C Difficile infection - My wake-up call

In this episode, I talk about my journey with C Diff - a wake up call that I had to live differently in order to get better.

Recorded August 2025

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:01

Welcome to the first episode of the See Differently Canada podcast. I'm your host. My name is Carl. And the topic of this whole podcast, the theme of this podcast is healthy living in Canada. And the subtopic, the main focus of it is how to recover from C. diff and continue to live a healthy life afterwards. So, two caveats before we start. Number one, I experienced C. diff and it took me a long time to get sick. So it also took me a long time to get healthy. Your situation might be better or worse than mine. Maybe it'll only take you a few weeks or less to get better. So if you don't want to hear a long, drawn-out story about how long it took somebody to recover, then this may not be for you, but I think that I have enough tips and helpful information in here that you could find some benefit as well. Second caveat is that I'm not a doctor or registered dietitian. I don't have any medical degree, but I research for a living and I had a great benefits at work. I still have great benefits. And so I talked to a lot of healthcare professionals to get treatment and to learn from them. So I still think that the research and the tips I share are helpful, but do bear in mind, I'm not a doctor. I may not be up on the current research, and we'll hopefully have some medical professionals in here on the podcast as we go. So let's jump into it. And the subject of today's podcast is a wake-up call, meaning a wake-up call for myself, the things that I would have to do to get better and to live a healthy life. It's funny because such a big part of my story is sleep. And I've had so much trouble falling asleep, especially in earlier years. A wake-up call, well, why would I want a wake up call if I just barely got to bed like four or five hours ago? But the wake-up call was hey, you can relax, you can get better sleep, you can keep eating healthy food, just cut some more of the junk out. Feels like a sermon on aging. So a wake-up call. And there are gonna be six parts to this. Um, let's call them A through F. A is the lead up, the lead up to when I got diagnosed, and B would be the diagnosis. C is gonna be the realization that I had to add work to do. Um, number D, let's let's switch over to numbers here. Number four, there's a tip. I'd like to share a tip in every podcast. Episode E5 is gonna be hope, and F is gonna be some resources to share with you.

SPEAKER_00 3:11

So let's get into the lead up.

SPEAKER_01 3:16

Um I've been very active my whole life. Um I was born in Canada, I had everything that that you could need. I mean, I wouldn't say we we were very well off growing up, um, but I had what I needed. Um I was able to be very active. My parents encouraged sports, and all through grade school, high school, university, I was super, super active, um, successful in basketball in uh in grade 11. We were uh the champions for our school size. And I've always I've I've generally been more of a servant leader, lead by example. Um and not really sure why I'm sharing that, other than to say at times you could say, hey, what a poster boy Canadian child, you know, doing all the right things, being successful. I got good grades, uh, participated in church activities and things like that. Um I I mentioned sleeping problems, the earliest I can remember them. I was sleeping in in our first house. I my parents had two houses in Toronto as I was growing up. And so before the age of 12, I remember sleeping in the basement and just not being able to fall asleep. And I could never figure out why. I don't know, was it was it mold in the basement or was it dark? Was I afraid of the dark? Did I have stuff going on? Was I worried? Um, people look at me and and I'm a worrier as opposed to like I don't get angry per se. I'm not a yeller or a screamer, although I've been kind of upset about things recently. But uh I tend more to worry, bottle things up, and just stress. So that could be part of it. Um, and that is a big part of the lead up to when I got sick because these sleeping problems just continued. Um story short, in in university, there was one semester when I was on five intramural teams, sports teams. I wouldn't go to every game, but I was interviewing for an accounting firm, and they said, Are you involved in any extracurriculars? And um I said, Oh, not really. I don't know, I'm on some some sports teams. And I don't know if they asked or how it came out, but I said, Oh, we have five intramural teams, and they looked at me with wide eyes. Like, I'm like, oh, I didn't realize that was a big deal. Um so maybe I was over involved in things. And as mentioned, I didn't go at every game, but um so there was that, and at a certain point, I wondered if all the exercise was giving me sleeping problems because I wouldn't be able to fall asleep, I'd be I'd be all worked up after a game or uh competitive, being being very competitive. Um I mentioned not thinking of myself as an angry person, but I I do recall um one particular game uh of basketball where I did get quite upset and slam my hands on the floor. I think that has happened maybe twice, or that happening once in high school as well. Um it wouldn't say it was typical for me, but um I guess when I couldn't, when I was doing everything possible, when I was having a great game and it still wasn't doing anything to change the outcome, maybe I got upset or something. Um and so that ties in, because I think it was more the the sweat and the body temperature that was keeping me up. Um, but that anger that I was noticing in university, um that stress coming out was one of the factors making me think, you know what, I think I'm putting sports on way too high of a pedestal. And I just gave up sports uh entirely um for like a year. And they thought it was a good idea, but I couldn't figure out why I wasn't sleeping. Like there was one occasion, three nights in a row, I didn't sleep a wink, and I didn't know why. And so the third night just came to me give up sports, and I did.

