Claire's Case History (My Mother)

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My mother was given Guaifinex by her primary care physician for acute bronchitis about one week prior to being admitted to the hospital on December 6, 2003. The doctors concluded my mother had pneumonia and a heart attack (because her enzyme levels were elevated), and she was treated with antibiotics and heart medication. My mother was released from the hospital on December 11, 2003 and continued with the heart medication and Avelox at home. On December 18, 2003, my mother was re-admitted to the hospital with severe diarrhea. The doctors told us my mother had C-Diff which, they said, was treatable. The doctors treated my mother with Flagyl and Vancomycin for the C-Diff. My mother spent 32 days in the hospital; C-Diff affected practically every organ in her body. She developed thrush, leading to the inability to swallow or speak, congested lungs, blood clots, and atrial fibrillation. These are just a few of the side effects of C-Diff from which she suffered. (Prior to December 2003, my mother, who was 76, had always been extremely healthy.) My mother was discharged from the hospital on January 19, 2004 and admitted to a skilled nursing facility for rehabilitation, and continued to take Vancomycin for a few days while at the nursing facility. On January 31, 2004 (approximately one week after stopping the Vancomycin), my mother was again re-admitted to the hospital with a recurrence of C-Diff. My mother was again treated with Vancomycin and discharged from the hospital on February 7, 2004. My mother returned home on February 7, 2004 and received home care from a nurse and a physical therapist; she continued to take Vancomycin at home (125 mg/4x day) until February 26, 2004. On March 5, 2004, my mother visited her primary care physician with complaints of fatigue, weakness, lethargy, runny nose and nasal congestion. Her temperature was 99.8, and her white cell count was 11. All of her other vital signs were good. In fact, blood work and a chest X-ray done the previous day indicated that my mother's liver and kidneys were functioning well and that her lungs were clear. In addition, the results of my mother's stress test indicated that her heart was perfect, that she did not even have a scar, and that she, in fact, did not have a heart attack. I asked my mother's doctor if it was possible if the C-Diff had returned, and the doctor told me she did not think so, that my mother could not live in a bubble and that she was allowed to get a "small virus." The doctor did not mention C-Diff until I asked about it. The doctor wrote a prescription for Vancomycin and told me to give it to my mother if she started having diarrhea; the doctor said that even if my mother did not have C-Diff, the Vancomycin would not hurt. On March 7, 2004 (10 days after stopping the Vancomycin), my mother was re-admitted to the hospital with C-Diff. She died on March 9, 2004. My sisters and I were totally unprepared for my mother's death. She had been doing so well at home, her heart was strong, her lungs were clear, her oxygen level was 99%, and her vital signs were stable. She was eating three meals a day, getting her strength back and enjoyed the physical therapy. She had visitors, we ran short errands and then went out lunch together once or twice a week. <BR> <BR>My sisters and I have been unable to get any answers from my mother's primary care physician or the infectious disease doctor and gastroenterologists who treated my mother in the hospital. We do not understand how she became so sick so quickly. We have just learned through the Internet that one type of treatment for recurrent C-Diff would be to administer a prolonged course of Vancomycin, following by gradual tapering. We also discovered from the Internet that a sigmoidoscopy or a colonoscopy should be performed after a person is diagnosed with C-Diff. No one suggested these treatments or procedures for my mother. The only doctor present when my mother was discharged from the hospital on February 7, 2004 was the infectious disease doctor, who just told my mother to watch what she ate. My God, we don't want this to happen to anyone else!!! Who do we write to or call???