A Colitis Inside Us

Dear faithful readers, I'm back. But I'm not doing as well as I should be. First, let me say that I'm progressing well. I'm off pain medication, my drains aren't pissing me off too much, and my range of motion is pretty good. But then there's the colitis...

For those of you who saw me last weekend, this will totally surprise you. I was actually doing great then. For those of you who've seen me this week, this will serve as an explanation for what was going on. Late Sunday night/early Monday morning I got up in the middle of the night and "had to go". It hasn't stopped since. Seriously, folks. I know it's kind of gross, but I have had persistent digestive issues that have been quite painful and uncomfortable and have made sleeping pretty difficult. At first, it seemed like a mild reaction to the antibiotics. I developed a mild fever, which is always a concern because it could indicate infection with the drains, but it went away (and the drains looked great).

We figured it was just a side affect of the antibiotics that would eventually pass (and I was due to finish them yesterday). Well, when I went to see the oncological surgeon for a post-op visit, he was concerned that it could be more serious. He asked a nurse to collect a "sample". Luckily, I was able to produce one quite readily. I can't even believe I'm writing this... They got back to me today with the results - I have C. Dif, aka Clostridium Difficile Colitis aka Antibiotic-Associated Colitis.

Normal, healthy people have this bacterium in small amounts. It is kept in line by the various other "good" bacteria in the colon. When a patient has to take antibiotics, the good bacteria can be killed, leaving the C. Dif to grow unchecked. What results is terribly painful abdominal cramps, frequent trips to the bathroom, and a generally gross feeling. I also have no appetite. It's a common symptom, but part of me wonders if this is totally intellectual because I no longer think of what food tastes like, but of what it does to me once it's been swallowed.

So, the treatment is to take another antibiotic (ironic, isn't it?) to kill the bad bacterium and to replace all of the fluids and electrolytes I've been losing, to eat what I feel I can and to slowly introduce the foods that right now totally disgust me.

To anyone who is thinking of bringing food or visiting - please wait until I can spend more than 15 minutes in your presence without getting up to go to the bathroom :-)

When I'm feeling better I promise to give a happier update.