C. difficile – Are your guts ever normal again?

@sarasally2 I can sure relate except that I wasn't in the hospital during my 4 bouts of Cdiff in 2018. I've never gone through anything like it. I took Flagyl, Vancomycin twice and even did the pulse and taper for 6 weeks and finally Dificid worked for me. It's terribly expensive and I'm sure that's why the insurance doesn't cover it until I'd tried Vanco. My next alternative was going to be the FMT. All this from taking Clindamycin for a sinus infection. Every time I hear that someone I know is taking antibiotics, I cringe.

Explain the pulse and taper to me, please? I think that’s what my doc is going to do starting next week as I’m finishing up myb2 weeks of 250 mg vanco.

@patts When you do a pulse a taper, it's a way of weaning you off the drug and hope more "good" bacteria will grow. You may now be taking 2 or 3 Vanco a day and when you taper, you may go to 1 or 2 and day for one week and then it will be cut to one a day.... and in my case, I even went to 1 every other day. However, two weeks after doing that, the Cdiff returned. As a last resort, I took Dificid which is highly expensive. I had made the decision that if the Dificid did not work, I would do the FMT.

I did go to infectious disease doctor she said my issues are no cdiff. Has anyone else felt like they have a knot in the middle left side of their abdomen? I no longer have diarrhea but have days when I go to the bathroom 6 to 8 times a day. I am still losing weight and have a nawing feeling most of the time. They want me to have another colonoscopy and the thought of the prep makes me sick. I am so frustrated. This will be my second one in 4 months plus 4 ct scans. I have had so many tests done with only one thing showing up a thickening in my colon. Anyone else having weird issues

I know this is an old post but I am currently being treated for c diff 2 days left on dificid with persistent symptoms after going undiagnosed for 9 months. I also have Candida esophagitis. All of my issues started with the “stitch” in my left side. It’s right between my two lowest ribs and feels like stabbing and twisting of my insides. It was intermittent weekly for years before and is now daily at a level 7-9. Does this sound similar to your pain in your side and did it ever go away? Did you find anything to help it? TIA

Oh and are you seeing a gastronolgist for your esophagitis? Have you had a colonoscopy and or and endoscopy? You need to see them you could get Barrets Syndrome which is pre-cancerous. I have that. Please get help!!!

I went undiagnosed for 7 months while trying to get my gp to take me seriously. She just kept trying different acid reducers. Even after the h. Pylori and Candida was caught on egd and colonoscopy the c diff wasn’t found until 2 weeks ago when I had my first ever stool test since my symptoms weren’t subsiding. I am currently on dificid but only have two days left and am still experiencing the pain in my side at full force along with less diarrhea and all my esophagus Candida symptoms. The gi says we can’t treat the lymphatic esophagus and the Candida until the diarrhea is gone.

I'm happy to hear you are taking Dificid. That was the only RX that worked for me. My doctor prescribed Flagyl first in April 2018, then Vanco for my 2nd and 3rd bouts of Cdiff. I even did the Vanco pulse and taper for 6 weeks with my 3rd bout. And finally, last October and my 4th Cdiff episode, I was put on Dificid. I know it's terribly expensive but it worked for me. I was ready to do the FMT if I relapsed again. I'm so fearful of ever needing to take an antibiotic again since Clindamycin for a sinus infection is what started the dreaded Cdiff in my. It's sad that you had to go so long prior to having a stool sample tested.

I also took Vanco for 6 weeks then we tried another 6 weeks and flagyl together which cleared it up. We didn't have to do Dificid, they were also talking about a poop transplant. I read up on those and they aren't very safe alot of people die from those which totally scared me and I read that after the fact. Keflex is on my no list of antibiotics thats a supposed cdiff starter. I went over a year the first time and I cried for and hour when I found out I had it the second time cause no one told me it stays in your system so it was a surprise to me. I hope you feel better soon!!