Yay! Good for you, and good for her.

I even have people that I don't remember friending me, and the only thing that we seem to have in common is being in the same 700 member class @@

My high school graduating class was 150 people, 50 of whom had also been in my elementary school class. The classes a year older and a year younger were both about 100 people. I get lots of friend requests where I have to decide, "OK, I've known this person since kindergarten, but do I really want to be their facebook friend?" and frequently decide no.

Steph and anyone else with experience in this area, I have a question about probiotics.

My MiL has been treated with IV antibiotics for c. diff (which is a nasty intestinal bacteria). She's coming home soon, but will still need like 2 more weeks of treatment. I am worried that the antibiotics will knock out the good flora with the bad and the c. diff will return. I think she's getting Rx strength probiotics, but I wanted to know what's a good brand of OTC ones just in case. Or in addition.

thanks

My MiL has been treated with IV antibiotics for c. diff

Yikes! I mean, I'm glad to hear she's getting the treatment she needs, but you're right -- c. diff can be nasty as hell.

I am worried that the antibiotics will knock out the good flora with the bad and the c. diff will return.

Even if the c. diff doesn't return, other problems could show up (GI problems, yeast infection), and it sounds like she really doesn't need to deal with any more problems, poor thing.

One probiotic that you can buy just about anywhere is Enzymatic Therapy's Pearls. I've seen them at CVS and Kroger, and probably Target has them -- any chain store, really. Also health-food stores.

The same company makes a more hardcore probiotic called Pearls IC. They have more strains of bacteria than the regular Pearls do.

For c. diff, I'd take the IC version for a month (or however many is in a package) and then, depending on how her GI system was doing, switch to the regular Pearls.

t edit You might need to go to a health-food store to get the IC version, though. Or order it online. I honestly don't know -- maybe a big store like Target would have it. I do know I've seen the regular version everywhere, but not the IC version.

There are a lot of probiotics out there that are good, and I think taking anything is going to be a big help. I just tend to like the Pearls IC because they have several strains of bacteria, which is more helpful when someone has been sick, as opposed to just wanting to prop up their GI system.

(The only problem with any version of the pearls is that if you drop one, it rolls away under the stove, never to be seen again. If you're me, that is. I assume that if we still have a mouse/mice in the house, they have VERY good flora in their GI tracts.)

(The only problem with any version of the pearls is that if you drop one, it rolls away under the stove, never to be seen again. If you're me, that is.

I made a skirt of duct tape around the bottom of my stove to stop pills and cat toys from constantly being lost under there.

I made a skirt of duct tape around the bottom of my stove to stop pills and cat toys from constantly being lost under there.

Hey, that's a project I could get Tim to do! He loves duct tape! And projects!

It works really well! And it was fun!

Hey, that's a project I could get Tim to do! He loves duct tape! And projects!

And you!

Hey, that's a project I could get Tim to do! He loves duct tape! And projects!

And you!

I don't want to be a part of any duct-tape projects. (No, not even the kinky ones. Really. Everyone has limits, and duct tape is one of mine.) He can love me from afar while he's making the duct tape skirt for the stove.

I made a skirt of duct tape around the bottom of my stove to stop pills and cat toys from constantly being lost under there.

Dude, that is an awesome idea.