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Trying to recover from a c. diff infection (Clostridium difficile)
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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@concerned mtn mom When I had c.diff on top of ibs-b and overprescribed antibiotics, my doctor said I could use Imodium; pharmacist said no. We again abit later asked my doctor who again said yes; pharmacist said no. And the answer really is , as your dr said, NO. I ended up not taking anything and had no guidance from dr. it was a rough summer, lost 15 lbs and physically and mentally drained.. and I hear about or read about some who have c.diff and are "over it" reasonably quickly....and am wondering why. Now I have fecal incontinence but at least can take Imodium. Because Ihave so many odd reactins to many meds I was too scared to take anything suggewted.
@dilly69 You know, it's funny you mentioned getting nauseous from florastor cause I use a generic form of that and have been feeling nauseous almost every morning for the last several months. I think I will try the renewel and see if it makes a difference. Good thing I am 73 and too old to be pregnant! Lol..I always learn something new on here.
I tried Florastor but it made me nauseous. Found another called Renewel, it also has 10 billion active cultures of S. Boulardii
I take propananol too. I've tried a ton of different meds and nothing really worked. Except for cognitive therapy, l try to practice that every day.
I can only tell you what works for me, sn understanding husband and living one day at a time.
Im so happy you are better! It saved my child's life too. Yay!
@concernedmtnmom I completely agree with you. I take s. Boulardii and visbiome(formerly vsl#3) every day. I also had the fmt in March, 2019, after 4 bouts of cdiff. It saved my life!
I also take Ativan and propranolol for anxiety. My psych would like me to take something else, but I’m too afraid to take anything else. I really need to learn how to relax.
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.
Thank you for the information. These are all things I can bring up with my gastro Dr.
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.