Rob has been doing well and getting stronger every day. Unfortunately, it looks like he got hit by another bacterial infection. It is a healthcare-associated (HAI) and and antibiotic-associated infection called Clostridium difficile (CDI, CDF or C-diff).

It was caught quickly and being managed by antibiotics and electrolytes, so we are hoping it is not one of the more virulent strains and won’t grow into one of the nastier forms.

Rob is not feeling too bad, so he clearly seems to be able to fight this better than some of the past infections that stopped him in his tracks. When I talked to him tonight his biggest concern was that the TV wasn’t working!

Alstublieft bezoek Rob nu niet.Ik zal het  Bezoekers pagina actualiseren wanneer het veilig is hem opnieuw te bezoeken.

Please do not visit Rob now. I will update the Visitors page when it is safe to visit him again.

A note on C-diff and antibiotics:

I’m quickly learning more about this infection, and did not realise how common it has become in recent years. It is not only in patients like Rob who have recently had many antibiotics, abdominal surgery, and a long healthcare stay, they are also starting to find more C-diff in the community and in the retail food chain.

C-diff infections mostly affect people who have been on antibiotics because antibiotics destroy both friendly and unfriendly bacteria. When antibiotics destroy friendly bacteria, unfriendly bacteria like C-diff can grow much more easily as they have no competition.

So when you hear about limiting antibiotic usage, it’s not only about containing superbugs like MSRA (resistant Staph aureus) in the community, it’s also for your own good so that your body can fight off bugs like C-diff. And as with all of these bugs, the best defense is good hand hygiene!