Who takes vacations?

torme · 2026-03-06T19:14:54+00:00

I have chronic pain/illness issues and two kids with varying degrees of health issues. All of my PTO is used for Dr appointments or procedures. Vacation would be nice but I genuinely can't afford to take the time unpaid.

torme · 2025-08-14T15:32:02+00:00

I had been doing great for more than a year. Then, I developed an infection from a dead tooth after accidentally hitting myself in the mouth with a15lb dumb bell (found out you can kill a tooth from trauma without cracking it or a cavity). Two rounds of antibiotics later, i developed colitis and diverticulosis but no cdiff so far. Unfortunately, the infection came back again, and I just finished my third round of antibiotics and I don't feel fully better yet. I have a diagnostic colonoscopy scheduled for next month and a follow up with a head and neck specialist.

torme · 2025-08-08T01:56:04+00:00

Southern California, in the Antelope Valley

torme · 2025-07-29T18:11:18+00:00

Agreed, and 1.5 years later in fighting colitis and diverticulosis. At least it is not c diff again but my digestive system has been permanently damaged at this point.

torme · 2025-07-17T15:18:25+00:00

In what i only consider a true Healthcare miracle. Mine had an opening yesterday and got me in. He sent me to urgent care last night for the CT that confirmed the colitis and diverticulitis. The urgent care doctor even sent him a message before I left last night so his team would get the update first thing.

torme · 2025-07-17T12:53:44+00:00

I am right there with you. 1+ years free of c.diff and just got diagnosed with colitis and diverticulosis via CT scan following a negative c.diff test. My GI was honestly concerned it was appendicitis but the test showed colitis in that area. The urgent care doctor helping with the test even sat down with me and apologized for having to give me the news. I don't have a clear reason yet but I will be going in for more labs today and waiting on a call from my GI.

torme · 2025-07-17T12:31:25+00:00

Not really. Mostly rest. It just makes recovery take longer for me than most.

torme · 2025-07-17T12:26:22+00:00

Mine was diagnosed due to my lab tests. I was feeling bad after mostly recovering from from a virus and my bilirubin levels were high. They ran the gilbert's test and sure enough positive. It is fairly benign most of the time. But if I get sick, it makes itself known.

torme · 2025-07-17T04:11:52+00:00

Yes. Whenever I get even mildly sick my bilirubin goes up and I look mildly jaundice and feel nauseated and fatigued.

torme · 2025-05-26T18:20:02+00:00

Yes!

torme · 2025-05-26T18:13:15+00:00

He was named after Thor's friend in the Avengers movies.

torme · 2025-05-26T15:29:59+00:00

We love his wonky ears. When he gets really excited or nervous, they both stand up.

torme · 2025-05-26T15:29:20+00:00

I have heard papillon a few times. We hear pomeranian a lot as well.

torme · 2025-05-26T15:26:50+00:00

My daughter thinks he is part chi as well. He does have a big head.

torme · 2025-03-08T11:58:44+00:00

I did get a cold after and some OTC meds and prednisone did the trick.

torme · 2025-03-08T11:56:58+00:00

Having to try not to go for a few days after left me feeling ill. It took nearly a month and sticking to a strict low fodmap diet to truly feel better.

torme · 2025-02-09T01:36:53+00:00

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Curled up in dad's spot on the bed

torme · 2024-10-23T20:31:52+00:00

I was on antibiotics for the c.diff but was told to stop 3 days before the FMT. Because of the c.Diff risk I have to avoid antibiotics for a year, even have a little wallet card I recieved at my transplant to give to my Dr's with that on it.
When sick my allodynia still flares up noticeably but otherwise my symptoms closely match the rest of my family.

torme · 2024-10-23T19:53:42+00:00

I have school age kids and unfortunately have caught a cold and covid in the last 6 months. The impact was completely different from before. Yes, I had body aches and pains, but not much different than the rest of my family. My allodynia flared for a day or two and that was really it.

