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

Hello @tammy1pike,

I'm sorry to hear about your son, and as a parent I can only imagine how worried you must be. You have come to the right place to talk with people who have similar experiences and to get support from members who understand what you are going through.
You will notice that I moved your post to the Digestive Health group, since C. diff or Clostridium difficile is an infection associated with the intestine, and I'm hoping you can connect with fellow members in this group.

Here's some information about C.diff from Mayo Clinic: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/c-difficile/symptoms-causes/syc-20351691
I'd also like to invite @kyjeanne @smartchick43 @concernedmtnmom @dodgerblu818311 @momochan, who may have some thoughts for you.

@upartist, in a previous post you mentioned, "Spores in the c-diff group causing constipation versus diarrhea ) can possibly be reduced by ingesting a simple daily dose of organic coconut oil , 1 and 1/2 tsp placed in a smoothly or other food along with a well rounded Diet of course. This is unsubstantiated, but safe. Achieving results will take a bit of time."
Do you have any suggestions that might help @tammy1pike's son?

Here's a story and a video by Mayo Clinic gastroenterologist, Dr. Mark Bartlett, which I would sincerely encourage you to view:
– https://connect.mayoclinic.org/newsfeed-post/champion-spotlight-lifestyle-vlogger-franceska-garza-276ce1/
– https://connect.mayoclinic.org/newsfeed-post/are-fecal-transplants-effective-in-children-with-ibd-1/
momochan to join this discussion, and share their experience with this infection.

Fecal transplants are becoming increasingly popular in treating C.diff infections; @tammy1pike, have you asked the doctors about this? Have you considered getting a second opinion?

My 16 year old son needs help. He was diagnosed with C Diff Infection after taking Clindamycin. In about 6 weeks he has lost nearly 30 lbs. His Gastro Doctor prescribed Flagyl to treat C Diff but it had horrible side effects. After finishing his Flagyl we started him on Phillips Brand Probiotics. His diarrhea has started back. He is depressed. He has no appetite still. Please give us advice. I’m familiar with other antibiotics to treat C Diff and I’m familiar with fecal transfer. We are in Central Alabama and have been to hospitals 3 times. They just send him home. We have seen a Gastro Doctor. He is not concerned. My son is very sick. Any advice?

Hi, @acres, I'm so sorry for all you are going through. C. Diff. is notoriously difficult to get rid of and can persist through many treatments. Most people get it from a round of the antibiotics that end with -mycin, and Clindamycin in the worst offender. Flagyl and Vancomycin are horrible Rxs, but they can work (they probably gave you that weird taste in your mouth, but that could also be undigested food or activity in your gut doing that). If they DON'T work, however, you can try Rifaximin. Rifaximin has no side effects and makes you feel human again, and works well. Keep taking the Florastor, but take the max dosage. It is the probiotic yeast S. Boulardii and it kills C.Diff. and you can take it while on treatment because it's a yeast, so antibiotics don't kill it.

And the VSL3 can help restore other Flora killed by the antibiotics, but you need at least 3-4 pills/day. I don't know that taking them with Rifaximin will help, as they will be killed off by the mediciine, but right after you finish treatment, you need to load up your system with probiotics and VSL helps. Other natural sources include kefir (if you have dairy issues you can find a non-dairy one), Mountain High or Chobani yoghurt (not all yogurts have probiotics in them, but these two do...MHY has less sugar). A nutritionist can help you with finding other natural sources.

I had a family member with C. Diff. We went through it 4 times and Rifaximin helped the most--it was wonderful. It made a huge difference. A Mayo doc who gave us the Rx that took a while to get filled because it was tough to find and it was an off-label use, so try that but be prepared to persist.

Another approach is to taper off Vanco by skipping doses for a day or two to let the spores grow, then killing them off with the next dose. I wouldn't try that without a doc's supervision.

You must persist in finding relief, as gut infections are tough to conquer. There is a radical treatment called fecal transplant that is a miracle cure. Research that. there's a doctor in Canada who makes pills for this, I'll try to find his name in my notes later this week. If you can get treatment at Mayo, they are the best docs. You need support as losing weight and suffering is not an option. Good luck!

Hello. After my second dose of Chemo I got C-Diff and it was very hard to get rid of it.<br />
But I was told not to take Imodium. You need to be in the hospital and let them give you IV therapy <br />
<br />

Hi @acres, welcome to Connect.
You've definitely come to the right place to get help and advice from others patients who may have had similar experiences to you. It is clear from your message that you are at the end of your rope. This must be so exhausting and frustrating.

I'm tagging @concernedmtnmom and @momochan who may have some thoughts for you. You may also wish to read and post a message to either of these discussion threads:

SIBO https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/hi-i-have-been-suffering-from-small-intestine-bacterial-overgrowth-since-last/
H Pylori https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/hello-i-was-treated-for-h-pylori-by/