The Eye of the Storm: January-March 2011

January 2011

Mommy and me celebrating!

Cheesecake!

A new year always brings excitement of things to come. In 2011, I would finish my freshman year of high school, turn sweet 16, get my driver's licence, and the list goes on and on. 2011 started off great with a mommy-daughter celebration. I had declared myself "cured" after four months of being sick. To celebrate, my mom and I went to the Cheesecake Factory and treated ourselves a delectable slice of cheesecake. I also made my mom a collage of pictures that were taken over the last four months. These pictures showed me doing what I loved to do in spite of being sick. The rich and chocolaty cheesecake was a much needed treat after living off a diet of grilled cheese, quesadillas, pudding, and other bland foods. I was also able to drink my homemade coffee drinks, and my appetite was still increasing. I found myself hungry a lot. One time I ate a bowl of macaroni and cheese for a snack. For a snack! My stomach was still a little sensitive to foods that were spicy, salty, or contained a lot of garlic. My mom cut back on strange spices and salt in recipes so I wouldn't have an upset stomach. My appointment with the pediatric gastroenterologist was scheduled for January 11. I had tried to convince my mom several times to cancel the appointment because I was feeling so great, but she wanted to wait and see how my first weight check went. We learned that I only gained one pound in a month when I was weighted at Dr. S.'s office. Nurse T said she was going to check with Dr. S. to see if he thought we should keep the appointment or cancel it. I was, of course, mad. I wanted to leave the office knowing that I would never have to see this "stomach doctor". Half way home, my mom's cell phone rang. It was Nurse T calling with the verdict. My heart was pounding in my chest as I awaited the news. When my mom asked, "Should we cancel the appointment or will you take care of it?" I burst into tears of happiness! No stomach doctor for me!! We stopped by Dairy Queen to pick me ice cream cones for us and Daniel, who was still on Christmas break. In addition to celebrating and eating real food again, 2011 brought a new look for me: I ditched the glasses, switched to contacts, and had blunt bangs cut. I felt like a new woman!

Doing the Jillian workout! :)

  My confidence grew even more on January 15, 2011, when I was able to do the Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred. As you remember from my first blog ("Pre-Sick Sarah"), I was just starting to enjoy-yes, enjoy-Jillian's butt-kicking workout when I got sick with mono. After completing the work out, I laid on the floor and cried (in case you haven't noticed, I'm a rather emotional girl!) because I was so happy, thrilled, and exhilarated.

 As January proceeded, our home school drama group started rehearsals for its 2011 production of "Leaving Iowa". I had the role of "Cart Gal"--an overly excited grocery store employee who really loved to talk about slopes, or as I shouted in my fake southern accent: "Sllllooooooope!" My favorite part of drama was chatting with my dear friends Elizabeth and T.   Elizabeth has been my friend since kindergarten; we are both part of the same church and home school group. T. has been my friend since about second grade; we also met in the home school group.

 February rolled in with a not-so-great weight check. I had lost three pounds in one month. I had to stop doing the Jillian workouts, and I had to start drinking one 360-calorie Boost drink a day. My mom said she felt like she had been drenched in cold water when she saw my weight on the scale. I didn't understand how I could be feeling and eating so great but still losing weight. I was hoping that our annual Super Bowl Party at Grandma's would help me get my weight back. Since 1996, my family and I have been going up to my grandparents' house for a party on Super Bowl Sunday. Grandma always makes a feast of chili, French fries, fruit kabobs, pizza, dips, and desserts. Every year the list of food seems to grow. Daniel wasn't able to join us in 2011 because he was in college, but we still had a great time eating and watching the game. Well, I couldn't care less about football so I usually ate and visited with my grandparents. My grandpa bruised his spinal cord in a farming accident in 1994. He still farms with my grandma and uncle in spite of being in a wheelchair.

 The rest of February was filled with school, babysitting, and volunteering. The more I volunteered at the hospital, the more I thought my future career. I wanted to be a Child Life Specialist--someone who helps sick kids in the hospital understand why they are in the hospital, what is going on with their bodies, and prepares them for hospital testing. I really enjoyed being with kids, and I had always thought it would be cool to work around doctors, nurses, and medical things. Even though this same hospital made me sick, I still enjoyed volunteering with J.

 March brought another weight check at the beginning of the month. I had gained a whopping five pounds in one month! I was almost at my pre-sick weight. I was going to continue drinking Boost for another month to hopefully reach that weight.

