Children/Infants with C. diff.

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Bobbie
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Children/Infants with C. diff.

Postby Bobbie » Mon Dec 11, 2006 2:47 pm

Many concerned parents with children with C. diff. have posted on this site. Many times, children do better than adults do. If the infection continues, be sure and take your child to a pediatric GI or a ped. Infectious Disease doctor.
Last edited by Bobbie on Wed Aug 06, 2014 12:04 pm, edited 4 times in total.
Reason: updating

Bobbie
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Postby Bobbie » Sun Jan 06, 2008 5:11 pm

Christina submitted this. Thx.I'm so sorry your little baby has to go through this nasty disease but be reassured most do recover very quickly within one or two rounds of medicine. Our fingers will be crossed that your son will fall into the 80% category.

Depending on what type of symptoms your son is having should be the reason for treating.Many young children especially newborns are born carriers of C-diff and are usually fully colonized by 6-12 months of age.By ages 12 months to 24 months they have developed the antibodies that will protect them hopefully for the rest of their lives against C-diff.So the thought is if a child is not fully symptomatic it is because they lack the receptors for the toxins as they have not yet developed.

You should also maybe check to see specifically what test they ran. A culture would check for the bacteria but most labs do not run those anymore unless it is for research.I know from here on Ohio mine had to be sent to Mayo Clinic. The other tests that are more commonly used test for toxins and not the bacteria.All of the tests carry a risk of false negatives and they are extremely common.The most recommended test (tissue culture cytotoxicity assay) is what most recommend but again most Dr.'s don't order them and most labs don't run due to cost and time.It picks up less false negative than any other test.READ-FAQ's-testing for more info.

I would just watch for improvement and of course, follow you Dr.'s protocol. If things get worse or your boy has further relapses you may need to find a GI or ID with a bit more C-diff knowledge.

Christina

Bobbie
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Postby Bobbie » Sun Jan 06, 2008 5:12 pm

Roy submitted this. Thx.

Christina has given a very good answer and I would like to add that it is around 60% of babies that are born with C,diff in their bowels but it causes no symptoms and is part of the gut flora
As she said the doctor will usualy treat it only if symptoms "D" surface.
C.diff realy can be a very minor disease and just be an inconvenience for a day or two.

Probably a huge amount of cases go undetected and resolve themselves without too much trouble

Bobbie
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Giving Chldren Medications

Postby Bobbie » Sat Mar 21, 2009 1:37 am

Posted: Mon Aug 08, 2005 Post subject: Children & Medication

Sometimes, children refuse to take "yucky" tasting medications. Perhaps, these hints will help.

By Cindym on January 13, 2005

There are special pharmacies located usually within a medical supply business that specialize in making medicines more palatable for children. They can even make medicines into lollipops in some cases. Hospitals can refer you to them or you can call around and ask medical supply places for their locations. THEY ARE OUT THERE!

By Susanne on January 11, 2005

CVS Pharmacy offers flavoring for children's medicine. I hope there is one near you. I know how difficult it is to get medicince into children. I have three kids...we've tried everything. Mixing in coke has always worked the best. The only problem with that is you have to put in enough to make sure the taste is masked and then make sure they drink the whole "soda."

By Susanne on Saturday, March 12, 2005

Rose,

Thank you so much for the suggestions. The bubble idea is great. I never would have thought of that. I actually spoke to a friend who works with AIDS children and she told me their meds are horrible. She suggested Hershey's chocolate syrup. It worked better than anything else (although the flagyl still tasted horrible!!!!!). We had his meds switched to vancomycin because after just three doses he was telling us that his ankles hurt (and he doesn't make up aches and pains). I developed peripheral neuropathy while on flagyl, so it sent up a red flag. He is handling the vanco with the chocolate syrup fine. He screams, but takes it okay. Thanks again for you help and keep my little man in your thoughts and prayers. I'm nervous for the rest of my family too as the doctor from the CDC said he would expect they too would get it if on antibiotics now! I can only keep wiping hands with antibacterial wipes and pray! Have a great weekend.

