9 Mo Old with C-diff Colitis, Advice Needed

I would make the appointment. So what if you come across as an paranoid mother. Even if you went into the GI and it was nothing, at least you would feel like you did everything you could!! My son sees a GI and he's usually booked back for 3 months.

10 months ago my son was having eczema that I thought was something more, but yet I did not do a thing about it because of advice from his Ped. 9 months ago he was hospitalized for it, and it ended up being malnutrition due to not absorbing his foods due to allergies(long story!). I have to look back and realize I did everything I knew...but I now worry about everything, I'm his Mommy and the only one able to protect him. If you feel there could be a problem, make the appointment and then cancel if things resolve before you get to the appointment. Good luck!

So sorry to hear this about your baby!! Always follow your mothers intuition. Don't let anyone say that you are too over-protective. That is our job as parents isn't it. I really don't have avy other advice than to go ahead and set up that gi appointment and you will be that much closer to the right answer. Also go to a nutritionist to see if that will help.(whole foods)

N., Get to a GI as soon as possible! My dd had c-diff when she was 1 and we darn near lost her. I often wonder if we had gotten her to a GI if things would have turned out different. She had been sick for over a month before the stupid dr's figured out what she had. By that time she weighed barely 14 pounds. The antibiotic they put her on, metronidizole, worked wonders but I still wonder what it did to her insides. We had to be careful who she came into contact with for about a year because her immune system was so compromised. She was such a little tiny thing that I had to buy her 6 month clothes just to get them to fit. Bear in mind that her daddy is over 6'4 and I'm 5'10. She shouldn't have been so little. THEN they told us to watch her for any sudden, large growth spurts because they could be hard on her frame. Comforting words coming from professionals! She's now 9 and in the past 2 years has literally SHOT up and out. She weighs abou 140 lbs and wears a size 16 pant and is the tallest girl in the entire 3rd grade. We have had to put her on a careful diet and watch what she eats, and when anyone in the house gets sick, she REALLY gets sick still. I still have nightmares about all that we went through. I would love to hear about what you find out and what the dr's tell you. If you'd like to talk more, just send me a personal message and I'd really like to hear what you do. Good luck, but don't wait. I really think this c-diff affects them for a long time. It could just be me, but I feel really strongly that my dd would be different today if she hadn't gotten it. BTW, we have no idea how she contracted it either.

Here are a few thoughts. Ask how long it should take for him to improve on the antibiotics. If he doesn't improve in that time, definitely go back and ask if your son's condition could be something other than what the doctor diagnosed. If the doctor isn't responsive enough, then I would definitely seek out another pediatrician, without waiting.

Even if you like your current doctor, it may be important to get a second opinion. If you think he should go to a ped GI specialist, then it may well be best to follow that instinct and pursue help there, even if the doc doesn't recommend it.

Another thought - I just read the book "How Doctors Think" which is fantastic. I would recommend it to anyone who is a doctor or a patient, or who has a family member who is a patient... just about everybody! It's very enlightening about how frequently doctors misdiagnose people and why... definitely could be relevant to your situation.

Best of luck, and I hope your son feels better soon!!

Nicole my son had c-diff when he was 4 months old. He had never been on antibiotics and had never been in the hospital. C-diff is a bacteria that is actually naturally occuring in your colon and when it gets out of control is when they give antibiotics for it. I did schedule an appointment to a GI but was able to cancel it as the medication worked. My doctor's nurse said her grandson had to have two doses of medication for it to work but it did eventually get rid of it. I would suggest to make the appointment just for ease of mind and then start the medication. Then take your son in soon after the medication is gone to test for it again. My doctor was concerned about weight gain so I did have to take him in once a week for weight checks which they did for free. Since my son was on the medication it has not come back. Good luck, it is really scary but will soon be over.

As a mother of three I say go with your gut. Don't wait. Most insurances allow you to self refer. I always get online and do a little research for myself, if your doc doesn't like this get a new one! Your little one is to precious to be "sent through the system". God bless and remember no one knows your child like you do!

My dad has colitis, so I know a bit about it. From what I know, I would advise getting into the specialist as soon as you're able. I think your instincts are right on this, and that you should do what you can to advocate for the health of your little one. Also, I'm not sure of your insurance or financial situation, but the Mayo Clinic is very strong on GI issues and saved my father's colon- literally- when he was 35. If you can manage it, I'd recommend getting a consult/2nd opinion there.

Good luck; it's so hard when they're sick!

Hi I am a mom and RN and my advice would be get the ball rolling as it takes forever. Childrens Hospital is wonderful but you can wait monthes to get into a specialist. Worse thing is you cancel the appt. However you may want to consult with them anyway to see why this happens and how likely it will reoccur. Once they know you you can call them direct and they can advise you. I donot know much about peds and how easily kids get c diff. It is really rampant in hospitals. P. dybinski

Nicole,

I would strongly urge you to type in c-diff colitis and read up on the internet. Just because your child is on antibiotics does not mean this will be wiped out. The spores from the bacteria can live up to 2 years and re-occure. Seek advice from a very seasoned colon therapist, naturopathic doctor and work with some alternative treatments because your childs body is going to need some natural support not to have all it's natural flora wiped out which antibiotics do. You can put your baby on a good probiotic, powder form, example: Intestinal Care DF acidophilus and bifidobacteria plus FOS blended in a non dairy powder, 25 billion live cells per 1/4 tsp. Vitamin Cottage carries it and check with them about it's appropriateness for a 9 month old. Yogurt gives the live cultures also. Maryann Mehrman in Fort Collins is an excellent resource. Essential fatty acids are very helpful for healing the colon and these come in liquid form which can be added to your childs food, flax oil, cod liver oil, fish oils-all the natural organic oils will help in healing of the body. Good luck and read a lot.V.

