frogerina's (hopefully short-lived!) story

[frogerina]

I'm 48, and had been dealing with some recurrent UTIs through the fall and early winter. Since I had dealt with the same in college, I figured the best use of my time and health care dollars was at the "instant clinic" at our local drugstore, where they did a urine test, started me on Macrodantin. Didn't seem to help, so went back at the end of that course, was prescribed Cipro. Seemed to clear it.

Late January 2013, started my day when I suddenly had a laser pain that threw me to the floor. After finally scooping myself up a few hours later (of course hubs had already left for work...), I schlepped down to Urgent Care, where they thought perhaps I had passed a small kidney stone, as there was blood in the urine, and signs of yet another UTI. Doc put me back on Cipro, added Flagyl.

Finished the meds, went for a urology consult at the behest of my primary doc. She put me on a maintenance daily dose of macrodantin. Three days into that course (and about a week after finishing the last Cipro/Flagyl)...

Woke up with horrible stomach pain, diarrhea and 102 degree fever. But I work with little kids, so I figured that one of my small friends had shared the stomach bug with me. After 3 days with no improvement, went to my primary doc, who said that there was indeed a nasty bug going around, and the best thing to do was to give my stomach a rest, do a weekend of Tylenol, Immodium and Gatorade (how I loathe Gatorade...). Although I still felt quite ill, and still had the fever intermittently, the D did seem to decrease (of course, I wasn't eating, and was slamming myself with Immodium...), so after 48 hours, I tried a piece of plain toast...mistake.

Back to full-blown D, unable to stay hydrated. Finally, emailed the doc to see if she knew of a week-long stomach bug, or if I should be concerned of something else. She called later that day, and told me to get to the ER for some IV fluids and a c. diff test.

So hubs took me over to the hospital for what I imagined to be an evening of hydration...while there, they did a stool test, which came back positive for c. diff, and said my electrolytes were all whacked from a week plus of severe D. (Interesting, as I am reading that c. diff doesn't survive in an unrefrigerated sample for long, and by the time my home-brought sample and I were taken back to be tested, it had probably been 3 hours since collection...). Anyway, after a consult w/the infectious disease doc and some discussion back and forth, they decided to take me up to the floor on an observation hold, as I really felt worse, rather than better, after the IV fluids and various electrolyte replacements.

In my little isolation room, NPO, on IV and 500 mg Vancomycin, I am ready to hit the road next morning...when the hospitalist comes in and says they want to keep me another day...that led to more (must be my sparkling wit and astoundingly entertaining bed hair...). He wasn't pleased with my skill at eating (every time I tried, I would get severe stomach pain, and then the food would head south... I was finally discharged after 4 days, and really only because I threw a minor hissy fit -- my daughter was performing in a play at her college, and I really, really wanted to be there.

The Vancomycin and probiotics they prescribed seem to be working (I've got 5 more days). However, I am still not a champion at eating -- managing yogurt,(barely), clear soups, jello, and sorbets. I have zero appetite, and am pretty much constantly low-level nauseous (I do have prescription for Zofran, usually end up taking it at least once a day, as I am back at work). To this point, I've lost 16 pounds (really didn't mind the first 10...but don't want this to become the new norm...) I've had a headache for the past 2 days (could just be that my end of month paperwork is stressing me out...) and my blood pressure, normally borderline low, has been in the prehypertension stage since it really jumped high at the hospital. Vancomycin side effect? Dunno... I am super exhausted by the end of the day, but wonder if part of that is just the getting back to full-time work while recovering phase of things. Innards are still so very rumbly...

So I finish the Vancomycin on Monday...and I am mildly terrified that this monster is still lurking. Things are still not perfect on the stool front (yet the doc told me that would take a while..). They had told me they wanted me to have an ongoing prescription for the (expensive!) Vancomycin, so that if I get symptoms again, I can start treating it immediately, but when they discharged me from the hospital, they only gave me 11 days' worth, and I can't get anyone to return my calls to see about putting refills in my record. (He also wanted the Vancomycin available in case I end up with another UTI or similar antibiotic-requiring illness, to take a half dose to try to keep things at bay.) I see my primary a week from Friday for a follow up. I am hopeful she will write the prescription, because even if I (HOPEFULLY) never have to fill it, I will feel more secure knowing that I can get to the meds quickly if needed.

It's been an interesting couple of weeks...called the urologist, who agreed that I should not go back on the maintenance macrodantin, but didn't have a whole lot of ideas/solutions (beyond the usual prevention steps I am already taking) regarding the UTIs. I worry a bit about giving this to the kids I work with (medically fragile infants and toddlers that I visit in their homes), but I am assured, as long as the D and fever are not there and my hands (my poor dry hands) are scrupulously clean, I will not share. I have missed several days of work...which is maddening, and my dear patient hubs is ready for me to be better...(me, too).

So...hopefully this is a one-time adventure into the land of c. diff. My doc did warn me about the potential for relapse, and with the prospect of more UTIs potentially hanging over my head...yikes.

[frogerina]

So I went to my primary care doc today for a 2-week after hospital discharge checkup. I'm to a point where the D has pretty nearly resolved, but I'm still having issues with stomach pain, cramping after eating, nausea, exhaustion, and I'm losing a ton of weight. She decided to keep me on the probiotics and Zofran (anti-nausea), and put me back on Vanco, but 125 mg 2 x a day for a week. (I finished the original 2 week course of 125 4 x daily 5 days ago.) She gave me a referral to a GI doc if this week of Vanco doesn't fix things. I'm not horrible sick like when I ended up in the hospital...but also not at all great. My doc leaves for a week of vacation the end of next week, and I think she wanted to make sure I had somewhere to turn if things all go to heck while she's gone (fortunately, I like her partner, so that's a plus)...but I also don't want to go running to yet another doctor if I'm actually just sort of revving back toward normal (hope...).

To this point, I've lost 20 pounds. I'm still not at all interested in eating, but I force myself to get something down. I've been off work this past week as a planned vacation w/my daughter, who's home from college for her spring break. (And we had a snowstorm last week..."spring break"....ah, March.) I did go back to work for a week right after getting out of the hospital, and I was so unbearably exhausted. Then there was this break...thought I'd get some rest, finish the Vanco, be able to eat and get energized and ready to return...

Instead, I wasn't able to do a ton of good stuff w/my kiddo while she was home. Tried to take her shopping, but had to cry "uncle" after only a couple of stores. I've enjoyed listening to her stories, and she's a remarkably patient person, but our breaks together are usually full of adventures.

Now Monday looms. I'll be back at work, back on the Vanco, working on my grad school physiology class (yeah...I think that one wold be a killer even w/out sickie brain...). I had really hoped/planned that this week of rest would have been my "fixer upper" week...but once again, I'm a little afraid that Monday's gonna kill me... Naw...I'll get through it. But sheesh -- this c. diff is a bear!