Will I ever get rid of C diff?

Oh my goodness. That’s outrageous! I hope you can find a reasonable option.

@ahnemeke Welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect. I am sure there are several members reading this who can relate to your dilemma. While antibiotics do a great job on "the bad guys", they can also kill off the good bacteria in our gut. Here is what Mayo Clinic has to say about C-Dif: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/c-difficile/symptoms-causes/syc-20351691#:~:text=Antibiotics%20that%20treat%20an%20infection,can%20cause%20C.%20difficile%20infection

One thing I have found is to remember to eat for a healthy gut. Probiotics, usually in the form of Greek yogurt, are often on my table. Also, an apple a day seems to help. What is your doctor telling you? Are you able to get a form of Dificid that your insurance will cover?
Ginger

Thank you, Ginger. I have the medication now. I pray it works this time. I am taking probiotics and drinking kefir daily. I know that others have much bigger health issues but the past couple of months have been hard for me.

Much to my surprise, my insurance did end up covering this. Maybe because I had already taken Vancomycin multiple times? I will take it as a sign of good healing to come.

Prayers and healing to us all.

@ahnemeke Please don't discount your situation. Everyone has their own path. I am so glad to hear that your insurance covered the new medication.

Will you let me know how everything turns out for you?
Ginger

I am on the same journey waiting to see if I can get a referral to Mayo for the specialist team to assess if there are other underlying conditions preventing the cdiff from recovering. I was hospitalized in July with diverticulitis with a perforation and pocket of fluid on IV antibiotics for a week sent home on Augmentin developing cdiff. I started with metronidazole, then vanco for multiple rounds 10-14 days twice then six week taper then thankfully insurance approved Dificid probably also because I had been on the other meds. Unfortunately the 10d Dificid did not resolve the cdiff with symptoms worsening less than a week post meds. I am now on a 10-week vanco taper with a GI apt coming up Thursday hoping to get a referral to Froedtert or Mayo for infectious disease/GI not sure if there’s a different underlying condition preventing it from healing. I do have auto-immune issues like reactive arthritis, prior thyroid cancer that spread to my neck lymphs resulting in ongoing lymphedema, and gastroparesis. I was also on proton pump inhibiters for around 20 yrs I stopped after the first cdiff meds didn’t work.

I’m praying the Dificid works successfully for you, I read many positive things about it’s success ratio. I also work with the Wellness Way locally and they are helping me work on improving the good bacteria in my gut. I’m taking many natural supplements and a combination of prebiotics and probiotics. I also added superfoods with antioxidants. I read in these chats multiple people recommend the probiotic S Boulardii so I recently increased how much of that I take. I recommend checking into supplements and the pre/probiotics to enhance what you are already doing. Good luck this infection is no fun, it’s great to chat with others.

I also went through Vancomycin and then Difficid for c diff in conjunction with ulcerative colitis.

For probioticx, my GI recommended Florastor + suggested I try 4 oz kefir/day.

But +when meds failed both the GI I originally went to and the GI I now see since the 1st retired (both at Mayo Phoenix) were going to try FMT (fecal matter transplant) for recurrent c diff once I met Medicarre's criteria for coverage (having to do with tests establishing repetitive c diff. (But the issue became moot after I had a colectomy.)

I totally emphasize. It interferes and makes life totally miserable!

... well, I guess I emphasize, but I really meant to say empathize. 😆

I just learned today that I am positive for C Diff for the second time. I had it in October and was sick for a month before I was finally picked up by EMT’s and taken to the hospital. While there I managed to get MRSA in my blood and pneumonia. I also had a bad UTI. I was in the hospital for 21 days and there were times I really thought I was going to die. I am allergic to Vanco so after a week of taking that they put me on Dificid. I went home mid November, tested negative 2 weeks later and now I’m back for more punishment. What is worse, (I’m fairly certain) is my doctor prescribed Clindamycin! From everything I’ve read Clindamycin has been known to CAUSE C Diff! Now we’re into the weekend, AND it’s New Year’s Eve and I’m honestly scared to wait until Monday to get the right prescription! Why would an Internist who knows I just got out of the hospital prescribe that? Sure, he’s human, but what if I hadn’t read what I had? There are a lot of people out there who just do as their doctors say without educating themselves! I know before I went in the hospital the last time he had me taking Clindamycin. Would that make the infection worse? Because by the time I called the paramedics I was very sick, but had been infected already for 30+ days. I believe I got the other infections while in the hospital because of the medication I was taking for rheumatoid arthritis, even though they immediately took me off of it. I didn’t know why they had done that at the time and honestly I don’t even remember the first week I was there. It felt like it just hit me out of left field and sinee my sister passed away after getting C Diff after knee replacement surgery (she had RA as well) I was terrified. They were running all sorts of tests on me, gave me a blood transfusion and a lot of other things I don’t even remember. I went from a size 9 to a size 4 in 3 weeks and I’m scared I’m going to end up back in the hopital! For now I’m just going to contact the doctor on call tomorrow and explain my situation and really hope for the best. My immune system is still weakened even though I’m still not on any medication for my rheumatoid arthritis which has begun rearing it’s ugly head as well. This all started with a revision reverse shoulder replacement surgery which is.another long story I won’t go into…but this is all just crazy! I want off this terrible ride and I’m hope hope hoping this will be my last fight with C Diff. My empathy goes out to all those who are suffering with this awful, insidious infection!

Megasporbiotic (a probiotic), by Microbiome Labs, helped my 84-year-old aunt twice. Her meds didn't help and/or work completely.