Trying to recover from a c. diff infection (Clostridium difficile)

P.S. sorry this is so long, but before dentist, 2 days before i start taking Imodium and cut down on what i eat, very plain, and take or wear disposables, even have those plastic underwear... it upsets my routine, if i in fact have a routine, but like you dont want to have an accident in middle of dental work.... and rather do all this before going anywhere, i now stay home. Was at daughter's for half hour the other day as she was going away, went to go pee in her bathroom and yep, fecal incontinence, but i take a bagt with me with change of underwear, cloths, wipes, spry, you name it... but its still miserable to go through so rarely visit her and she is only a few blocks away. Whereve i go my bag of emergency supplies goes with me.... a therapist with colitis gave me that tip.

Such a difficult way to live. After c diff and four months of needing to be one minute from a bathroom and after multiple rounds of antibiotics, my husband’s GI doctor prescribed Questran powder, a cholesterol lowering drug. His colon finally calmed down.

@lengel ...oh that is interesting. About 6 yrs ago and after ibs-d type problems my doctor gave me a cholesterol lowering drug to try, nothing wrong with cholesterol, but caused constipation. I tried it and I remember it cut down about 50 per cent of my trips to bathroom... but inside of moth and tongue etc. got so inflammed, tongue red and cracked and mouth so red and sore, pharmacist was shocked. So i stopped taking it. Not sure how many months later but said could we try again.... we did and same thing happened, so my reaction to drug. Fast forward about 3 months ago and I was referred to a nephrologist and she, upon hearing my woes of fecal incontinence and history, prescribed another such medication ; "LODALIS" (colesevelam hydrochloride) (bile acid sequestrant) to mix with water. But after reading drug info am too scared to try it. Also have sore mouth from previous molar extraction and keep getting bone chips (tiny) coming thru gums which makes mouth sore and also had another molar out yesterday and other side of mouth raw etc. so dare not take any meds I think will cause sore mouth again and am reluctant to tell her I did not try it , next appointment. For 30 single doses it was over $200.00 Canadan, good thing i still have my work health insurance to pay most of it. But I get the idea; find out something that causes constipation and take it for our diarrhea! J.

So sorry that you had a reaction to the medication. Currently, when he has an IBS-PI flare up, he takes Align in the morning and a blend of 10 other probiotics in the evening. That usually stabilizes his gut.

I know I’ve more than likely asked this question before, but has everyone’s experience with c-dif been watery diarrhea? When my stool was tested to find out if I had c-dif my stool was formed, but soft and has been so all through the two weeks of vancomycin. I took my last pill yesterday and have been going a lot today- all formed. Just wondering about other people’s experiences and if I should call the dr on Monday. Yesterday they did tell me to start taking one culturelle probiotic a day and also one IB-Guard per day. Also having little twinges on lower left side that come and go. I just get scared. And having internal hemorrhoids and going so much is making my bottom hurt.

..my watery diarrhea was more pre c.diff when put on 5 antibiotics in 5 months for bladder infection which might not have had! running down my legs, showers at 3am etc., on vancomycin diarrhea continues the whole couple of months because while on antibiotic cannot take imodium! My rectal area was a total huge sore and dr and clinic nurse each gave me an ointment to use but had not had it on skin long before another bathroom bm. One thing I miss is a sitz bath... used to use portable one and gave me so much comfort if not cure;;;;; however, realized years after using that feces would leak into the warm water in the sitz bath and i think that was causing bladder infections or leaving feces around the skin when i did urine test as all ecoli. Was a wicked year.

MEDICATION FOR C.DIFF I just remembered when Dr. gave me Vancomycin for C.Diff, and after 2 weeks or so, still the runs so had another test and was on Vancomycin all summer: the 2nd prescriptions was for another Antibiotic called DIFICID. But my pharmacy said they could not get it... it was $2,000.00 Canadian but my plan would pay ... I might have mentioned this before but I sometimes wonder if I would have had greater success/less side effects and long term like fecal incontinence had I been given Dificid instead of Vancomycin but cant find anything about it here. I just researched and they said Dificid is b etter than Vanco but has anyone ever taken it??? (also called Fidaxomicin) Not sure if its just available in Canada - too late for me but now curious about it. Had I waited one week, the pharmacy would have got it in for me and I wish I had waited.

Internet search: Fidaxomicin Vs. Vancomycin: What's More Effective for Treating C difficile?

Hi Scott, how are you doing? It seems we have similar symptoms. I have been off Vanco for a month now, diarrhea has stopped but still have side effects, anxiety, anal fissures(ouch)!!
Still take S. Boulardii once a day and a probiotic, vitm D, haven't got my strength back either. I'm 69 but feel 90.
Anyone know how long till back to normal?
Evelyn

In Oct 2020, i was dx with c diff. I was 47 years old female no prior hx of antibiotic use with in the prior months. After my third trip to the er they kept me 6 days because my Ct showed inflammation in my colon due to the c diff. Let me add that my gastro put me on Prilosec for the rest of my life he said, due to stomach ulcers. Acid suppression, is also linked to c diff vulverability. However, they decided the prilosec was more important than my risk of recurrent c diff. Dec 22nd, 2020 i had FMT by capsules, i swallowed 30 in 7 min. Although i was so deathly nauseasted all thru Christmas, the 5th day after my transplant i had the first normal BM i have ever had in i can remember. I have had bouts with diarrhea and constipation my entire life it seems.. My infection disease dr that did the FMT however, did not tell me i needed to increase my fiber for these 'microbes' I never heard him mention either. So, today is June 9, 2021 and i lay in my bed on my second round of yes, antibiotics. First difficid, now vanco.. scheduled for my 2nd FMT June 16th. Im wondering if my prilosec will keep me going thru this forever. Im depressed, anxious, upset, my view of how the health care field as a whole doesnt seem to care anymore...

I am so sorry to hear you are going through all this. Nobody deserves this evil c diff. So your c diff came back 6 months after your FMT in December? Just for being on Prilosec?
Are you taking any probiotic now? Have you taken them all along after your FMT? What about Boulardii are you taking any this is good for c diff. Read about it. What about your diet after the FMT. I had c diff and I worked with both naturopathic doctor and a nutritionist I didn’t rely only on medical doctors. I used bleach to clean that’s the only thing that kills those spores. Fiber is great to feed the gut microbiome and fresh fruits and steamed vegetables for you for now until you get better bit. My heart goes out to you as you battle this. Will keep you in my prayers.