Community Chat

[Nataliesgramma]

My dughter has Crohns and when she got C-diff a second time her Dr at the Cleveland Clinic did a "fecal Transplant"...I was the donor.

It got rid of the C-diff and she actually had about 6 months of relief from Crohns symptoms.

Not all insurances will pay for it and not many Hospitals do it

 Cleveland Clinic is rated in the top 3 Hospitals for Gastroenterolgy so we travel there for her to get treatment.

[cherry]

I am terribly sorry for your loss. Losing a friend really leaves a terrible hole in your life. I still miss mine friends who have passed ,a great deal

[RedTop]

C-diff is a spore bacteria and can be picked up anywhere; hospitals and nursing homes are certainly a prime location, but this bacteria can be a community acquired infection as well. The spores can live in a dormant state in the normal gut bacteria of your intestine for a long time. Then one day you start taking antibiotics for an infection, which upsets your gut bacteria and kicks those c-diff spores to become active and start colonizing into an active infection. Vancomycin is one of the drugs that will kill back the active infection, but you will still carry c-diff spores and be at risk for future colonization issues. Certain antibiotics are more likely to activate c-diff spores.

[pitdakota]

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@Nataliesgramma wrote:

My dughter has Crohns and when she got C-diff a second time her Dr at the Cleveland Clinic did a "fecal Transplant"...I was the donor.

It got rid of the C-diff and she actually had about 6 months of relief from Crohns symptoms.

Not all insurances will pay for it and not many Hospitals do it

 Cleveland Clinic is rated in the top 3 Hospitals for Gastroenterolgy so we travel there for her to get treatment.

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@Nataliesgramma, thanks for mentioning this.  It is really an interesting procedure and I am so glad to hear your daughter obtained relief from the transplant.

If you don't mind me asking, did they do the transplant for your daughter via colonoscopy type of procedure or naso-gastric tube?  If you don't know or would rather not answer, I certainly understand.  

The last I knew they didn't do this in our area and the Cleveland Clinic is the closest place to us that does this procedure, so I am just curious. 

[Cats3000]

Go to medlineplus.gov.  Search for C-diff.  You'll find out what it is.

[AuntG]

I've heard the term and know it's bad. I'm sorry to hear about your friend.

[CaliKat]

@CBonifacio 

I am so sorry for your loss.  I think losing someone so suddenly is the hardest. It's such a shock. Sending my deepest condolences. 

[Nonametoday]

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@pitdakota wrote:

No problem @Nonametoday.  Just don't want someone thinking that the c-diff spores going directly from their mouth into their bloodstream and then to their heart when that isn't the pathophysiology.  That comes from a nurse with more than 40 years of experience with  around 2 decades of that time spent working in critical care.  So I have certainly seen my share of patients in the critical care unit with either severe renal failure and or multi-organ system failure releated to sepsis secondary to c-diff infection.  I think most nurses are aware that the micro-organism itself doesn't enter the bloodstream, but it is a chemical reaction related to the immune system trying to respond to the infection which results in sepsis. 

Good luck with your dental issues.  That has to be tough, especially associated with trigeminal neuralgia.  Hopefully, since you have been through so much, there won't be too much dental work ahead for you.  

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@pitdakota   Isn't it interesting how things and medical opinions and truths change over 40 years.  My friend was an infectious disease control nurse.

[qualitygal]

Never heard of this before, and I'm so sorry for you losing a friend.  We just have to be so careful anymore.  Even places we think are safe (hospitals) can be the most loaded with germs and I never use to think of this that way.  Take care all.