My "Leaving Iowa" castmates
and best friends! <3

 Spring was finally starting to bloom in Iowa. "Leaving Iowa" was a hit and enjoyed by all the audience. Spring Break was upon us, and this year both my siblings were home! We had plans to eat out at a new restaurant every evening for dinner. I was enjoying a week of no school and relaxing, but a strange trend was happening every time we ate out. I had an upset stomach after almost every meal. My mom and I put our thinking caps on and came up with our usual accusations: too spicy, too salty, too many strange spices, maybe I ate too much, etc. I started drinking 7up and popping a Tums that I was now carrying in my purse. Even the tradition corned beef on Saint Patrick's Day made my stomach upset. My stomach would be upset all day; nothing could touch it. I just had to sleep off the stomach ache and start again the next day. My mom thought I should start keeping a food journal again. Garlic bread, leftover corn beef, pizza from the drama cast party, and fried chicken all made the list of foods that made me feel sick. What was happening to me?!? My mom was getting worried, and I was losing my ability to cope with this onset of stomach troubles.  I was also having trouble volunteering. Germs were on my mind all the time. I found myself holding my breath while walking around the pediatric floors. My heart would start pounding when it was time to clean toys, and I would feel hot and shaky when entering the hospital. I considered quitting, but I loved spending time with J.

 I didn't know what to expect as March was coming to an end. All I knew was that something wasn't right with my stomach. It was lasting too long to be a virus, but what else could it be?

I titled this post "The Eye of the Storm" for a reason: the eye of the storm is the calmest part of a hurricane. The first wave of storms passes and then there is an eerily calm feeling. While the eye of the storm is a nice break, it is almost foreboding. There is one more wave of storms that follow the eye. In my case, I needed to batten down the hatches because the second wave was fast and furiously approaching.


TO BE CONTINUED!!!!

The Aftermath: To Talk of Things to Come

November 2010

I was learning the hard way that having c.diff and taking metronidazole sucked. My stomach was upset and queasy all the time, I had no appetite, the meds left a terrible taste in my mouth, and also caused my fingernails to stop growing. However, I kept up my usual routine of school, speech class, babysitting, and volunteering. My mom decided to come to the hospital with me to have a little chat with the head coordinator of the volunteers. The only place I would have been exposed to c.diff was at the hospital so my mom wanted me to start wearing gloves for my whole shift. She also wanted me to wear a mask while cleaning toys. My first shift back after being diagnosed with c.diff proved to be a little difficult. I explained what had happened to the hospital employees I worked with, and they told me that there was "no way" I could have picked up c.diff at their hospital. All toys that patients with c.diff used were put into bio-hazard bags and cleaned separately. They didn't have a problem with me wearing gloves and a mask while cleaning toys. When my volunteering partner, J, showed up I told her what had happened. When I said that I had been diagnosed with c.diff, she responded by telling me that she contracted c.diff when she was a patient at the very same hospital! I told J that I was going to have to start wearing gloves, and she decided to wear gloves with me since it was "such a great idea." How sweet!! Meanwhile, my mom was informing the volunteering coordinator about what happened. The coordinator acted like she had never heard of c.diff before, but sympathized with my symptoms. The coordinator also gave me my own volunteering smock that I could bring home and wash. Next my mom stopped in the playroom to see me. I was making rounds with J at that time so my mom talked with one of the employees that I had just informed about my condition. This employee also acted like she had never heard of this infection before. I felt so self-conscious as I cleaned toys in my mask; I could barely breathe and talk with J while cleaning toys. J didn't make a big deal about my mask, and we still had fun volunteering together.



The famous Gryffindor scarf



  My diet was not improving at all. I couldn't stomach the thought of milk or meat so I ate very bland foods and drank 7up or juice. As November progressed, the excitement began to build for the first part of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. I was still getting an escape and a distraction from my stomach when I read the Harry Potter books. I wanted to go to the midnight showing of the movie on November 19. I planned to re-use my Halloween costume for the midnight showing. Before I got sick, I had started on knitting a Gryffindor scarf. There were 60-some stitches and I was using heavy yarn so knitting was kind of exhausting, especially when I was so weak from the mono. With about 10 days until the midnight showing, I decided to finish my Gryffindor scarf! However, there was a slight problem: I had 10 days to knit 55 inches. Driven by nothing but pure determination and perseverance, I knitted every chance I could find. My wonderful mother pitched in and knitted whenever I couldn't knit because of school or any of my other activities. I knitted so much that my dreams were filled with knitting maroon and gold, and my fingers twitched when I was taking a rare break. Every evening, my mom and I were watching the first six Harry Potter movies to get ready for the premier of the seventh. I was looking forward to November 18 very much because of two reasons: 1) Harry Potter at 12:01...I guess that would technically be the 19, but we were going to the theater on the 18. 2) I would take the last horrid metronidazole pill on November 18! It was going to be a great day....if I could finish my scarf!

