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C Diff
I first got sick on May 1st thinking it was the stomach flu. I weight 157lbs and every er that I went to told me to sleep it off and that the longest it could last is two weeks. Two weeks later no difference. I finally saw a gastroenterolgist sometime in June. At that point it was 1 month of no appetite, nausea and diarrhea with tons of mucus(sorry to be so graphic). I did a stool test and he said I had inflammation somewhere and to eat bland and it would go away. It didn't so finally he said I could have Giardia due to having yellow poop since march 🙁 so he put me on flagyl and ciprofloxacin. I guess I put all my eggs in one basket and hoped and prayed that would be it. I started feeling better until one day after I ate I had the urge to throw up. No nausea or anything. Finally had a colonoscopy on June 19th. Got diagnosed with C. Diff colitis. He put me on flagyl three times a day for two weeks. I had my good days and bad days. Fourth of july came around I had a hot dog and pasta salad and that's the last day I ate something delicious. Since that day I've felt horrible. I finished my antibiotics that Saturday and I've become worse. All I taste is blood now. Anything I drink makes me want to throw up. I have to sleep sitting straight up :(. I'm miserable and I currently weight less than 120. So to go from 157-120 in a matter of two to three months is taking its toll on my body. I'm losing hope. I'm 22 years old and Monday April 30th was the last time I was actually happy. If anyone has information or anything to help me please respond. I know I could have something way worse but to go from being perfectly healthy to being labeled anorexic because you want to eat but you can't is really hard. I'd love to hear other peoples stories on this horrible infection.
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I see this was posted in 2012. If you are still active on this subject I'd like to know how you are now. I've been suffering for 8 months and getting no answers after C Diff.
My husband had a 12 week course of antibiotics for a sinus issue and now has very mucousy diarrhea. He NEVER gets digestive problems. Already collecting specimens , separating laundry, bath towels, bleach- wiping bathroom after he uses it etc. He not allowed to wash dishes. How long will this go on? I hqve been an infection preventionist and spent many years in the medical microbiology lab…. But have not ever dealt with this from the patient side of things…..Dr is on top of latest therapies.
@cjval52
He should insist on a C. Diff test ASAP. If it comes back negative, do it again. There are false negatives. If your family physician doesn’t want to order one, get him to a gastroenterologist. You don’t want to delay treatment if he does have C. Diff. Going forward for my family, if someone has been on antibiotics (especially a broad-spectrum antibiotic) and develops diarrhea that does not resolve within a couple of days - we will be requesting a C. Diff test.
Check the paperwork that comes with antibiotics. The ones that are high risk for causing C. Diff will say so in the enclosed literature. You can check this online also.
Also, when I was diagnosed with C Diff I was told to have my husband use a different bathroom until I completed the course of Vancomycin. So if possible you should use a different bathroom.
Thank you.
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His Cdiff test was positive. He starts on Fidaxomycin today and we are on contact precautions at home. He’s in the master suite and I’m in the guest room and guest bath.
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@cjval52
Oh I’m sorry it came back positive but thank goodness he is receiving treatment. I hope all goes well for him.
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1 ReactionI control my CDiff with diet . I was on Vanco for it and finally did get it under control . No doctor told me to be on a certain diet .
The bacteria feeds on fructose . So try to consume no corn sugar . Especially High Fructose Corn Sugar, ( it is in so many things) . It has been 15 years since my severe attack . It came after antibiotic use for diverticulitis surgery. So I don’t eat fruit. I don’t eat vegetables like carrots , squash, tomatoes, any that contain too much natural fructose . If I at this time , were to consume , fruit or any item with high fructose corn syrup , I would have an onset of diarrhea within 24 hours. CDiff has an odor that is unmistakable. Feces will be orangish . Diet has a LOT to do with this disease. The Doctors here say that there are at least 2 strains of this bacteria . I am in Michigan . This Dr told me that the new( at the time) 2nd strain had moved down from Canada . That was the one I suffered from . I have carried this disease for 15 years. My relatives know , that if they are taking any antibiotics not to come here . I am not a Doctor . This is just some of my ramblings . I do also suffer with stage 4 Emphysema..
Blessed Be , Crystalena
@crystalena
Thank you for that information re: fructose. My diagnosis was a year and a half ago. I am conflicted about the fruits/veggies because for many years I was on a low carb diet and only ate low glycemic index fruits and vegetables. All the antibiotics and toxins from C Diff destroyed my microbiome and it took awhile for me to begin to eat a normal diet again. I found a gastro doc who checks my microbiome from time to time in her lab. She checks for good and bad bacteria and has me on a protocol that she adjusts to address any overgrowths or deficiencies she sees. Her protocol specifically excludes certain fruits and vegetables (among other things), but does include other fruits and vegetables. The excluded ones were the low glycemic berries and leafy greens I used to eat (they may be linked to glyphosate - even the organic versions) and the ones included in her protocol are the ones I used to avoid like bananas, mango, etc. I worry when I eat these things, but apparently they are foods that are good for a diverse group of beneficial bacteria. My microbiome (once obliterated) has really improved under her care, but I continue to feel guilty for eating the fructose. As my microbiome improves I will eat less and less of the high glycemic ones.
@cjval52
Yes antibiotics can be a prelude to
C Diff which us a bacterial infection also and MUST be addressed because it can get in blood stream causing sepsis. Make sure your doctor sends you to a specialist who deals with
C Diff because it can become chronic. There is a very distinct odor to it and contagious though contact.I had it twice on hospital. Handwashing VERY important.
These are specific treatments for it and getting to root of problem so it doesnt come back.I have been clear 2 months. I eat yogurt ,
I lower sweets.
Prayers he recovers fast and for good.
Both my wife and I had cdiff. I got it through contact with her. She had it multiple times. And was hospitalized several times. I had it 3 or 4 times. And was treated in the hospital I found out with an online search about cdiff that there's a treatment for it. The hospital that she would go to knew about the treatment. But wouldn't do it. I guess because another hospital developed the treatment in Boston. We decided that she would transfer all her care to the other hospital. She had been through enough already by that point.
The treatment is called a stool transplant. It sounds gross. But it worked for the both of us. They take a stool sample, bring it into a lab. Treat it some how or other. They put it into a gelcap pill. On dry ice. The patient swallows it and within a few days. That sample changes the bad bacteria in your gut to good bacteria in your gut.
There's always a chance that you could get cdiff again from what they told us. But that never happened to us.