Relapse(ish) and Hard Choices

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KLor
Contributor
Posts: 73
Joined: Sat Nov 12, 2016 5:24 pm

Relapse(ish) and Hard Choices

Postby KLor » Wed Dec 14, 2016 11:33 pm

Hello everyone,

18 days off Vanco so far. As some of you might know, last weekend I was feeling quite rough. I contacted my doctor and submitted a sample for testing. Then, suddenly, Monday, Tuesday, and most of today went fine--I would consider myself asymptomatic, not even bloating! Imagine my surprise when, this afternoon, feeling great, I get a call from my pharmacy--"it will take a couple of days to get your Dificid in." Say what?! The pharmacist beat my doctor in delivering the news, positive PCR.

I'm feeling confused and frustrated with all that's going on. I've seen multiple times on this site "treat the symptoms, not the test"...so if I'm suddenly asymptomatic, should we treat? Of course, tonight the yucky smell and slightly more frequency (4 times today) return, but still solid. What is up? I emailed my doctor asking him to walk me through why treatment would be indicated right now. If he says take Dificid, I'll take it. It just seems so odd for my symptoms to come and go! Initial infection and my first failed treatment were both steady declines.

To top this off, I am exhibiting signs of a UTI--pain with urination, frequency, smell, color, abdominal pain. I had a dipstick at my PCP's office that showed up totally fine, but they will still order a culture. Still, they seem convinced it's nothing. I am less so. I *know* getting a negative result and feeling convinced they're wrong is a slippery slope towards full-out hypochondria. I'm just worried about them missing something and the missed infection getting worse and having to go on abx stronger than Macrobid.

I just needed to get the relapse blechs out of me and onto here. Thank you for providing the container. I have (healthy, no-abx) friends dropping like flies to keep away from the "sicky" now...it gets lonely. I appreciate everyone on this site.

Take care,
KLor

amyc
Long Time Contributor
Posts: 2084
Joined: Thu Nov 10, 2011 8:15 am

Re: Relapse(ish) and Hard Choices

Postby amyc » Thu Dec 15, 2016 12:54 am

It's great your doctor ordered Dificid if you need it. Definitely discuss your concerns with them. Not everybody gets the classic watery D right away or early into a relapse. I didn't wait for things to get that bad before I started treatment when I relapsed and the single course of vanco cured me. If you feel great tomorrow and your doctor says to just hold on to the Dificid and take it if you need it, that's your decision.

Lots of people get bladder irritation when their colon is inflamed. Look up interstitial cystitis online. I treat it with Allegra or Claritin because mine is relayed to mast cell problems. If the culture comes back clear don't worry about a bladder infection. I've even had blood and WBC in my urine with no infection, and fixed it with antihistamine. Just over hydrating might solve the problem too.

beth22
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Posts: 10852
Joined: Tue Apr 07, 2009 2:23 pm

Re: Relapse(ish) and Hard Choices

Postby beth22 » Thu Dec 15, 2016 2:36 am

I had positive PCR tests without a full blown infection. I have Dificid in my cupboard in case I need it. Probably a good idea to fill the Rx if your insurance covers it and keep it on hand. See what the doctor tells you. You can test positive for a while even after treatment.

NanciT
Long Time Contributor
Posts: 3035
Joined: Thu Sep 18, 2014 12:01 pm

Re: Relapse(ish) and Hard Choices

Postby NanciT » Thu Dec 15, 2016 12:45 pm

In relation to the Bladder irritation, this can be a side effect of Vanco. I had great difficulty with it along with several others on this site. My problem continued so I ended up seeing a urologist. He and my GI met and agreed it was an irritation and not an infection caused by the Vanco.
NanciT


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