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What precautions to take with C Diff?
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What precautions to take with C Diff?
Ok, my husband had to have a colostomy about six weeks ago, his colon perforated. So, today, the Home Health nurse took a sample, she thinks he has C-Diff. He did take tons of antibiotics, and was in the hospital for 16 days. So my question, can I get C-Diff from him? And what precautions as far as cleaning the bathroom, the toilet, etc, clothes, can I take to try not to get it?
My mother had C.diff and it recurred more than once. And we won, in the end! I did not get C. diff from her, and was very closely involved in her care - and neither of her aides did, either, but as you realize, it can be quite contagious.
The most important thing you can do is to observe serious sanitary measures - and the good news is, your husband is HOME, so you can make this happen (hospitals are the worst). If you are using sensible precautions, like washing your hands, using disposable gloves when appropriate, and if necessary disposable smock/bib kinds of things, you'll be greatly reducing your own risk, and also his risk of a recurrence. It's a very tenacious bug - don't let anyone belittle your concerns. Your Home Health nurse may have some good hints for you, too. I like that she's being proactive about this (and I hope she's wrong... but if she's right, the sooner you know, the better).
Of course you'll wash your hands, more often than you used to, and especially before you eat. I have also read that C. diff does not survive in contact with copper, so I might do something crazy like put a bunch of pennies in my soap dish or soft-soap dispenser, for a few weeks. (Cannot hurt, might help, costs little.)
My mother did very well with a Saccharomyces boulardii supplement, which ultimately stopped the cycle of recurring infections. Your husband might benefit from that, too, but do your own research. It outcompetes C. diff in the body, and eventually disrupts its cycle of reproducing (as I understand it). So he'd need to take it for somewhere between 30 and 90 days.
Bleach helps kill C. diff - if necessary, doing separate laundry loads can help (unless you want to bleach *everything*!). You could use something like scrubs - even old shirts - over your clothes, and give them the bleach laundry treatment.
Sending your husband healing wishes toward his recovery, and my fervent wishes to you for staying safe and well during his healing time.
The most important thing you can do is to observe serious sanitary measures - and the good news is, your husband is HOME, so you can make this happen (hospitals are the worst). If you are using sensible precautions, like washing your hands, using disposable gloves when appropriate, and if necessary disposable smock/bib kinds of things, you'll be greatly reducing your own risk, and also his risk of a recurrence. It's a very tenacious bug - don't let anyone belittle your concerns. Your Home Health nurse may have some good hints for you, too. I like that she's being proactive about this (and I hope she's wrong... but if she's right, the sooner you know, the better).
Of course you'll wash your hands, more often than you used to, and especially before you eat. I have also read that C. diff does not survive in contact with copper, so I might do something crazy like put a bunch of pennies in my soap dish or soft-soap dispenser, for a few weeks. (Cannot hurt, might help, costs little.)
My mother did very well with a Saccharomyces boulardii supplement, which ultimately stopped the cycle of recurring infections. Your husband might benefit from that, too, but do your own research. It outcompetes C. diff in the body, and eventually disrupts its cycle of reproducing (as I understand it). So he'd need to take it for somewhere between 30 and 90 days.
Bleach helps kill C. diff - if necessary, doing separate laundry loads can help (unless you want to bleach *everything*!). You could use something like scrubs - even old shirts - over your clothes, and give them the bleach laundry treatment.
Sending your husband healing wishes toward his recovery, and my fervent wishes to you for staying safe and well during his healing time.
Thanks so much :) I went out and got bleach and gloves and paper towels for drying hands in the bathroom, and in the morning, plan on giving the house a good wipe down. Am worried though about things like how to clean the phones, the tv remotes, ect, as I read that Lysol type wipes will not kill the little bugger! I wonder if I can safely wipe those kinds of things down with just a damp washrag, with water and bleach on it, or if I would ruin them. If he has c-diff, probably the things are everywhere in this house and since I have LC, I'm worried. And also, being on Entecort, of course, lowers my immune system a little bit. I'm not at this point showing signs, but with the LC, I wonder if I would even know, becuase I still have the big D, and cramping and gas. I run a low grade fever about all the time, so I know my gut is not healed yet. So, the worry is there. Glad to hear your mother was able to get rid of the cycle. I'm seriously worried about Tom, because when his colon ruptured, he lost so much weight so fast, and has not gained any of it back. So I know his immune system is seriously compromised as well, probably much worse than mine is, because of the surgery. They did give him Flagyl (sp?) Along with several other antibiotics and he took the Flagyl also for several weeks after he got home. Hadn't ever heard that about the copper, but it's worth a try.