 All my perseverance and determination paid off when I finished the Gryffindor scarf on November 17! The finished product was about 67 inches long--almost one foot taller than me.

 November 18 was one of the slowest days ever! I was so excited for the midnight showing and excited to take my last pill. Mom and I finished the sixth movie before an exciting dinner: I took my last pill and ate meat for the first time in a month. It was a little bit of bacon in a casserole, and it tasted so good! Later on that evening, with my Gryffindor scarf in place and my mom and sister with me, I attended my first midnight showing. Even though I was excited about the movie and no more metronidazole, I still didn't feel well. My mom bought me some 7up at the theater to try to calm my stomach down. Once the movie started, I forgot all about it. The movie was, of course, terrific, I bawled like a baby when Dobby died.



Me dressed as Hermione with my
favorite character, Severus Snape!





Thanksgiving was coming up quickly, and my family had plans to go to Minneapolis after Thanksgiving. Daniel and my dad were going to see a football game while the girls went shopping at the Mall of America. Even though I was done taking the medicine, my stomach was still upset daily. Our theory was that the medicine and infection had really messed up my stomach so it might take a little bit to settle everything down. Armed with 7up (the holiday pomegranate flavor, for variety!) I headed to Minneapolis for shopping and fun! We all had a great time. I shopped until I dropped at the Mall of America and drank my first coffee drink since my stomach troubles began. I needed a 7up to help with the chaos that caused, but I enjoyed the mini-vacation nevertheless!

Christmas preparations were in full swing by the time I got back from Minneapolis. Christmas is my favorite time of the year! I love all the sights, songs, sounds, and smells of Christmas. This year, however, Christmas didn't seem to bring as much joy as it did in the years before. I contributed that to my stomach that was still upset on a daily basis. I had tried drinking milk and that was a disaster. I was getting tired of eating Tums and drinking 7up. My mom said that I should start writing down what I ate and how I felt after eating to see if there were any "food trends" that would show a certain food that wasn't sitting well. I was fed up with dealing with an upset stomach every day. On December 6, my mom took me back to Dr. S. My appetite was still gone; I had lost 11 pounds I first got c.diff. Dr. S. was stumped. We had stumped the master. The master, Dr. S., came up with a few more things to try: 1) an ultrasound of my gallbladder. What does my gallbladder have to do with my stomach? An ultrasound?!? Like what pregnant people have done?!?! I was not excited about this idea. 2) My mom overheard Nurse T suggested that Dr. S. test me for some disease called "seal-e-yack" disease. That sounds horrid. What is that?! My mom explained to me that people with this "seal-e-yack" disease can not eat anything with wheat in it. No wheat?!? "Oh, that would suck!" I commented. 3) Dr. S. thought it was time that I see a pediatric gastroenterologist--a doctor who specializes in children and the digestive track. Dr. S. told us that there was a pediatric gastroenterologist located in the same building. Dr. S.'s office is on the second floor and this specialist's office was on the first floor. Dr. S. then told us that there would be at least a two month wait to see this doctor.

"We can't wait that long." My mom said.

Dr. S. then recommended a pediatric gastroenterologist at the same hospital where I volunteered.

Option #3 sounded terrifying. A stomach doctor? Somebody other than Dr. S. taking care of me? No. Absolutely not.

We scheduled the ultrasound and blood was drawn for this strange "seal-e-yack" disease. On the way home from Dr. S.'s office, I looked over my food journal notes to see if any foods from wheat made me feel sick. It was hard to tell, mainly because I ingested wheat at every single meal.

"If I can't eat wheat, I am just going to die! All my favorite foods have wheat in them!" I complained.

