Small Amount of Powdery, Fluffy Stool

[Shelby]

Greetings, all. Glad to have found this forum but sorry we all have to be here!

I'm dealing with C Diff for the first time. I got it while taking antibiotics for a dental procedure. Flagyl worked to curb my symptoms only temporarily, and now I'm on day three of a ten day course of vancomycin. I also started taking Florastor about five days ago. I am still running to the bathroom 20+ times a day - but it goes like this: I have an extreme urge to go, lots of pressure and some abdominal pain. Then when I do, it's just a little light brown pile of powdery fluff. This was happening pre-flagyl as well. Anyone experienced this? I am so tired of not being able to leave the house...

[zinnia1]

Shelby- Unfortunately I have had the exact experience and am almost finished the vanco course (second round) It is hard to understand how stools can look like that! I have wondered if the florastor does that to me and have switched to culturelle. Or maybe that is what the vanco does? So I have no answer but can tell you that I am in same boat.

[Lisa33]

STANDARD INTRODUCTION:
Welcome to the site. Read the first forum All Users Read This First and subtopics Site History and Information and Guidelines for Posting to our Discussion Boards. (Note limits on posting.) This will guide you in using the site and answer some of your questions. Read both Dr. Borody's articles. Also see the topics under CDI – particularly ABC Bible, C. diff. Tests and Diagnosis, Antibiotics, Hygiene Tips, and Nutrition.
Doctors lists physicians our posters recommended and contains a list of C. diff. specialists throughout the world with contact information. (Many perform FMT's.) There is a new forum FMT’s and FE’s. Media Reports contains new information on C. diff.
The majority of patients (approximately 70%) recover with one to two rounds of Flagyl, Vancomycin, or Dificid. An unfortunate small percentage doesn’t and can suffer for months. Almost all recover unless there are factors such as advanced age or other severe health problems. New treatments include FMT's, which have a high cure rate. Other drugs and treatments are in the pipeline, and there is increased recognition of C. diff. You can help by educating your family, friends, neighbors, and co-workers. Help us make others aware of C. difficle – which will lead to further advances in treating and/or preventing the infection. If antibiotics contributed to your C. diff, be careful about taking them again. Some people tolerate them; some develop C. diff again. Don’t take medications for C. diff. unless you are tested for the infection first.
The best protection for you and others is thorough hand washing and good hygiene. (See Dr. Borody’s articles and CDI – Hygiene Tips.) For more information, see other support groups on Facebook, including http://www.peggyfoundation.org, the Mayo Clinic and Web MD web sites, and The FMT Foundation.

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Again, welcome. Remember, the odds are in your favor. (End of letter.)

So sorry Shelby that you are going through this awful illness, but welcome to this site. When I had active c-diff, my stools were the same as what you are describing. I would have a terrible urge to go, and for the most part it would be a pile of yellowish feathery looking stuff. I also went 20+ times a day during the thick of it. My first round of Flagyl stopped the urge and D after about 5-6 days. I actually thought I was cured, but after 2 weeks, I relapsed. I was put on Flagyl again, but this time my body did not react well to it. I got extremely ill from the flagyl. The nausea was very intense, 24/7 and I had zero appetite. I pushed for Vanco thanks to the people on this board who are a wealth of knowledge. I was finally switched after 9 days from the Flagyl to Vanco. I had zero side effects on the vanco. But with me, I would say with both of the times with active c-diff, the urge and D improved after about 5 days. If you aren't seeing any improvement as you get towards the end of the 10 day treatment of vanco, you should definitely speak to your doctor. He or she may want to extend the treatment longer or even do the pulse/taper method. If you aren't getting better with vanco, Dificid is also another med that treats c-diff with a pretty successful cure rate.

My GI doctor recommended VSL-3 as a good probiotic to take as well. You need to space it out from the vanco though, because the vanco can kill it. From all of my research on this site and on the internet, it seems that VSL-3, Florastor and the probiotic drink Kefir are the top choices to restore good gut flora for c-diff sufferers.

I pray the Vanco kicks in for you soon and you start to see improvement. Just be aware that you may experience weird stools for quite some time after the c-diff is gone as well. It takes your body and colon time to heal after an infection like c-diff and strong meds like Vanco.

If you scan through this site, you can find an abundance of knowledge which can really be helpful during this horrible, crazy time. We all have been in your shoes and understand what you are going through. Hang in there, and keep us posted.

-Lisa