cdiffdiscuss.org

Hello!
I’m going to make a long story short (as best as I can). I’m 23 yr old healthy and not taking antiobitoics. I am an ER RN. Last Monday (so about 9 days ago) I was taking care of a c diff + pt. Of course I didn’t know right away. Used gloves, washed my hands, and I don’t recall touching my mouth/face. Anyways, always being somewhat paranoid of c diff I told myself if I had any symptoms I wasn’t waiting. Friday rolls around and I had a loose stool. Wouldn’t say diarrhea, but not normal. No smell to it that I could notice... went ahead and did a stool sample (because I’m crazy). It came back negative. Well as of today I’m still worried. I’m having loose stools maybe 1-2 a day and only in the morning, again no real smell to it. Major lack of appetite. And that’s really my only symptoms. I have occasional gassy pains, but nothing excessive and they go away. I’m not asking for medical advice, as I plan on seeing my GP and even scheduled a doc appt with GI for next week. I just really wanted someone to help me put my worries to rest or help educate me on my next steps?

Thanks!

Hi slterrn, welcome to the site. Please read the guidelines for all new posters when you have a chance; it's the first entry in the Intro forum.

I can understand the anxiety you feel, being on the front lines, so to speak, in a healthcare setting. It's very likely that your symptoms will subside and that they're coincidental to your encounter with the C. diff patient. They may be due to some transitory GI "bug," for instance. While your symptoms don't match the "classic" C. diff presentation, there can be atypical cases. So it's good that you're going to see your GP and/or GI doctor to discuss your concerns.

Well that makes me feel much better. Truly. I’m sure I’ve taken care of tons of c diff positive pts. We just never actually know the results! I have been overly paranoid about it and of course, I know I don’t match the typical case. I did do a stool sample on Friday and everything came back completely negative, along with my culture. So I’m sure I’m just overly stressed about it. Thank you so much for the response!!

I actually think that what are you experiencing right now is a reaction to stress and fear. You know that anxienty can give you GI symptoms so try to calm down . If you haven't been on any antibiotics recently or PPI's or pills that lower your immune response , you should be fine. Of course , for a peace of mind you can get tested but i'm sure it will be negative. Try a binding agent for the loose stool and something to control anxiety , you will feel much better.