1. < Digestive Health

C. difficile – Are your guts ever normal again?

Posted by sue6408 @sue6408, Jan 27, 2019

Does anyone know any body that has recovered from c.diff (guts back to pre-c.diff status ) . I have been negative for a year and still have bloating every time I eat anything and sporadic diarrhea. I need maternity clothing to eat and be comfortable. I have 0 appetite since I was initially infected.I am on creon 36,000 . this helps some what with bloating,I take papya&pineapple enzymes not helping, and floraster 2xday not sure about that.I have tried the FODMAP diet, I avoid many foods on that diet. I am seeing an RD, just finished an elimination diet with her. If I eat I bloat there for I am. Bottom line...are my guts ruined forever ?

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pines | @pines | Feb 3, 2020
In reply to @serenityva "Pines@pines, thank you for remembering me. I did beautifully in Thailand, loved every day my time..." + (show)
@serenityva

Pines@pines, thank you for remembering me. I did beautifully in Thailand, loved every day my time away...did great on the long flights. I arrived home on the 23rd, and had mild diarrhea the last two days, once a day. I am monitoring it, terrified it may be back. I am seeing Dr on Wednesday...scary, but I know I am not alone...

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@serenityva So happy to hear you were healthy on your trip. Now let's hope you are well. Are you taking Florastor or some type of probiotic with S. Boulardii in it? I think that's really helping me.

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annapocono | @annapocono | Feb 3, 2020
In reply to @pines "@sakota Cdiff spores can live for months on things. You could have picked it up in..." + (show)
@pines

@sakota Cdiff spores can live for months on things. You could have picked it up in a doctors office, nursing home or hospital while visiting someone. It's hard to tell. It is not airborne though. Hand washing is key to an infected person. I'm happy to hear that you have not relapsed. Stay well and yes, keep the faith as you battle lung cancer.

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THank you @pines for your response to my posting. I am taking vancomyacin . I am washing my hands constantly. What has surprised me is how little information there is about how to protect other people from catching it. I have a nurse practitioner friend who has worked with thousands of hospitalized patients with C.Diff. she says what you said about counters and light switches and washig hands. She also added that from now going forward I should never let a person eat from my plate or use my utensil (I guess because the spores can lie dormant in a host). Did you know that the EPA has a list of products that they approve as effective against C.Diff? I believe they work faster than bleach and water. Again thank you for your response.

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serenityva | @serenityva | Feb 3, 2020
In reply to @pines "@serenityva So happy to hear you were healthy on your trip. Now let's hope you are..." + (show)
@pines

@serenityva So happy to hear you were healthy on your trip. Now let's hope you are well. Are you taking Florastor or some type of probiotic with S. Boulardii in it? I think that's really helping me.

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Pines@pines...yes, I am taking Florastor 2 per day...I started that way back when I saw you post it...grateful for that! Just feel like I am on pins and needles waiting...like it is always lurking in the background...

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sakota9 (Joan) | @sakota | Feb 3, 2020
In reply to @annapocono "THank you @pines for your response to my posting. I am taking vancomyacin . I am..." + (show)
@annapocono

THank you @pines for your response to my posting. I am taking vancomyacin . I am washing my hands constantly. What has surprised me is how little information there is about how to protect other people from catching it. I have a nurse practitioner friend who has worked with thousands of hospitalized patients with C.Diff. she says what you said about counters and light switches and washig hands. She also added that from now going forward I should never let a person eat from my plate or use my utensil (I guess because the spores can lie dormant in a host). Did you know that the EPA has a list of products that they approve as effective against C.Diff? I believe they work faster than bleach and water. Again thank you for your response.

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I was told bleach was the only thing to kill spores. We are contagious until maybe about 6 days after we started on antibiotics. I always kept rubber gloves in the bathroom for when I went and kept people out of the house for a week. This is just what I was told. Good luck to you.

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0687 | @0687 | Feb 3, 2020
In reply to @losthope "I am feeling discouraged. I have been on a taper dose of vancomycin for over a..." + (show)
@losthope

I am feeling discouraged. I have been on a taper dose of vancomycin for over a months and a half. I start to feel better and then my stomach starts going crazy. I find I can not eat meat except chicken or fish. I am lactose intolerant. Can you share your food choices. I have read so much and tried to watch what I eat but nothing seems to help. Did this medication seem to be the one that helped or has it been long enough to say one way or the other. I have looked into the fecal transplant because I can not gain any weight and it has really taken a tole on my life. I am happy for you that you are getting better. I think clindamycin should have a warning due to cdiff. I work in a pharmacy and I talk to the doctors a lot and they say it should only be used as a last resort and cautiously. Thanks for listening. Merry Christmas. May the new year be better🙏🏻

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Hi,I'm taking Budesonide,Cortiment.9mg tablet.(c-diff is gone...dealing with colitis).Good luck.

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taxpayinghorse | @taxpayinghorse | Feb 3, 2020
In reply to @bluebanana "I'm suffered for 7 days with what I thought was a bad case of the stomach..." + (show)
@bluebanana

I'm suffered for 7 days with what I thought was a bad case of the stomach flu until I went to my family doctor and they requested a stool sample and found from that that I had c-diff I believe this is the sickest I've ever been in my entire life

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Stay away from antibiotics. It will only get worse if you have to use them.

