Oh, the joys of C. diff.
In case you haven't heard of this, C. diff is short for Clostridium difficile, a group of bacteria that gets into your colon (or may already be there) that is typically outcompeted for resources by all the other bacteria in one's gut.
However, too often, going through a round of "broad-spectrum" antibiotics -- antibiotics that weaken or kill almost all bacteria except C. diff -- removes the competition and allows the bad bugs to multiply and cause major diarrhea, and sometimes can damage the colon. The condition itself is referred to as C. diff.
The Wiffee had a tooth extracted last month, and her dentist put her on a round of clindamycin to prevent an oral infection. (A "prophylactic" use of antibiotics -- never a good idea, in this retired microbiologist's opinion!) And guess what? Now she has C. diff!! Clindamycin is a broad-spectrum antibiotic and, I discovered, is especially notorious for setting a patient up for C. diff.
So -- I've been more of a caretaker than an artist for about 1.5 weeks, and we're both running out of steam. We've been advised to place The Wiffee in an assisted care facility until this is over with -- at my age and condition, it really is more than I can handle, particularly since diarrhea and not eating much has weakened her considerably.
C. diff can be a recurring disease, but we're hoping that won't be the case here. Anyone who wants to pray for us and especially for her -- please! Feel free!
Mark Junge
www.MarkJunge.com or www.SouthwestSpaces.com
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| Scanning electron micrograph of Clostridium difficile |