SPEAKER_00 7:52

And and I thought it was something keeping me from being what I was supposed to be.

SPEAKER_01 8:01

Um this is tying into the lead up. Well, I was still healthy, I was still active. I mean, I I was, I guess I would say I was depressed. There was work stress, uh uh school stress going on, family stress as well, with disabled siblings. Um one of them being diagnosed with a terminal illness.

SPEAKER_00 8:23

And um, she's she's still with us hanging on.

SPEAKER_01 8:27

And um so maybe I just don't didn't know how to cope with all those emotions and not not having been taught growing up how to deal with those things and and not developing the tools myself. Um, and then the stress and and the time management of um of school and a master's program that I found enjoyable but difficult. And um graduated around 2011, eight years later is when I got C diff. And over those eight years, I had progressively harder jobs. Um, and I was also working on my time management skills. I learned how to figure out what I could do in the time given. And and uh at at my previous job, at one point I okay, I figured I just can't handle this time, all this time that's being put in, but I can't talk to the boss about it because I don't have any reasonable basis to say, hey, listen, um, I just can't do this. So I figured I took a month, I got I bought an agenda, a planner, um by a company called Style, S T I L. I forget what it was called back then. I think it's called Style Now, S T I L, a wonderful planner uh marketed towards women, but um I didn't find the colors, I didn't mind the colors chosen. They're fairly neutral. Um and so I spent a month learning how to manage my time to plan my schedule. And and I looked at the things that were being assigned, figured out how many hours each would take, and just told my boss, listen, there's no way I can get this done in that time. And so while I'm putting in 60, 70 hour weeks during the busy time, I I was looking at my life and I'm like, here's what I can do. And I said, after the busy season, I'm going down to 40 hours a week, and and that's it. And and the response was, well, if that's the case, then maybe public accounting isn't for you. And so that ended that. Uh long story short, but the lead up here is still a lot of lack of sleep due to stress, a lot of hours for work, and I'd get home fried and frazzled, empty inside, and hoping to fill my tank, hoping to do something fulfilling. And uh on good days, that would mean music, that would mean finding a buddy, and just I remember some really sweet times recording a song or two, or just practicing, uh, singing, playing. I'd play the guitar, or another friend was a great musician. Um, had come from Uganda and was part of a band there, and was mentored by someone that really knew what they were doing. And so we clicked and and headed off jamming, and so that was like a really positive outlet that I had. Um, I mean, I I wouldn't say that I always reacted in a positive way. Um, we all have kind of negative ways to react, and um don't need to get into those, don't let your imagination run wild. But you know, um, I guess I would just say that the stress, the anxiety, the worry, there are good ways to handle it that are helpful, and there are other band-aid solutions that really don't help. And um, even when I was doing the music and doing the good things, I still wasn't sleeping enough because I get home even at 11, 12 sometimes, and then be doing music for a couple hours, um, and then wake up and maybe I wouldn't go to the gym that day, but about three times a week, would get up maybe at six and hit the gym or go for a swim before work. And same if I was leading music at church, maybe I would have had practice throughout the week, and maybe I would go swim before church and then go lead, and and so I was finding that man, I need, I need, I need to rest. And so I started saying no to people, like to family, all sorts of things on Saturdays and or Sundays. First, I guess Sundays, I'm like, this is my day to chill. But if I'm volunteering, even if it's in a good capacity, you know, when do I rest? And so slowly Saturday became my day to be like, hey, just chill. And yeah, so let me digress and get back to the lead up. The lead up is kind of a successful, active, maybe a poster child, you know, poster Canadian involved, active in things, um, progressing in my career. Um, no major