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judik | @judik | Jul 17, 2020
In reply to @sandyabbey "@bluebananna. How did they treat you & how are you doing now ? When I presented..." + (show)
@sandyabbey

@bluebananna. How did they treat you & how are you doing now ? When I presented with my horrible diarrhea I thought I might have Cdiff because I had taken a round of antibiotics for a sinus infection. I don’t take antibiotics unless absolutely necessary. I had taken clindamycin before so I wasn’t to worried. Then I got this horrible Cdiff. I’m like you, I’ve never been so sick. Mine happened on the weekend so I waited until Monday morning to call my dr. They sent me to the ER because I needed fluids. I was started on Flagyl initially. I got better but as soon as 3 days off I was sick again. This happened 3 times & my GII changed me to vancomycin. I had 2 weeks of it. I’ve been off now for 7 days & I’m definitely better, but not ok. I have a loose stool in the morning & maybe one more later, but I always feel like I need to go. Almost everything I eat hurts my stomach except very soft things like cream potatoes, eggs etc. I’m lactose intolerant so I have to be careful with yogurts & things like that. I stay afraid all the time that it’s coming bsck. My GI dr said my next step if it does is a FMT. I’m terrified. This stuff is a nightmare. I hope you can overcome yours. Some do with just one treatment. Just stay on top of it because most have reoccurrence.

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I was treated at Mayo for Cdiff. Fecal transplant! Same procedure as colonoscopy! Very easy and I highly recommend this treatment! Have been good for 6 months now . Success rate is in the high 90’s percentile

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sandyabbey | @sandyabbey | Jul 28, 2020

It seems like I have back issues when I have bad stomach cramping. I had an ischemic colon a couple of years ago. My stomach was never the same. Eight months after that I had a severe case of Cdiff. Actually 4 relapses, a trip to the hospital by ambulance, & finally after failing all the meds, I had an FMT. That was a year ago. I still can’t get my bowels & stomach to any kind of normal. I’ll be fairly ok for about 2 weeks & then for no apparent reason I’ll get cramps bad enough to almost cause me too pass out. Then the next day my muscles in my thighs feel like I’ve run a mile. Absolutely my back is like I’ve hurt it. Has anyone else suffered with this maybe after Cdiff ?

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Amanda Burnett | @amandaa | Jul 28, 2020

Hi @sandyabbey, I know that you have posted to this discussion previously, but you will see that I have added your new discussion to this post to benefit you as well as other members looking for relief after multiple treatments and fecal transplants. In fact, one of our newer members @judik just posted about his FMT above you. @losthope, @bluebanana, @pines, @annapocono, @plm2019 and @skolotilin have all dealt with C. diff.

You might also be interested in @skolotilin's post about C.diff and neck pain. You can follow that discussion here.
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/c-diff-and-neck-pain/

Sandy, are you having constant back pain or does it only come around when you have a bout of stomach cramping? Are you currently on any medications for it?

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nurseheadakes | @nurseheadakes | Dec 30, 2020
In reply to @nurseheadakes "I have been reading for days all of your bouts of infections and treatment plans and..." + (show)
@nurseheadakes

I have been reading for days all of your bouts of infections and treatment plans and have to give you all some information to help you along. The c.diff bug is a sinister bug that always lives in your gut. It is an opportunistic little bug that takes advantage of times when your good bacteria in your gut are not at their best. Meaning, there are not enough of them to fight the c diff bugs to keep them at bay. When you take ANTIBIOTICS...they wipe out ALL OF YOUR good biotics (your microbe) that keeps you healthy and well. The area of 32 feet of gut is a lot of space to cover and your c diff loves to live in it and rule it. The rule of the game then must be finding how to change the game so the the c diff doesn't like to live in this environment. Putting good things in your mouth and stomach begins in learning about what is clean and wholesome for you. First step - learn about your diseases so that you know what is the cause and how you can minimize the effects of them in whatever way that you can. Minimize the use of process foods, dirty foods, fatty foods and soda. Water is essential for your body since it is 80% of what you are made of. Prebiotics and Probiotics can be found in clean foods. Look that up on google or read about it in Anthony William's Book - Medical Medium Life-Changing Foods. I have a c.diff gut and will always have one but I don't let it rule my life. I rarely take my refrigerated probiotics but have them when I need them. I have yogurt on standby. I use lactaid milk because I can't tolerate milk products. Two meals a day for only fruits and vegetables. I start out my day with the celery juice that may seem like a waste and I can't see what it does for me on the outside but boy does it show in the lab values for my diabetes, weight management, and immune systems. I have included cucumbers and parley in my morning drink to jazz it up! My warm water has lemon slices in it that I sip throughout the day. In the morning I have an 1/8 tsp of Metamucil in my tea cup since the bowel are sluggish but the stools are working dandy after years of constipation and GERD. There is a starting point and an end point for everyone but it begins with the first step. Research your journey and find what works and doesn't work - keep track with your GI doc/NP so that you can find the path that will help you look at food as being helpful and not a hindrance to you health.

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This still is my mantra to this day. Anyone who wants to live through this viral pandemic will need to keep their liver, spleen, thyroid, and pancreas working diligently to keep these bugs under control. Using prebiotics, biotics, and postbiotics in various forms, be it in clean food, supplements, green food, and water will help your body fight the good fight to destroy and stave off this ongoing assault. Listen to you body, learn what works and does not work. Use your intelligence to map out a plan for yourself in what helps you stay strong. Write it down. What works for you may not work for your immediate family because you are unique and have a medical history specific to your exposures and experiences. Your body remembers and seeks to find the perfect equilibrium - that is why YOU need to make the decisions, not someone else. Do your homework, trial and error will help you set your guidelines. We are here to let you know what has worked for us in our journeys but only YOU can make the decision.

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