My six week long food journal

 The ultrasound of my gallbladder was two days later. I was so nervous. I had to get up early in the morning, and I couldn't eat anything. This was the first test that I had to go through. I thought only pregnant women had to have ultrasounds. I had no idea what to expect as I followed a hospital employee to the ultrasound waiting room. I was very glad I wasn't at the "other hospital" where I volunteered. Seeing people I worked with would have been so awkward. A nice man called my name and told me that he would be doing the ultrasound. My mom sat next to me as the tech squirted the hot and sticky gel on to my stomach and rubbed it around with something that looked like a computer mouse. Images of my internal organs popped up on a screen by the tech. The tech did lots of typing and clicking on his keyboard. This is taking forever! Eventually the tech gave me some towels to wipe the gel off and sent me on my way. I texted my siblings saying that I survived the ultrasound. Rachel responded by telling me that I'll be pregnant the next time I had to have an ultrasound. My sweet mom had also fasted with me so we stopped by Hy-Vee for breakfast. We ate some yummy chocolate chip muffins, and mom treated me with a coffee drink from Caribou Coffee. Now that the worst was over, we just had to wait until the results came.

 The ultrasound was normal! It was nice to know that all my internal organs were fine. The blood results for that awful disease where you can't eat any wheat also came back normal-ish. There are five levels to the test and two of my levels were elevated, but we were reassured that all five levels had to be elevated to be unfortunate enough to never be able to eat wheat--ever again.  However, an appointment was made for January 11, 2011, with Dr. D.S.--a pediatric gastroenterologist or "stomach doctor" as I called him--at the Other Hospital (where I volunteered). Dr. S. also wanted me to come back once a month for three months for a weight check. I started drinking Boost drinks to help with my weight. They were gross at first, but I got used to it. I seemed to be improving a little bit every day though. I occasionally felt hunger pangs and my appetite was slowly returning. I had a strong craving for KFC's Famous Bowl one night for dinner, and I ate 3/4 of it in one setting! I still kept track of what foods I ate and how I felt after eating, but my stomach was much less upset. I wasn't drinking 7up and munching on Tums all the time either. I prayed every night that I wouldn't have to see the stomach doctor. As I was improving, I began to look forward to Christmas with as much enthusiasm as I usually did. My stomach was still upset, but the severity of it was much less. Sometimes a stomach ache even went away by itself! I celebrated Christmas with my family and enjoyed spending a few days at my Aunt Deena and Uncle Roger's house after Christmas. We played with their Wii, watched movies, and experienced riding in a sled that was being pulled by Uncle Roger and his four-wheeler. Rachel and I had a blast!



New Year's Eve

The last four months of 2010 had been rough, but things seemed to be getting better for me and my health. On New Year's Eve some friends from church came over, and we played games and munched on my mom's famous New Year's Eve snacks. I had a lot of fun, but for some reason I could barely eat any of my mom's snacks. I just wasn't hungry and none of the food looked good. I wasn't going to let this random loss of appetite stop me from celebrating the new year. I didn't know what was coming in 2011, but I was ready to handle another year of growing older and learning new things. I did not know then that 2011 was definitely going to be a year of learning. I would learn how to cope with a "annus horribilis"--Latin for a year of horrors.

TO BE CONTINUED!!

"What's It Called Again?": clostridium difficile

October 2010

Fall fun!

I had more and more energy every day as the mono left my body. I was still enjoying speech class and the last few weeks of nice weather. I was able to do school, babysit, and volunteer at the hospital with my usual spunk and energy, even if I got tired around 3:00 in the afternoon. Volunteering in the playroom at a children's hospital in Des Moines on Thursday afternoons was something that I really enjoyed. My shift started at 1:30 and ended at 3:30. My responsibilities included making rounds on the pediatric floors asking kids if they wanted to come up to the playroom or if they wanted anything brought to them. I also held babies who were all alone (one of my favorite duties!), played with kids in the playroom, colored and made crafts, and cleaned toys. Sometimes we were very busy and other times all the kids wanted to stay in their rooms. My volunteering partner, J, was one of the best things about volunteering. She was one of the the sweetest girls I have ever met. She was 100% Italian and very small. She always talked and laughed non-stop. Cleaning the toys was so much fun when we were chatting about anything and everything.

