Shayna McGowan
It has been one of the scariest rides in my life.
I have always had some sort of gastrointestinal issues since I was a kid, now I have Celiac due to Acid Reflux. In April of 2019, I contracted a UTI then I had taken an antibiotic later to find out it was not even that great for it. A few weeks later I started to feel off, constantly running to the restroom at least 7-10 times a day, and things were gradually getting worse. By the third week, I had decided to go to Urgent Care after I felt even sicker than ever, and my mind started to feel as off as the rest of my body.
Finally, in mid-May, I had finished my last dose of Vancomycin and tested for C. diff a few weeks later. The results were negative and kept testing negative every month.
It has been a long road and I have been trying to make changes slowly to my diet, eating better foods. It’s been a few scary months of what feels like it (C. diff) constantly still is there. It has some major health effects and I keep trying to tell myself that it is going to take a long time for my body to heal. Of course, my OCD is not helping.
I will never forget the kindness I found and friendship in my advocate and fellow C. diff survivors, be it in support groups or the advocate themself. I am grateful for the doctor who got me on the meds in the first place, and for my family who puts up with my anxiety over this terrible disease, and the continual support that I have gotten from everyone. I hope to one day, not to worry about a recurrence, and realize that there is always a chance I can contract it or it could come back. And, I hope one day that this terrible disease can become so rare that it is completely treatable.
I do hope one day to become a mom, be able to return to work, and live a really good life as long as I can!
I commend people that have survived far worse than C. diff infections, or from the infection themselves.
Other Stories
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I’ve been suffering from this infection for the past few years. When I was first diagnosed, I was shocked and thought this was something that only the elderly suffered from. It’s been 3 years since my first infection, and I still suffer daily. I’v… -
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I had emergency surgery for a ruptured appendix and was given SO MANY antibiotics in the hospital. I was also given Protonix for the acid reflux that resulted from all the antibiotics. Looking at the list of risk factors for C. diff, I fit every o… -
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