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

My doctor is retesteting me mon im hoping this is just a bug going around

Hi, all! I am a 25 year old female who was diagnosed/treated for c diff about three months ago. The antibiotics (vancomycin) worked wonders initially; however, this past week, I’ve been experiencing abdominal cramping, pain in my lower left side of abdomen, irregular bowel movements, nausea, and general gas/discomfort. I am not sure if I am relapsing (I’ve had one case of diarrhea, yesterday, but stools have been mostly solid/soft otherwise) or if my digestive system is just not fully healed. I’m thinking the latter, so I am wondering if you all have any advice on healing your gut in the absence of actual c diff bacteria? I’ve been taking probiotics, but it doesn’t seem to be enough. Do you think an appointment with a GI doc would be beneficial? Not sure if there’s anything they can do or prescribe since I don’t think the bacteria is present. I have a friend who had c diff in high school and she said that her doctor prescribed her colitis medication. Is that typical for recovery?

Unfortunately CDiff is one of those infections where relapses are common. From my experience, part of the reason we relapse after antibiotic treatment is due to improper diet. We are encouraged to return to a “normal” diet when symptoms subside and in my experience all of us who have suffered GI infections and take antibiotics have some form of dysbiosis or imbalance of good versus bad bacteria in our gut. A normal American diet consists of carbs, grains, sugars and other foods that may be otherwise healthy but not for someone coming fout of a gut infection. If you want to work on modifying your diet, look at SCD and Low Fodmaps diets. You may need to go on one of these for a period of time until your gut heals. Usually no dairy, very limited carbs, low sugar, and more protein, vegetables and certain fruits. I was initially diagnosed with CDiff, then SIBO and it has taken me three rounds of antibiotics and finally going on a low FODMAP diet to stop relapsing and start gaining the 20 lbs I lost in three months. The diet change was the missing component for me. I was eating rice, baked potatoes, toast, yogurt and all the foods that are bad for someone in my situation. But of course seeing a GI doctor would also be helpful. I finally had to seek a nutritionist to guide me through the process. Hang in there. Hope others here give you encouragement and feedback. Wishing you fast healing.

@big001 .... C diff is such a hard thing to over come. I've had 4 bouts of it and used three different RX's. I even did the Vancomycin pulse and taper for 5 or 6 weeks. I was good for 3 weeks and then it came back with a vengeance. I then did 10 days on Deficid. It will be one month tomorrow since I finished that RX. Is the probiotic you're taking Florastor? My gastroenterologist has me taking that now since it has Saccharolyces Boulardii which survives stomach acid and colonizes in the intestinal tract where the C diff spores thrive. I pray this last RX works. Now with winter coming on, I hope I stay well. Last winter I had 4 sinus infections and the Clindamycin I took for the last one what was gave me the C diff this past April. Hopefully, you just have some bug that's going around. How long has it been since you finished the Vancomycin?

Hi. Is it normal to lose weight with c diff?
Is it difficult to gain it back? I was thinking I would gain after eating so much thanksgiving weekend. I normally weigh 130 and am down to 122 and have lost muscle tone.

It is not uncommon to lose weight following GI infections, particularly if you are still having loose stools or diarrhea. I lost 20 pounds in three months because I kept relapsing a week after finishing antibiotics (even after no longer testing positive for CDiff or any other parasite). What I think has finally started to turn things around for me is the diet. My nutritionist told me in simple terms that the bad bacteria and imbalance (dysbiosis) left in your gut after the infection and (yes) by the antibiotics, highjacks and steals nutrition from being absorbed by your body which leads to malnutrition and weight loss. This is why it is so important to make changes in diet following these infections to allow your gut to heal and not feed bad bacteria until that gut balance is restored. I think this principle applies to CDiff, IBS, SIBO and other intestinal conditions that can lead to malabsorption of nutrients. A red flag went up for me when you said you ate a lot over the Thanksgiving weekend. I took three rounds of antibiotics, would do alright for a week or so thereafter, and then quickly relapse back to diarrhea (even after no longer showing signs of active infection). Everyone kept telling me to eat normal again after the antibiotics so I could gain weight back, and that inevitably contributed to more loose stools, diarrhea, and further weight loss, creating a vicious cycle for me. I knew that what I was putting into my mouth was contributing to my symptoms but never imagined that foods like yogurt, rice or a baked potato could make me worse. The idea is to limit dairy, gluten, complex carbs and refined sugars for a while to “kill” the overgrowth of bad bacteria and make sure they do not return to repopulate your gut after the antibiotic. Let me know if you want me to explain in more detail what I am doing and I also recommend you look at Low FODMAPs and SCD diet. I am working with a nutritionist and using aspects of both. I finished my last round of antibiotics on Nov 15 and I am now on my tenth day of having normal looking and solid stools, and also gained four pounds. I am cautiously optimistic but the only thing I have changed this time is what and how I eat. Hope this helps.

@tina1125 I finished the Deficid for my 4th bout of Cdiff just one month ago. It hit me the hardest of all four and I lost 10 pounds during the first two weeks with it. And unfortunately, the first week the test came back negative so I had to go for almost 2 weeks before the test was positive for Cdiff. But during the past month, I've put almost all the weight back on. I wish I could keep it off and take off another 30 or 40 pounds. I'm sorry to hear you continue to lose weight plus muscle tone. I wouldn't wish Cdiff on my worst enemy. And I've never paid so much attention to BM's. 🙂

Dear gut health, I was on the Fodmap diet 4 a year. It really didn’t help. Post c.difficile I bloat like I am pregnant and feel like my gut will burst. I went to an allergy Dr. between gut Dr. appointments and found out I was allergic to dairy now. ( I wasn’t previously) I have a low tolerance for gluten,but no actual allergy. So you may want check for food allergy. Eliminating dairy has decreased some of the symptoms. . I am new to this site. How do I ask my own questions?

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I am trying to recover from c.diff. I am negative by stool culture for 1 year. I am experiencing extreme distention after drinking water or eating. I often can’t sleep due to the pressure of my distended abdomen. I have had all the tests ( gastric emptying, small bowel series,breath test ) Also I have not been hungry for 2 years. I feel if I could get rid of the cause of my bloating I could live again. Can anyone help me ? ( already been on fodmap 4 a year.didnt help)