Nightmare of a week

[code3rn]

Sorry I haven't been on to help much, we recently moved and I've been working two jobs and raising little kids. Not really a good excuse because everyone's lives are busy though. But I'm always happy to answer any messages anyone has about FMT experience or if you just need a little pick me up I'm here for support!

Anyway, I had an FMT done 2 years ago, and didn't too many issues really after that.
Well this past Saturday I experienced the worst nausea, vomiting and D I've ever had. Also Fever. I ended up in the emergency room on Monday where they gave me lots of fluid, ran some blood tests and a cdiff test because I told them my history. I also still work as a nurse in the ER so I'm exposed to it a fair amount.

Anyway, they did the PCR test and it was negative. I was told it was a stomach virus and to rest. My symptoms continued so yesterday I saw my regular doctor who thinks it is a bacterial infection because there was blood found in my stool, I had a high fever and my symptoms weren't improving. I also attended a wedding on Friday night and ate salmon. Also, my husband made pork Saturday that didn't taste right. So she thinks I ate something contaminated.

So she prescribed me Cipro..... Not super excited about it but I would just like to feel somewhat better. I feel almost as bad as when I did when I had Cdif! She also recommended natures bounty probiotic, the one from Costco. The GI doc who did my FMT said I could try florastor if I ever had to take antibiotics again, but he also said it may or may not help. So I'll probably give one of those a try also.
I'm a little concerned about getting cdiff again after cipro, but I know how to tackle it if it happens again. Just wondering if anyone else ever had a stomach infection that lasted over 5 days before? It's amazing how after only 5 days it brings me to almost a panic, wondering if I will be suffering for weeks and months like I did when I had cdiff. But I refuse to let history repeat itself
Hope everyone is healthy and well, I know I wouldn't wish this recent bout of illness on my worst enemy!

[NanciT]

Welcome back! Sorry you are here with that terrible infection!! I would take the Probiotic and time out the Cipro with it. I have not heard of any stomach virus going around recently but I am sure as you know with working in the ED you are exposed to so much.

Hope you feel better soon!
NanciT

[beth22]

Did they run a stool culture to see what bacteria you are dealing with? Some of them don't need treating. I had campylobacter and it went away on its own. Salmonella can also go away on its own. With a culture, they would know which antibiotic to use.

[georgina]

Sorry you are feeling unwell but if you will take the Cipro , most likely you will end up with Cdiff again . Has your doctor ordered a stool culture for other pathogens (not only Cdiff) ? Have a little patience , maybe things will go back to normal soon or if you are feeling so awful at least ask your doctor to give something that it not such a high offender. Agree with Nanci , try some probiotics at first and a bland diet and see if it clears up on it's own.
Prayers all goes well!

[beth22]

I know that sometimes norovirus goes around in the summer time. That can last for quite a few days and nausea and vomiting are part of it. Cipro is what gave me c diff - twice. That is why it would be good to get the stool culture to see if first, it is indeed a bacteria. And if it is, what antibiotic would work on it.

[amyc]

You still have a fever? Norovirus doesn't usually cause a fever. Sorry, and that sounds awful. You certainly don't want to let E. coli or shigella go untreated, but I understand the dilemma. I would request a culture even though they can take a couple of days to come in, just to confirm that Cipro is the correct antibiotic. Also if you are part of an outbreak the health department can track down the source of the infection hopefully.

[roy]

So it's come down to a Dr just taking a guess at what's wrong and prescribing a broad spectrum high offender.
That's exactly the type of prescribing that caused c.diff to become a disease and exactly the type of prescribing that Dr's have been instructed not to do!
I don't think there's many people here that would take cipro unless it was proven to be the only drug that will cure them.
Most bugs are self limiting but only you know if the risks outweigh the benifits.
My wife has a bug that started with vomiting Monday, D on Tuesday and Wednesday, cramping yesterday and waiting to see what today brings.
Caught if off the grandkids who each had 4 days off school with it
That's in UK but it shows it is around.

[getwellsoon]

I agree, I will never take Cipro again unless its life threatening. Cipro is a nasty drug and has terrible side effects. Also I think norovirus can cause fever and can last quite a few days before it runs its course. I hope you are feeling better soon and can beat this without any atx, please be careful with the cipro.

[Ashley20]

I had the stomach flu with fever, vomit, diarrhea and horrible body aches last month. It lasted longer than a week but i eventually got better. Sometimes the stomach viruses can take a long time to go away. My 13 year old had a stomach bug that lasted 2 weeks when he was a baby and he had blood in his stools too, he was hospitalized and given only IV fluids and formula with rice. He got better all on his own....his pediatrician though he had meningitis and they had put him in isolation upon arriving at the hospital but once the doctor saw him he said it was not meningitis....just a really bad bug :/

[beth22]

Blood in the stools can also just be from the irritation from the D. That happened to me at the end of March when I had an intestinal virus of some kind. It went away without treatment. The bleeding stopped too.

[Bobbie]

When we were in the UK - one of our ten trips - we took the kids to science exhibit..What a nightmare. Teddy was two and spent most of his time in a man made creeek.

We ate in the restaurant afterward and had pizza. Don and Lily had one kind and Sharon (DIL), Ted, and I had another. We last three got ill - vomiting, diarrhea. Don and Lily were fine. I spend the night on the floor of the bathroom. I stayed in bed the next day and the following day we left for the US. I was weak but OK - no c diff. I assume it was food poisoning,

Hope you are OK by now - without the Cipro.

Wondered what happened to you. You have "a lot on your plate." Do you want to continue as a moderator - part time?

[Ril]

You know the risks and you also know the many things you could have been exposed to both at home with your kids, in the community and in the ER. It's up to you how conservative you are comfortable being but I have done everything possible to avoid Abx for the past 3 years.
I tried those probiotics from Costco when I got tired of paying so much for Align and Florastor. They gave me d. They may work for you. My friend liked them but she has no GI problems. Just a heads up...
Rita

[code3rn]

Thanks everyone for the advice and support. It's strange, every since my FMT I was dead set against taking antibiotics unless I was on my death bed. Funny how quickly I changed my tune once I felt so bad. Ended up taking the 5 day cipro course. So far so good, hoping it stays that way. A little disappointed in myself for not being as judicious about taking them, but it's a mute point now. Bobbie, I would like to still moderate part time if possible. I have a new part time job where I will be on computer a lot from home, and can log in more often than I have been.

[amyc]

I'm glad you feel better! I probably would have taken the Cipro too after 5 or 6 days of misery and high fever. I'm surprised they didn't want to test to see what you had. Your symptoms sounded almost like typhoid. Eek! I'm sure you know that we pass pathogens in stool for up to two weeks after antibiotics for GI stuff.

It will be awesome to read a success story in a couple of months reporting no relapse after Cipro!