Help Please!

[Daisydogmom]

Hi There,
I apologize if this post doesn't make any sense, or if I posted in the wrong place. I'm a bit frazzled right now. My three-year-old son was diagnosed with C. diff about a week ago, and I am completely freaking out. Both my mother and my husband's grandmother have had C. diff recently, so I have seen how sick people can get from this (My mother has lost over 60 lbs. from this & is gravely ill.). To make matters worse, my neighbor just told me that "C. diff is a death sentence for a child." UGH!!! IS THIS TRUE?

Here's a little history about my son: He had two ear infections recently & was treated with Amoxicillin for 10 days, then Augmentin for about 4-5 days when he started having symptoms. His pediatrician pulled him off the Augmentin to see if the diarrhea would stop- it didn't. About a week later he was diagnosed with C. diff. Thankfully, he has a mild case of it- no dehydration or colitis found. He's been on Culturelle (probiotic) 1 time per day with some Activia yogurt. He's on day 6 of his Flagyl treatment. He'll be on it for a total of 10 days. Here are my questions to all of you (Sorry there's so many of them!):

Is it normal that his stool looks different from day to day (no more diarrhea though, thank goodness)?
Is fatigue normal, even after the diarrhea is gone?
Will his stool go back to normal right away after the 10 day treatment?
How soon can a relapse occur?
How long is he contagious for? Can I bring him to playgroups or around the elderly?
Will spray bleach get the spores out of my rug?
Can my dog be an asymptomatic carrier?
When can I stop bleaching my house and washing my hands obsessively?

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this post!!!
Sincerely,
A Concerned Mom

[jenkelly15]

I can tell you this I have NO idea why your neighbor would tell you that. Wouldn't he/she know that would scare you. My ID doctor told me children most often don't have as severe cases with c-diff as adults do, so I am sure your son will be fine. I hope he will be done with this sickness off this one round of flagyl. I wouldn't worry about his BM's while on the medication or even for a little while after. It took a couple weeks off the vanco for me before my BM's were back to normal. As far as the bleaching and hand washing I don't know I had the same question and I have been off the vanco for 6 weeks and just don't want to be so obsessive about it anymore it gets annoying. I'm sure other people on here will tell you more about this. Good luck to you and your son. I'm sure he'll be better soon!!!!

[nsewell]

I know two young children here in south dakota that got cdiff. And both got over it with one round of flagyl and are now fine. Your doing the right thing with the probiotics. His bm will be differet for awhile and maybe after the meds too. Hang in there and try not to worry to much.

[Jenny]

Hi Daisydogmom,

I'm so sorry your family has been struck 3 times with this illness, but I think the general consensus is that children fair better than the elderly with this bacteria. BM's change constantly for many, good days and bad. No D is good though.

It seems as though most people take a while to get their bm's back to normal, some get a new norm after meds, be patient.

Flagyl can make you lose your appetite. It tastes pretty bad, but make sure he stays hydrated. Flagyl can make alot of people tired and light headed. Alot of us talk about being in a fog the whole time, I was when taking flagyl.

Try not to think about a relapse, but mine were usually within 3 days, some people weeks, others more.

Contagious, that's a tough one for a 3 yr old. Really, Really good hand hygiene is a must. Not just after the bathroom but before snacks and meals too. If he has any favorite toys bleach them if you can to avoid reinfection especially if they go in the mouth.

I would pass on the playgroups for now. I know that will be hard for your son, but many 2 & 3 year olds still put many things in their mouths. See how he fairs off the meds and give him a bit of time. C diff really wipes most people out big time. When he's feeling better start out small.

I think thorough vacuming or deep water extraction would be sufficient unless he's had an episode of D there. Is it a really nice rug??? Worth keeping??:)

There has been discussion about dogs on this forum. I believe they say they may be carriers. Has your dog ever had really bad D? If you think he's asymptomatic just make sure you bath him regularly and that you all wash your hands before eating.

As for bleaching your house and OCD hand washing, I think most on this site may never stop, C diff is ever on our minds. Spores can survive on many surfaces for months/years depending on what you read. Also with 2 more family members with this disease I would probably continue to keep up with the precautions.

My kids like to sing row row row your boat or the happy birthday song twice when washing their hands. We also use paper towels in my bathroom now for hand drying.

There's alot of great info in the faq's section. I know there's so much to take in and with a 3yr old I'm sure you've got your hands full. I hope this helps and that your family all feel better soon.

Take Care

Jenny

[Daisydogmom]

Thank you so much for your kind replies! It's so hard finding anyone who knows anything about C. diff around here. It's nice knowing that we aren't alone in this. Thank you so much again!

[Nancy1]

Daisydogmom,
Welcome to the group that no one wants to join. Be sure to read All Users Read This First, Dr. Borody's article, Dr. McDonald's article (in the FAQ section under Articles by Experts), and all areas in FAQ that interest you.

There are lots of great people and terrific knowledge here. You are definitely not alone. You've gotten some fine advice and info. I asked the same question that you did, about hygiene, and I was told that because we can have the spores forever, we need to be very careful about cleaning forever. That being said, once your son has recovered, I think you don't need to be quite so obsessive. Also, your son will need to be very careful about taking antibiotics in the future, because they can retrigger cdiff.

Good luck. Let us know how it goes.