  I still remember the exact day, October 21, when we cleaned toys for two hours straight. There weren't very many kids in the hospital, but there were several big wagons full of dirty toys. Volunteers were required to wear gloves while  using disinfectant wipes to wipe down the toys. J and I made great progress as we talked and laughed. In two hours we had cleaned almost every single toy in the playroom. We gave each other a high-five when the clock hit 3:30 and it was time to go. One of the perks of volunteering was free food from the hospital cafeteria. Volunteers got up to $5 worth of food for free whenever they volunteered. After my shift was over, I would head down to the cafeteria. I usually got an ice cream treat or a frozen lemonade stick and then met my mom outside the hospital. When I got home, my stomach was kind of upset. I took a Tums (which tasted more like candy than an antacid) and didn't think anything more of it. However, my stomach was still upset during next few days, and I didn't have much of an appetite. When I told my mom that my stomach had been upset since Thursday, she said that it was "that time of the year" for stomach bugs. I figured she was right and popped another Tums in my mouth. Over the next few days my stomach got more and more upset and I had completely lost my appetite.

 On Tuesday, October 25, I woke up with a strange feeling. It was unlike anything I had ever experienced. I pushed all my covers off and ran to the bathroom. I then proceeded to empty what seemed like my entire colon into the toilet. Please excuse my bluntness...everybody poops! :) When I recovered, I went downstairs to find my mom who was washing dishes in the kitchen.
"Mom, there's something wrong with me."

I told my mom everything that happened upstairs. By this point I was feeling very hot, dizzy, and sick. We determined that I caught a bad flu bug. I went to the basement to feed my cat, Oliver, and I was taken over by waves of nausea. I quickly sat down and waited for it to pass. I was also burning up. I went to my room and changed into short sleeves. More waves of nausea continued to pass over me, only this time I was freezing so I changed back into long sleeves. I didn't want to eat any breakfast because I knew I would throw it up. I did some school subjects that didn't require a lot of brain work and rested on the couch. I had more diarrhea, dry heaves, and nothing to eat for lunch. Since it was a Tuesday, speech class was in the afternoon, but there was no way I was going to make it. I watched TV on the couch for the rest of the day while sipping on 7up.  That evening, I was watching the Biggest Loser while my parents ate dinner. I got up at a commercial break to go tell my mom something. I had been dizzy all day due to not eating anything, but when I found my mom at the computer I got extremely light-headed. Neon yellow spots were flashing in front of my eyes and then everything went black. I couldn't see or talk at all. I felt myself fall against the wall and slid down to the floor while my mom said, "Sarah?!?" with panic in her voice. When I reached the floor I could see and talk again. My mom was standing over me with a horrified expression on her face, and I burst into tears. My mom later told me that my eyes were open (even when I couldn't see anything), and my face was bright red. For the rest of the evening, my mom insisted on escorting me around the house with both her hands on my arms. I found this slightly irritating, but I understood her motives.

 The next day I ate food, even if it was just a tiny bit, to prevent another passing out situation. I didn't eat much, but it was better than nothing. This "stomach bug" was really tough. My diet consisted of 7up, grilled cheese, quesadillas, macaroni and cheese, applesauce, and crackers. I could barely stand the sight of most food, especially meat and milk. 

Feeling like crap while eating
my graham cracker lunch with
Meghan and her dad, Dan



Wingdarium Leviosa!



 On October 30, my parents and I woke up at the crack of dawn to drive to Iowa City to see my brother, Daniel, receive a scholarship for his efforts in the Hawkeye Marching Band. As was our tradition, we watched the marching band practice before the Saturday afternoon game. My mom had packed 7up and food for me since the vendors around the stadium sell food that made me want to vomit even more than I already did. After the band was finished on the practice field they moved to the rec hall--a warm building used for the marching band's pre-game pep rally. There we met up with my brother's girlfriend, Meghan, and her parents. I munched on my "lunch" of 7up, graham crackers, and some kind of fruit. I felt so awful. The pep rally is always fun so that cheered me up a little bit. After Daniel received his scholarship and left to go to the stadium, we headed back home. Well, we weren't actually going home. Next we had to go to Rachel's band concert at Grand View University. I just wanted to go home where I would be so much more comfortable. After the concert, however, we quickly rushed home to get ready for trick-or-treating. I was planning on handing out candy dressed up as Hermione Granger. Before the little trick-or-treaters came, my mom had prepared one of Rachel's favorite meals: taco chili. The sight and smell of the meat, beans, and tomatoes made me want to vomit so I ate nothing but a Grand biscuit for dinner. 