By Rose on Saturday, March 12, 2005

Susanne, I hope that by the time you read this, things are going more smoothly for you and your son around medication. If not, here are a couple more ideas. Unfortunately, there's no major bullet here, and trying to get some flavor added to the medication is probably the first and best thing anyone in your situation can try.

I worked in a pediatric hospital for several years and the issue of kids and meds was an ongoing challenge for all parents and for the medical team. If you're still looking for ideas, here are a few humble thoughts: Give your son something he loves to eat as soon as he finishes the meds. That way he can look forward to a yummy treat and, as an added bonus, the food will help to get the bad taste out of his mouth. Also, depending upon your spiritual perspective, I've seen many families develop a lovely, quiet ritual of saying a brief prayer before taking meds. Some kids can be distracted, though this is often a two person job - one adult focuses on giving the meds while the other adult distracts the child by reading a story, blowing some bubbles, etc. If more than one adult is involved in the medication ordeal, it's important to identify which adult is in charge and will do the talking. Sometimes, these scenes around meds can become frantic and everyone starts talking and yelling and putting in their two cents which, of course, only serves to create a confusing atmosphere that adds to the child's anxiety. For some kids, it's helpful to make a calendar and mark off each day they take their meds with a sticker, but your son is probably a little too young to engage in something like that. If your pediatrician is affiliated with a major hospital, you might see if they have a Child Life Department. Child Life Specialists work with children around medical procedures, including taking meds. They often have some clever tricks up their sleeve. My best wishes to you, Susanne...

By Rose on Monday, March 14, 2005

I worked in a major pediatric hospital for several years and wanted to offer these humble tips for helping children with pill and/or liquid meds. Naturally, different ideas are more or less appropriate for different children based on age and developmental issues:

1. As already noted on this web site, check around with pharmacies to find a compounding pharmacy (just a fancy word that means they mix stuff to order) that has different flavors they can mix into liquid meds so they taste better.

2. If you mix the meds into some food or a beverage, make sure it is medically ok to do and also make sure you don't mix it into too much food or liquid, since you need to ensure that your child gets all of the medicine.

3. After giving your child meds, have a food or beverage they like ready as a treat and also to get the bad taste of the medicine out of their mouth.

4. Some families find that taking a few moments to share in a prayer before embarking on the medication process is settling and helpful.

5. Being sick and having to take medicine leaves children feeling a loss of control (makes most adults feel that way too!). Find some aspect of the medication regimen where the child can regain some control. Set up strict parameters with a simple choice. For example, you can tell your child they can take their medicine now while watching tv or they can take it in the kitchen. Or, you can tell them they can be involved and take their medicine, or one parent/caregiver will hold them while the other caregiver/parent gives them their medicine. In addition, depending on their developmental level, if there are ways they can participate in the process, allow them to if they wish. For example, I can measure the medicine and hold the spoon and put it in your mouth, or you can measure the medicine and/or hold the spoon yourself.

6. Provide a distraction for your child. This sometimes requires two people, but not always, such as in the case of having a tv or some music on. Ideas that require more than one person include: One person can blow bubbles while one administers the meds. Or, someone can read a favorite story. If more than one person is involved in the process, decide beforehand who is in charge and who does the talking. It is not uncommon for such times to become chaotic if the child is resistant and it's easy for all parties involved to start talking, yelling, offering ideas, etc. However, this will only add your child's anxiety (and your own, as well).

7. As the parent/adult involved, your child is looking to you as a model. Challening as it may be at times, try to remain steady and calm. Provide lots of reassurance while also being firm about your expectations. For example, you can tell your child that he/she needs to take his/her medicine in order to get better and that because you are his mommy/daddy it is your job to give him his medicine because you love him/her very much.

8. For children who are old enough to appreciate a sense of time, it may be helpful to make a calendar together of the days/weeks/months they need to take medicine. Each dose/day they finish, they can cross off and/or put a sticker on the box.

