C. Diff Infection

I had C-Diff as an adult & was hospitalized for 3 days on IV antibiotics. It wasn't what she is on. The pain was bad & the medicine caused extreme nausea. Bless her heart. This is quite serious so listen to your doctors. I was fortunate that mine never returned. My doctor had me remind him for over a year that I had had C-Diff when I needed antibiotics. I guess they can cause it to return. Please be careful with her.

I have no experience or advice, but I will be praying for you. I cannot imagine how hard it must be to have your baby be sick like that and not be able to do anything.

L.,
Try feeding her yogurt 2-3 times a day. What has happened is the natural good bacteria is gone and the c-diff is taking over. Yogurt has natural good bacteria in it. You've probably seen the commercials for "DanActive" right? Same thing here. Babies love the texture and fruity taste of yogurt so it shouldn't be hard to get her to eat it.
Good Luck although you've already been to the Gastroenterologist, but still try the yogurt even if it clears up.

R.

I have never dealt with a child that had cdiff, but I used to work in a nursing home and a lot of our patients would end up with it. I would just try to make sure that she is well hydrated! I really wish I could help you out more. Hopefully they will be able to cure it soon. I will be praying for her. Let me know how she does!

You shouldn't have to go out of state! If the gastro doesn't work out, try Columbus children's, University hospitals, or the Cleveland Clinic. This should be able to get under control with the help of a peds gastro or peds infectious disease doc. I hope your little one feels better soon! I've had to work with kids with it and they just are so sick! :( The vanco should work, but it may take some time. And like someone else said, make sure you are washing hands well and using a bleach solution to clean surfaces that her bottom may come in contact with!

Hello L.,
My son had c-diff. He was approx 12 mo old when he had got it. He had been on numerous antibiotics. We tried the Flagyl and it didn't work so we had to also switch to Vanc. We however did that much sooner. I am a RN and so I have a little knowledge about what to expect and so on. I also have a pretty close relationship with our peds. So, after about 1 week of no goo results I really wanted to switch to Vanc. My son was better after about one week of Vanc. Hospitalization is indeed sometimes needed. I didn't want for him to have to go in but I also wanted him well fast. He is 2 now and there have been a few occassions where I have had his stool checked again bc he had some symptoms again. But, all have been negative. I think now I am just paranoid! But I wish you the best of luck and IV antibiotics may be the way you need to go to knock this mean infection. GOOD LUCK!! I know it is sure a rough time. You'll be in my thoughts and prayers!

Here is a link to some information. I would make sure you get her to the gastro specialist-he should know a lot more then her regular pediatrician. I am shocked that her doctor thinks she would have to go to INDY when we have Children's Hosptial Right here in Cincinnati. I would make sure she is staying hydrdated (Pedialyte) and eating only very easily digested foods, no junk foods etc. I am sure you need as much help as you can get-it is terrible to see your kids sick! If she will eat yogurt, either the special probiotic stuff or the regular-any of it could help in replacing her "good" bacteria. Best wishes for her speedy recovery. My prayers are with you.

Hi Lynette,

My grandmother recently recovered from a bout of c. diff. The biggest thing was to make sure that we had sanitized her home. A bleach and water mix is the best--door knobs, remote controls, light switches, the works. Could it be that there are some lingering bacteria that she's encountering daily--maybe on her toys or stuffed animals or maybe her crib? Puttering her stuffed anumals in the dryer kills a lot of the germs. Washing her plastic toys and cups in a tub of bleach and water should help.

I hate to hear that your daughter has to deal with this! I really hope she feels better.

I highly recommend introducing a high quality probiotic supplement to her diet. My daughter suffered from Thrush so bad that she had bloody stools for the first two months of her life. Wanting to be a "good mom", I tolerated her doctor's prescriptions and followed Dr's orders. All of the treatments with Nystatin, Dyflucan, etc didn't make a bit of difference - she'd get better and then it would come back. Finally, I got fed up and took matters into my own hands and went the more holistic route, which is what I've come to find works. I purchased a children's probiotic supplment called "Primadophilus Children" made by Nature's Way. Contains Acidophilus and all of the same active cultures that are normally found in yogurt. After a short week on the supplement, the infection cleared up and she's been fine since. Good luck, I hope this helps!

I would make an appt. with a gastroenterologist at the Cleveland Clinic. We've got this wonderful hospital right here with the top docs in all these specialties. We are so lucky in Cleveland... no need to go to Indy IMHO. After all, Arabian sheiks come here to be treated. I suppose I am biased b/c the Clinic (along with the grace of God!!) has saved the lives of my mom and my infant son. After all, as their motto goes, "Every Life Deserves World-Class Care."

Good Luck.

Dear L.,

Please give Dr. Merkle a call and see what he has to say. There are lots of alternatives to antibiotics and he may be able to suggest something. You can listen to how he works by going to the web site and listening to previous radio shows www.3000health.com. Office number is ###-###-####.

They don't know S. so just tell them that a net friend gave you the info.

God Bless,

S.

As one who has had C difficile I can empathsize with your concerns. Patients with C difficile are often hospitalized due to the severity of the symptoms and risks associated with it.
From my limited knowledge of C difficile, your physician has opted for an appropriate course of treatment ( Metronidazole followed by Vancomycin antimicrobial therapies). Mild C difficile can progress quickly to moderate (fever, profuse diahrea, abdominal pain) or severe manifestations (colitis, sepsis, electrolyte imbalance, etc.) - she should be closely monitored.

I believe a visit to a gastroenterologist is a good course to follow as she has not responded well to the presesnt course. I am concerned as to the length of time she has undergone treatment - possibly she should have been referred sooner??

Do not hesitate to allow her to be hospitalized though I understand the fears parents may have with the hospitalization of a small child. C difficile is not to be addressed lightly so I encourage you to act despite your potential fears. You are her strongest advocate and you are doing your job as evidenced by your willingness to seek support and guidance. I wish you well and will pray for your daughter's recovery.
About Me: Christian, married, 49 year old parent of 21 and 20 year old college students; former health care professional.

i used to work in a hospital before we moved here & i can tell you that C-DIFF is contagous. make sure she washes her hands with a good antibacterial soap & get some purell hand sanitizer. most of the patients we had had to get IV antibiotics for 2-4 days to get rid of it. you can also go to the cdc(centers for disease control) website and they can give more information about it to help ease your fears. i hope everything goes well, good luck & god bless.