Should I allow my elderly mother to return home with C.Diff?

My 90yo MIL picked that up in a rehab facility. Her 2 daughters, 65ish, tried to take care of her at home. It was impossible. She had diarrhea several times a night, plus they were in danger of contracting it.

She was admitted to the hospital, where she had a bowel catheter put in and was in isolation.

So, I don't think that it is anything that you can handle at home. Does she have medicare and secondary insurance?

I would not take her out of NH (nursing home.) Once you take her out, you will become truly responsible for her. This would require full-time services - from you or from a paid caregiver. It's a 24-hour caregiving. Father and I had to do this for mom - 24 years ago. I have 7 siblings. In all these years, it was only father and I. NO ONE HELPED US PHYSICALLY. This took a toll on us. I work full time. When mom became too much for father, I had to request for part-time work. Then when we got mom stabilized (violent stage), I went back to full-tim.

Truly, even with the 2 of us (father took day shift, I got night shift when I got off work), it was very hard, exhausting work. I couldn't go out at nights, or go to parties in the weekends. My life centered: work and home. 2 years ago, father had a stroke and became bedridden. STILL my siblings did NOT help. I refused to give up my job. So, I asked oldest to come Mon-Fridays while I'm at work. As an incentive, I offered to pay her. I asked older brother if he can help cover the paid caregiver on Saturdays (I work half days).

On top of my job, I come home sooo tired and exhausted, still prepare dinner, feed father and then change both their pampers. Just last year November, I started blacking out. Even with sis coming Mon-Fridays, and a paid caregiver on Saturdays, I was heading towards severe exhaustion. My therapist told me that I must let my siblings know that my exhaustion can kill me or land me in the hospital. I texted all of them. NOTHING. The early months of this year, I would black out in the middle of changing their pampers. I once blacked out for 30 minutes. When I came to, I was standing at mom's side, waving her removable trache in front of me! Another time, when I came to, I was jerking on her string holding her trache in place! Another black out, I couldn't find the scissors. I found it UNDER her head pillow! Another black out, I was standing next to father's bed, and he stared at me with fear. 10 minutes had passed. I was just standing there for 10 minutes with no idea that it happened until my vision came back. Most times, I found darkness descending in my vision and feeling myself tilting backwards. Good thing the parents hospital bed had railings. I grabbed it as I was tilting backward. Pure Exhaustion.

As for mom, because she had (mom passed away this past March) a trache, I would wake up during the night to suction her trache. She would choke on her phlegm and it can only come out thru suctioning. Otherwise, she can choke to death. So, for years, I did NOT have uninterrupted sleep.

I'm telling you my story so that you understand what it's like to care for someone. They will NOT improve as time goes by. I always viewed bedridden mom as a permanent infant. I mean it literally. Mom was a complete vegetative state. Couldn't even turn her head or lift a finger or talk.

C.diff is very difficult to get rid of. It is also very contagious. Once you get C.diff, it is not something that you can get rid off permanently. From my readings, it remains in your body until something triggers it again. You and everyone in your home will have to learn to be a germ-aphobic within your home to avoid catching it and/or spreading it.

Most people who get C-diff get it while in the hospital or NH. It's very contagious and will travel from patient to patient. When patient's have C-diff they are put into isolation so how is it so contagious if people are in isolation? Healthcare workers carry it from patient to patient. In isolation anyone going into the room has to wear a gown and gloves. Coming out of the room the gown and gloves are discarded in a hazardous waste container. But the bug sticks to healthcare workers. Maybe on a collar where the gown doesn't reach or a cuff, on a watch, etc. There's no way to prevent it.

However, having someone at home who has C-diff cuts down on the transmission. If you're caring for someone with C-diff use universal precautions and you should be fine. I've cared for patients with C-diff in their home and I've never contracted it. No one I know has ever contracted it. It's not an airborne germ.

But as someone above said, when caring for someone with C-diff it can be a mess. An unimaginable mess. C-diff causes violent diarrhea and it's constant. So with the problem of around-the-clock diarrhea the person is at risk for dehydration. Elderly people are susceptible to dehydration under the best of circumstances.

Also, it's not just watery diarrhea. C-diff produces semi-formed diarrhea that is tacky and very difficult to clean up.

The good news is that vancomyacin clears up C-diff but it takes a while. It's not a case of taking the med for several days and it's gone. So if your mom had been on the vanc for a while it could be that her symptoms have lessened and she's ok to come home. But if she's still experiencing acute symptoms of C-diff she shouldn't be coming home. She needs rest, more medicine, and fluids fluids fluids. It's too much for one person to care for in the home in my opinion. Not at that stage anyway.

Eyerishlass is correct about c. diff. Also adding probiotics after the approrpriate antibiotics may help and won't hurt anything. I would say base your decision on the overall care needed, not just the c. diff.

ive been working on differentials for 40 years and im just warning you, if you dont get the c-clips back in place your rear axles will slide out and kill bystanders. i hope this has been helpful cause after all thats my intention to help others with my years of experience.

Are you talking about having a hard time finding supervision for her to come home or are you looking for extra supervision in the NH?