What Is Your Clostridium Difficile?

Well, a very eventful week came to an end yesterday at the Tucker house. Angelynn was very sick for a solid week with extreme nausea, diarrhea and abdominal pain. She went to the doctor Friday, was referred to another doctor… and then ended up in the emergency room most of Sunday afternoon and evening. She was about 4 quarts low on fluids, and they hit her with two different anti-nausea drugs and two different pain-killers. When we finally got home a little before midnight, she was still very sick... but she didn’t care.

She’s fine now. The ER doc suspected the problem and the lab work that came back yesterday confirmed the diagnosis-- antibiotic-associated diarrhea. Several weeks ago, Angelynn had a severe sinus infection and was prescribed two antibiotics. And it was that round of antibiotics that cased her problem.

Normally there is a balance between the good and bad bacteria that live in the large intestine. The "good bacteria" aid in digestion and fight off the "bad bacteria" that is also there. The antibiotics can sometimes kill off the good bacteria, and the "bad" bacteria can begin to take over. In some people, this bad bacteria is called Clostridium difficile (or C. difficile of C dif), and its numbers are normally kept at low levels by the good bacteria. Antibiotics can reduce the healthy bacteria, and then the C difficile multiplies and produces a toxic substance that causes a serious condition called pseudomembranous colitis (PMC).

This bout with pain (hers) and stress (ours) got me thinking about the pain and stress of life. The hardships and difficulties we go through are never pleasant, but according to the Bible they have their purpose (like the good bacteria). James says, “Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow." (Jam 1:2-3, NLT). Peter says, “These troubles come to prove that your faith is pure.” (1 Pet 1:7, NCV). Life is filled with difficulties, hardships, struggles and stresses. While we don’t like them, they are a normal part of a healthy life. They make us stronger; they make our faith purer. These normal struggles (like good bacteria) also prepare us and help us fight off the deeper and more toxic struggles (the bad bacteria) that also invade our lives and test our faith. Dealing with a gossipy co-worker or a loud-mouth neighbor is frustrating to be sure, but it is also is a healthy way that we ared prepared for the more serious challenges of life. The absolute worst thing that God could do for us is to remove all the normal frustrations and difficulties in our lives, because then we would be too weak to hold up under true satanic attacks. That’s why James tells us to be joyful when bad stuff happens. While suffering through trials and troubles is hard, it is far harder to face them when you are completely unprepared!