{"id":4085,"date":"2015-02-25T17:15:44","date_gmt":"2015-02-25T21:15:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.cdc.gov\/safehealthcare\/?p=4085"},"modified":"2023-09-26T11:23:54","modified_gmt":"2023-09-26T15:23:54","slug":"c-diff-survivor-and-advocate-shares-her-story-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.cdc.gov\/safehealthcare\/c-diff-survivor-and-advocate-shares-her-story-2\/","title":{"rendered":"C. diff survivor and advocate shares her story"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Nancy
Nancy C Caralla<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Guest Author: Nancy C Caralla<\/strong>
\nFounding Executive Director,
\nPresident of the C Diff Foundation.<\/p>\n

My name is Nancy Caralla, and I know all too much about Clostridium difficile (C. diff)<\/em><\/a>.\u00a0 I am a nurse and contracted C. diff<\/em> while caring for patients suffering from this horrible infection. Now, I am a C. diff <\/em>survivor. Tragically, our family lost my father from C. diff, too.<\/em> I know how fighting a C. diff<\/em> infection can be exhausting on so many levels. It is a physically, mentally, and financially debilitating infection. It has the ability to steal away a loved one, tear away dreams, create added stress on families, diminish financial nest eggs, eliminate employment opportunities, build geographic mobility limitations, and create tears in even the strongest individuals. All aspects of one\u2019s being are involved in fighting a C. diff<\/em> infection. This is why I have dedicated myself to \u201cRaising C. diff<\/em> Awareness\u201d worldwide.<\/p>\n

The C diff<\/em> Foundation<\/a>\u00a0was brought to fruition in 2012 with a mission to provide education and advocate for C. diff<\/em> infection prevention, treatment, and environmental safety worldwide. It provides Antibiotic News, Nutrition Support, Government and private Scientific Research and Development Studies, and a CDF Volunteer program. The C diff<\/em> Foundation hosts a 24-hour hotline to support patients, families, and health care providers through the difficulties of a C. diff<\/em> infection (1-844-FOR-CDIF).<\/p>\n

Our hotline now gets 20-30 calls a day from individuals impacted by this germ. These are some of the most common questions we get asked:<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

How do antibiotics cause C. diff<\/em>? <\/strong><\/p>\n

The antibiotics cause a disruption in the normal intestinal flora which leads to an over growth of Clostridium difficile<\/em> bacteria in the colon. In November 2012, CDC shared a public announcement regarding antibiotic use: colds and many ear and sinus infections are caused by viruses, not bacteria. Taking antibiotics to treat a \u201cvirus\u201d can make those drugs less-effective when you and your family really need them. Limiting the usage of antibiotics will also help limit new cases of C. diff<\/em> infections. Always discuss the symptoms and medications with the treating physician. Get smart about antibiotics by looking at CDC\u2019s materials<\/a> online.<\/p>\n

What can we do to stop C. diff<\/em>?<\/strong><\/p>\n

We can all fight acquiring a C. diff<\/em> infection beginning with prevention, and C. diff<\/em> is a preventable infection.<\/p>\n

Hand-washing (aka hand-hygiene) practiced and repeated frequently with correct technique aids removes harmful germs, provides patient safety, and adheres to infection control policies.<\/p>\n

Environmental safety: Utilizing EPA registered products with \u201cC. diff<\/em> kill\u201d claim will aid in eradicating Clostridium difficile<\/em> Gram-positive, anaerobic spores, found to be capable of surviving outside of the body for long periods of time.<\/p>\n

As a healthcare professional, how do I protect myself from C. diff<\/em>?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE): During the care of a patient diagnosed with a C. diff<\/em> infection, following infection-control policies, healthcare and environmental service professionals are to wear PPE to minimize exposure to serious workplace illnesses (acute care, long-term care, and home care environments). PPE may include items such as gloves, shoe coverings, and gowns.<\/p>\n

Communication:\u00a0 Contacting and alerting other healthcare facilities, prior to transferring a patient, to report an active C. diff<\/em> infection to implement and follow contact precautions and isolation policies.<\/p>\n

\"C.
C. diff Foundation<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

We can all fight acquiring a C. diff<\/em> infection. C. diff<\/em> is preventable, and together we can stop its spread.<\/p>\n

For more information please visit the Foundation\u2019s website: www.cdifffoundation.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\n

Nancy C. Caralla, Founder & Executive Director of the C Diff Foundation<\/em>
\nNancy C. Caralla is a three time\u00a0<\/em>C. difficile\u00a0infection survivor who has 23 years\u2019 experience in the nursing profession blended with over 25 years experience in international construction management. Over the past two years, Nancy in partnership with Foundation members, has focused on raising\u00a0<\/em>C. difficile awareness through education, and advocating for\u00a0<\/em>C. difficile infection prevention, treatments, and environmental safety worldwide. The C Diff Foundation is a non-profit organization and takes great pride in their volunteers, chairpersons, and committees. Their mission reaches across the nation and is presently in twenty ststes and growing. We are all working together to achieve a mutual goal: a reduction in newly diagnosed\u00a0<\/em>C. difficile\u00a0infections worldwide.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Guest Author: Nancy C Caralla Founding Executive Director, President of the C Diff Foundation. My name is Nancy Caralla, and I know all too much about Clostridium difficile (C. diff).\u00a0 I am a nurse and contracted C. diff while caring for patients suffering from this horrible infection. Now, I am a C. diff survivor. Tragically,<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":48,"featured_media":4451,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[89,4381],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cdc.gov\/safehealthcare\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4085"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cdc.gov\/safehealthcare\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cdc.gov\/safehealthcare\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cdc.gov\/safehealthcare\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/48"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cdc.gov\/safehealthcare\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4085"}],"version-history":[{"count":16,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cdc.gov\/safehealthcare\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4085\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7872,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cdc.gov\/safehealthcare\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4085\/revisions\/7872"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cdc.gov\/safehealthcare\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4451"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cdc.gov\/safehealthcare\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4085"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cdc.gov\/safehealthcare\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4085"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cdc.gov\/safehealthcare\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4085"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}