Contagious?? NEWBIE

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Silviaxo
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Contagious?? NEWBIE

Postby Silviaxo » Thu Aug 02, 2018 12:24 am

If there is no D are you still contagious?? I'm going a little over board washing my hands and it's making my husband real mad at me. I wash my hands over everything now!!!! Even if I touch my clothes.. I'm even scared to step out the shower becauseI feel like i will track spores to my bedroom as I'm walking :( and when I wash my clothes I use a debit card to pay and sometimes I spray bleach on the debit card thinking it might have spores!! I have 2 small kids and I have lost precious time with them because I'm always washing my hands or bleaching something ....Now I tested positive weeks ago and I only had D one day so I decided not to treat it. I sometimes get small stomach discomfort here and there & nausea but i do have solid stools?? I'm wondering am I contagious?? Am I having all this anxiety for nothing?? My husband says I need to speak to a Dr because he is concerned how much I wash my hands and how OCD I have become.. Any insight would be Nice!! I need to ease my mind please and thank you.

georgina
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Re: Contagious?? NEWBIE

Postby georgina » Thu Aug 02, 2018 12:38 am

You need to stop this , you are becoming obsessed , is enough to wash hands everytime you are using the bathroom , before preparing meals or when you are returning home from shopping,work etc. , generally they are normal hygiene measures.

Silviaxo
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Re: Contagious?? NEWBIE

Postby Silviaxo » Thu Aug 02, 2018 12:55 am

Georgina I have been over doing it and it's taking a toll. I cry sometimes because I can't stop thinking about it. But more just scared for my children we have 1 bath 1 shower so they share with me. I do spray bleach after i use. But when I take a shower I feel like I'm contaminating my floors with my feet.. I just need clarity and peace of mind I guess

Kuro
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Re: Contagious?? NEWBIE

Postby Kuro » Thu Aug 02, 2018 1:06 am

What you are describing in your original post is way, way beyond what you need to be doing. The scary stories about lots of people getting infected from someone are in situations where you would expect stuff like uncontrolled incontinence, i.e hospitals and nursing homes. It's very, very rare in the home for relatives to get CDIFF. Even more so if they've had no antibiotic use!

As Georgina says, I bleach the toilet after I have a BM, and I wash my hands after using the restroom and around food time. That's really all. I'm always home and am always barefooted, particularly given my one big toe's love of going ingrown (just had to have that cut again).

We all have something about CDI that I think makes us extra anxious, but this really isn't something you need to be fearful of and go overboard on. If you're really worried, spraying some bleach in the shower tub and letting it sit for about 10 minutes (I believe) is enough, but I don't do that outside of weekly cleaning.

If you need some help getting this anxiety under control, there's no shame in talking to your doctor about your fears. They may be able to calm you down better than we can about your worries. They could also offer you something like an anti-anxiety medication to get over the hump, maybe. There's therapy, too!

Meantime, be sure to take care of your hands. Moisturize them! You don't want to wash so much that you start getting cracked and bloody.

Silviaxo
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Joined: Wed Jul 04, 2018 2:16 am

Re: Contagious?? NEWBIE

Postby Silviaxo » Thu Aug 02, 2018 1:18 am

Kuro thank you for responding. And I actually do have cuts in my hands from washing so much!! I wash them like 5 or more times in one sitting. For some reason only washing my hands for 15-30 seconds doesn't seem long enough for me!! When I go BM I seriously wash my hands about 8 times it takes so much of my time I hate even going pee because then I have to wash my hands so many times again.. I do think I need to speak to someone I feel overwhelmed and always worried thinking oh no my daughter or son touched that what "IF" MY mind goes on and on. The doctors won't retest me since I have solids now....

beth22
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Re: Contagious?? NEWBIE

Postby beth22 » Thu Aug 02, 2018 1:27 am

You really should ask your doctor to give you something for anti-anxiety or do some therapy. We had a few posters who had this reaction before and they got some help. You are not alone in this. But, your children are more exposed to c difficile when they use public bathrooms, whether at schoolor elsewhere. Shoes have c difficile on them as well as many other bacteria. You aren't going to contaminate anyone by walking barefoot. C difficile is not spread from your feet. If you get cuts on your hands you risk other infections and you really don't need to be on antibiotics for them.

I would suggest you seek out a therapist or tell your doctor about what has been going on and perhaps you can get some anti-anxiety meds for a short time. I wash my hands much more now too, but not like you are describing. I do it as Georgina described and also after I take off or put on shoes or after I handle a menu in a restaurant, I go and wash them before my food comes.

My husband shared my bathroom and bed the entire time I had c dificile and through my many relapses. He never got it and was tested to be my donor for FMT.

Kuro
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Re: Contagious?? NEWBIE

Postby Kuro » Thu Aug 02, 2018 1:29 am

Solids are a good thing! If you aren't having D, you very likely don't have active CDI. The thing is, a PCR test can still show as positive because of dead DNA, lingering spores, maybe some CDiff vegetation which is harmlessly kept under control by your other flora. That can confuse the picture and lead to over treatment. I tested for peace of mind not far back and almost ended up being unnecessarily treated, myself.

Having said that, I'm no medical expert, but washing your hands 5 times in one sitting or 8 times after using the restroom is really excessive. I would try to get some help if you can, or at the very least, talk to your doctor about your fears and be honest about how they are impacting your life. Ask them to explain the contagious aspect (and you may not be contagious at all without symptoms).

By the way, you can't transmit CDIFF via your urine, so there's no need to be washing eight times when you pee. :) Or no need ever, really, but I think you knew that already. Don't let this take over, as it sounds like you are doing pretty well in terms of recovery.

AllisS
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Re: Contagious?? NEWBIE

Postby AllisS » Thu Aug 02, 2018 8:24 am

Silviaxo, you have full-blown OCD at this point and you're not going to be able to reason or "talk yourself out of" your compulsive behavior. Even the reassurances of those of us here on the site won't have any staying power. The cracked hands from incessant washing put you at immediate risk for infection such as MRSA or cellulitis, which would require an antibiotic -- the last thing that you need. Ask your PCP for an urgent referral to a therapist. Some people do well with talk therapy while others find CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy) more useful.

I do sympathize; I've been anxiety-prone and germphobic for most of my life. But there is help to be had. I hope you avail yourself of it.
If your illness was preceded by use of a medication, e.g., an antibiotic, please fill out an FDA Adverse Event Report at http://www.fda.gov/Safety/MedWatch/default.htm


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