants for my uc and was so worried about my already compromised colon being attacked by some ugly bug. I was so scared at one point that I literally was afraid to go to sleep because I thought all my organs were going to shut down and I would never wake up again.

C-diff is a scary thing. But in the end I realized that all my worrying was never going to help me get better. It just stresses out my body which lowers my ability to fight infection. That's not what I needed!! So I did what I always do with my uc, laughed. I laughed about how, of course only I would get this embarrasing infection on top of an already embarrasing disease. Humor was my most helpful medicine. I thought bathroom jokes were funny before (using them with my uc) but boy was I in for a surprise at how funny they became this past year!!

I am also very lucky in that I have a very supportive family that I can be silly with. When they came to visit me in the hospital they brought a camera and took pictures of everyone in scrubs and dressed my IV pole up too. They put a "toxic waste" bag on my head.

But they also knew when to be serious and when to be concerned. Without them I don't know what I would have done. My sister and mom are the ones who went out and bought me enough pro-biotics for an army. My father emailed me anything he could find. My grandma made sure I was eating something, anything, or at least drinking my fluids. My brother in-law found me a better doctor. My husband bought me a yogart maker and went to every doctors appt. with me and is the one who found this site for me.

I also don't know what I would have done without this site. It was so helpful. Everyone has been so supportive of one another. Even though my family was great it was always nice to type into this site and talk with people who were actually going through the same thing.

To all of you who are still struggling, you will get through it. It might seem like it is taking forever. It probably is taking forever, but it will end. I promise!!! Just try to stay strong and be on top of things.

I know I am going to be anti-antibiotics for the rest of my life!! I don't know what I am going to do if I ever get pneumonia or bronchitis again!!! I don't know what I'll do if I ever have kids and they get a bacterial infection!!!

But that worry is for another day. It is useless to worry over something that hasn't happened. Today, I do not have pneumonia or bronchitis. I do not have any kids. And most importantly, I do not have C-diff!!! That day will come for you too!!

I wish everybody luck. You will feel better soon.

[puremess]

Congratulation on beating this beast!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I hope you continue to feel better everyday.

[Nancy1]

Hurray!!! I'm so glad to hear that you finally beat cdiff!! That is wonderful. Hugs!

[Sheila1]

Congratulations!! Your story, and your family, was so great that I made my hubby read it too. (I loved the 'toxic waste' bag!) You are an inspiration! You GO GIRL! :)

[michellebue]

Thank you so much everybody!! You all were so helpful and so wonderful. I don't know what I would have done without this site and without my family. I may have had a bad infection but I had a huge support system in place to get me through it. Also, don't forget to check into the forum specifically for things to make you laugh. That was my favorite! Make a point to look into that forum first before you go into any others!! Bobbie and others have posted oh so many funny jokes!!!!

I didn't think I would ever be able to post here!!! But I have. I will still definetly be checking in here to hopefully help other people.

Sheila 1,
I want to tell you another funny "toxic" story. Hopefully I make it quick but I know I ramble.

My husband got me a stuffed otter when I was in the hospital and when he gave it to me he told me it was called the "toxic otter". That if I held him all the toxins in my body would radiate to him and that is how he survived. When I wasn't holding him I had him at the foot of my bed. Without fail, every single time a doctor or nurse walked in they jumped back and gave a little "ah!". They all thought there was a real animal there at the foot of my bed!!! Apparently it looked like a cat from the angle they came in.

So of course my husband (who was there with me almost 100% of the time, even on his birthday) and I could not resist purposely having him at the foot of the bed to spook them all. We made sure he was in just the right position. You got to keep these docs and nurses on their toes!!!!!

Good luck to everybody!!!! You will all succeed!!!!

[Bobbie]

Michellebue,
Congrats. on beating "the beast." Do be careful about taking antibiotics in the future unless they are absolutely necessary. If they are, insist you take the narrowest spectrum one possible. (See FAQ-Antibiotics.)

I'm a prime candidate for C. diff. (had it twice -- first time for 4 yrs. l993-l997; the next time I got pneumonia - l999 -- & the doc. prescribed Levaquin, I developed it again.) Had pneumonia again in November & surived a Zpak. My pulmo. prescribed Avalox which is similar to Levaquin. When I got home, I called a pharmacist & then called the doc. back & said I didn't want to take Avalox so he prescribed the Zpak altho. he said a Zpak wasn't the "drug of choice" for pneumonia. (But it worked.) Remember, however, everyone is different. My niece (with no previous history of C. diff.) developed C. diff. from a Zpak.

Also, ask about the pneumovax shot. It protects against approx. 23 strains of pneumonia although there are many more.

You are fortunate to have a good support system; many don't.

Also congrats. on keeping your sense of humor. Doesn't cure C. diff. but does help you live through it.

[michellebue]

Bobbie,
Thank you so much! You have been such an inspiration along with the many other regulars who post. Whenever I would begin to feel whiney I would make sure to log on to here. Even if I didn't post anything. Your words of advise (as well as the other moderators) to me and to the many others have been more helpful than you will ever know.

Thank you for you advise about future anti-biotics. I would like to say that I will never get sick again and I will never have to take an anti-biotic again and nor will my future children but I'm not sure what my odds are on that. I don't think they they are in my favor:)

Again, good luck to all. I will definetly continue to log on and post whenever I feel that I can be helpful!!

Michelle

[Tammy]

Way to go, Im glad you are better.
Cdiff definately teaches you one thing and thats patience.

[Bobbie]

michellebue & everyone,
Thx. for the support. I am so relieved although I kept so busy I didn't think much (??) about C. diff. Didn't sleep well at night though.

Michelle,
You might have to take antibiotics in the future. Just be sure they are absolutely necessary & do your own research. I tend to get pneumonia (even though I've had the pneumovax shot) & had to take antibiotics for it twice since my intial bout of C. diff. (l993-l997) & 3 X for UTI's (Macrobid -- see FAQ-Antibiotics). Glad the site helped you. That's why it was established. Who else ever heard of C. diff. -- including some in the medical profession?

I am so relieved, I "dodged the silver bullet" this time.

I was "timid" all my life until my son got sick. I've progressively gotten more assertive. You have to be persistent, educated, and professional when dealing with any chronic illness -- easy to say; often difficult to do. Boy, will I be something when I am 90!