To learn more about Clostridium difficile and how it infects our patients register for our upcoming live and on demand webinar “Clostridium difficile – Perils of a Dentist Survivor” HERE
I nearly died following a dental procedure and a course of antibiotics prescribed “just in case.”
“Just in case” I developed an infection afterwards.
Instead, the antibiotic I was prescribed caused a severe life threatening, resistant infection – Clostridioides difficile “C. Diff” for short.
The irony – I am a dentist.
I didn’t need to take these antibiotics…and I prescribed the same “CYA” antibiotics to my patients….my entire career.
It’s how we are trained. I told my patients to eat yogurt, take probiotics – to prevent a possible case of diarrhea.
After 3 recurrent infections, 4 ED hospital admissions, 4 urgent care visits for dehydration. 4 failed rounds of antibiotics, and a 30 pound weight loss in 10 weeks – it was clear to me I was dying.
My dental school education was the best, and yet I was uninformed. Clostridioides difficile should be more than a national board question we needed to memorize.
Clostridium difficile is not just a bad case of diarrhea that is cured when given another antibiotic.
1 in 3 victims will have a recurrence. 6 in 10 will have another, and another. 8 in 10 people with recurrent C. diff are hospitalized in 12 months, and at least 3 separate times.
Anyone is at risk for developing a C. diff infection. It is no longer a disease of the infirmed elderly.
Clostridium difficile infects nearly a half million Americans per year, and kills nearly 30,000.
15% of C. Diff infections result in death – within the first 30 days.
Healthcare burden: $5.9 billion in hospital costs (U.S. 2015). My bills to date $57,000 USD
How many patients did I nearly kill or worse? I have no idea – there is little surveillance of community acquired infection linked to out patient settings including dental practices or clinics.
Don’t get me wrong, antibiotics save lives. Dentistry, however, is in dire need of Antibiotic Stewardship. It’s time to get real here.
A fecal microbiome transplant saved my life. I am now 10 weeks seemingly cured. The mental toll of a life threatening illness still hangs in the balance. I am now told Medical PTSD is common.
Thank you to these organizations and providers:
OpenBiome a nonprofit biobank, expanding safe access to fecal transplants and catalyzing research on the human microbiome.
C Diff Foundation Educating, advocating for C. difficile infection prevention, treatments, clinical trials, environmental safety worldwide.
Peggy Lillis Foundation a resource of education and a true wake up call fo rme – founded by two brothers who lost their own mother, Peggy Lillis to a C. diff infection following a root canal and antibiotics. She was 56 years old.
Raed Tarazi the surgeon who saved my life!
The Unknown Donor who saved my life.
