First post! Getting FMT next month, need advice on cleaning my bathroom/kitchen

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mitchv
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Joined: Sun Aug 06, 2017 2:28 pm

First post! Getting FMT next month, need advice on cleaning my bathroom/kitchen

Postby mitchv » Sun Aug 06, 2017 2:43 pm

Hello friends! I'm sorry that we have such a 'shitty' thing in common (pun intended) but am stoked to see that there is such a vibrant community of people going through the same thing I have been dealing with since December 2016. I am a 28 year old male with psoriatic arthritis who takes Humira, and used to work at a men's bath house laundering soiled sheets which is unfortunately how I contracted c.diff and ended up in the ICU for the first time over the holidays with pseudomembranous colitis. To add insult to injury, I caught pneumonia when i was in there and had to stay for an entire week, which I have only recently paid off the copay debt from, and my boss fired me for falling asleep on the toilet at work from exhaustion (which meant I didn't qualify for unemployment, and had to pay for 3 months of COBRA to keep my medical benefits to pay for surgery and antibiotics).

After 3 rounds of vancomycin including a month long taper and bowel resection surgery, after which it kept returning and put me in the ER again last week, my new gastroenterologist has finally approved me for FMT! I'm going to meet with her next Thursday with my donor to get the screening done and schedule the procedure. Since the diarrhea is unfortunately so severe that I cannot work right now and am only financially independent because I live in low income housing and managed to save up a lot while I was working (a sincere 'thanks Obama' for Medicaid!!), I'm trying to take advantage of this free time to educate myself as much as possible, and build better hygiene and eating habits. However, I've run into a challenge, which is that as a young man and his teenage roommate both raised by 'dirty hippies' (I love my parents and his, but hygiene was never their strong suit) neither of us have ever had to 'deep clean' a kitchen or bathroom to the level of sterility required to prevent disease transmission before, only to the level of superficial cleanliness necessary to get a damage deposit back. So far, my roommate has not contracted c.diff (or at least, he's asymptomatic but might still be colonized), but it's extremely important to me that he does not, not only because I have empathy and wouldn't wish this illness on my worst enemy, but also because his hygiene is worse than mine and because I am immunocompromised due to Humira there is a chance, if our apartment is not perfectly sterile, that he will re-infect me after FMT.

While I do have plenty of free time to clean, I am also on an extremely strict budget - I have food stamps which I am confident I can buy enough boost and chicken broth and oil to survive, but I don't have a lot of money for expensive cleaning supplies and need to stick to bleach and other things that are cheap to acquire from the discount store. I was wondering if anyone could give me advice on the supplies I will need to get to make sure my kitchen and bathroom are sterile to avoid re-transmitting, as well as how long to scrub and what parts to clean (even no-brainer stuff like 'wear gloves' or 'use hot water, not cold', I won't be insulted). Also, any surfaces that are commonly missed - I know that doorknobs and toothbrushes are a big one, any other tips like that are well appreciated.

NanciT
Long Time Contributor
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Joined: Thu Sep 18, 2014 12:01 pm

Re: First post! Getting FMT next month, need advice on cleaning my bathroom/kitchen

Postby NanciT » Sun Aug 06, 2017 2:53 pm

Hi Mitchv Welcome to the site Please read the first thread for all new posters

Sorry you had to find us, it sounds like you have had a rough time which included surgery. Hopefully you are on the right tract with this GI and are able to get the FMT.
The Bleach is your best inexpensive bet for cleaning. I used it for a good year while I had active CDIFF including bleaching my clothing and towels. If you look under CDI there is a wealth of information.

Wishing you the best with the FMT, we are a supportive group and you will also find a great deal of info Under FMT

NanciT

roy
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Joined: Sat Aug 02, 2014 1:05 am

Re: First post! Getting FMT next month, need advice on cleaning my bathroom/kitchen

Postby roy » Sun Aug 06, 2017 4:07 pm

All the expensive stuff is just bleach repackaged.
Sounds like you already educated yourself.
Most important is washing your hands and food preparation.
No matter how much c.diff is around you if it does not reach your mouth it can't infect you

MKW
Regular Contributor
Posts: 392
Joined: Mon Sep 26, 2016 9:49 am

Re: First post! Getting FMT next month, need advice on cleaning my bathroom/kitchen

Postby MKW » Sun Aug 06, 2017 6:03 pm

Hi, I am so sorry to hear of all you have been through. I had an FMT in March and have been ok since. I have some IBS issues, but it is nothing in comparison to C Diff.
I want to tell you (as Roy said also), remember - C Diff is hand to mouth. Always think of that in everything you do. Eat with utensils, wash your hands throughly before you touch anything that touches your mouth, etc. Walmart sells boxes of $100 blue Nitrile gloves for $7. I still use these when I wipe after a BM. Shut the toilet lid when you flush. Once you thoroughly clean your place, then all you have to do is maintain habits which don't spread fecal bacteria anywhere. Also, don't keep a single thing in your bathroom on the counter or towels in the open. When you flush bacteria can get sprayed airborne and contaminate anything in the area. .... My first doctor didn't even tell me C Diff was contagious. I just wish our medical professionals were educated about this, and gave people proper info on precautions to follow at home from the beginning.


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