Just diagnosed with CDI

[Chrissy3]

Hey all!

I'm a 29 year old female and I was just diagnosed on Monday with CDI after almost 2 weeks of symptoms and I'm lost! It started out last Thursday as watery yellow BMs (sorry for the TMI) throughout the day, but I figured it was just due to eating out the night before. By the end of the weekend it turned into a lot of mucus so I ended up seeing my primary care doctor on that Monday. She told me that it was a stomach bug and to follow the BRAT diet. After no improvement I went to see a GI doctor on the following Thursday who sent me for tests, but she also believed it was just a virus. However, yesterday they called me and said the C Diff test came back positive. I have not been on any antibiotics since last spring for a UTI, I haven't been in any nursing homes or hospitals, and no one in my family has ever had it so I truly don't know how I got this.

I started on Flagyl yesterday, 500mg 3x a day plus Florastor 2x a day. Since I went almost 2 weeks before they figured anything out, I'm terrified that my house is filled with spores. I threw out my sheets and my memory foam mattress topper and all of the underwear I wore the past 2 weeks. I have also cleaned my entire bathroom with Clorox Germicidial Bleach, but all of the floors in my house are hardwood so I can't clean them with that. I'm worried as to how I can clean the couches, my mattress, and other cloth surfaces in my house. I have OCD when it comes to germs so I'm completely panicked that I won't be able to clean my house effectively and someone else will get it because of me or that I will never be able to get better from this. Does anyone have any tips?

[georgina]

Hi Chrissy
Welcome to the site that nobody wants to join , please read the first thread for rules of posting and tips for hygiene , nutrition etc.
Sorry you are dealing with Cdiff , hopefully this round of meds will do the trick for you , 80% of people are cured from the first or second round of meds , hoping that you will be amoung the lucky majority. Florastor is a good probiotic and it may help you bulk up your BM during and after treatment.
Personally I think you should calm down with throwing out you house belongings , unless you had accidents on the mattress or on your couch you have nothing to worry about , but if deep cleaning makes you feel better know that there are alternatives to bleach but they are much more expensive and they can only be ordered (don't think you will find them in shops) , for example you can use sporocidal solutions or Clinell sporocidal wipes , they can be used on all surfaces including fabric and wood. Also is very rare that someone else will catch this from you . I have been dealing with Cdiff since april 2015 and shared the bathroom with my husband and he never got sick , we shared lots of other stomach bugs , viruses , the flu but never shared Cdiff.

[beth22]

I agree with Georgina. I had c diff for way longer than two weeks before being diagnosed and my husband never got sick either. He has been on antibiotics and he still did not get it. Like Georgina said, unless you had accidents on your floors, forget about it. Clean your bathroom thoroughly and wash your linens well, as well as the underwear. But, there is no need to go overboard. Practice good hygiene by washing hands and have the other members of your family do the same. Close the toilet lid when you flush to avoid spraying out spores or any other bacteria.

If you think about it, bacteria and c diff spores are on people's shoes. They track them into the house that way. Lots of germs are on purses, cell phones and other things. You can't wipe down everything.

[georgina]

.... and lets not forget about how much bacteria is on money , and you cannot stay away from money or wipe them !! :)

[Benh]

I agree with Beth and Georgina too and can tell you that I have destroyed my bathroom faucet and drain with the Clorox wipes and solution. I also ruined many of my clothes by bleaching. I went crazy with cleaning as soon as I found out about the spores. I am being treated now for my first relapse and have chilled out the cleaning routine but I still use the wipes and bleach on the tile and anything porcelain. the anxiety of spreading it to my children, one of whom is only 3, really made me crazy at first but now I use a bathroom that no one else uses and clean as I used to with a little more care and using the bleach wipes and solution where I can. My wife is looking forward to the day when when I am free of this and she can stop sharing a bathroom with our kids! Good luck and this is a fantastic site with great people.

[roy]

Late 40s and a 3yo!
Ben
You are the Maaannn!

[Benh]

Or just crazy...also have two teenagers! Same wonderful wife!