I'm wondering, in cleaning the restroom, if I can just fill the sink with water, add my bleach and clean from there, then clean the sink last, with more clorox and still have the sink be clean. Sounds funny, I know, but I'm just a tad OCD, and the thought of any of those little buggers is already driving me crazy!!!
I'm wondering, in cleaning the restroom, if I can just fill the sink with water, add my bleach and clean from there, then clean the sink last, with more clorox and still have the sink be clean. Sounds funny, I know, but I'm just a tad OCD, and the thought of any of those little buggers is already driving me crazy!!!
Flagyl is effective, though it's just awful to take...
You sound way ahead of the curve. C. diff thrives in a hospital/nursing home environment because of the carelessness, laziness, and complacency of the routines and procedures. That doesn't sound like you, or the way you're managing this in your home! (You could probably put TV remotes in a baggie temporarily, but I don't know that that's necessary.) Paper towels - great idea, plus you can grab one and use a bleach solution on anything you suspect (you could make some up in a spray bottle?).
I wouldn't worry as much about the phones, as all the other contact stuff, and - I like your idea about the bleach and mopping using the sink, not that anyone should listen to me about good housekeeping practices (sigh).
I hope your husband's spirits are good - that will help. And I am a big believer in vitamin D and protein during the hard healing times, but I don't know for sure what is right for your husband's recovery, of course.
Good luck. I bet you kick C. diff to the curb. Then you'll wonder what the heck is wrong with the hospitals, that they keep perpetuating this awful bug...
You sound way ahead of the curve. C. diff thrives in a hospital/nursing home environment because of the carelessness, laziness, and complacency of the routines and procedures. That doesn't sound like you, or the way you're managing this in your home! (You could probably put TV remotes in a baggie temporarily, but I don't know that that's necessary.) Paper towels - great idea, plus you can grab one and use a bleach solution on anything you suspect (you could make some up in a spray bottle?).
I wouldn't worry as much about the phones, as all the other contact stuff, and - I like your idea about the bleach and mopping using the sink, not that anyone should listen to me about good housekeeping practices (sigh).
I hope your husband's spirits are good - that will help. And I am a big believer in vitamin D and protein during the hard healing times, but I don't know for sure what is right for your husband's recovery, of course.
Good luck. I bet you kick C. diff to the curb. Then you'll wonder what the heck is wrong with the hospitals, that they keep perpetuating this awful bug...
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draperygoddess
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Hi Jennifer,
You shouldn't have any problems keeping it under control, since you seem to be well prepared to deal with it. It might not be a bad idea to take a probiotic yourself, just as a precaution, if you can tolerate it, but it's not essential.
Best of luck to you and Tom, in dealing with this, (assuming the test will turn out to be positive), and please keep us updated, since we're all interested in learning about controlling and preventing C. diff.
Tex
You shouldn't have any problems keeping it under control, since you seem to be well prepared to deal with it. It might not be a bad idea to take a probiotic yourself, just as a precaution, if you can tolerate it, but it's not essential.
Best of luck to you and Tom, in dealing with this, (assuming the test will turn out to be positive), and please keep us updated, since we're all interested in learning about controlling and preventing C. diff.
Tex
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
Great point, Tex.
The probiotic usually prescribed for C.diff is the S. boulardii I mentioned above. I have used the Jarrow brand; there are others, but of course you'll want to read the fine print on the label... If you are sensitive to yeast, there is some risk here, though it is a different type of yeast from baking or brewing yeasts.
The probiotic usually prescribed for C.diff is the S. boulardii I mentioned above. I have used the Jarrow brand; there are others, but of course you'll want to read the fine print on the label... If you are sensitive to yeast, there is some risk here, though it is a different type of yeast from baking or brewing yeasts.
Thanks for all of the answers and advice. I did start taking culturelle today, the DF/GF kind. Hoping it will help keep me from getting c-diff, as I know I'm already compromised. Started cleaning the restroom with 1/9 solution of bleach/water. Tom does use very good personal hygiene with his bags, so that will help alot. Other than that, I think I'll just play it by ear, I can wipe off door handles and light fixtures, and will wipe down the phones, etc, with just some antibiotic wipes, and hope that is sufficient. Wish I could just start at the roof of the house and rinse the whole dang thing inside and out with bleach, lol!
Tom got some flagyl, hoping it kicks it. If not, we'll get something stronger, and hopefully he will ask his gastro if he will allow him to take a probiotic too. Will let you know occasionally how we fare with all of this. Tom was hoping that in about six months, if he regained his strength, that they would be able to go in and reverse his colostomy. I'm hoping this doesn't set that back, but if it does, we will deal with it.
