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Is my C. Difficile gone? Fecal smell is different from IBS.
Hi, I 'm new here. I have a question about whether my C. Diff. is gone or not. I have had IBS for 10 years and the symptoms are the same except my C. Diff stool has a sickening sweet smell still. I was diagnosed with C. Diff on 1-28-22 and my GI doc started me on Flagyl (metronidazole) for 14 days. After 11 days, the cramping had stopped, but I still had diarrhea with belly distension and smelly stool so I called my GI doc and he ordered Vancomycin 250 mg 4 times a day for 14 days. I started the Vanco on 2-11-22 and am now on the 10th day of that. I had a couple of days where my first stool of the day was formed but the 4 movements afterward were diarrhea. Today, I'm back to very loose stools all morning. So basically, I've been on antibiotics for 3 weeks and have morning diarrhea with that sickening sweet smell. Usually, with my IBS, the diarrhea would stop by noon and I was fine the rest of the day until the next morning, but my stool was not that sickening sweet smell. My IBS always vacillated between diarrhea and constipation so I'm wondering if I still have the C. Diff. since now, I'm done with the diarrhea by 11 am, but my diarrhea still has that sickening smell. Anybody else experienced anything like this?
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Thank you for that information. Yes, from what I've been reading, you have to relapse at least twice before they consider FMT. This is my first bout of C. Diff. and I had no idea how awful it is for anyone going through it. After 14 days of Flagyl, and 2 - 14 day rounds of Vancomycin, my GI doc called in Dificid which I'm waiting on the pharmacy to receive. I'm just praying the Dificid will work. I'm so happy for you that the FMT worked and you've been free from the C. Diff for what 2 years now! That's great.
I’m curious about the cost of your Dificid? Mine was “covered” by insurance but still cost me $1300 out of pocket versus $20 for Vanco. Have you been able to get Dificid at a reasonable cost? It’s actually supposed to work better than Vanco but neither have worked for me. Just curious?
My husband has had C.diff since late December. Is on 3rd round of Vanco and had one round of Dificid. The copay on Dificid was $1500. The first Vanco had a copay of $28, the second a copay of $450. When he got the 3rd prescription, his Part D drug plan said he couldn’t get a refill (even when prescribed by infectious medicine doc. Pharmacist suggested using goodRX, where we bought it for $300. His doctor sent a letter to drug plan and now they may cover it again but goodRX will be cheaper. He is now tapering slowly so hope it works. He is better, but not back to normal.
I haven't gotten the Dificid yet. It's on order at the pharmacy, but I can price a medication online with my insurance company and it says it will cost me $1,251.61 for 20 pills (10 day supply). It shows the rest $3,555.15 covered by the plan. Expensive, especially if it doesn't work.
The best way to get rid of C-Diff is a fécal transplant. I read somewhere that you can buy poo pills today not certain where you can find them!🤭
I don't think the poo pills have gotten completely through clinical trials yet. Here's a link to an article published earlier this year that I found on the internet.
https://www.science.org/content/article/pill-derived-human-feces-treats-recurrent-gut-infections
Those are wild prices for the Vanco. I picked up my RX for use in tapering today from Kroger and was astonished that the cost for 14 day dosage was just $4.24! Last time I got it from Publix, it was $24 so crazy fluctuations in what you are having to pay! So sorry. Dificid seems to be the really pricey one. So hoped it would work but didn’t.
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1 ReactionWhat is the purpose behind tapering? I guess I don’t understand how that works when taking the full dosing didn’t get rid of it. Please elaborate. I’ve heard of tapering but wasn’t sure about how it’s supposed to help? Prayers that it works for your husband and all of us.
He would be improving on the full dose, but not be back to normal. As soon as he was off the drug, the diarrhea got worse. I guess the tapering is to try to stop that pattern
Just picked up my Dificid, at Walgreens. $7257.00!!!!!!!!!!!!! My co-pay was $50. thank goodness. Really hoping it works since Vanco did not. For this price, we should all be getting a new stomach makeover....Praying for no side effects...