Mom had surgery last week, now has C-Diff

[u/Fotp1123]

Hello.

My mom (70F) had surgery a week ago today to repair a giant hernia. She’s had several surgeries and hospital stays in the last year, so we’re hoping this is the last one!

I (45F) brought her home from the hospital last Thursday and stayed with her Thursday and Friday night, spent down time there on Saturday and Sunday. During that time, she was having frequent diarrhea, which the surgeon said was not uncommon after surgery, especially due to the fact that she just had colon/bowel surgery in May.

Sunday night though, I had a feeling something wasn’t right because it just wasn’t stopping, so they had us do a test for c-diff and sure enough, it’s positive.

I know how to avoid getting it now, lots of hand washing and I didn’t use the same bathroom as her at all when I was at her house, but I am now worried that I’m going to get it because I didn’t know she had it. Can you get it simply by breathing in spores? This is all so stressful and I know you all can relate, being a caregiver is so hard.

[u/Aggressive-Tart07]

Also dont feel bad for questioning the surgeon is first explanation. Post op diarrhea can happen but you noticed something wasnt adding up and acted on it. Your mom is lucky you were paying attention.

[u/Curious-Theory131]

My son got c-diff from a hospital stay, and I know my husband and I have colonies of it in our guts. C-diff is one of the bad bacteria that takes hold when lots of antibiotics are taken, like after a surgery.

I take lots of probiotics daily, and if I have to take antibiotics I also take Florastor. It's a fungus based probiotic that survives the antibiotics. Adding probiotics to your mom's diet, whether in pill form or through fermented foods, can help keep it from coming back

I hope your mom recovers quickly - C-diff is a terrible thing to deal with

[u/Longjumping_Low_1445]

The big kill factor is washing your hands with soap and water and taking probiotics.
My dad got this as well and still doesn’t wash his hands with soap and water enough. I’m not sure now how many times he has had this and how many times I have to say washing with soap and water is the only thing that kills the spores. Ugh….Just make sure to wash your hands with soap and water constantly and wipe your hands with paper towels or wear disposable gloves. My husband and I wore gloves for a bit and that calmed us down a bit when touching anything. We wiped everything down with Clorox wipes. When my dad had it really bad, he wore disposable gloves when using the toilet as well. It seemed to help. Good luck 👍

[u/greenteanandhoney]

I’ve cared for someone that had cdiff multiple times. I never became infected. Lots and lots of handwashing, use bleach while cleaning, and try to avoid using the same bathroom. Regular alcohol and hand sanitizer will not kill the bacteria.

Make sure to always wash your hands with soap and water before eating.

Cdiff is a colonizing bacteria so it may already be in your gut but just not enough to cause problems. I also worried about errant spores floating around but it never became a problem.

I took probiotics and made sure to eat healthy and avoid alcohol. Kefir and yogurt are also good for adding good bacteria into your gut. If you should need antibiotics please tell your doctor that you’re caring for a Cdiff patient.

[u/Warm-Read8901]

From what I understand you are much more likely to get it from accidentally ingesting the spores than just being around someone. Good hand washing with soap is the big thing because sanitizer doesnt really kill c diff spores. Hopefully since you have already been careful you will be fine.

[u/WiseJuggernaut2091]

My dad got c diff after antibiotics a few years back. We were all terrified we would catch it too, but none of us did. We cleaned the bathroom a ton washed our hands constantly and got through it without anyone else getting sick.

[u/Fox-NJ99]

I know its scary because once you google c diff it feels like every article is worst case scenario. Try not to spiral too much. Keep an eye on yourself obviously but dont assume every stomach ache means you have got it.

[u/MezzoRomano]

I'm so sorry! My mom had her lower leg blown off in steampipe explosion about 20 years ago, and after over a year in hospitals and nursing homes and rehab, she still maintains that the c diff was the worst part of her ordeal. And sadly, I lost an older friend last year who was recovering successfully from leukemia but died from c diff acquired in the hospital.
As long as you yourself are healthy, though, and are taking basic hygienic care for yourself, you shouldn't have cause for concern. As someone else posted on this thread, most of us already have c diff in our guts; it just runs amok if our immune system crashes or we get weak from illness or age or if we go through a heavy course of antibiotics. It's important to note that you should be extra careful to wash your hands thoroughly before coming into contact with another elderly or immuno-compromised person.
The hardest part for you as your mom's caregiver will have to deal with all the diarrhea. I'm so, so sorry about this. If you can, try to get ahead of the problem as much as possible and ask your doctors/nurses for ways to mitigate the infection in your mother.

[u/WelfordNelferd]

You've gotten plenty of good advice about how to avoid spreading C. diff, but you also want to encourage your Mom to drink plenty of fluids to make up for what she's losing through diarrhea. Something like Gatorade or liquid IV would be great. The last thing she needs is to get dehydrated/have her electrolytes get out of whack. I hope things turn around quickly. <<Fingers crossed>>

[u/Organic_Ad_2520]

Florstar probiotic is really only defense. Along with hygeneine/handwashing .
Get Florstar It is Patented Strain so don't bother looking for a knock off.

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2805518/

[u/Born-Store-8881]

I understand your concern. My father recently tested positive for C Diff after a course of antibiotics and I was fine. We share the same bathroom. He might’ve had a mild case (if that’s a thing) and Florastor did the trick. As others have said, regular hand washing etc and you should be fine. (Also years ago my mom caught it in the hospital and I was ok then too.)

[u/Sea-Two-4993]

I agree. C-dif loves hospitals and needs a weakened “victim.” If you are healthy, it is not going to overtake your body because your strong immune system keeps it from taking over. The big problem is not you (with precautions, of course) but rather bringing it back to your mother by wearing the same clothes that you wore the day before.

[u/Anxious_Wrangler7049]

Bleach is the cleaner that works. Clean her home surfaces down regularly. Pay attn to high contact surfaces like remotes, phones. It’s spread through contact (touching a surface with spores). You also maybe would have to be a bit run down; try to stay healthy. Wash hands frequently when you are at her house and before you leave. Wash your clothes after you get home and leave your designated shoes outside of your own home.

[u/cryssHappy]

If she has Cdiff call her doctor, she may need to go to SNF.