Definitely take your son to a pediatric GI specialist. In dealing with many doctors over that past few years and my husband being in a medical field I have finally realized that if you have a specialized problem you need to see a specialist, even if the problem isn't that uncommon. For example, pediatricians usually prescribe the wrong antibiotic for pink eye even though it is a very common childhood ailment. Set up an appointment with a specialist sooner rather than later. If this treatment works you can always cancel the appointment. Also, the fact that he hasn't been on antibiotics and that is the common cause is something that should also be checked out.

N., look online for the nearest chapter of the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of America (CCFA) ...CALL THEM, CALL THEM, CALL THEM...they are THE resource for doctors, nurses, comforting solutions, research... they are bound to have support groups, all sorts of information immediately available... and don't worry, you'll find your way
Roxie in Denver

Hi, being a mother of a little girl who had a lot of weight gaining problems I have to agree with you it will take a while to get into the Dr. that you want and you can always cancel the appt it the problem goes away. I would make an appt. today!!! Hope this helps and I hope your little guy get feeling better!
B.

C-diff is very serious. A few years ago, my sister had a severe case and was hospitalized and almost died. I would definitely look into seeing a specialist. Besides taking antibiotics, this is something people often catch while in the hospital for some other reason. It is highly contagious also. I will say a quick prayer for your son. I hope he's better soon!

Call a Maximized Living Chiropractor! Any sickness or disease in the body is due to the brain not being able to communicate healing to that specific part of the body. The nervous system is housed the spinal column. The nervous system is responsible for all function and healing in the body! When the spinal column is misaligned (subluxated) the communication gets blocked and the organs do not get the flow of life and energy they need to work at their full potential! Especially in childeren, there is so much demand and pressure on their bodies during the birth process that 90% of childeren are born with a misalignment in the spine due to the force of pulling, twisting and turning during birth. I highly recommend looking into chiropractic before you go any further with drugs and/or surgery!

I went and reseached it cause I wasn't sure what it was, not only is it usually started off by anti-biotics it is also passed along by fecal matter, even to healthy people. And that only in extreme cases a doctor will refer to a specialist cause in most cases it is controlled/cured with a normal course of anti-biotics. If it was me in your situation I would wait and give it a try, a specialist will get you in if the prescribed treatment isn't working. Good luck and extra hugs to the baby!

Hello! My relative had c-diff a few years ago as a result of taking some antibiotics with surgery. It is so EXTREMELY easy to tranmit to someone else that we had to wash our hands every time we even touched something she had touched and the nurses had to "suit up" everytime they came in her room even for a quick minute to prevent passing it on to someone else. You will have to be very careful to wash up after changing your baby's diapers so prevent getting c-diff yourself or anyone else in your family. Does your child go to daycare? That could be one place he could have gotten it. I would get the ball rolling right away because my relative was hospitalized in ICU for 3 weeks with this and nearly died because the doctors didn't catch it early enough. Fight for your child's health and see if you can find out where it came from. It should be the kind of illness that has to be documented with the state health department. Look into it and best of luck!

My seven week old has had blood in his stool for going on four weeks. My ped. said it is caused by dairy/soy allergy but hasn't run any tests.I haven't had ANY dairy/soy for four weeks and it's still happening. I have an appointment with a new ped. to get tests done to rule out it isn't something else. How did they figure out it was c-diff colitis? I have been worried sick about my baby... Do you breastfeed? If so, has there been green poop with mucus in it? If I were you, I'd set an appointment with the specialist, just to be safe. If it clears up, you can always cancel.

geberally if your case is a "special" case your doc will talk to the specialist and they can generally get you in to see them with in one week or two. What I did when my son needed a specialist I called the specialist and made an appointment (the only appointment available was about 1 1/2 months out). Then I told my doctor that I felt it was an emergent matter, so my doc called the specialist and my son got an appointment for the following week. One thing- with C-diff the diarrhea can lead to dehydration- add colitis to that and you child is highly at risk for dehydration. Continue to offer breast milk or formula- fluids are more important at this time than solids-especially b/c of the colitis. Even if your boy refuses to drink still offer it. If your son becomes very lethargic appears withdrawn, and isn't responsive, he may be very dehydrated-and may need to go to the emergency room to get IV fluids. Dehydration is treated very seriously in children b/c it can occur very rapidly.

Hi N.;
find a naturopathic doctor in your area by visiting the nationoal association website: www.naturopathic.org
these are naturoapthic doctors who are educated at the doctorate level and skilled in all areas of alternative health. naturopathic doctors are the perfect practitioners for you at this point as they look into how to resolve the current health problem as well as any underlying irritants. best of luck, K.

N.,
I don't know much about this condition, but remembered seeing a family's blog site from a friend (not related to this family) of another little boy who suffers from this too. If it's any help to contact this mom and maybe be a support to each other, I thought it worth sending on their link
www.homeschoolblogger.com/ourquiverfull/
I pray that she can be of some comfort to you as this sounds very serious and rare.
Best wishes,
M.