C. difficile – Are your guts ever normal again?

I had C-diff about 10 years ago due to an antibiotic that was prescribed to treat an infection. I suffered for about a month taking several different antibiotics for the C-diff. None worked. I finally landed in ICU where they gave me the "big guns" antibiotic and started to recover the next day. I recovered fairly fast and have never had another bout with C-diff. My gastrointestinal doctor suggested I take ALIGN probiotic daily (sold at Costco and we buy it when it is on sale) and at the beginning of my recovery I drank a lot of Kefir and ate a lot of yogurt. To this day, I continue to take ALIGN daily.
Everyone is different, but thankfully this worked for me.

What is the fmt?

I was given clyndamyacin in early 2019 by a walkin clinic. I ended up with being very sick for 2 months . Back and forth between the walkin clinic Quickmed and my Veterans Doctor and Emergency room at Citrus County Memorial .
But nobody could figure out what was wrong and I'd get sent home . They told me to rest drink plenty of fluids it's probably just a flu bug.
Ended up 3 days in the hospital on IV antibiotics for cdiff. I trued to tell them that's what's wrong as I had done loads of research whilst being extremely sick for 2 months.
Will I ever feel normal ? Bouts of bloating and cramps and diarrhea and I wonder if it's coming back. 🙁

Did you recover from the C Diff infection from 2019 and now have problems again or have you been suffering this whole time? Have you been re-tested? My infection was from July 2024. It took about 3 months (after treatment) for my guts to feel close to normal again. I was told by one gastro doc that the C Diff toxin destroys the thin lining of your intestines, which he said was the cause of Post Infectious IBS (diarrhea immediately after eating). Low FODMAP Diet (temporary) and high potency probiotics (Visbiome 112.5 Billion and Florastor) helped me get back to “normal”. It’s now been 8 months recovery for me and I feel I am 90% normal, although I am now very sensitive to more foods than I was before this infection.

You mentioned Citrus County. If you are in Florida I HIGHLY recommend Dr. Shepard in Tampa. His number is 813-280-7111. I had to travel to see him initially, but follow-up appointments have been by video/phone call.

Also, check out Dr. Sabine Hazan’s book “Let’s Talk Sh!t” and maybe become a participant in one of her research projects (expensive) at progenabiome.com. Also check out CDiff.org (Peggy Lillis Foundation).

I hope you can find some comfort and relief soon.

Hi I had cdiff in 2019 and it lasted about 6 weeks. At first I took Probotics under my PCP's recommendation (i was not aware that it can be a problem for transplant patients) But they were ok when I was having the actual cdiff. It was a special type my doctor told me to get and I found it on Amazon. Its called lactobacillus Acidophilus it was important that the Acid one was second not the first ingredient on the label. I guess the more popular ones are acid based. So look for that exact one. Now that it has not reappeared since then Im carefull to mention to anyone who wants to put me on antibiotics that i had it before. There are certain ones that are better than others. I also eat Yogurt on a regular basis. I do occasionally have a bit of loose bowel in the morning but usually doesn't last thru the day. It hasn't been every day either, so I figure I caught it early and got treated right away. At the time i was in the hospital anyway for another virus so it was sure nice to be at Mayo at the time. Having a bathroom in the room was a great help.

My mom just finished the first round of Vancomycin after being diagnosed with C diff. She is feeling better but has no energy. Any recommendations?

Her microbiome at this point has likely been obliterated from (1) whatever caused the C Diff, (2) C Diff toxins and (3) Vancomycin. The lining of her intestines is likely damaged too and will take time to heal. She may experience post-infectious IBS temporarily which will make it challenging to eat. I became malnourished and lost way too much weight in a short period of time. Things got much better for me when I put myself on the Low FODMAP diet temporarily and took high potency probiotics. At first I took ProBioMed 250 (game changer), then was switched to Visbiome 112.5 and Florastor. I was also told to drink Kefir, eat yogurt, sauerkraut and kimchi, but I could not tolerate those things early on. It took a while (months) before I could eat somewhat normal portions of food again. She should be patient with herself, get familiar with LOW FODMAP diet, and make sure to get enough nutrients and hydration. Keep an eye on weight loss and make sure she has a good team of doctors (Gastroenterologist and/or Infectious Disease).

Prayers sent that your mother has a complete recovery.

Hello glad your mom is feeling better. It is completely normal to feel weak after Cdiff. I myself took S Boulardii for over 6 months to ensure no relapse and started eating cooked vegetables to get these good gut bacteria back in my gut. And slowly started eating all the raw greens. Sugar feeds bad bacteria so I stayed away from sugar no sugar at all cost. No fried food and no white bread It takes a while to feel like normal again it took me almost a year. Hope she gets better soon

I worked with a naturopathic doctor too and this was a game changer.

C. difficile lives in our large colon as an opportunistic bacteria. It was one of four different bad ones that made me sick. They aren't good for you and takes over your gut if you get sick. A gut that is healthy would not have these bacteria in it. I got it after a surgery that went south and nearly died from it (sepsis). The antibiotics to treat the body wide sepsis only fed it instead of getting rid of it. I was sick for a long time.
After some twenty years, I have finally gotten rid of the five strains of C. difficile that have been living in my entire GI system. For the last four years, I have introduced new strains of biome that include fermented bacteria that replaced the bad bacteria that have taken up residence in my gut. Drinking water with lemon slices, kombucha any and all strains, and green juices daily ( cucumber/celery/parsley/hot water and ginger) has been what has helped me work thru my journey. I am in year 4 of 5 in a GUT/BRAIN STUDY at the University of South Florida and they have discovered this fact that with changes in what you eat will in fact change your biome with time. Anyone interested in participating in this study in Tampa FL can register since it is ongoing at this time. Thank you