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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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I have recovered from C-diff. Your mention of spores scares me to death. I was given Vanco to fight the C-diff and then later tested (blood draw) to see if it got rid of the infection. I was told it did. Do I need to worry about spores? Or would my blood test reveal if there were any or not? I still have not had a normal BM on my own since this happened. Feb.2021, with 8 weeks of slow recovery. I'm feeling much better now but have to drink a Miralax solution, use psyllium in my oatmeal, eat fiber crackers, etc. Will my body resume normal function someday after this C-diff infection?
C Diff Spores can be shed in the house. I used bleach to clean my toilet and floors. About a slow recovery I too had a very very slow recovery 10 months later yes I am getting better now but nowhere near my normal. I don’t have the same bowel movements as before c Diff anything I eat now affect my digestive system. Although I eat very healthy diet lots of fiber fruits and vegetables. How are your bowel movements now? Formed? Do you go multiple times/day?
No, I don't go at all unless I take Bisacodyl. I have a "tortuous" intestine. I have more intestine than a person of my size normally has, which has caused a slow transit time all my life. Before C-diff I had a regimen that stabilized me and I could live with. Unfortunately, the C-diff has changed all that. I'm praying that my body will eventually get it's "rhythm" back and I won't need to rely on a stimulant in order to go. I am still taking 8mg of physllium mixed in my oatmeal each morning, a miralax dose that I can handle, exercise 6 days a week, and the Bisacodyl every three days with Metamucil crackers. I have also noted that sometimes I'll feel great, normally after elimination using the Bisacodyl, etc., but then two days later if I eat something, all of a sudden there's some heartburn and bloating/bulging in my stomach and intestines. It's miserable. Sometimes worse than others. Again, I'm hoping with time this will change and I'll go back to "normal". I took 2 months of pro-biotics as directed by my gastro Dr. She thought that was necessary because the C-diff wiped everything out. I found that once I stopped the pro-biotics that I had less bulging and uncomfortable bloating. I read someone else on here mentioning that it might be too much of a good thing to continue taking it and with my experience, at this point, I would agree. And to answer your question about bowel movements, the consistency is soft because of taking the miralax (generic) store brand (but it's really miralax, only much less expensive because it carries the store brand name),..................... I hope this info helps you too. I guess we just have to be patient and try to keep healing in the best ways we can. I'm scared to death if I ever need anymore antibiotics but the Vanco worked to get rid of C-diff and I didn't have any more adverse reaction. I will NEVER take Clyndamycin again! Best wishes to you.
@euqcaj since you are taking psyllium and Metamucil, I hope you are drinking at least a glass of water after them as well as plenty of water all day otherwise you can get blocked up and have GERD symptoms.
Thank you for the reply. Yes like you said we have to be patient and be extra careful when taking antibiotics. Best wishes to you as well.
This sounds similar to my husband’s experience. After multiple rounds of Flagyl and Vancomycin and no relief, his GI doctor finally prescribed Questran, a cholesterol lowering powder. After one week, he finally could begin living a normal life again.
Thank you. I absolutely do drink plenty of water. I have upped my intake to 100 fl. oz. per day. I have some coffee and one diet soda in that total.
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1 ReactionI'm happy this worked for your husband but I'm confused as to how a cholesterol lowering powder can get rid of C-diff. Did the Dr. explain how that works?
It’s an off-label use of Questran. As I understand it, doctors discovered that the binding properties of the drug for cholesterol also work for post C-diff disruption of the gut.
Oh my goodness. That IS interesting! I'm so happy that he is feeling better. I know how uncomfortable a person can be in this recovery. Thank you for the info!