Heres her story, as told to senior health writer Katie Camero.
My symptoms started about 10 years ago.
We worked through the basic stuff: Dont eat so much sugar, drinkless caffeine, getmore sleep.
Courtesy of Minnie Hatch
So he finally ordered a test and his suspicions were correct: I hadC.
I took two different types of antibiotics (the typical treatment forC.
That medication was life-changing.
I actually went back to work and got married that year.
But thats when things took a turn for the worse.
Like many other health conditions,C.
This is my life and this is what I have to deal with.
I ended up needing my first fecal microbiota transplant (FMT) in 2016.
It was such a new procedure at the time that the FDA still considered it entirely experimental.
Unfortunately, the procedure only gave me relief for about two months.
I eventually lost my job and was just struggling to keep my head above water.
Although it helped me feel better, I went on to have several moreC.
diffrecurrences until my most recent and severe one in 2021.
I wasn’t eating.
I was vomiting all the time.
My 4-year-old son was literally watching me die.
My doctors told me it was time to make my end of life preparations.
I changed the way I eat and exercise.
I sought treatment for my childhood and medicaltrauma.
And I became an advocate for thePeggy Lillis Foundation, a nonprofitC.
diffawareness organization, because I desperately needed some support.
I got so close to death that I live every moment appreciating what I’ve got.
I’m now three years free ofC.
diff, which isthe longest I’ve ever gone without an infection in my adult life.
My biggest piece of advice for anyone out there who might be dealing withC.
diffis to speak up because your concerns are so valid.
Dont get me wrongyoure literally shitting yourself to death withC.
diff, so of course no one wants to talk about that!
Related:
Get more of SELFs great service journalism delivered right to your inboxfor free.