On November 1, my mom decided it was time to see Dr. S. I didn't think it was necessary to go to the doctor for a "stomach bug", but the appointment was already made and I was going. Dr. S ordered three vials of blood and two x-rays. While I waited for a lab tech to come, I read Harry Potter. The world's sweetest lab tech, S, shortly came in. She called me "Sarah-Belle" and chatted as she drew blood and took me into the x-ray room. The last time I had an x-ray was when I broke my arm in 2003. As my mom and I awaited the lab and x-ray results, Dr. S. also ordered a urine and stool sample. I just about died of embarrassment. I did the urine sample in the office and took a kit home to do the stool sample. All the blood work and urine sample came back normal, along with the x-rays. 

"You don't have any twisted intestines!" Dr. S. said with a big smile. Even though I hated going to the doctor, I had to admit it: I liked Dr. S!

Dr. S. wasn't quite sure why my stomach was upset and my appetite was gone. I had lost six pounds in 11 days that I had been wrestling with my stomach troubles. Dr. S. suggested that we get some probiotic drops to help bring out the good bacteria in my gut while we waited for the stool sample. The next day, we brought that lovely stool sample kit back to Dr. S's office. 

"Can you image having to look at people's poop all day for a living? Talk about a crappy day at work." I said a we drove to Dr. S's office. I then laughed hysterically at my pun all the way to the hospital.

 On November 4, my parents and I were once again on the road to Iowa City. This time we were going to see Daniel perform in the Hawkeye Band Extravaganza--a show featuring all the music from the football season. On the way to Iowa City, my mom's cell phone rang. I was listening to my iPod, but I turned it down when I heard my mom say, "What's it called again?" I had a gut feeling (no pun intended) that it was the result of the stool sample. My mom seemed confused when she got off the phone. She said it was Nurse T, Dr. S's great nurse. 

"You have c.diff toxins." My mom told me. None of us knew what it was, but nurse T had told us that it was a bacterial infection of the digestive track. I was immediately grossed out!


My favorite marching band member!



I forgot about my disgusting diagnosis once we got to Iowa City. We went out for dinner with Daniel, Meghan, and Meghan's parents at one of their favorite restaurants. While everybody else purged on greasy pizza piled with all sorts of meat and other toppings, I enjoyed grilled cheese on rye bread. After dinner we went out for ice cream and then went to the Band Extravaganza. It was great fun; the marching band's music and dancing, along with Daniel's distinct swaying while playing, distracted me from my horribly upset stomach. I couldn't wait to get on some medicine for whatever this infection was. After the extravaganza, we said goodbye to everybody. As Meghan's mom went to hug me goodbye, Daniel joked, "Don't hug Sarah...she has the plague." :)

When we got home, my mom immediately looked up "c.diff" on Google and told me what it was when I woke up the next morning:

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Clostridium difficile (pronounced klos-TRID-e-uhm dif-uh-SEEL), also known as c.diff, is a bacterial infection of the digestive track that is found most commonly in hospitals. Bacteria from c.diff is passed in the feces and produces spores that are ingested upon touching any surface or item that contains these spores. Only two types of antibiotics can kill c.diff. Both medicines are known to severely upset the stomach and leave a metallic taste in the mouth. In 2010, c.diff was hardly recognizable. However, it is now considered to be almost a superbug--an infection that medicine cannot treat. 24% of patients with c.diff had a relapse within two months. Severe complications can come from bad cases of c.diff: bowel perforation (a hole in the large intestine due to bacteria), c.diff colitis, toxic megacolon (the colon becomes distended due to inability to expel gas and stool so the colon ruptures), and even death. There are approximately 30,000 deaths a year due to c.diff

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I was completely disgusted when I learned about how c.diff is spread. It was clearly obvious where I picked up this terrible infection: the hospital while cleaning toys. I felt even more sick to my stomach when I thought about how much fun my volunteering partner and I had while cleaning toys for two hours straight, a perfect opportunity to ingest bacterium filled spores. I thought the best idea was to sue the hospital, that didn't get very far. Dr. S. prescribed metronidazole (me-troe-NI-da-zole), one of the two antibiotics that treats c.diff, to be taken twice a day for 15 days. There were two nasty side effects: a metallic taste and an upset stomach. I can still taste that metallic taste today; I chewed gum, sucked on Lifesavers, and even brushed my teeth to try to get rid of that awful taste but nothing worked. I took my medicine with breakfast and dinner, along with probiotic drops. My stomach felt absolutely horrendous after breakfast and dinner, due to the side effects and the infection. 

 I thought after I was finished with the medicine, everything would go away! Unfortunately, I was about to be proven very, very wrong. 

TO BE CONTINUED!!!