It is a bacteria in my colon. For a long time I had diarrhea; loose stools several times each day. Pleasant, huh? But, but, but...I also have IBS. That's short for irritable bowel syndrome but it has been my normal for many years.I didn't know my elimination could or should be different. I have spent the majority of my life stopped up and/or not regular so I when the C. Diff reared its ugly head I thought two things. One was that a recent shift in meds was the cause and my body just needed time to reorganize. The second thought was, "This is a relief, kind of." Along with the multiple toilet visits there was a slight pinching, very specific pain in my lower left abdomen. The discomfort was just that; a slight irritation that I only felt occasionally.
A while back, because the doc I usually see was unavailable, I saw someone else. She thought it was probably my I.B.S. and told me to take probiotics and fiber. I did for a few days but the my ugly symptoms seemed to worsen so I stopped. Time passes and the symptoms come and kind of lighten up so I think whatever might be ending.
My head injury kicks in when I forget how bad it's been and I take the good half day as signs of wellness. Then I get a cough. The cough is not because of soreness in my throat or chest congestion and I don't feel like I have a cold but I cough a lot. I know they are unrelated but after yet another explosion of my bowel I make another appointment.
This time I am told to catch my poop in the plastic hat that fits comfortably under the lid of the toilet and then depositing a small amount into four prepared containers. Each one is a test for a specific illness, I assume. My cough is discussed briefly but I can tell she has decided this appointment if for the other issue. I do my work with the poop the next morning as Dan stays out of sight. It is not a pleasant task. Dan deposits the bag of samples at the hospital's outpatient pharmacy on his way to work and that afternoon I get a call from my doc's nurse to tell me I have C. Diff, which is a bacteria in my colon that he explains is quite contagious.
I text Nurse Rachel, A.K.A. my daughter, with the news and within two minutes my phone rings. She explains it better than the nurse I had spoken with just prior. She explains the spores live a long time so I need to be extra careful to wash my hands good each time I poop. She also tells me to wash surfaces with bleach solution and to use a specific bathroom until I am clear. So now Dan has a bathroom and I have one. Also, we have a spray bottle of 10 to 1 water/bleach solution on my sparkling kitchen counter. I use it to clean everywhere, over and over again.
So I am staying home with my bleach until I am done with my heavy duty antibiotics. I suppose to make sure they've worked I am looking forward to another adventure with the hat.