Tom got some flagyl, hoping it kicks it. If not, we'll get something stronger, and hopefully he will ask his gastro if he will allow him to take a probiotic too. Will let you know occasionally how we fare with all of this. Tom was hoping that in about six months, if he regained his strength, that they would be able to go in and reverse his colostomy. I'm hoping this doesn't set that back, but if it does, we will deal with it.
If he was given Flagyl after his discharge from the hospital, and developed C. diff anyway, there's a good chance that the strain that he has may be resistant to Flagyl, (some are). That means that the only effective antibiotic available would be Vancomycin. IOW, the hospital will need to follow up to see if the Flagyl was effective, because for many patients, it is not - the Flagyl often has to be followed by a two-week course of Vancomycin.
If you, (or Tom), should ever need any advice on the selection, prep, or application of wafers, (body seals), for the colostomy, please don't hesitate to ask. I had a colostomy for over 5 years, so I had it down pretty much to a science. I have no idea what he's using now, but most ostomy nurses send the patient home with one-piece, reusable pouches. I learned early on, that a correctly-selected two-piece appliance, with disposable pouches, made life much, much easier, by greatly extending wear time, and significantly reduced the risk of "accidents", during cleaning/changing. It can be especially advantageous, if one has a demanding work schedule, or physically-demanding work is involved.
Tex
If you, (or Tom), should ever need any advice on the selection, prep, or application of wafers, (body seals), for the colostomy, please don't hesitate to ask. I had a colostomy for over 5 years, so I had it down pretty much to a science. I have no idea what he's using now, but most ostomy nurses send the patient home with one-piece, reusable pouches. I learned early on, that a correctly-selected two-piece appliance, with disposable pouches, made life much, much easier, by greatly extending wear time, and significantly reduced the risk of "accidents", during cleaning/changing. It can be especially advantageous, if one has a demanding work schedule, or physically-demanding work is involved.
Tex
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
Thanks, Tex :) The problem we have found with the two piece, is that Tom's stoma is extremely and 'inny'. So the two piece bags require a whole lot more cleaning, due to the little grooves around the edge, so he is using the one piece, and hopefully we can put up with those while he's got this. If at a later date, he has to have it on an ongoing basis, we were told that our gastro would probably send us back to the surgeon to fix the stoma, then it would be easier for them to use the two piece. When they did the surgery, they were so scared of his heart, (his ef is only at 30%), that they literally got in there, did what they had to do and closed him up, and were holding their breath the entire time that his heart would not withstand all of the anesthetic. But his heart came through it fine, so now they will be more prepared if they have to go back in. I did remember though that you had dealt with ostomy's :)
Jennifer,
Mine was an emergency, "temporary" stoma, also, located in a bad crease in my belly. I solved that problem by using a convex wafer, (to accommodate the lack of "extension"), and I avoided seal issues by the use of stomal paste. Now that I have an ileostomy, any seal failure is absolutely unacceptable, so I use an Eakin seal under a convex wafer, which allows reliable wear for at least 10 days - it would probably provide service for 2 full weeks with a colostomy, because the output of a colostomy is not caustic, (the output of an ileostomy is very caustic), so it won't decompose the seal nearly as rapidly.
I don't use recleanable bags - cleaning pouches is not my favorite pastime, (to say the least). That's why I use throwaway pouches. They make life so much simpler. Cleaning the inside surface of the wafer, when changing pouches, is unnecessary, (except to wipe the rim, to make sure that nothing will interfere with the proper function of the labyrinth seal, when the new pouch is snapped on). It's a piece of cake, compared with cleaning a pouch, and it takes only a few seconds to change pouches.
Tex
Mine was an emergency, "temporary" stoma, also, located in a bad crease in my belly. I solved that problem by using a convex wafer, (to accommodate the lack of "extension"), and I avoided seal issues by the use of stomal paste. Now that I have an ileostomy, any seal failure is absolutely unacceptable, so I use an Eakin seal under a convex wafer, which allows reliable wear for at least 10 days - it would probably provide service for 2 full weeks with a colostomy, because the output of a colostomy is not caustic, (the output of an ileostomy is very caustic), so it won't decompose the seal nearly as rapidly.
I don't use recleanable bags - cleaning pouches is not my favorite pastime, (to say the least). That's why I use throwaway pouches. They make life so much simpler. Cleaning the inside surface of the wafer, when changing pouches, is unnecessary, (except to wipe the rim, to make sure that nothing will interfere with the proper function of the labyrinth seal, when the new pouch is snapped on). It's a piece of cake, compared with cleaning a pouch, and it takes only a few seconds to change pouches.
Tex
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.