My husbands mother had been in hospital in Florida for pneumonia.
Then transferred to convalescent home near her home in Fl.
Been there for over month now.
Was getting stronger after pneumonia with rehab.
Had an injury to foot (from wheelchair) was given antibiotics for that as not healing fast enough. Also given Metamusil etc as constipated with hemorrhoids. Oxygen to improve alertness
Planning return to home with in-home help (we live in NE USA) as memory seems affected but she was adamant she wanted to get home
Got a cold, rehab had to be suspended while recovering.
Then got weaker, less able, less alert.
We arrived Friday lunchtime - she had not been able to eat that day - diarrhea.
Seemed half-asleep most of time.
Tried to get her to eat & drink as worried she was so ill looking. She was falling asleep between getting food on form before getting it into mouth.
Only taking small sips water.
Very small amount of food seemed to improve her mental state for very short times between naps.
Sat: Conscious less amount of time (not sure if asleep or unconscious but can waken mostly if tapped. Deaf so voices do not rouse her)
Still has diarrhea.
Dehydration now being treated with IV 5%solution (Dr originally gave merely drinks we persuaded nurses to ask Dr for IV as she was too "out of it" to even drink. Still no food -refuses any & all suggestions.
Also vanco... Rx
Basically only "awake" a few seconds at a time, maybe total 10 minutes in several hours.
Voice is very weak & seems slurred.
Should we move her back to hospital, should we be getting specialist Dr - type? Should we try to give her yoghurt with probiotics or is that useless at this point.
HELP, please?
Very very worried about her.
Any & all educated suggestions welcome at this point
89 with severe CDiff: advice please
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worried in FL
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Bobbie
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Stardard Intro.
Welcome to the site. Read the first forum ALL USERS READ THIS FIRST & its subtopics – especially the announcements: PLEASE READ BEFORE YOU POST and GUIDELINES FOR POSTING TO OUR DISCUSSION BOARDS. They will guide you in using the site & answer some of the most frequent questions. Read Dr. Borody’s & Dr. McDonald’s articles and some of the topics in FAQ – especially Hygiene, Nutrition, & Testing.
Let's hope your MIL is one of the lucky ones who recovers with one to two rounds of Flagyl or Vanco. If antibiotics contributed to her C. diff., be careful about her taking them again. (See FAQ-Antibiotics.) Some people can tolerate them without a problem; some develop C. diff. again. (See Dr. Borody’s article.)
Q & A
Sorry about your MIL. Altho. I detest hospitals, I think The Vike might be right unless she starts to improve ASAP. I assume you have home care nurses because of the IV. One of most important things is not to let her get dehydrated. (See FAQ-Dehydration.)
C. diff. is particularly hard on the elderly. I'd "get her" to a GI or an infectious disease doc. I lived in Omaha for years, & a ped. GI. from the U. of NE Med. Center saved my son's life when he had C. diff. Call the hospital & ask for referrals for adult GI's & infect. disease docs.
Probiotics help some & don't do much for others. See info. about them in Treatments & FAQ. I'd check with her doc. also.
Best of luck. Keep us posted.
Welcome to the site. Read the first forum ALL USERS READ THIS FIRST & its subtopics – especially the announcements: PLEASE READ BEFORE YOU POST and GUIDELINES FOR POSTING TO OUR DISCUSSION BOARDS. They will guide you in using the site & answer some of the most frequent questions. Read Dr. Borody’s & Dr. McDonald’s articles and some of the topics in FAQ – especially Hygiene, Nutrition, & Testing.
Let's hope your MIL is one of the lucky ones who recovers with one to two rounds of Flagyl or Vanco. If antibiotics contributed to her C. diff., be careful about her taking them again. (See FAQ-Antibiotics.) Some people can tolerate them without a problem; some develop C. diff. again. (See Dr. Borody’s article.)
Q & A
Sorry about your MIL. Altho. I detest hospitals, I think The Vike might be right unless she starts to improve ASAP. I assume you have home care nurses because of the IV. One of most important things is not to let her get dehydrated. (See FAQ-Dehydration.)