9. Beware of offering your child concrete rewards beyond small things like a favorite snack or stickers for taking their meds. This is a trap many parents understandably fall into, but it almost always escalates into the child wanting more and more, bigger and bigger things. This can then become a whole issue in and of itself. It is also an issue to be sensitive to if you have other children, as siblings can easily become quite jealous if there is a sick child in the household who is demanding extra attention. (Siblings also feel angry, guilty, neglected, etc, so be aware of these issues, as well.)

10. If your child's pediatrician is affiliated with a major children's hospital, ask if they have Child Life Specialists available. These are professionals who are specifically trained in child development and helping children with medical procedures, ranging from prep for surgery to needle sticks to taking meds. In addition, most major children's hospitals these days have libraries (usually called Resource Centers) that are stocked with all kinds of great books for parents on a range of topics, including how to help your child with meds. Depending on the hospital, you may not be allowed in if your child is not hospitalized or if you are not visiting someone, so you might want to call ahead to see if you will have access to their library. Most major pediatric hositals have very elaborate web sites these days, so you might also check them out to see if their Child Life Department (or in some cases it may be the Social Work Dept) has tips on line.

11. Always give your child lots of praise after they take their medicine. Avoid saying they are good or bad, but rather that they did a good job. Don't let how they behave around taking their meds suggest that it somehow reflects on what kind of person they are. For example, saying, "You're such a good boy" sends a different mssage than saying "You did such a good job!"

My hat is off to all parents out there facing the challenge of having a sick child and the challenge of medication compliance. There is no easy answer, but with your love, creativity, and persistance, you care for your children with such fierce commitment that one can only be in awe and give you all the respect in the world...

Lauren posted on Fri Dec 09, 2005

Here's another contributed by "Worriedmom":

I put the dose (she only takes .8 ml four times a day) in two ounes of Pediasure.

The Pharamcist said that it can be put in liquid (Pediasure, Pedialyte, etc.) as long as you only put it in the amount you know he/she will drink.

I also had the vanco. flavored with raspberry -- I think this helps too.

Susanne offered the following tip. Bribery always works!! It's the one constant I learned when raising my children.

Kieran is now 5 and after alot of crying (me and him) yesterday, we discovered that he can swallow a pill. I'm wrapping the antibiotic in a mini marshmallow and letting him swallow it with sprite. We are calling it the "marshmallow slide" and jumping up and down like cheerleaders when he does it!
Last edited by Bobbie on Tue Jul 15, 2014 12:05 am, edited 1 time in total.
Reason: updating

Bobbie
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Children with C. diff.

Postby Bobbie » Wed Jun 16, 2010 5:02 pm

Posted by osubride0708
Tue Jun 15, 2010 12:44 pm
Subject: Children with C. Diff

My daughter is 11 months old and was gagging every time and throwing up about every other time she took the liquid metronidazole (Flagyl). We looked to a local pharmacist at a compounding pharmacy to help. He re-compounded her medicine and now it actually tastes GOOD and all you taste is a metallic after-taste.

I know that the pharmacist used Metronidazole Benzoate. He said it isn't quite as bad tasting as just the Metronidazole alone. He used also a gum paste? glycerine? and then a USP marshmallow flavoring (he said marshmallow masks it best). It may be worth asking a compounding pharmacist to do something similar, they should have the knowledge. My little one now takes her whole does without throwing up or gagging which is really important.

The dose is 160mg/5ml which is actuall 100mg of the Metronidazole. Hope this helps someone.

Mod's note: good hint. Hope it helps some frantic parent "out there."

Bobbie
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Re: Children (including infants) with C. diffile/ Med. Tips

Postby Bobbie » Fri Jun 29, 2012 2:24 pm

by allenmj » Fri Jun 29, 2012

If you don't want to go to the ER, trying adding some electrolyte drink to help you rehydrate. Pedialyte works on adults too. In fact, you can get the freezepop pedialyte, which are actually quite tasty. I tried one before giving it to my daughter. Tasted like a regular ole freezepop. my little one loves them and it really helped her stay hydrated

Bobbie
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Re: Children (including infants) with C. diffile/ Med. Tips

Postby Bobbie » Mon Jun 03, 2013 1:46 pm



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