dwellouts that I can think of, but you know, maybe family or friends are listening. I can be like, Carl, remember that time? Um, or just the worry that I experienced throughout my life. So there were definitely times like I remember walking outside really late one evening and just jumping between these two concrete pillars. They were printing like not pillars, but two concrete, I don't know what they were, um, not very high, foot and a half tall, and I missed my step and I slipped and landed on my back somehow and had a gash on my leg. So there were these things um happening um because there were things in my life that I didn't know how to handle. And the sleep, the sleeplessness led to I don't know what was happening in 2019. I was eating like five times a day sometimes, and I was starving, and I was still dropping weight. I was going to the gym, I was doing the church volunteering, uh, I was working, and the job had become stressful again. There were six months where it was just beautiful, it was just amazing on a pilot project somewhere, great team, and really enjoyed the manager. And um things changed sometimes, and all of a sudden it became stressful again. Uh and I had I also then moved to a new position and um for various reasons. It was very stressful also. So the lead up here is trying to be superhuman, trying to do everything, and moving out into my own apartment as well, taking care of the food and whatever I needed to take care of. And I don't know why I couldn't handle it as well as my sister um could, um, even before she was married, like just or even a buddy of mine. I looked, I would look at him like, how can you get all these things done? Um, and I would go in waves of super efficient time management. Just with everything that I wanted to accomplish, there just didn't seem to be enough time. I would lose the sleep, I started getting sick, started losing weight, I started to have different ills, sinusitis, earaches. Um, I had toe fungus, you know, itchy feet, and would have creams for that and just try different things to get rid of it. Some sort of blue nail polish thing, and really appreciated Hartley Silver, as a great uh foot doctor there. And so with these ills, I was uh taking different medications and mentioned the earache. And uh, I believe I took amoxicillin for that. And I know that in June, June 6, 2019, I took amoxicillin for sinusitis. And for both of those things, well, one of them, for one of them, my doctors said, he looked at me and said, well, if it's viral, then antibiotics aren't really going to help. And I wanted them anyway. Uh I wanted a pill to get rid of the ill. And but I find, interestingly, onomoxicillin, and this ties in later, that I got tired. I slept more. I ate maybe differently, ate a little more, but I also slept more. I was more tired. And I was a good tired. Like I would I would sleep more, but I with my lifestyle, I couldn't afford that. I didn't have time to sleep more. I needed to figure everything out. I needed to worry about work. I needed to gym, I needed to cook, I needed to lead worship at church, and so I didn't I mean I I didn't mind it the the once or twice. So does that paint a good picture? Physically very active, not sleeping enough, stressed out, a worrier, not sleeping enough, starting to get different ills, starting to lose weight, unable to cope with all these things. And so um, but I mean there were so there were such there were bright spots along the way, and I'm learning and I was learning and growing to to manage my time, and maybe hadn't learned how to take care of myself. Can you even say stand up for yourself? Is that a good thing? But I think taking care of yourself is a good thing, and um December 2019, I was to have some wisdom teeth taken out on the left side, the top left and the top uh top left and the bottom left wisdom teeth by a fantastic dentist who I would recommend in a heartbeat to this day. Um he was an excellent dental surgeon, so when it was all said and done, the extraction went perfectly, and I've had no issues with um with my gums or my teeth on that side. And right before the extraction, we were talking about antibiotics, um, or maybe it was the consult before the extraction, and I was going to be given amoxicillin. And I right away said, Oh, I I d I don't want amoxicillin, it makes me tired. And so the dentist said, Oh, um, there's something else we can give you.

