My Mother caught this horrible illness after her doctor refused to test her, even though I told him there was blood. She went to a new doctor and he sent her to the hospital and they were going to send her home but I requested rehab at the NH. The request was due to my father in law , grandson, and my own children, wanting to keep them well. With all of them in the home just couldn't and didn't want to take the chance. She has been in there for 30 days and still has it. Should I be concerned or will she ever really get rid of it. I would like to bring her back home but now she is also not sitting up or walking since this illness started. Has anyone got any advice?
I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but once a person has the C. Diff infection they never totally get it out of their system. It can be controlled but not eliminated.
My mother caught it while in a NH last year for rehab from a broken hip. She went through a series of urinary tract infections and was given strong antibiotics to handle the UTI’s. The antibiotics wiped out most of the good bacteria in her system which let the bad bacteria multiply. We don’t know for sure how she contacted the C. Diff. spore. It was terrible!! She lost food almost as fast as she took it in. She got very weak from lack of nourishment. She was put in isolation & her doctor tried all sort of things. Finally he sent her to a gastroenterologist who put her on a heavy dosage of vancomycin. This finally controlled the C. Diff. She has been on a maintenance dosage every since then. (BTW, be sure you get the liquid version, the tablet form was over $1,500 per month after insurance).
The gastroenterologist told me that the C. Diff spore is like a tiny egg with a shell. As long as there is enough good bacteria in a person’s system then the C. Diff is dormant. But if something happens & the level of good bacteria decreases it is sort of like breaking an egg shell & the C. Diff spore spills out & starts to multiply.
Unfortunately my mother go pneumonia in early November & she had to have antibiotics for that. So as you can guess, the C. Diff has become active again. She has been back on the heavy dosages of vancomycin for the past 2 ½ weeks & is in isolation again. Visitors have to wear protective gowns & gloves. C. Diff is contagious, but we were told that you are at risk only if you come into contact with an infected person’s stool. We were also told that the alcohol based hand cleaners do nothing for C. Diff. You must wash your hands thoroughly with regular hand soap & hot water.
As you already know C. Diff is terrible!! I pray for you as you try to deal with it.
My 97 yr old Aunt developed it and spent a total of six weeks recovering from it. Ten days in the Hospital, almost three weeks at Hospice and then nineteen days at Re-Hab, learning to walk and become continent again. It is a terrible affliction on the elderly and will deplete their strength and energy quickly.
I was totally overwhelmed at the wonderful care she received at Hospice. I always thought that you didn't call them unless it was 'The End' so to speak, but I have been educated. They also do 'Stablization'. They give the prescribed meds, keep the patient comfortable and clean and let their bodies respond. No tubes, no forced procedures. As soon as she stablized, she went to the Re-Hab to finish regaining strength. I highly recommend their facilities.
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