cellulitis to c.diff Clindamycin to Vancomycin Diarrhea, Constipation

Hello @b90 and welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect. From your brief post, it appears that you have had cellulitis, C-Diff and have taken antibiotics and now have diarrhea and constipation. Is my understanding correct?

As you probably know, antibiotics are important to use but can often lead to stomach upsets. It looks like you have tried a simple diet but need to find a way back to regularity.

On Mayo Clinic's website, there is some information about C-Diff. Here is the link to that information, https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/c-difficile/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20351697.

On Connect we also have a discussion group where members discuss their journey with C-Diff and the meds that have helped. Here is the link to that discussion, https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/c-diff-7/?commentsorder=newest#chv4-comment-stream-header. As you read the posts from other members, feel free to click on "Reply" and to ask questions in order to find out more about their experience.

I would like to invite the following Connect members to discuss their experiences with C-Diff with you such as @sbr270 @lengel and @beckyt.

b90, Has your doctor offered any suggestions?

I have never had c-diff. Not sure why you referenced me. Sally Raff, sbr270@gmail.com

Hello @b90 and welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect. From your brief post, it appears that you have had cellulitis, C-Diff and have taken antibiotics and now have diarrhea and constipation. Is my understanding correct?

As you probably know, antibiotics are important to use but can often lead to stomach upsets. It looks like you have tried a simple diet but need to find a way back to regularity.

On Mayo Clinic's website, there is some information about C-Diff. Here is the link to that information, https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/c-difficile/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20351697.

On Connect we also have a discussion group where members discuss their journey with C-Diff and the meds that have helped. Here is the link to that discussion, https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/c-diff-7/?commentsorder=newest#chv4-comment-stream-header. As you read the posts from other members, feel free to click on "Reply" and to ask questions in order to find out more about their experience.

I would like to invite the following Connect members to discuss their experiences with C-Diff with you such as @sbr270 @lengel and @beckyt.

b90, Has your doctor offered any suggestions?

I had c-difficile in 2011. My dentist (following a dental procedure) had prescribed a ten-day dose of Amoxicillin. On the tenth day the diarrhea started, and it was like a prep for a colonoscopy. Two days later (Sunday) I went to Urgent Care, and they told me to go home and drink lots of fluids. Feeling terrible the next day, I called my doctor who sent me to the Emergency Room. I was diagnosed with C-difficile and recovered in hospital for a week. I had very low potassium as result of diarrhea. In the hospital they gave me vancomycin and when I was discharged, they prescribed ten days of vancomycin (compound medication because the pills cost a fortune) and also had me continue with Florastor probiotic which they had also given me in the hospital. My specialist said I should not take antibiotics again unless I had pneumonia! I have not taken another antibiotic since (except if during surgical procedure they gave me through blood) and I have not had another occurrence of C-difficile. That was my experience, but I have a question. I have researched but not found an answer. After many years, is it reasonably safe for me to take a broad based antibiotic if I need one???? Has anyone had C-diff and then taken oral antibiotics some time later????

Hello @vic83

You ask some good questions about the use of antibiotics. This question is best answered by your doctor, preferably an internal medicine specialist. However, feel free to ask this question in Connect's C-Diff discussion group. The link to that group is in my original post to you.You may find someone there with a similar experience.

I do think, however, that an Internal Medicine specialist is your best source of help with this question. Is your current PCP an internist?

Yes, at my age I would only use someone in Internal Medicine for primary care...but I don't have much hope for a complete reply and think the question is better suited to a Gastroenterologist or Colon Specialist. Medicine is a broad subject and I always find that a Specialist provides a more refined answer - for dosage of medication etc.

I had c-difficile in 2011. My dentist (following a dental procedure) had prescribed a ten-day dose of Amoxicillin. On the tenth day the diarrhea started, and it was like a prep for a colonoscopy. Two days later (Sunday) I went to Urgent Care, and they told me to go home and drink lots of fluids. Feeling terrible the next day, I called my doctor who sent me to the Emergency Room. I was diagnosed with C-difficile and recovered in hospital for a week. I had very low potassium as result of diarrhea. In the hospital they gave me vancomycin and when I was discharged, they prescribed ten days of vancomycin (compound medication because the pills cost a fortune) and also had me continue with Florastor probiotic which they had also given me in the hospital. My specialist said I should not take antibiotics again unless I had pneumonia! I have not taken another antibiotic since (except if during surgical procedure they gave me through blood) and I have not had another occurrence of C-difficile. That was my experience, but I have a question. I have researched but not found an answer. After many years, is it reasonably safe for me to take a broad based antibiotic if I need one???? Has anyone had C-diff and then taken oral antibiotics some time later????

I had c-difficile in 2011. My dentist (following a dental procedure) had prescribed a ten-day dose of Amoxicillin. On the tenth day the diarrhea started, and it was like a prep for a colonoscopy. Two days later (Sunday) I went to Urgent Care, and they told me to go home and drink lots of fluids. Feeling terrible the next day, I called my doctor who sent me to the Emergency Room. I was diagnosed with C-difficile and recovered in hospital for a week. I had very low potassium as result of diarrhea. In the hospital they gave me vancomycin and when I was discharged, they prescribed ten days of vancomycin (compound medication because the pills cost a fortune) and also had me continue with Florastor probiotic which they had also given me in the hospital. My specialist said I should not take antibiotics again unless I had pneumonia! I have not taken another antibiotic since (except if during surgical procedure they gave me through blood) and I have not had another occurrence of C-difficile. That was my experience, but I have a question. I have researched but not found an answer. After many years, is it reasonably safe for me to take a broad based antibiotic if I need one???? Has anyone had C-diff and then taken oral antibiotics some time later????

I had C.diff this past summer (now no infection for the past 7 months- but had 3 recurrent cases of it.) By the 3rd case, my infectious disease doctor put me on a 3 month prescription for Vancomycin. I had had it for the first case but the c.diff just returned. Next the 2nd case medicine didn't work even though it was VERY expensive for just the co-pay - I was very weak from some other medical complications.) But this time, I had the Vancomycin 4 times a day for 2 week, then 3 a day for a week, then twice a day for a week, then 1 a day for a week, then the rest were 1 every other day and then 1 every third day till they were gone. The whole thing took about 3 months but it was finally gone although I had to work to get strength etc. back. (I might have the exact timetable a little off because it was so long ago, but you get the dwindling idea - there were something like 111 pills.
I just went for what I considered my last appointment (just for final questions) 4 days ago. I asked what I should do if I had some serious medical problem that they wanted to use antibiotics on me for. She said to let them know I had C.diff and have them call her office because she wanted me on Vancomycin at the same time as having antibiotics. (She says i will always be prone to get it again even though I have been over the infection for 7 months now. She told me I'd be prone for the rest of my life - staying in good health would be the best way to keep it from coming back and to stay on my probiotic daily.)
Ask your doctor what you should do if they tell you that you absolutely need antibiotics. You can mention what my doctor said, but your doctor may say something different. And, if you don't have an infectious disease doctor, I'd suggest trying to get one. If there is a hospital near you, they might have infectious disease doctors on their staff. I got mine because I was in the hospital. I found out that other doctors don't have much knowledge about it. My infectious diease doctor told me they just started paying much closer attention to it about 10 or so years ago when they saw it causing major problems so the information on it is still in flux.
This was a little lengthy, but I hope it helped.
God bless you (I did a lot of praying getting over mine - I am 76 and it is a little scarey at that age.)