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

Posted by acres @acres, Apr 12, 2016

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

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@sue6408

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)

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@sue6408 Hi sue Im not sure this will help but one time my abd. was bloated ,had alot of gas went to Dr. he told me to go on fiber and a probiotic this really helped me ,at that time I wasn't eating right just junk food so now I make sure I eat veggies every day and probiotic at least 3 x,s a week hope you feel better let me know if this helped .

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@sue6408

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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Have you worked with a nutritionist ? My attempt at LowFodmap was a disaster when I was doing it on my own. Even yogurt gave me diarrhea. The nutritionist took me off dairy also. It has taken a while to tweak it but it seems to be working now. I am also off grains and most complex carbs. My initial diagnosis was suspected CDiff but I ended up with a SIBO or dysbiosis diagnosis, which may also help account for why we may be reacting to the diet differently. Best wishes to you.

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@guthealth

Have you worked with a nutritionist ? My attempt at LowFodmap was a disaster when I was doing it on my own. Even yogurt gave me diarrhea. The nutritionist took me off dairy also. It has taken a while to tweak it but it seems to be working now. I am also off grains and most complex carbs. My initial diagnosis was suspected CDiff but I ended up with a SIBO or dysbiosis diagnosis, which may also help account for why we may be reacting to the diet differently. Best wishes to you.

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I am also also taking a guar gum fiber called NutriSource made by Nestle, also per the nutritionist’s recommendation. Once I started working with the nutritionist I realized how little I knew about diet and introducing foods post infection, and sadly how little my own GI doctor knew about diet for these types of conditions.

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@tammy1pike

@citygirlannie I am so sorry to hear that you’re having so many issues with CDIFF. Have you asked your doctor about the Fecal Microbia Transplant? If your Digestive system isn’t functioning correctly it may not help, but it may help correct it? This Infection is horrible and the antibiotic Flagyl gave my son terrible side effects! They were as bad as the CDIFF symptoms. Praying you find a positive answer!

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@tammy1pike, I am in the Birmingham Al area. I’m on my third recurrence of Cdiff. I got it from clindamycin given for a serious sinus infection. I had taken it before for dental reasons so I didn’t perceive a problem. I was so devastated when I got it. I’ve been having gut issues for a year now. Last December I had a horrible episode of unbearable pain, then diarrhea & then vomiting. I thought it was a virus, but when I got up the next morning I was having lots of bloody stool. I immediately went to my Dr. A CT scan revealed I had ischemic colitis. After a months treatment for that I had a colonoscopy. I had to wait for enough healing so as not to perforate my colon. I was almost normal except for pain in my lower gut soon after eating. I was diagnosed with diverticulitis & had a polyp removed. I thought I was on the road to a somewhat recovery. Then I guess that since I had a compromised gut anyway this Cdiff had really beat me down. I’m 71 & I thought was a young 71. I have a heart problem too ( Afib) but my treatment was going well. I fell like I won’t live long like this. I’m tiny anyway, but now I’m at 85 pounds. I’m very weak. I just can’t get my GI to take me seriously. They just throw meds at me. 2 rounds of Flagyl & now I’m on vancomycin. I feel a little better & no diarrhea, but I’m horrified that it will be back as soon as this round of meds is over. I’m desperate. We have lots of medical care here in Birmingham that people come from all over for. I guess I’m just going to the wrong Dr. I’m sorry I’m making this so long, but like I said I have no life. Thank you for listening.

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@sandyabbey

@tammy1pike, I am in the Birmingham Al area. I’m on my third recurrence of Cdiff. I got it from clindamycin given for a serious sinus infection. I had taken it before for dental reasons so I didn’t perceive a problem. I was so devastated when I got it. I’ve been having gut issues for a year now. Last December I had a horrible episode of unbearable pain, then diarrhea & then vomiting. I thought it was a virus, but when I got up the next morning I was having lots of bloody stool. I immediately went to my Dr. A CT scan revealed I had ischemic colitis. After a months treatment for that I had a colonoscopy. I had to wait for enough healing so as not to perforate my colon. I was almost normal except for pain in my lower gut soon after eating. I was diagnosed with diverticulitis & had a polyp removed. I thought I was on the road to a somewhat recovery. Then I guess that since I had a compromised gut anyway this Cdiff had really beat me down. I’m 71 & I thought was a young 71. I have a heart problem too ( Afib) but my treatment was going well. I fell like I won’t live long like this. I’m tiny anyway, but now I’m at 85 pounds. I’m very weak. I just can’t get my GI to take me seriously. They just throw meds at me. 2 rounds of Flagyl & now I’m on vancomycin. I feel a little better & no diarrhea, but I’m horrified that it will be back as soon as this round of meds is over. I’m desperate. We have lots of medical care here in Birmingham that people come from all over for. I guess I’m just going to the wrong Dr. I’m sorry I’m making this so long, but like I said I have no life. Thank you for listening.