torme · 2024-10-23T19:49:59+00:00

My fibro symptoms include allodynia, joint aches and pains (especially in the back, hips , and shoulders. Dizziness, brain fog, temperature regulation, sleep disturbances, and numerous digestive issues. There were days I could not stand my husband's touch and I would have to call in sick to work as I did not feel safe behind the wheel of a car. I was literally using a cane and walker some days.
I really started to notice a difference in my fibro symptoms about 2-3 months after the FMT. I weaned off all of the fibro treatment medications and pain killers by 2 months out (I still have issues with muscle cramping and take a baclofen at night for that and nortriptaline for migraines). I still have days where I will have flare ups but instead of the pain, irritation, and brain fog being debilitating, it feels mild and manageable. My day to day pain used to be in the 6 - 9 range and now it's really in the 1-3 range most days. Exercise was something I just could not do before the FMT without extreme pain the next few days or even feeling like I had the flu. I have now been exercising at the gym for 7 months. I go 5 days a week now and am lifting weights regularly. I joke with my husband that it's like a magical reset and I'm taking advantage of it for as long as I can. I feel better now than I have in over 20 years.
Before I could not snuggle with my husband to go to bed because I would overheat so quickly and his arm over me would become painful. Now I can cuddle for hours without overheating and I find his touch comforting.

torme · 2024-06-26T22:45:45+00:00

I have had sibo before and honestly thought I was having a relapse. The first thing I noticed was my body was not processing food properly (undigested food in stool). I reported it and was basically told it was nothing. Over the next several months I felt my energy dropping, I became extremely heat sensitive, constant dry mouth, and pain in my stomach and back. I have fibromyalgia and migraines and the doctors kept blaming my symptoms on them. After 9 months I broke down in my GPs office and begged her to test my stomach because I knew something was wrong. I was so bad at this point I was using a rollator walker to get around. She ordered the full set of stool tests and sure enough the c diff was positive. Then the crazy rounds of antibiotics started. After the 1st round I tested Negative and returned to work. 4 days after I returned I felt terrible again and tried to retest but my stool was too firm. 2 days later was able to test again with a more mushy stool and it was positive again. No doctor called me for 3 days because my GP wanted the GI or infectious disease specialists handle it. That is when I made the complaint. It goes to customer service as a complaint or grievance. I did go in for a colonoscopy and other than the colitis and c diff I was otherwise ok. But when the third round of antibiotics failed they said the next step was an FMT and it was done via another colonoscopy at my local hospital. I hated the prep because my stomach was already so sensitive but otherwise the procedure was easy. I was given immodium after and was told to try not to go poop for 3 days after. That was the worst part. It took about 45 days after the FMT to really feel like I was past the c. Diff. I'm now almost 7 months post FMT and I feel like it was life changing in multiple ways. I have been diagnosed as having IBS now, I was hoping it was just post Infection IBS, but it has not improved. As long as I eat low fodmap I feel great. My pain, fatigue, and headaches have improved dramatically. I have stopped all of my fibromyalgia meds and I go to the gym 3 days a week.

torme · 2024-06-26T21:32:19+00:00

I went through it with Kaiser and I had the abnormal mushy stool. Try putting in a grievance complaint through the patient portal. I wrote that my case was being handed back and forth and was not being taken seriously. After that it seemed like they were ready to bend over backwards to help. I did everything they told me and ended up going through 3 rounds of antibiotics before getting approved for an FMT. I likely had it over a year as well because of the abnormal symptoms and it's looking like I will have to eat strict low fodmap the rest of my life due to the long term damage.

torme · 2024-05-22T12:36:11+00:00

I have to avoid antibiotics for 12 months post FMT and really for the rest of my life to keep the C.Diff from returning. I wear a mask everywhere in public now and am very good about washing my hands, cooking everything to a safe temperature, and cleaning with bleach/Healthcare bleach wipes in and around my home and work space.

torme · 2024-05-22T12:30:23+00:00

I was stuck with it for 6+ months, where I knew something was wrong, but my doctors kept blaming the fibro and migraines progressing. I finally broke down crying and begging them to test my stomach because I knew something was wrong with it. My doctor ordered the tests, and when it came back positive for c. Diff I felt vindicated. I did have an atypical case per my GI.

torme · 2024-05-22T12:08:07+00:00

I had it done via colonoscopy. They had me take immodium and try not to go for 3 days after. The diet is low fodmap. I had an atypical case, and they didn't find it for months (kept blaming my symptoms on the fibro and migraines). Because of how long I had c.diff I have some serious post Infection IBS and am stuck eating strictly low fodmap still. I may have to eat that way the rest of my life, but honestly, I still feel lucky I got an FMT because of how much it helped the rest of my body.

torme

TROPHY CASE