SPEAKER_00 19:34

It's pretty much the same thing. And I thought to myself, I can handle it. And I did handle it by getting C diff.

SPEAKER_01 19:44

Some ways I look at that decision as my first big boy decision. I'd often run things by my parents, uh, European background. Not that that necessarily changes things. I think um other cultures are are even more integrated with family, some other cultures. But um, in my family context, I relied heavily on my dad's advice, uh, especially with all my worries, my concerns, my cares, my stresses. I can't tell you how many um hours he spent on the phone with me or sitting downstairs in the second kitchen of our home. We called it the second kitchen. Well, it was one. I grew up in a big family. And uh it was an Italian-built home, and and so I had kind of a second kitchen down in one of the levels, and uh so I remember sitting there one night, um, and him helping me and and even going on walks with him and just processing and dealing with and trying to figure out life and figure out what I want to do next. And so he's he poured in a lot of that love that made me my when when my mom wasn't able to do that, as as overall she was not very intentional or uh or helpful in the emotional and other sense. So my dad tried to pick some of that up, uh, whereas my mom picked up in other areas of being present and calm and and pleasant. And so definitely anyway, point being here that when I say I feel like I made my first big boy decision, um it's a fairly inconsequential thing at the time, but I made that decision and I had to deal with the consequences. I said I can handle it. Um I didn't know what that would mean, but I did handle it. And not by getting C diff, but I handled the consequences. I handled the C diff with with God's help, with the help of doctors supported. Support group, et cetera. And so I took responsibility for that. Um, so I've kind of already jumped into the diagnosis section, which is B, part B of this podcast. A was the leadup, which I think you have a good picture of, which can be summarized in a weakened immune system through lack of sleep and just driving my body so much. And B is the diagnosis. And so instead of amoxicillin, I was given clindamycin, which I didn't know anything about. I didn't know the name of it. Um I I knew the name when I got it from the pharmacy. Um, I wasn't warned about the risk of C. diff. I might have read the information. Um, but when I started to not feel well, I went back and I talked to the pharmacist. Or I well, I seem to remember it. I I don't know if I did for sure. It's been five years now. Um, five and a half years. But um I had uh 10 days of clindamycin. 10 days? That sounds a bit much. From no December 16th to the 23rd, so seven days of prophylactic and why antibiotics, well, it's supposed to prevent the risk of infection. And when I Googled, when I researched clindamycin, um, there's a particular study that talks about it might be one or two studies, but uh, what is the risk of getting a brain infection after wisdom teeth extraction? And what is the risk of getting C. diff when you're having clindamycin? So with amoxicillin, the risk is probably less of getting C. diff or any side effects. It's it's the first one to prescribe. And that's why dentists are only supposed to start with that unless you're allergic. Um, I don't understand why we have to have an antibiotic, but I'm still trying to figure that out as I need to get my right side out. And so I hope to find a dentist to be able to walk with me. And and I don't want to just show up and give me antibiotics and I don't take it. Um I understand you might be able to rinse with salt water or things like that, but or or some antibiotic um rinses, but I I don't know, I haven't figured that out. So I don't know why they prescribe it in this case, uh why why something's always required. And um, so in this case I was given clonamycin. And what I'm getting to is there's a 6% chance of brain infection versus a 4% chance of C death. And so if you look at the numbers, hey, yeah, that's uh you got better odds. I mean, that's if it's 4%, 1 in 20? That's that's not really that great odds, to be honest. Um, it sounds like a high number. One in 20 people being given clintamycin. Um but hey, if it's versus a six percent risk of of a brain infection, then well sounds like it's better to take your chances with the Z diff.

SPEAKER_00 25:30

Um so I'm just gonna drop down here for there versus six percent.

SPEAKER_01 25:48

Clean the mice. And I suspect the number's a little higher for C diff because it's not I I don't think it's fully reported. Like every case of C diff that that there is, I report to my dentist after the fact and they helped me to report it to the um the Canadian uh government.

