Showing posts with label C-Diff. Show all posts
Showing posts with label C-Diff. Show all posts
Wednesday, October 21, 2015

Seven Days

After 3.5 years of remission - it took 7 days for a full blown flare.  Seven Days.

I am not going to go into what a full blown flare looks like again.  If you are having trouble remembering or you are new to HWHAP - you can read: The Sh*t that is Crohn's Disease here! I don't mince words in that post.

Last Monday, the 12th was her Remicade appointment date but we found out the Friday beforehand that there was a lapse in her coverage and we were having trouble getting answers.  There were words like:  pre-existing condition, pre-authorization and you need to call financial services but ultimately they canceled her appointment and would not allow us to cash pay.  I was frustrated but not OVERLY concerned. #Mistake

I honestly had no idea she would get this sick so fast.  After 3.5 years you forget. You forget how completely awful it is.  It is so awful! I was even brazen enough to allow myself to believe that she would be ok.  Maybe she doesn't even need Remicade anymore!  Maybe, just maybe she can stay in remission without it!  Her doctor has told me countless times that they do NOT take children off of biologics - it just does not happen.  Why would I allow myself to think Sophie would be the exception? I don't know why.  I just know that it is hard, hard to know that your child will need this for the REST OF HER LIFE. It hit pretty hard. Again.  Which seems ridiculous but this disease is ridiculous so I think it is only fair that my emotions can be ridiculous too!

I left Sophie for a few minutes this morning to run to the gift shop and cafeteria.  While in the gift shop my emotions got the better of me and tears started flowing. Being here is hard. Coming through the ER was so hard.  We were in the same room that we had when Nate was diagnosed.  Being back on the GI floor brought back so many feelings.  Just ALL OF IT is hard.  Another mom came up to me and asked if she could hug me.  Not is a creepy, stalker way! She had tears too.  The mom bond is strong.  Being the mom of a chronically ill child somehow, if possible, makes the bond even stronger.   I didn't even get her name, or her story, but I could see the sadness in her eyes too. We are same same.

And now here we site in her comfy suite at Children's Medical Center Dallas overlooking downtown, an IV in her arm -- she is receiving the Remicade that was previously denied and we are hoping this kick starts her little body right back into remission.  She wants to go home and although her doctors wanted to observe her for one more night, they are granting her wish and letting her go home tonight! As long as everything goes well, of course.  She will miss school for the rest of the week as she rests and allows her body to recover.

2.5 years of hell was forgotten in the 3.5 years of remission but it only took 7 days to bring it all back and now I am hoping 7 days to get her back into the remission bubble.  It may take mommy a little longer to forget and will certainly take a while for the guilt to go away.   This sweet girl pays the price when things go wrong, when balls are dropped, and denials are made.  It hurts every fiber of my being to see her suffer.




This girl though is fierce, she is a fighter, a warrior and she will warrior on.
I am so honored to be this warrior's mom.  #SuperSweetSophie #CrohnsFighter #WarriorOnLittleOne

Thank you all for your calls, texts, and messages!  Thank you also for always allowing me to come here when times are tough.  When things are good I easily forget what comfort I find here, it is nice to always be able to come back when it is needed.



Saturday, November 12, 2011

#12 - C-Difficile Colitis #NHBPM









It's 11:10 PM CST ---- not much time to bust this post out.  I normally write my posts the night before and post them the next morning.  Things got hairy yesterday and I haven't had any time to sit down and do anything much less write a blog post.  


Short and Sweet just like Sophie:


Most of you know Sophie has been sick again for a few weeks I blogged about it here.  We've been in to the hospital a couple of times to do blood work and stool studies.  Sophie is on a 1st name basis with all the lab techs at CMC-Legacy and even tells them that she prefers room #3 because it has the best stickers (Tangled).  We are there a lot.  


As Sophie's GI and I had been mulling over meds and treatment plans we were both really struggling with our next step.  Her GI loves her, is so kind and seems to genuinely care about Sophie and her well-being.  He called Friday and told me her lab results were back and Sophie has C-Diff. 



    C - difficile is a bacteria in your intestines.  It is found normally in healthy and ill people alike.  There are millions, perhaps billions of different types of bacteria in your body.  Bacteria are an important part of your health.  They help break down and digest food.  They also ward off many "bad" or foreign bacteria that you may come in contact with.  In fact, the "good" or normal bacteria on your hands can kill certain bad bacteria which you may pick up handling food or touching everyday items and fixtures.

Your body has lots of "good" and necessary bacteria.  It also has some "bad" or dangerous bacteria.   Clostridium difficile is a "bad" bacteria.  Fortunately, when you are healthy and not taking antibiotics, the millions of good bacteria in your system keep the c - diff under control and in smaller numbers.  However, when you take an antibiotic, the levels of good bacteria are reduced down to a smaller number.  If your c-diff is strong and doesn't get killed by the antibiotic along with the good bacteria, then it is possible that the c-diff will overpopulate inside your intestine or colon.   When this happens, you may get the illness called clostridium difficile colitis.

When you have an imbalance of bacteria and c-diff takes over, it creates two main types of toxins that affect your body and give you the symptoms of the actual disease.  The toxins attack your intestinal wall and left untreated may cause ulcerations. Your symptoms may include diarrhea and cramping at first.   The later stages are commonly flu-like symptoms of weakness, dehydration, fever, nausea, vomiting and in advanced stages - blood in your stool / feces.  If a patient is left untreated, they can die from it.  It is rare for it to be left untreated.  

Patients with ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease have been known to develop C. difficile colitis without exposure to antibiotics.


I had to pull Sophie out of school on Friday and she will not be allowed to return until we get her all better. Which could take days, weeks or even months.  We started her on Flagyl and Florastor on Friday and will see how she is responding on Monday.  

Sophie is pretty sick and she is very sad that she can't go to school or play with her friends.  We are trying to keep her in good spirits and for the most part we are pretty successful.  She's one tough little cookie.  

Ok - it wasn't that short but now you know what is going on in my world.  Oh yea - and diabetes is kicking my arse.  It may be time for me to actually log some numbers.  UGH!!

This post was written as part of NHBPM – 30 health posts in 30 days: http://bit.ly/vU0g9J



11:46 PM --- why did this take so long?  I'm going to bed now. 


XOXOXOX


Just a Mom

I am NOT a doctor, nor do I play one on this blog.

I AM a wife.
I AM the mom of 3 wonderful children.
I AM my son's pancreas.

The information provided on this blog is from our personal experiences with Type 1 diabetes. Because something works for us does not mean it will work for you.

Please consult your doctor if you have any questions or concerns about your health care options.

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