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Find a Doc that does fecal microbial transplants.

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@guthealth

Have you worked with a nutritionist ? My attempt at LowFodmap was a disaster when I was doing it on my own. Even yogurt gave me diarrhea. The nutritionist took me off dairy also. It has taken a while to tweak it but it seems to be working now. I am also off grains and most complex carbs. My initial diagnosis was suspected CDiff but I ended up with a SIBO or dysbiosis diagnosis, which may also help account for why we may be reacting to the diet differently. Best wishes to you.

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Thank you, I will have to find a nutritionist.

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@lioness

@sue6408 Hi sue Im not sure this will help but one time my abd. was bloated ,had alot of gas went to Dr. he told me to go on fiber and a probiotic this really helped me ,at that time I wasn't eating right just junk food so now I make sure I eat veggies every day and probiotic at least 3 x,s a week hope you feel better let me know if this helped .

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Thank you . I have added fiber lax. But it didn’t help my bloating which occurs daily.

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@JustinMcClanahan

@sue6408, are you wondering how to start your own discussion? If so, here are some tips:

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It is recommended that you do a search for the topic you wish to start your own topic on first. This is because if there is an existing topic that is similar that members are already participating in, you will likely get more responses to your question by going to where the members are already discussing that topic. If you don't find a discussion for your particular topic or question, then starting a new one with the directions above can be helpful to the group as a whole. Don't hesitate to ask if these instructions are not clear.

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Thank you

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@sue6408

Thank you . I have added fiber lax. But it didn’t help my bloating which occurs daily.

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@sue6408 did you use it with a probiotic thats the way he told me to use it .Some veggies will cause gas ,bloating especially the cabbage family but good idea to see a nutritionist.

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@sandyabbey

@tammy1pike, I am in the Birmingham Al area. I’m on my third recurrence of Cdiff. I got it from clindamycin given for a serious sinus infection. I had taken it before for dental reasons so I didn’t perceive a problem. I was so devastated when I got it. I’ve been having gut issues for a year now. Last December I had a horrible episode of unbearable pain, then diarrhea & then vomiting. I thought it was a virus, but when I got up the next morning I was having lots of bloody stool. I immediately went to my Dr. A CT scan revealed I had ischemic colitis. After a months treatment for that I had a colonoscopy. I had to wait for enough healing so as not to perforate my colon. I was almost normal except for pain in my lower gut soon after eating. I was diagnosed with diverticulitis & had a polyp removed. I thought I was on the road to a somewhat recovery. Then I guess that since I had a compromised gut anyway this Cdiff had really beat me down. I’m 71 & I thought was a young 71. I have a heart problem too ( Afib) but my treatment was going well. I fell like I won’t live long like this. I’m tiny anyway, but now I’m at 85 pounds. I’m very weak. I just can’t get my GI to take me seriously. They just throw meds at me. 2 rounds of Flagyl & now I’m on vancomycin. I feel a little better & no diarrhea, but I’m horrified that it will be back as soon as this round of meds is over. I’m desperate. We have lots of medical care here in Birmingham that people come from all over for. I guess I’m just going to the wrong Dr. I’m sorry I’m making this so long, but like I said I have no life. Thank you for listening.

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@sandyabbey We have a lot in common. I also got Cdiff after taking Clindamycin for a sinus infection this past April. Within 2 weeks of finishing the RX, I had Cdiff. I took 10 days of Flagyl. Five days after finishing that, Cdiff returned. I then did 10 days of Vancomycin and again, 5 days after finishing the med, Cdiff returned. I then did the pulse and taper Vanco for 5 or 6 weeks. I thought that might have worked. But 3 weeks after ending the pulse and taper, Cdiff returned. After my 4th bout, I took Dificid for 10 days. It's a pricey med. $5,000 for 20 pills. My co-pay was almost $1,000. I finished that med on 10/26. So far, so good. If Cdiff returns, I'm doing a fecal transplant. I've looked in to the pill form from Open Biome. It's $635 for 30 pills and you take them all at one setting. I haven't discussed this with my gastroenterologist so I'm not sure how he feels about the pill form. He has me taking Florastor. Are you taking a probiotic with Saccharomyces Boulardii. It's the best for Cdiff since it doesn't dissolve with stomach acid and goes to work in your intestine.

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