SPEAKER_00 26:06

But um anyway.

SPEAKER_01 26:12

So as I as I December 16th to the 23rd, I had Clintomycin. And I have noted here in my spreadsheet because I'm an accountant. I'm I don't know if I mentioned that. That was part of the stress of career becoming an accountant, doing the masters, and still qualifying after that. Took two years to get the hours in at the big firms, I moved to a small firm, etc. So anyway, I do spreadsheets. I love spreadsheets, and here I have on my medical history spreadsheet December 31 to January 5th, which is a couple weeks before my sister's wedding in 2020, one of my sisters. Um, I wrote slow progression to stomach cramping, bloody stool slash burning sensation. And that was for me a week after finishing clinamycin. It took about a week, and I had this progression, like I said, uh, and especially the the bad part was well, the stomach cramping, the bloody stool, and the burning sensation was not a lot of blood, and I'm sorry to be so detailed. Um, after facilities, um taking a poo, uh clean myself up, as we all do, and then the final wipe, I would start to see a little bit of blood, just a little trace bright red. Dark red means it's from somewhere higher and it's hardened, and but this is bright red, so maybe from the tail end of the colon. A darker stool could be maybe from the small intestine or or somewhere in the stomach. It just moves along. Um, but the bright red, it's it hasn't sat there for a long time. It's newer, it's fresh. And that was my body's warning sign, and it worried me, it concerned me. And I talked to the doctor, explained, well, I had had Googled uh clindamycin and my symptoms, and said I think I have C. diff. And so he sent me for a test on January 6th.

SPEAKER_00 28:31

I had a test um called GDH by EIA.

SPEAKER_01 28:39

And if that one's positive, they test for the toxins on the same sample, and both were positive. So I had the C. diff protein, I had the toxins that the C. diff was producing, and I had the symptoms, I had the diarrhea three times a day at least. And so I was diagnosed actually with a severe C. diffacil infection based on the symptoms and how I was. So I never really had a temperature, which is kind of odd when you have an infection. And my suspicion is that my body, I was so my my immune system was so weak that I couldn't mount a fever that I just couldn't handle that. And to this day, I honestly haven't had much of a fever. I can't tell you the last time I checked on a thermometer, but it's been, if I had to guess, over 10 years since I had a fever. Um, so that was a strange thing. Um, working through the medical system, but um that'll be half to be for another podcast episode. Um, but here you've got the lead up, you've got the diagnosis.

SPEAKER_00 30:06

And so we're gonna move on to um part C of this podcast, which is the realization that I had work to do.

SPEAKER_01 30:21

Or you could call it the decision want to get better, or the decision to get better. I told myself I can handle it. And all this antibiotics about that I didn't research. I can handle it.

SPEAKER_00 30:36

And I I knew in my heart that I would be able to handle what does whatever decision I made.

SPEAKER_01 30:45

Um glad I learned now that it's very important to research uh what goes into my body and be careful about it, not to take pills for every ill and hope that it will make the problem go away, like sinusitis or an earache. Um, but to deal with my health, my immune system, maybe get away from the air conditioning that was right above my head at work.

SPEAKER_00 31:12

So I definitely wore hats sometimes and different things. Uh but and that was it, that's a previous job.

SPEAKER_01 31:23

Um that, so I don't know why I mentioned that, but and so not taking pills for every eel. So, how was I treated? I had clindamycin diagnosed on January 6th, or uh so January 10th. I I had oral vancomycin from January 10th to the 20th. So technically this is still part of part C, um, the diagnosis. And so I was treated January 10th to 20th, oral vancomycin, 125 milligrams four times a day, every six hours, taking a pill, preferably with food. I was also taking esbolardi, which is a probiotic that is yeast-based, and so it doesn't die from antibiotics per se. Um, there are maybe certain medications that that render esbolardi ineffective, but it is the gold standard antibiotic or a gold standard probiotic um when dealing with C.

SPEAKER_00 32:36

diff. Um so I'm gonna stop there for now and we're gonna take a break.