C. diff

I was having gastric symptoms which I thought were due to liver function and Hep-C. My weight was down to 140 lbs which was very worrisome. Turns out I have a bacteria known as "C. diff". Fortunately easily treated by an antibiotic. Here is a bit about this disease (from Mayo online):

Clostridium difficile (klos-TRID-e-uhm dif-uh-SEEL), often called C. difficile or C. diff, is a bacterium that can cause symptoms ranging from diarrhea to life-threatening inflammation of the colon. Illness from C. difficile most commonly affects older adults in hospitals or in long term care facilities and typically occurs after use of antibiotic medications.

I certainly had my share of antibiotics while in the hospital. The weight loss down to 140 lbs means I have lost much of that muscle I have fought to build up after 1983. I remember when moving to Albuquerque (1991) eight year post transplant I could not jog to the end of the block. I kept training. Most days I was either running, working out on the (brutal) stair master, lifting weights, riding my bike. A few years back Jeremy and I hiked to the top of Sandia Crest which is a seven-mile 3000 foot climb. I want to do that again, this time with David.

Even at 140 lbs, I still have visible fat on my thighs and abdomen. I thought the fat would help to pull me through these lean times. Why doesn't my body use it when it needs it? Those mazo balls and chopped liver sandwiches covered with schmaltz I ate as fat kid being stuffed by my mother and grandparents just don't go away!