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

Thank you so much for responding. I’m so glad Mayo had this site. It’s just been a frustrating past few months between diverticulitis and now c-dif. In a way I’m glad I was overweight when all these problems started back in late Oct. I’ve lost about 30 lbs since then.

It's good to talk to people who know what's going on, the doctors just pushed the pills. I had to learn on this site about S. Boulardii. Taking it twice a day and it's a game changer. I was getting better till l started it. Are you US or Canada?

@judy, I had cdiff 2018. Vancomycin. On top of IBS-D, and fecal incontinence..... some days now its one roll of toilet tissue a day. Only thing that stops it is Imodium. Any antibiotic did and does give me double duty diarrhea and when having diarrhea not supposed to take Imodium..
About making sure bathroom and house c-diff free: I bought a book about it from amazon but wish I hadn't as it scared me .... I actually went bonkers trying to follow what she said to do. Actually, it was a prelude to what we we are doing since
Covid first struck.

Obviously, main thing was bathroom.... and mainly what I used was ratio of 1 teaspoon bleach to 1 cup of water, multiplied by ratio. Thin rubber gloves and I have a stock of white face cloths which I only used for myself... so wet the cloth with the bleach mixture and wiped everything over that bleach wouldnt ruin, including door knobs, light swithches.

What some people forget is the handle of the toilet brush and the flap to flush the toilet, anything that is touched before washing hands. However when first got it and the book , I spent almost five hours wiping everything down that was plastic, counters etc, tv channel changer, phones, until I felt I was going to pass out with exhaustion.
I had 3 piles of laundry; kept my clothing separate from husband's and kept my soiled articles separate from other piles. I ruined some black slacks as got bleach on them. Beautiful summer but didn't put clothes on line once... used the hottest setting on dryer and of course ruined some more clothing.
Anyway, I later heard of others who had C.Diff who just made sure their hands were washed with soap and water before eating and cooking.... or preparing food; similar to what we are now doing through Covid. Covid is more scary as we cannot see the virus.... but with c.diff we know its mainly in the bathroom....so toilet, bathtub, shower, sinks and taps would be my main concern. I went overboard though and didnt visit neighbours. Cancelled cleaning company. I was quite ill. Of course now there are many types of wipes and sprays in the stores for Covid which will also kill C.Diff but bleach is cheap just dont use it too strong and open windows etc.,per the instructions on bottle.
Odd thing is, there are many many people walking around (or were before covid) and serving us food etc, and they had c.diff and either don't do anything about it or don't know they have it, so I would say be extra careful using someone else's bathroom, and especially public washrooms and washrooms in doctors offices etc. Good luck with it all.... hope I have passed on some helpful info. I got it after 6 antibiotics in 5 months and I think I may have picked it up in hospital bathroom. J.

I’m US, I live outside Wash, DC. My usual gastro Dr sent me to a gastro at Georgetown Univ Hospital. The G’town gastro was the one who requested the c-dif test. I first saw him last Monday and got the results Thursday. Amazingly it was the G’town Dr and not a staff person who called to let me know of the c-dif. And when I sent an email to the hospital portal site with additional questions, he was the one who called back. He’s been very responsive so far. But the bottom line is getting rid of this c-dif which scares me like the devil. After coming off two bouts of diverticulitis and now this I don’t even know what to eat any more. I’ve been eating a lot of tuna fish sandwiches and soup, baked potatoes and chicken. Losing a lot of weight. And I don’t think I’ve had more than 3/4 hours of sleep the last few months. My anxiety just keeps getting worse. I think I’m driving my psychiatrist crazy. I’ll have to ask the Georgetown Dr about S Boulardii, or is this a medicine only available in Canada?

S. BOULARDII is two different brands here in Canada. Florastor or Renewel are the brand's. It's a probiotic, yeast based. It works great against c diff. I take it along with a regular probiotic.
You must remember to take this day by day, be grateful for the good days. I found relaxation meditation every day, also did light yoga.. also go to massage therapy.

I’m US, I live outside Wash, DC. My usual gastro Dr sent me to a gastro at Georgetown Univ Hospital. The G’town gastro was the one who requested the c-dif test. I first saw him last Monday and got the results Thursday. Amazingly it was the G’town Dr and not a staff person who called to let me know of the c-dif. And when I sent an email to the hospital portal site with additional questions, he was the one who called back. He’s been very responsive so far. But the bottom line is getting rid of this c-dif which scares me like the devil. After coming off two bouts of diverticulitis and now this I don’t even know what to eat any more. I’ve been eating a lot of tuna fish sandwiches and soup, baked potatoes and chicken. Losing a lot of weight. And I don’t think I’ve had more than 3/4 hours of sleep the last few months. My anxiety just keeps getting worse. I think I’m driving my psychiatrist crazy. I’ll have to ask the Georgetown Dr about S Boulardii, or is this a medicine only available in Canada?

Doctor told us do NOT use Immodium with c. Diff as it will allow the toxins to build up (didnt work anyway). S.Boullardii is sold in US as Florastor. It really helps as it is a probiotic yeast (so you can start it even if you're on an antibiotic) and you can't really take too much. It creates a hostile environment for c. Diff. We also took VSL#3, which pharmacists keep in the fridge, to rebuild the good bacteria. But nothing works as well and as fast as an FMT. It is the only true cure.

I don’t know if they sell Floraster here or not. I have a lot of questions for my GI Dr. I know I keep telling myself I need to relax, but I suffer from anxiety disorder so I never know from one day to the next how I’m going to feel. But I know I need to try some type of relaxation therapy to try to get my mind right.

I looked and they do have it in US. Highly recommend it.
I also suffer from anxiety and l do meditation everyday. When it gets really bad l take an Ativan, C Diff seems to feed on anxiety.

Doctor told us do NOT use Immodium with c. Diff as it will allow the toxins to build up (didnt work anyway). S.Boullardii is sold in US as Florastor. It really helps as it is a probiotic yeast (so you can start it even if you're on an antibiotic) and you can't really take too much. It creates a hostile environment for c. Diff. We also took VSL#3, which pharmacists keep in the fridge, to rebuild the good bacteria. But nothing works as well and as fast as an FMT. It is the only true cure.