I was on vacation and presented with bloody diarrhea. I had finished a round on clindamycin 10 days before and so I had a heads up that I could end up with diarrhea or worse case: c.diff. So, I got online and the internet said to go to the ER as I had been hitting up every outhouse in rural Colorado for 2 days. I went to Community Hospital in Grand Junction. CO. June 9, 2023. I gave my stool sample. I was given no instructions on how to alert the nurses so I walked over to them and said I had done the deed. They went in to look at the stool sample and proclaimed, "That is not blood!" Not one, but 2 nurses said, "THAT IS NOT BLOOD!". I said, "yes, it is!!". They never acknowledged me or gave me respect and they just walked off. I gave it another go shortly thereafter and it was BLOODY. I actually took the toilet paper to the nurses station and showed them. That is when they decided I was a mental patient. They ignored me. But soon after let me know that I was being "discharged in 30 minutes with 1 Cipro pill." I said I am not taking antibiotics without knowing what is wrong with me. At one point, I was in tears crying to the security guard because they said I couldn't wait for my husband in the waiting room after they kick me out in 30 minutes. I would need to leave the hospital with no ride and no where to go. I had sent him away to a concert knowing that this process of giving a stool sample would take awhile. AND I don't live in Grand Junction and have no way back to the KOA that I was staying at. I was crying and the security guard suggested an uber or I take the Sunshine Bus (that is for people over 65, and I am 58 years old.). There are so many more details, like they said it would only take an hour (I expected a lot longer) and so I had my hubby come back only to have to leave again because that wasn't true. We were supposed to be going to a concert. That is why I kept sending hubby away, to go to the concert because properly done, this stool sample business could take hours. But the number one main thing here is that they are negligent and uncaring. I left and barely signed the discharge papers. They brought them to me sitting on a bench outside of the ER. It took 3 days to get home. I called my primary care doc Monday morning. He ordered a stool sample. it came back c.diff. You can die from that people. In fact, I was in the Phoenix ER waiting to be seen for bloody diarrhea when I checked my lab results. Positive for c.diff. I called my doc again. He said, "Stay in the ER!". They prescribed vancomycin NOT cipro like the doc at Community Hospital. Community hospital prescribed an antibiotic that was not the right one for c.diff and could cause MORE HARM had I listened to them. And early intervention is important with c. diff. I had looked this hospital up on line and both the town hospitals had bad reviews so I picked the closer one. Go to St. Mary's, it has to be better. You can DIE from c.diff. https://www.cdc.gov/cdiff/what-is.html
What if I have symptoms?
If you have been taking antibiotics recently and have symptoms of C. diff, you should see a healthcare professional.
Developing diarrhea is fairly common while on, or after taking, antibiotics, but in only a few cases will that diarrhea be caused by C. diff. If your diarrhea is severe, do not delay getting medical care.
Your healthcare professional will review your symptoms and order a lab test of a stool (poop) sample.
If the test is positive, you'll take a SPECIFIC antibiotic (e.g. vancomycin or fidaxomicin) for at least 10 days. If you were already taking an antibiotic for another infection, your healthcare professional might ask you to stop taking it if they think it's safe to do so.
Your healthcare team might decide to admit you to the hospital, in which case they will use certain precautions, such as wearing gowns and gloves, to prevent the spread of C. diff to themselves and to other patients. read more