welcome back Lottie

[Guest guest]

G'day Lottie! Welcome back! So glad to hear you have triumphed another

" hurdle " in your life. Best wishes for a fantastic 2009.

C-diff sounds a mongrel bug to get. Take care and get better soon.

PS you just have to love those idiot nurses ...NOT, who give opium

derivative drugs (like sheep with no brains) once the diarrhoea is under

control and end up with severe constipation. I just don't know what gets in

their heads! They are supposed to be ahem " nursing " and making sure this

doesn't happen!

Big hugs,

Down Under

From: [mailto: ] On Behalf Of Lottie

Duthu

Sent: Saturday, 3 January 2009 5:21 AM

CML

Subject: [ ] c-diff

Dear Group,

I am back home recuperating from c-diff as most of you are aware by now.

Little did I know when I posted the article on the subject that I would

become a victim to it. None of us are immune. I experienced unbelievable

pain and nausea. What drove me to go to the hospital was the constant

diarrhea and vomiting, I could keep nothing down. I spent 9 days in " lock

down " mode where I was not even allowed to walk down the halls.

I heard c-diff mentioned by the ER doctor, but there were no tests run at

the time, so I was not diagnosed until a day or so later. I was treated with

Flora-Q, Phlagyl, Dilaudid (2-1/2 times stronger than any opiod), Demerol

and Morphine. The one thing I remember was being in a room closed off with a

sign on my door that I was neutropenic and 3 other notices pasted on my door

to read before entering. I also spent the holidays for the most part, alone.

I made Jimmy leave to be available for the carpenter renovating my kitchen,

and to go and be with the family, he couldn't do anything for me. I was

given transfusions in the middle of the night because my blood counts had

crashed. My SKI 606 was taken away and as many times as I asked if anyone

called MDACC, I never got a clear cut answer because no one called. Little

did the nurse know that one of the meds given me every night was like cement

in my colon and I suffered the consequences. He was only following orders.

The following information, in addition to what has already been posted,

comes from an excellent source - Web MD and I think it very important that

we all become acquainted with the name and the source of this horrible

disease:

http://www.webmd.com/news/20080530/c-diff-epidemic-what-you-must-know?page=3

A recent report shows that adult C. diff hospitalizations doubled between

2000 and 2005 to about 300,000 hospitalizations a year. That's more

hospitalizations than are seen with MRSA, which sends about 126,000

Americans to the hospital each year.There are probably half a million U.S.

cases of C. diff infection each year.

And yes, it is an epidemic: The infection rate is going up by about 10% a

year. But the death rate is going up even faster, says a Zilberberg, MD,

adjunct professor at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and president

of the EviMed Research Group. There are actually three ongoing C. diff

epidemics. One is in hospitals. Another is in the community. And a third is

in livestock.

All C. diff strains are resistant to many of the antibiotics normally used

to treat other infections. In fact, that's the problem. C. diff most often

strikes people whose intestinal flora have been disrupted by antibiotic

treatment. But most C. diff strains remain sensitive to Flagyl and

vancomycin, the drugs normally used to treat this infection. (Am I lucky, or

what, I am highly allergic to Vancomycin.) That left only one drug, Flagyl.

When the NAP1 strain -- which has been around for at least 30 years --

developed fluoroquinolone resistance. This resistance, plus what Mc

calls the strain's " hypertoxin production, " may explain why this strain has

taken off.

a.. In 2005, Canadian researchers bought 53 packages of beef and seven

packages of veal from five grocery stores in Ontario and in Quebec. One out

of five packages carried C. diff. Two-thirds of the C. diff isolates were

similar to the NAP1 strain. C. diff isolates from human patients are quite

similar to isolates found in pigs and cattle. Some of the pig isolates are

almost indistinguishable from human isolates.

a.. I want to thank all of you who called and sent cards, I am humbled by

your sincerity and concern for my well-being. You are all a large part of my

CML life, throwing me a lifeline at every crisis. There is no way I can

respond to everyone, but I do want to acknowledge what part you played in

keeping my spirits up. Thank you. I can only reciprocate by returning my

love to everyone who prayed for me and sent their best wishes.

a.. xoxoxoxo

a.. Lottie