My Mother caught this horrible illness after her doctor refused to test her, even though I told him there was blood. She went to a new doctor and he sent her to the hospital and they were going to send her home but I requested rehab at the NH. The request was due to my father in law , grandson, and my own children, wanting to keep them well. With all of them in the home just couldn't and didn't want to take the chance. She has been in there for 30 days and still has it. Should I be concerned or will she ever really get rid of it. I would like to bring her back home but now she is also not sitting up or walking since this illness started. Has anyone got any advice?
C-diff being carried to your mom isn't the issue - she's already got the spores in her system - it lays dormant until the intestinal balance is thrown off (usually by the use of antibiotics) and then it becomes active until it is brought under control again by either vancomycin or flagyll. She will never be rid of it completely in other words - it will just be controlled.
My mom had cdif while in rehab in Nov. they gave her one round (10 days) of vancomyacin and within 4 days she was asymptomatic. test at end of 12 days showed she was clear. that was over a month ago. last Sat. she started amoxiciliin for UTI. on Monday I started giving her probiotics (luckily she has not taken them at same time as amox.!) last night and today she has had loose bowels. always holding it till she is on toilet but very loose. do I need to worry that this is a reoccurence of cdif or should I watch it for a few days..... (the nurse at rehab said she would always be a cdif carrier after having it) it is friday night before holiday weekend... doc will probably be in office on Monday. should she take a med for diarrhea or not?
Loosinghope.....yes my mom takes a probiotic every day.
Good luck to all of you, I really feel bad for those affected with this on top of dementia, etc. :(
Kjhinshaw, I would have your mom take a probiotic (culturelle, acidophoulus) while she is on the antibiotic.
My heart goes out to all!
Here's the best thing for checking out the situation with Ativan...google "Ativan and the elderly"...the very first thing to pop up is the forum that gave me all the information I needed, but there are other sites you can check, as well. Ativan stays in an elderly patient longer due to the kidneys and liver not working as well to remove the drug...the drug can then build up...my Mom went into the ER after a stroke...they gave her what they referred to as "a lot of Ativan" and she never really came to after that...strangely, the medical records from the ER doctor said she had a TIA, was FULLY RECOVERED (!!!) and would be going home the next day...then along comes the doctor doing the rounds who told us she was now in kidney failure, which she was not in before going to the hospital, and we needed to arrange for hospice...she passed away exactly one week later without ever waking again. Please read the posts made on the forum...I know they will help you make a very informed decision about Ativan.
Best of luck and Blessings to you...
Athena
Can you please elaborate on the drug Ativan. As I posted earlier in this forum, my mom had a terrible expeiance and outcome with c.diff. She now has dementia, and they recently have perscribed Ativan as needed for her agitation. She's only been given it a couple of times so far. She has a chronic UTI so she has been given antibiotics several time over the past many months, but so far no c.diff. Thank you.
Good luck RRcc!