14 month old with CDiff

[Alma]

My daughter was diagnosed with c diff while she was in the hospital for a high white blood cell count. I had never heard of CDiff before and now that she has CDiff again within a week it is beginning to scare me. Doctor prescribed her Flagyl which I will be picking up later this afternoon. But after all the negative things being said about this antibiotic, I am not sure I should be giving it to her. I will ask her doctor today to send us to a pediatric GI specialist just to be on the safe side. My daughter has lost 2 pounds in 1 week, which I am hoping and praying she does not lose more. I need to know what else should I be asking her doctor when I see him this afternoon. What should he be doing? Seeing a pediatric GI specialist is the right thing to do for sure but what else can I be doing to help my baby girl with this horrible virus.

[Lisa33]

Hi Alma - Welcome to the site. Please read the first forum for new posters on rules of posting, standard intro, testing info, etc.

I am so sorry that your daughter is going through this. It is an awful illness, but she will get better. Sometimes it takes just a little bit of time. However, the majority do get cured after one or two round of meds. Flagyl can be a harsh med to tolerate for many. It is usually prescribed though as the first round of treatment. Most likely because it is the cheapest. Vanco and Dificid are much more expensive, but also much more effective. Vanco does not destroy as much good gut bacteria as Flagyl, and Dificid does not destroy any. However, since your daughter is only 14 months old, I don't believe that Dificid is approved for pediatrics. You can confirm with your doctor.

I would also ask your doctor about probiotics for your little one. There are pediatric probiotics, such as Florastor for Kids and Floraboost. Culturelle also makes one as well. But definitely check with the pediatric GI if this is something that you can give your daughter. The probiotics will help to replenish the good gut bacteria.

Was your daughter having typical C-diff symptoms - the copious watery D throughout the day? I ask this because many babies carry c-diff. C-diff is only an active infection when symptoms are present (toxins are positive.)

A bland diet (BRAT diet) may be helpful until the D subsides. Many people get food intolerances, such as dairy and gluten, as a result of c-diff. I would discuss diet with your doctor as well. Most importantly, make sure that she stays hydrated, especially with persistent D. Pedialyte is very helpful.

Good luck with the appt, and hoping that your daughter is cured after this round of Flagyl. As a mom, it's so hard to watch your child ill with anything. But know, that she will be fine. There are several posters who have had young babies and children with c-diff. You can do a search. I'm sure they will reply if they see this.

Lisa

[Lisa33]

Oh just to add, which is very important. I would wear gloves while changing diapers, and dispose of the diapers in a separate garbage. C-diff is contagious by the oral-fecal route, meaning you have to ingest the fecal matter. But spores can hide on surfaces for quite some time. Make sure to wash your hands with soap and water thoroughly after every diaper change, along with other proper times, such as before eating meals. Proper hygiene, especially handwashing with soap and water, is the best way to avoid spreading the c-diff spores. If you bathe her in a little tub, make sure to clean with bleach - 10 parts water to 1 part bleach. Make sure to change the solution to maintain its effectiveness. Also, Clorox makes Healthgrade Germicidal Wipes that kill c-diff spores. It says it right on the container. These can come in handy for wiping down surfaces. I order them on Amazon. Regular antibacterial wipes and Lysol do not kill c-diff spores.

[roy]

Can you describe her symptoms please.
A LOT of kids her age are carriers of c.diff and test positive.

[Bobbie]

Empathize with you. My son developed c diff in 1979 at the age of 4. He was the youngest and one of the first people given oral vanco - before that vanco was a IV Med. He was in a coma for several days, was hospitalized three times but finally recovered after three relapses.

There were no support sites then, and few - even doc's - had heard of the disease. His ped. GI had an associate who did a fellowship under Dr. Bartlett of Johns Hopkins - who discovered oral vanco was effective against c diff.

Some can tolerate Flagyl - some can't.

Follow Lisa's good advice. Always question antibiotics in the future. Some can take them again - some can't.Roy has a good point - did she test positive for c diff.? Did she have an antibiotic prior to becoming ill? Was she in daycare?

Yes, use a ped. GI.

She will be fine, Mom. Hang in there.

[denizz]

my son had cdiff inf too..he was 2.5 yo when he had it :(.what i know so far is till age 3 little ones can be carriers ..40/70 percent till age 1 and 15 percent till age 2 and it drops down to 0 to 3 percent to adult levels by the age 3 ..U might be having an infevtion but other possibilities must be ruled out (smtimes milk allergy can make similar symptoms in kids )..hope by the age 3 all this will be a history for you and your little one and if not u just need to watch antibiotics ..Kids do not relaps as ofen as grown ups ...

[Ashley20]

Hi Alma, i have a 16 month old baby and he tested positive for cdiff when he was 5 months old. I was diagnosed with cdiff when he was 4 months old. He was having some loose stools with mucous but no blood when i decided to have him tested. His pediatrician did an Antigen test on him and he came back positive for both toxins. After a few days with no treatment my baby got better. His pediatrician referred him to a GI and they both decided not to give him any treatment. I started him on yogurt and probiotics at 6 months old. This was 10 months ago and he was never retested...i don't know if he still carries cdiff or not. He is very healthy and is not allergic to any foods. I continue to give him yogurt daily and a refrigerated infant powder probiotic in his milk. I also add some Kiefer in his bottle once a day. He has never been on antibiotics though...so i don't really think he ever had an infection...he is just a carrier. I still use gloves to change his diapers and i use disposable changing pads. I do not bleach anything anymore, he has no diarrhea and i clean him up well with a soapy washcloth before baths :)