C. difficile – Are your guts ever normal again?

@patts I know how it feels being scared of relapse. i had to take two courses of vanco back to back. I was very very scared of relapse. I am 75 and my c. diff like yours felt like it came out of the blue, but also like you i had previously taken a bunch of antibiotics. In any case I was otherwise in pretty good health. I lost 9 lbs and like i said I was scared of relapse. A good friend who was a nurse practitioner kept reassuring me that my constitution was basically strong and so I wouldn't relapse. And i haven't and it's been 7 months. good luck to you. I think it is very promising that you haven't lost eight and feel okay and no pain.

Thank you, Anna. I’m just a few days in to my second round of Vancomycin (this time a higher dose). I had another set of tests and should see results end of week. This has really cramped my style, lol. I hope I follow your record of no relapse!

@patts From what my doctor said and what I have read on line, people who are pretty much recovered from c. Diff can continue to test positive for c. Diff at least for a while;
and so,as I understand it, one should not be tested for c Diff unless one has active diarrhea. Otherwise they can keep giving you vanco
When you don’t need it and when it is better to let the body do the finishing up job on it’s own. again good luck to you.

I am over the diarrhea but I have painful constipation. I bloat so badly I look 9 months pregnant and it’s like thumping a watermelon. Anyone else?

Me too i had cdiff in june but took untill now for my belly and bloating to decrease. Its not completely gone but ive lost about 3 in across my belly button circumference. I still get some pain low on my belly like near the belly button after eating but per dr suggestion i am eating small meals every couple of hours rather than big ones. He says to much food at once irritates the gut and slows down healing.

I suffered with C-diff almost a whole year before finally being diagnosed. It took one round of vanco and one round of dificid. I finished that in February and have tested negative since. However, some days I'm sure it is back, then after several days, I feel better. It's been a constant roller coaster. I still bloat awful, it doesn't seem to matter what I eat, not eat or exercise. I am one of the few that gained over 15 pounds while suffering with it. I'm not sure why...I'm still lacking in energy and motivation...I'm wondering if something else is going on. I am 47 and have been very active and healthy up until this hit me.

@patts I also did a second round of Vanco and even did the pulse and taper for almost six weeks. But Cdiff returned a couple weeks after finishing the taper. Dificid was the med that worked for me after my 4th bout of Cdiff. That was last October so I'm almost one year without a relapse. And believe me, I knock on wood whenever I write or say that. I still deal with terrible gas pains late at night and early morning. I wish you well and certainly understand what you're going through. Until you've gone through this dreaded Cdiff, I don't think people truly understand how debilitating it can be.... both mentally and physically.

Well, I tested positive again, which doesn’t surprise me as the test was taken the day after I started my second round of higher dose vanco. Still have a week to go on this round. Things have gotten better bowel wise, so I’m hoping I can take a break from this.

Mentally, I’m so over this. Being kept in the house this long is driving me crazy. The constant gloves, Clorox wipes and bleach is affecting me too— I’m a pariah!

My next gastro appointment is Wednesday. I’m sure she’ll want another test.

@patts I’m so sorry you are still sick. I remember the feeling of “this is never going to go away!” I was so frustrated of feeling like the walking plague. My doc didn’t keep testing me. He went by my symptoms. I had 3 rounds of Vanco. My insurance wouldn’t cover Dificud. I had a FMT in Feb of this year and just now feel like I’m getting in a normal rhythm to some extent. I also have Crohns so it’s complicated. I want to give you some hope when you feel like you keep getting slammed! This group understands.

Those who are suffering from gas and bloating post c-Diff..... I’m trying this... I’m taking 100 mg stool softener every night as well as a gas-x every morning and night. My gastro prescribed Bentyl to take for the cramps. 10-20 mgs up to 4 times a day. It seems to be helping. Gas x has never helped me but I decided I was going to see. I also take 500 mg of Magnesium twice daily. Obviously, I am not having diarrhea again... 🤪. The first night I took the stool softener I had an accident in bed, so I had to play with the dose for awhile. I too am 47. 🙄

So far my docs suggest ion is helping also. Eating small meals every 2 hours.