What puts you at risk of a C Diff infection? What causes recurring CDIs (c diff infections)? There are many questions regarding this topic, as C difficle is extremely contagious and is becoming more common in the community. Here are some tidbits of info regarding relapsing with C Diff.
Causes of C Diff:
- Antibiotic Use – from now until death comes for me, I won’t be taking any antibiotics unless I am literally dying and even then, I will ask for Dificid as well. Some people are convinced that you can even relapse from topical ointments like neosporin.
- Hospitals – well of course they have c diff patients, and other scary & gross contagious things, but the problem is they do not clean properly or totally neglect PPE
- Nursing Homes – same reasoning as hospitals, c diff is predominantly found in old people, in fact it kills them in under a month. It’s hard to contain and quarantine in this setting
- Public Bathrooms – many carriers of c diff don’t know they have c diff, actively sick people have to use bathrooms at any second, and many of these places are not properly cleaned
- Changes in Gut Flora – stress, anxiety, food poisoning, stomach flu, etc. all alter your gut flora into being more susceptible, creating an ideal environment for c diff bacteria to flourish
- Calcium – this includes medications & supplements that use calcium like proton pump inhibitors, TUMS, acid reflux meds, etc. Learn more about why.
- Of course there’s probably more, there’s always new studies being done, info coming out…
This isn’t a conclusive list, I’m sorry I can’t provide more information or guidance. I will never know how I got c diff, or why I relapsed a year and a half later, TWICE. When I relapsed my third time, it was about a week after my second dose of COVID-19 vaccine, although I can’t say it has any correlation, but we were in lockdown here.. so it’s not like I’m out and about that much.
How To Avoid Recurring C Diff?
This part REALLY varies from person to person. Some people are fine with simply taking antibiotics and living totally the same as before, but some people one more extreme. I am kind of in the middle somewhere and wherever you are, that is ok.
How To Clean During C Diff
There’s only 2 ways to kill c diff spores:
- Bleach
- Hospital grade uv light
While actively sick, I go all out. But – I also have some extreme PTSD associated with all of this, as some of us do. Dr. FMT said it’s very common for “us” (c diff surviors) to either develop an anxiety disorder or their anxiety worsens tenfold.
Some extreme measures I take (while active with c diff):
- Complete Isolation – when I think the c diff monster is back, I reach out to my doctor to get a stool sample and I either A) tell my partner to leave – this was when we only had 1 bathroom & I physically could not leave the bathroom or B) grab what I need and head to my basement (sick bedroom, wishing it was a guest room instead) and separate bathroom from my family. I don’t leave/go around anyone (including pets) until I test negative.
- Bathroom Breaks – firstly, I strip naked before entering my bathroom. You may be “how do you make it?” With the urgency and pain already unbearable, I have no idea how I manage, but it’s a time saver on laundry and heartbreak for accidental bleach stains. Once I am done doing my business:
- CLOSE THE TOILET LID before flushing, then flush
- Wash my hands & scrub them good, even under your nails (I just keep my nails super short now – ps don’t bite your nails)
- I grab my shower shoes from outside the bathroom door and place them by the shower
- Either use bleach wipes or bleach spray to wipe/spray down the door knob, light switch, shower handle, sink knobs, and the toilet (knob, lid, seat, and under the sink
- Then I shower, I even double shower sometimes if I’m leaving my quarantine (to drop off the stool samples)
- Once I leave the bathroom, I slip off my bleachy bathroom shoes, usually scramble on my socks or house shoes and then I get dressed
- Food – when you are constantly on the porcelain throne, your relationship with food changes. As soon as I think I’m sick I cut back naturally, my appetite isn’t really there. However, you have to eat! I stick to super plain foods like white rice, chicken, toast with just peanuts peanutbutter and banana, crackers, rice cakes, potatoes (make them in various ways to help with the blah factor of eating the same shit everyday), ground beef/venison, carrots, and green beans. I should mention I developed food sensitivities AFTER c diff, regardless, every time I am sick or in a flare up I resort back to these basics – read more about diet/lifestyle changes here.
- Water – keeping up with all the fluids you’re losing is really hard! Dehydration sent me to the ER several times, if you start showing signs of dehydration such as the following, get extra medical attention even if you don’t want to leave your house:
- Vomiting – for me, I had ugly gross yellow stomach bile coming out of both ends at the same time, several times. This symptom was the only way I knew
- Dizziness/passing out – I wasn’t eating a lot so I was dizzy and weak as hell, migraines made me pass out but I actually lost like 30lbs in 1.5 months which doesn’t help
- Change in breathing/heart rate
- Muscle cramping
- Pets – yes, you can totally have animals/pets during or after c diff, but they are still a risk because a dog can bring in germs from the outside, cats literally walk through their poop germs, and animals in tanks still poop and spread germs. However, you must weigh the pros and cons to determine what is best for you and how much extra work you want to put into it. Some people even put little booties on their dogs when they go outside, some just mop/vacuum their floors more often or keep the pets in certain parts of the home or take extra cleaning precautions. Some things I did when we decided to get a puppy between my 2nd & 3rd bouts are:
- Extra grooming/bathing
- Regular mopping/vacuuming
- Really great training!
- Trained to no lick faces or hands
- Trained her not to go up on our beds/near pillows, she’s allowed on the couch but we usually have a large blanket covering most of it (plus she has her own dog beds as well)
- Doggy probiotics so her tummy is healthy too!
I’ll continue to update this page, as science discovers new data or as my research brings new knowledge.
Turd Testimony 