C-difficile is a bacteria in your intestines. It is found normally in healthy and ill people alike. There are millions, perhaps billions of different types of bacteria in your body. Bacteria are an important part of your health. They help break down and digest food. They also ward off many "bad" or foreign bacteria that you may come in contact with. In fact, the "good" or normal bacteria on your hands can kill certain bad bacteria which you may pick up handling food or touching everyday items and fixtures. Your body has lots of "good" and necessary bacteria. It also has some "bad" or dangerous bacteria. Clostridium difficile is a "bad" bacteria. Fortunately, when you are healthy and not taking antibiotics, the millions of good bacteria in your system keep the c - diff under control and in smaller numbers. However, when you take an antibiotic, the levels of good bacteria are reduced down to a smaller number. If your c-diff is strong and doesn't get killed by the antibiotic along with the good bacteria, then it is possible that the c-diff will overpopulate inside your intestine or colon. When you have an imbalance of bacteria and c-diff takes over, it creates two main types of toxins that affect your body. The toxins attack your intestinal wall and left untreated may cause ulcerations. Your symptoms may include diarrhea and cramping at first. The later stages are commonly flu-like symptoms of weakness, dehydration, fever, nausea, vomiting and in advanced stages - blood in your stool / feces. If left untreated, they can die from it.

Clostridium difficile is mostly contagious from other people through the fecal-oral route To avoid spreading this - one should clean thoroughly all toilets, utensils and fixtures (wearing rubber gloves) while in the same house or ward to avoid cross-contamination. People should always wash their hands while preparing food regardless of if they have c-diff or not.

Antibiotic is usually the initial cause of developing this disease and antibiotics are usually the cause of recurrent cases of c-diff. Ironically - two very powerful antibiotics are used to primarily treat the disease!

Some regular doctors can treat and cure you. If you have a stubborn case, you may ask your doctor to refer you to a specialist. There have been cases where non-specialist doctors did not know enough about c-diff and actually aggravated the condition by mis-diagnosing or prescribing another antibiotic or medicine that encouraged c-diff overpopulation. Anti-diarrhea medicine results in the toxins staying in the intestine. The body gives you diarrhea for a reason: to get rid of the bad stuff. It is like putting your body's natural cleansing system in high gear to get rid of toxin. However, prolonged diarrhea may cause dehydration and death.

This illness is usually treated with a couple of special antibiotics and for most people it goes away after a couple weeks or as prescribed by your doctor. For the other approximately 20% of the patients who are not cured, the common first-line and least expensive drug used is Flagyl (metronidazole). If Flagyl is ineffective then Vancocin (vancomycin) is commonly prescribed. The Vancocin is very expensive (about $4.80 per pill!!). As of right now, the vancomycin is the last-resort and there are no other main line and clinically proven and accepted (by USDA) defenses against c-diff.

C-difficile produces spores when attacked by antibiotics. The spores can live in the open air or in dirt for up to two years. Normal disinfectants have been shown ineffective against the spores. This means that even if you kill the C-dif bacteria, spores can still be present. When the leftover spores detect an attack from conventional antibiotics, it unmasks the spores and causes them to start producing the C-dif bacteria all over again. This is why you can get rid of the symptoms while on the medicine and it can come right back later. Some people are never cured.

Acidophilus, yogurt (live cultures), are good to consume, they help replace the good bacteria.

My 93 year old mother got C-Diff at hospital after hip surgery and died 3 days later. From my research C-Diff can live 2 years on hospital beds, and 5 years on the floor. Of course, nurses are not the best at taking percautions to keep from spreading. She was diagnosed after her body started turning purple under breasts, and her bottom. They called a surgeon in but her intestines had already ruptured, too late for surgery to help.

Others who have been on antibiotics should be very careful when they are around someone with C-Diff, it will become active in them. I was with my mother at the hospital, slept in same room, etc, but had not been on antibiotics and did not get C-Diff from her. Nurses handled the bedpans, etc, not me.

Again, be sure and keep after C-Diff. If it does not clear up in 2 weeks, then go to a gasterologist, one who specialises in this type problem.