Connect
← Return to Trying to recover from a c. diff infection (Clostridium difficile)
Discussion
Trying to recover from a c. diff infection (Clostridium difficile)
Digestive Health | Last Active: Apr 11 12:22am | Replies (545)Comment receiving replies
To all of you, I am still battling CDiff. I’m now on vancomycin. I had 3 rounds with Flagyl which seemed to help at the time, until I was off about 3 days. Then HORRIBLE diarrhea set in again. If I even sipped a drink of water I had better be sitting on the toilet. I had not eaten lots during the last couple of weeks because of being sick. Mostly soups & potatoes. I’m very tiny anyway so I’m not a big eater anyway. I’m 71 & have lost 20 pounds. I only weighted 105 at the beginning so I’m at 85. I have a heart issue called Afib & hypertension also. I’m doing well with those due to a wonderful cardiologist. After the 3rd relapse with this awful Cdiff I was getting in a panic. I never knew it was possible to have that much diarrhea & mucus come out of one tiny person. One night my husband said around 40 times. I had IV fluids & was sent home on Flagyl. Now I still have a week left on the vancomycin. As the time grows closer to being off I feel in a panic. My body can’t take another set back as bad as the others. I feel that my Dr is just going to wait & see if I do. I guess that’s all he can do. There are lots of foods that still hurt me, so I’m eating carefully. The diarrhea is gone except for one loose BM in the morning. Last time I got off the Flagyl I went 5 days without a Bm. Them boom. I don’t won’t to die like this after all I have been through with my heart & have mostly conquered that. I have made lots of notes from all these discussions from here. I’m going to ask my GI about all this. He doesn’t like to be questioned, but if he can’t listen I’m walking out & going somewhere else. I’m just not up to all these tests all over again I can’t even walk trough the grocery store alone. I’ll have a good day & think “YAY” then get up cramping of feel like my legs are rubber. With all the medical technology it seems like they should be able to help peopl like us. Oh, I think I forgot to say that I got it from clindamycin also for a severe sinus infection. I also have a compromised gut anyway due to diverticulosis & I had an episode with ischemic colitis about 10 months ago I know this is long, but I’m getting desperate. Any other ideas other than what I’ve read in these discussions? I’m open to listening to anything.
Replies to "To all of you, I am still battling CDiff. I’m now on vancomycin. I had 3..."
Connect
@sandyabbey Our situations are very much the same, even our age, as I am 70. Except I need to take off 40 or 50 pounds. I lost 10 pounds with my 4th bout of Cdiff but put it back on when I started feeling better. Are you doing the pulse and taper method with the vancomycin? I did one round of Flagyl, 10 days of Vanco. And after the 3rd bout of Cdiff, I did the pulse and taper method of Vanco and in October, after my 4th bout, I took Dificid (fidaxamycin). My insurance asked if I had used Vanco before they would approve the Dificid. I went for 3 weeks and 2 days after the last round of Vanco. I'm out over a month since ending the Dificid. I continue to pray that this last med works. I will do the fecal transplant if I relapse again. I've even checked with the Open Biome capsule form of doing it. Less invasive and the cost is $635. Not sure my gastroenterologist will approve. My cardiologist also suggested I try Inulin as it feeds the good bacteria. You want to start out with a very small amount as too much will give you Cdiff symptoms with cramping. I will never take Clindamycin again. I can sure relate to everything you're going through.