My baby is one...no cdif for 14 months

[aliciab]

Hello everyone. It has been awhile since I have been on this site and a lot has happened. My journey with C diff began in December 2004 after the birth of my daughter. I was strep b positive so I was given antibiotics during 32 hours of labor. Three days after she was born I got a fever, severe cramping and bloody d. It all happened during the Christmas holiday week so it took almost 2 weeks before I got the results back confirming the C Diff. After that I was sick for almost 5 months, on and off meds, pulsing vanco finally worked. I had a colonoscopy in summer 05 and luckily it showed resolving colitis. After that I had IBS (still do) but things were going pretty well, until I got pregnant again in January 2006. In April I got a fever, really severe cramping and bloody d. I submited a stool sample and sure enough it came back positive for C Diff, I had not been taking any antibiotics and I had not been in contact with anyone carrying C Dif-as far as I know. I was given Xifixan and by June I was feeling better. I was really scared about how the meds and the C Diff would affect my baby, and I was terrified that I was going to have to have antibiotics during labor. I did not want to go through having to fight c diff and take care of a newborn again. Luckily I was strep b negetive this time and everything was on course for me to deliver vaginally, but during labor my son's heartrate kept dropping, so we had to do a C section. My OB-Gyn has been wonderful, and during the C section he made sure that I was only given 1 bag of iv antibiotics and he made sure that the incision was well flushed. But the most important thing was that my son was born healthy. Since I had to have antibiotics for the emergency c-section I was really scared for about 2 weeks after his birth. But everything has been alright. I did have a battle with post partum depression again, but I am doing much better now. And I have been C diff free for about 14 months. I do still have IBS and every time I get D, I get scared. I also can no longer eat certain foods and I have a really hard time if I drink any alcohol. The only drink I can handle is 1 small glass of wine, anything more and I am in the bathroom with severe cramps and D. I was never really much of a drinker before so it does not really bother me, but it would be nice to be able to have a margerita once in a while. For me c diff has definately changed my life, and a lot of things that have come because of this horrible sickness have been good. I no longer take my good health for granted; I am trying to live a healthier life for myself and my family. I also wanted to thank everyone on this site, you all are so supportive and when I was in the thick of things it really helped to know that I was not alone, and other people knew exactly what I was going through.

[Bobbie]

alicab,
Thanks for posting your success story as it will give hope to so many.

Glad you are doing so well. C. diff. has changed the lives of many of us. I used to have a "cast iron" stomach. No more. (IBS.) Your second bout of C. diff. so far from your first bout is unusual (w/o any of the other known factors) but we have several posters that had the same experience. Again, I stress this is unusual.

Congrats. on your 2nd child & we are so glad you did't get C. diff. after the antibiotics for his birth.

Believe me, everyone with C. diff. dreads a return of it. It is the part of having "the beast."

Thx. again for posting. Enjoy those little ones.