Trying to recover from a c. diff infection (Clostridium difficile)
I am trying to recover from a c.diff infection. This started with taking clindamycin in mid January and 3 days later I became ill with diarrhea and felt sick, loss of appetite etc...Went to the er twice, tested negative for c.diff on my 2nd visit. The Dr. told me to take imodium to rest my colon since I tested negative. That evening I had diarrhea and took the Imodium. Became constipated with pain lower right side. I went to a GI dr. pleading for help, I did another stool test and it came back positive for c.diff. I tried flagyl but could not tolerate the side effects. Tried vancomycin for 10 days. Did not work. Tested positive again, Went to a new gi doctor who prescribed dificid for ten days. I am 31 days post dificid and I have almost constant gut rumbling and urge to go. My 1st bm in the morning is usually semi normal, but after that they are always either pencil thin and or small pieces (2 to 5 times a day). This has been my routine since the vancomycin. I do not get dull blown diarrhea..... My dr. wants me to have a colonoscopy but I an scared that the cleansing will wipe out all my good flora. I currently take 2 florastor pills and 1/2 vsl3 per day. I eat fermented pickles for the probiotics as well..... I have many food intolerances since this whole mess began (fiber, many vegatables, dairy). I also have a strange taste in my mouth most of the time, have very little energy and fight with depression. My primary gave me Xanax .25 but I only take them at night when I cannot sleep...... Went to a nutritionist who put me on a no wheat, soy, dairy, gluten diet. Does not seem to be helping or hurting. I lost 20 pounds and cannot gain any weight (I weigh 120 at 5'7")... I am thinking it might be sibo, or candida but cannot find a dr. to test for these....I am in the right place for help or advice ? The urge to go is awful and limits my once active lifestyle.....
Thank you, Scott
Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Digestive Health Support Group.
Try doctor recommended VSL kept behind the counter in fridge - you have to ask the pharmacist for it and I get mine from the pharmacy at Hannaford Supermarket
Thank you!
HI -everyone
I am so sorry to hear about all of the suffering.
I tested positive recently for C-Diff. 2 days after having surgery at Columbia Presbyterian in NY, I came down with diarrhea and the stool test revealed c-diff. I was given 10 days of vanco which failed since I still had diarrhea. The follow-up stool test showed that I still had C-diff. Now I am taking 10 days of Dificid and I have horribly nauseous. I did not go to work this week and I generally do not take sick time. I am frustrated and upset since I do not feel as though the Dificid is working either.
@nerofish do you mean diflucan?this is generally what they give
No Dificid is fidaxomicin - similar to vancomycin
@oh o.k.@nerofish thats new since I worked in hospital it use to be diflucan is what was ordered for c-diff.
I thought that diflucan was for yeast infections.
@nerofish that is what they used then but research has come along way since the 70,s
That is quite interesting - I guess that the medical profession believed that c-diff was caused by a yeast infection rather than a bacterial one.
@nerofish yes I think your right but with research now they believe it is a bacterial ?All I know from the post here its hard to cure .Does Dr also recommend a probiotic for this now? as Lactobaccilus ,all of them puts the good bacteria back into your intestines?