My Mom was diagnosed with C. diff. Anyone with elderly parent had this?

My Mom got it at Rehab also and she has had it since which was 6 months ago. I CANNOT get rid of it. She takes antibiotics, probiotics, like she's suppose to, I clean bathroom and sheets continuously..bleach EVERYTHING and she continues to get it back. GOOD LUCK on getting rid of it. She is 78 and no hope of getting it gone...,

Also ask about the vaccine for c-diff now in clinical trials. go to cdiffense.org and locate a clinical trial in your state.

"Fecal Transplantation for Recurrent Clostridium difficile Infection in Older Adults: A Review.". Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. 90% effective in treating the problem by re-colonizing the gut. Ask your gastroenterologist.

it is my understanding that since I had it, I am now considered a "carrier" and it can flare up at any time. I also have to notify odds if I have any kind of surgery. It is a nasty disease.

How long it lasts? The illness can last until the patient dies. Or it can colonize your body and you have it forever but the diarrhea eases off. Or you can get completely over it in a few months. The germs can last in spore form on surfaces for months; no body is willing to say exactly how long the spores remain viable. Could be years. Sorry for such a long answer, but unfortunately learned a lot about this.

Boy o boy I went through the ringer with my Mother on this nasty awful disease. Very similar start to yours Sarahbells. She fell, cracked the hip, surgical pinning, rehab. Tested free from C diff upon entry and tested positive for c diff 3 weeks later. Nonetheless she was determined to go home. She got home, fired 3 sets of home health caregivers, ran out of antibiotics, came back down with c diff with a vengeance. By the time I flew to her town, she was near death. After hospitalization, nobody wanted to take her due to the diagnosis of incurable c diff. Finally found a nursing home. To visit her, every body had to put on booties, gown, gloves, apron and mask. Almost like ebola. For 3 months she wasn't allowed out of her room. Finally she was declared 'colonized' and was set free from the room. Then no assisted living facility was willing to take her. The wet form of the stuff can be killed with regular germ killing solutions, but the big problem with this stuff is if you mess with it, it goes into spore formation which is only just barely killable. It takes a strong bleach solution. Alcohol wipes and solutions do NOT work. Clorox wipes do NOT work. [Only a special wipe that actually has bleach in it, and smells like it for sure will work] Lysol etc does NOT work. The only thing that you can get that works is strong bleach solution. It's running rampant in nursing homes. The cleaning staff track it around. http://www.cdc.gov/HAI/pdfs/cdiff/Gould_CritCare2008.pdf The CDC is pushing control of this awful disease. Also, Mayo Clinic has good, if basic, info here: mayoclinic/diseases-conditions/c-difficile/basics/symptoms/con-20029664 Awful disease. Easy to catch. Good luck, be careful.

Thank you for your responses! and yes she is in a private room!

Go up top to the Search Site box and type in "c-diff" and lots of Q&A pop up.

There is an odor to it you will never forget!

I am delighted to hear there is no pain, not only for your mom but that also means that maybe my father didn't have pain. my doc has me on Flagyl instead of vancomycin because vancomycin is stronger and protocol I guess says you start with the milder medicine first. Another piece of info for you: they should have put her in a private room in the hospital or in with another c. diff. patient. Her health insurance might give her a hard time regarding the private room. If they do, don't let it sway you. Private room for c. diff patients are medically necessary and the patient has no control over being placed in one. Just a thought. Hugs to you and your mom.

Thank you for the info! I think my mother might of gotten it in a rehab then in January, she fell had surgery and then went to rehab where she was there for 8 days then this last weekend she was sent to emergency from her board and care facility where she stays and she was in the hospital for 3 days, and they were the ones to take all the tests and said she had this infection, she is now in rehab again because the hospital can't keep her there for too long, she doesn't have any pain just the diarrhea, so we will see how long she is there, hoping not too long they do have her on medication to kill it like Vancomycin, thanks again

hi there. Dad was diagnosed with it twice. It is a royal pain in the a**. It is a highly contagious bacteria that is found in hospitals and medical rehab offices. Antibacterial products do NOT prevent the spread of c. diff, which is spread through spores in fecal matter. The spores can exist outside the body for several weeks. The bacteria can exist INside the body for 6 weeks, i believe. There has been more stuff in the news about it lately. They are also finding that you can get it by taking antibiotics. It causes stomach pain, cramps, nausea and uncontrollable diarrhea. I don't recall Dad complaining about any stomach pain but then again he was stoic when it came down to that. It also requires more prevention care than what over the counter products can offer. When cleaning the area where the affected person is, you need to use a product that SPECIFICALLY works on c. diff. Clorox makes wipes that specifically kill the c. diff bacteria (check out Amazon) Wear gloves around the affected person and also when handling these wipes. Research everything you can. My father passed away several weeks ago and 2 days after the funeral I came down with it. It was horrible and my case was considered mild to severe. I am on my second round of antibiotics and I've had to put everything else aside. Sorry this post is so disorganized. Let me know if you have more specific questions - I will answer them if I can. good luck to you.