C. difficile – Are your guts ever normal again?

So, I have a question for everyone. My gastro doctor had told me on more than one occasion that it wasn't necessary to continue taking probiotics. I'm on the fence about this. I am doing ok (so far) since my fmt on March 22. Are any of you still taking probiotics?

I was told by my GI Dr not to take probiotics while on the antibiotics. The antibiotics kill the good with the bad bacteria and you're trying to replenish something that the antibiotic is killing. If you take the probiotics while taking the antibiotic you're stopping the antibiotic from doing it's job. He always told me to take the probiotics after i'm done with the antibiotic to build good bacteria.

i was told the same by my doctor.

I have had a 'C-diff' gut since my first encounter years ago. Once you have had the encounter, your gut has a slow recovery. The antibiotics wipe our your natural flora and now you have to put back what you had to gain what you had beforehand. I have learned over the years what I can and can not eat to keep it at bay. You life changes because of what this nasty bug (mine you - it lives in our bowels but is suppressed by our good biotics) can always get you if you don't know or take care of your gut. There are ways you can live a better life and not resort to drugs, procedures and those type of things. Turn to eating well and using fresh and clean foods to turning your gut around. This may be drastic but it's done on a step by step manner. I read and follow a diet that is close to the Mediterranean diet - fish, vegetables, and fruit. Celery juice is the first thing you drink in the morning before anything else. This works on your gut almost from the get-go. You can find all of this information in the books by ANTHONY WILLIAM - First book is called Medical Medium, Secrets Behind Chronic and Mystery Illness and How to Finally Heal. I drink lemon water all day long and this helps me digest my food without having to resort to using my GERD medications on a regular basis. I have them prescribed for me and use them since my entire GI system was wiped out after the CDiff nearly killed me after my hysterectomy in 1988. This will be life-long but I have nothing to lose but everything to gain. I have followed many of his suggestions and have fewer migraines, stabilized my diabetes, decreased the nodes my thyroid, and my liver panel is normal which hasn't ever been normal according to my Primary Doctor. She was blown away when I told her what I was doing. Mr. Williams can be googled to find his books - they are in books stores and he is well known world wide for what he describes for us to do. Take it for what its worth. The celery juice is a sure thing... Anyone with GI problems should definitely drink 1/2 to one cup a day. And lemon water - no soda ever....(do you know what they put in that stuff? - it will take off rust and other corrosives - so what do you think it does inside you?) Use clean filtered water and real lemons in your water. Get the real deal.
One last thing...everything today has pesticides and stuff sprayed on it...so the best way to 'clean' off your produce is to soak them in soda bicarbonate.
Place everything in a bowl of warm water and couple of tablespoons of the baking soda. Let soak for 10 minutes, rinse and dry. Then bag them, place in bowls or dispense the produce as you like for eating. The baking soda takes off the crummy stuff and leaves your fruits/veggies clean - so you aren't eating all of those poisonous chemicals. Your gut will thank you.

That's it for now... any questions...let me know Eloise

Three of the doctors I have seen recommended from the start eating probiotic foods (kefir, kombucha, sauerkraut, pickles, tempeh, pickled fish etc) rather than taking the pills which are very strong the infectious disease specialist told me. So Have not taken the pills but I plan to continue eating probiotic foods forever. They are supposed to be very good for the gut and help to keep C Diff at bay. I recovered from my first but very intense episode of C. Diff in early January. I have had no relapse.

I just had my first bout with this last week as a result of Augmentin - and I pray it’s my last. My test came back negative but everything I’ve read says otherwise. Dr has had me on Vancomycin for about a week.
Did you take Vancomycin? Probiotic along with meds or just probiotic foods? Other dietary regime?
I’ve been so depressed these two weeks and, living in a small town, there are no specialists or even a health food store to seek information. Your post is encouraging and makes me hopeful that this might be a single incident.

I just had my first bout with this last week as a result of Augmentin - and I pray it’s my last. My test came back negative but everything I’ve read says otherwise. Dr has had me on Vancomycin for about a week.
Did you take Vancomycin? Probiotic along with meds or just probiotic foods? Other dietary regime?
I’ve been so depressed these two weeks and, living in a small town, there are no specialists or even a health food store to seek information. Your post is encouraging and makes me hopeful that this might be a single incident.

@pat70 My gastroenterologist had me take Florastor. You need to be taking a probiotic with S. Boulardii in it. I too got Cdiff last year after taking Clindamycin for a sinus infection. I had such a hard time getting rid of it. The Vancomycin did not work for me. My insurance approved me taking Dificid (fidaxamycin)) after I had taken two rounds of Vanco. I even did the pulse and taper for 6 weeks. My heart goes out to you. I was encouraged by others on this site and their sharing. I had not even heard of Cdiff before getting it.