Pauline's case history

[Pauline]

I am a 44 year old w/f married with one child. I had a two week bout of diarrhea I attributed to food poisoning. I was on my second round of antibiotics for a sinus infection-Omnicef. I went to the ER after making it halfway through Sunday evening Mass. They hydrated me, took a stool sample and sent me home on Flagyl. No one explained what C. Dif is, what it could do. They told me to contact my MD in 48hrs for the lab results.

I saw my MD three days later. He said the labs weren't back but it was probably irritable bowel syndrome. Once the Flagyl was finished the diarrhea returned and I got sicker and sicker. I played a tennis match in 102 degree heat and once I got home I couldn't get up to pick my daughter up from school. When I got to my doc's office they still didn't have the tests. He wasn't concerned because he thought since I get migraines that I was just nervous by nature and had IBS.

My husband pitched a huge fuss and got the hospital to fax the labs. My stool culture showed positive for C. Dif. Things went down hill fast once I got to the ER with a temp of 103 and a white count over 50,000. I only remember being told if I'd come in a day later I'd have been dead.

I was in the ICU following a dx of pseudomembranous colitits. Dreadful.
I went into a sigmoidoscopy not knowing if I would wake up with my colon.
I was distended from my sternum to my pubic bone. I was given: Flagyl IV, Vancomycin by mouth-vile!-Phospate, Potassium and gamma globulin by IV. The antibiotics worked and I did not have to have surgery. For this I thank every friend I have who prayed for me.

I went home after 8 days 22lbs lighter and a little crazy from being confined. It is now two months home-one month off antibiotics and I am okay except for a lingering fatigue and muscle aches. I won my first tennis match since being back this week and I look forward to a full recovery. I have just recently felt an overwhelming need to talk about this to people who understand. I am grateful for this website.

P.

[Pauline]

It is six months following my hospitalization and I think I am finally past this thing! It is just in the past few weeks I have felt my energy and mental clarity returning. Am playing tennis even better-won big this week! I can go and blow like I used to-but I don't think I will. This dreadful illness has taught me I can't be all things to all people. It has shown me how precious the gift of motherhood is and mostly what a gift life itself is. I do think about being sick with this in quiet moments-it is a disease that takes over everything, isn't it?

I am so glad this site exists. It is a safe therapeutic place to work things out in each person's individual way. Don't give up hope-recovery is possible.

Pauline