Best probiotic post c diff

Posted by jmue @jmue, Nov 27, 2023

I am 59. Female. Extremely healthy until 2021. Retina tear repair caused eye nerve damage. Treated by a wonderful eye doc at Mayo. Five months of 40 mg prednisone, gabapentin, Aleve, Benadryl, and Pepcid due to these meds trashing my stomach. Dec 2022 ended up with strep after Covid which led to throat abscess and two months of iv and oral antibiotics. Stomach just felt beat up this Spring/Summer. Bouts of nausea and diarrhea, lactose intolerance, and indigestion. Primary did labs, h pylori, abdominal ultrasound. All ok and put me back on Pepcid ac. Referred to gi when stool became mucus filled and blood tinged. Stool came back cdiff toxin b. Just finished 10 days Vanco. Gi little help in advising best probiotic and diet to try to ward off recurring cdiff. I have been taking 4 Florastor per day since start of Vanco. I am not eating dairy or sugar. I exercise daily. I have added plant based forager yogurt. My stool was back to normal after several days on Vanco. I take a tsp of Gaviscon at night as my stomach still feels fragile after all the meds. I have read about a probiotic called bio k plus that has shown promise in research to help stop a recurrence. I am asking for any further guidance on probiotics/diet, etc.
I am also due for my colonoscopy and am not sure what the gi will advise in terms of timing since I just finished the cdiff Vanco treatment. Any advice appreciated here too!

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pb50 | @pb50 | Nov 27, 2023

Gracious what an ordeal! It’s giving me flashbacks.
Last year I went through months of GI drama culminating in c-diff. But even after treating that, the diarrhea persisted. My GI ordered random colon biopsies to rule out microscopic colitis (so called because it can only be confirmed under microscope). And in fact that is what I have. There are two main types and I have collagenous colitis. I completed a few months of a colon-specific steroid that put me in remission. But i learned the most likely root cause was a medication trigger - notably including NSAIDs, PPIs, SSRIs, and some statins. You might ask your GI doc whether it makes sense to rule it out with a biopsy during your colonoscopy.

I hope you nail it down and get some relief soon.

jmue | @jmue | Nov 27, 2023

In reply to @pb50 "Gracious what an ordeal! It’s giving me flashbacks. Last year I went through months of GI..." + (show)

That is very interesting. I’m glad you got a resolution.

pb50 | @pb50 | Nov 27, 2023

In reply to @jmue "That is very interesting. I’m glad you got a resolution." + (show)

Well I’ve learned not to get too confident when it comes to autoimmune stuff - it can change on a dime. 😁

beebe | @beebe | Nov 28, 2023

My sister-in-law recovered from c-diff a few years ago and was told by her Doctor to take Trunature Advanced Digestive Probiotic for the rest of her life. She has had no relapses. Costco sells it at a great price and it is USP verified. Just don't buy it on Amazon!
https://www.costco.com/trunature-advanced-digestive-probiotic%2c-100-capsules.product.100387855.html