C. diff. is particularly hard on the elderly. I'd "get her" to a GI or an infectious disease doc. I lived in Omaha for years, & a ped. GI. from the U. of NE Med. Center saved my son's life when he had C. diff. Call the hospital & ask for referrals for adult GI's & infect. disease docs.
Probiotics help some & don't do much for others. See info. about them in Treatments & FAQ. I'd check with her doc. also.
Best of luck. Keep us posted.
Last edited by Bobbie on Sun Dec 14, 2008 2:42 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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sks001
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Worried in Florida -
Not clear from your post. Is she still in convalescent center, or home with round the clock nursing? How long ago was she diagnosed with C-Diff, by whom, and by what method? How much oral vanco is she being given per day?
Just my 2¢ worth, but I'd be on the phone to her doctor NOW (not tomorrow or the next day), and tell him you are bringing her to hospital via EMS and for him to meet you there, have him put her in isolation room, and for him to get an Infectious Disease doctor on her case immediately. She's obviously too sick to try to get her to a doctor.
There may be something else going on besides the C-Diff since she got weaker right after a cold. Most likely needs to be on oxygen and IV nutrition.
No-one wants to be in hospital, but at least there she can get all the tests she needs to diagnose her.
Not clear from your post. Is she still in convalescent center, or home with round the clock nursing? How long ago was she diagnosed with C-Diff, by whom, and by what method? How much oral vanco is she being given per day?
Just my 2¢ worth, but I'd be on the phone to her doctor NOW (not tomorrow or the next day), and tell him you are bringing her to hospital via EMS and for him to meet you there, have him put her in isolation room, and for him to get an Infectious Disease doctor on her case immediately. She's obviously too sick to try to get her to a doctor.
There may be something else going on besides the C-Diff since she got weaker right after a cold. Most likely needs to be on oxygen and IV nutrition.
No-one wants to be in hospital, but at least there she can get all the tests she needs to diagnose her.
Sandy
Southeast Michigan
"Life is not measured by the number of breaths you take, but by the moments that take your breath away".
Southeast Michigan
"Life is not measured by the number of breaths you take, but by the moments that take your breath away".
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worried in FL
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I'm sorry if I was not clear in my original post.
My MIL is NOT at home.
She is being cared for by Dr's & RN's using the published c-diff protocol and is in "isolation".
She fell ill with the c-diff diarrhea on Friday. Confirming test results came back Sat (when I first posted) & she was very ill
Sunday she was definitely improving. Monday better than Sunday but still very weak. Has eaten a little bland food.
The vanco enabled the c-diff. She is off that antibiotic.
She is on flagyl now, not by IV
The IV is to re-hydrate her & provide nutrients she needs.
Unfortunately she now has a UTI (from diarrhea?) so she needs Rx for that.
She is getting pro-biotics not at same time as Flagyl.
Roy- Several of her caregivers trained/worked at Whipps X. She is getting comparable treatment to being in a ward there. I was trying to find out if ER or ICU would have different Rx or procedures available for her.
My MIL is NOT at home.
She is being cared for by Dr's & RN's using the published c-diff protocol and is in "isolation".
She fell ill with the c-diff diarrhea on Friday. Confirming test results came back Sat (when I first posted) & she was very ill
Sunday she was definitely improving. Monday better than Sunday but still very weak. Has eaten a little bland food.
The vanco enabled the c-diff. She is off that antibiotic.
She is on flagyl now, not by IV
The IV is to re-hydrate her & provide nutrients she needs.
Unfortunately she now has a UTI (from diarrhea?) so she needs Rx for that.
She is getting pro-biotics not at same time as Flagyl.
Roy- Several of her caregivers trained/worked at Whipps X. She is getting comparable treatment to being in a ward there. I was trying to find out if ER or ICU would have different Rx or procedures available for her.
