C-diff

[tishbite]

c-diff

I was hospitalized for 4 or more days (i was pretty out of it so i don't exactly remember how long). I was in fact having a flare and also I found out i have c-diff again. They sent me home after I was eating solid food and was able to function properly with some antibiotics and pain/nausea medication. now i just need to get a hold of my GI doc (who didn't come see once while i was in there. i never heard from him or talked to him directly :ymad and set up a plan of new medication (maybe upping methotrexate and trying something new) I do not want to try tysabri unless i really HAVE too. I feel so overwhelmed and still exhausted on top of that. While in the hospital they also infiltrated both iv's in both arms so now they are painful and puffy and hard to bend/use. I tried elevating them and applying heat but it doesn't seem to be helping. Any advice on something that would help with that?

 

[sunflower]

Make sure you have someone look at those arms since they got infiltrated and are swollen. You don't want to risk blood clots in there. I don't have any advice, though, sorry. Mine never swelled, just got bruised and sore. I would rotate heat and cool on them until they got better. Maybe coolness would help? I like to use rice/corn packs in the freezer for my cool packs. Not as cold and numbing as ice, and you can shake them around and get new cool for quite a while. Works like frozen peas, but reuseable. Frozen peas don't freeze back quite the same!

 

[darkmuse]

Tishbite, sorry you've had to go through all this! I have CD and also I work at a local hospital and have taken care of numerous patients with cdiff. How are you doing now?

In regards to your arms..you could wrap a couple of ice packs in a towel for each arm (no greater than 20 minutes and make sure you keep them elevated. Keep an eye out on any redness or swelling that may appear. If you notice any streaking or increased swelling, redness or your skin temperature rises, you either need to contact your doctor, or depending on the day or time of day, go to an ER. Sounds like the last thing you need is either an infection or cellulitis in your arms. Good luck with everything and I wish you well!

 

[tishbite]

I'm doing awful actually. Which I hate to say but, I got off track with my antibiotics for c-diff and and am starting over. I went into the ER last night and begged them to keep me overnight because I was and still am experiencing unbearable pain that cannot be managed at home. I'm taking maximum doses of oxycodone and it is not even touching the pain. I'm really upset they sent me home and really dissapointed with the lack of bedside manner my GI doc provides. I was in the hospital for five days and didn't see or hear from him once. I'm looking into other doctors with my primary care doc now. Spending the day calling my pain doc to try and get some dilaudid pill form (yes it's addicting but only if yr taking it without pain & I HAVE PAIN). Convincing him to prescribe it is going to be a hassle but if he wont i'm marching back into the hospital and DEMANDING they do something about the pain because it isn't fair I was up all night taking bath and having hot packs on my tum, popping pills and still being in pain.

 

[tishbite]

Also I am positive I am having a flare on top of the c-diff and I am worried that it is getting written off as pain from c-diff and the inflammation is not being addressed properly. They did a CT scan and saw a lot of inflammation in my ileum and colon and I'm worried that it is being neglected. The only thing they did in the hospital was set up an appointment in a week or two with my GI doc (can you believe that is the soonest I can be seen when experiencing such symptoms?? UGH

 

[tiloah]

Also I am positive I am having a flare on top of the c-diff and I am worried that it is getting written off as pain from c-diff and the inflammation is not being addressed properly. They did a CT scan and saw a lot of inflammation in my ileum and colon and I'm worried that it is being neglected. The only thing they did in the hospital was set up an appointment in a week or two with my GI doc (can you believe that is the soonest I can be seen when experiencing such symptoms?? UGH

This was exactly my experience. They treated the C. diff and when I came back to the office they'd ask me if I was all better (they knew I had Crohn's) and acted surprised when I said no! Turned out I had a horrible abscess and had to have surgery! My doc could feel the knot of inflammation, and they never even bothered to palpate my abdomen! Ridiculous. And yes, I can believe that's the soonest you can get in. It's not uncommon.

I hope they figure out some good treatment for you, and you get rid of that damn C. diff for good!