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Bobbie
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Glad your MIL is doing better. Glad she is in isolation -- for her sake & the sake of others. See the hygiene section of FAQ. Always wash your hands before and after you visit her. Soap and water are best
Doubt if the Vanco. "enabled" the C. diff. Usually, it is the cure not the cause of C. diff. but do check with her docs. re. this. Flagyl does help many but usually has more side effects than Vanco. -- is also less expensive.
Check FAQ-Antibiotics & FAQ-UTI's for info. on the UTI. I would insist on a culture (before she is given another antibiotic) to see what organism is causing the infection. Most are caused by E. coli bacteria & respond to Macrobid --considered a "safe" antibiotic. Again, run this by her doctor.
Doubt if the Vanco. "enabled" the C. diff. Usually, it is the cure not the cause of C. diff. but do check with her docs. re. this. Flagyl does help many but usually has more side effects than Vanco. -- is also less expensive.
Check FAQ-Antibiotics & FAQ-UTI's for info. on the UTI. I would insist on a culture (before she is given another antibiotic) to see what organism is causing the infection. Most are caused by E. coli bacteria & respond to Macrobid --considered a "safe" antibiotic. Again, run this by her doctor.
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worried in FL
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We were definitely told that she was on Vanco & that was when she got c-diff.
The vanco may have been for bronchitus. she has been taken off it now.
She has since been put on another antibiotic for UTI
They did do cultures for both c-diff & UTI.
Whipps X is very large, Roy. I know the area well and not a place to linger on foot. Inside the hospital is OK if old. My mother is currently receiving care from their opthamology clinic & the Dr there is excellent even if "service" is slow. Incidentally. when I took my daughter there 20+ years ago in an emergency, the Dr & nurses we encountered were all American or Canadian.
The vanco may have been for bronchitus. she has been taken off it now.
She has since been put on another antibiotic for UTI
They did do cultures for both c-diff & UTI.
Whipps X is very large, Roy. I know the area well and not a place to linger on foot. Inside the hospital is OK if old. My mother is currently receiving care from their opthamology clinic & the Dr there is excellent even if "service" is slow. Incidentally. when I took my daughter there 20+ years ago in an emergency, the Dr & nurses we encountered were all American or Canadian.
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Bobbie
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worried in FL,
Do some reading of the info. on this site so you know what to ask the docs. & doublecheck what they told you about Vanco. Especially read the articles by Dr. Borody & Dr. McDonald. Again, hope your MIL is seeing a GI or an infectious disease doc.
As Roy said, Vanco. is seldom given -- except by IV for resistant staph infections and orally for C. diff. Although Flagyl can cause C. diff. (rarely), I've never heard of Vanco. contributing to it, but I am not in the medical field. My son was one of the first (and the youngest) given Vanco. orally for C. diff. in l979. He would have died without it.
Grease sandwiches, Yuck. Maybe a cultural thing or something given during the "lean years" after WWII.? I do like "beans on toast."
Surprised to see how the pound has fallen. Now, it isn't that far away from our dollar. We've been in the UK when the shoes we bought for the kids in the US cost $25.00 but would have been $50.00 in the UK.
All hospitals are good places to stay away from but, unfortunately, are sometimes necssary. Insist your MIL's medical staff wash their hands.
Do some reading of the info. on this site so you know what to ask the docs. & doublecheck what they told you about Vanco. Especially read the articles by Dr. Borody & Dr. McDonald. Again, hope your MIL is seeing a GI or an infectious disease doc.
As Roy said, Vanco. is seldom given -- except by IV for resistant staph infections and orally for C. diff. Although Flagyl can cause C. diff. (rarely), I've never heard of Vanco. contributing to it, but I am not in the medical field. My son was one of the first (and the youngest) given Vanco. orally for C. diff. in l979. He would have died without it.
Grease sandwiches, Yuck. Maybe a cultural thing or something given during the "lean years" after WWII.? I do like "beans on toast."
Surprised to see how the pound has fallen. Now, it isn't that far away from our dollar. We've been in the UK when the shoes we bought for the kids in the US cost $25.00 but would have been $50.00 in the UK.
All hospitals are good places to stay away from but, unfortunately, are sometimes necssary. Insist your MIL's medical staff wash their hands.
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