what's left to eat?

[jjglad]

Sorry, I am getting so frustrated with myself. I have been dealing with Cdiff for weeks now and ended my round of Vanco on 11/1! I understand my bowels will be all over the place in recovery, but I am barely eating and they are still MUSH! What am I doing wrong?! Should I get retested to see if it is still active Cdiff??

I am taking probiotics, Florastor, etc., eating only bland foods like banana, crackers, applesauce, toast and STILL cannot get my bowels to get any better. I have tried yogurt here and there, but don't feel like it sits well. I am only drinking water or peppermint tea.

I am NOT at the WD stage...yet, but I am so afraid to eat more then just a little bit for fear of it turning back to everything blowing through. Am I somehow sabotaging myself by not eating much? What else can I eat to get things turned around? I feel like I am getting more indigestion/heartburn lately but wonder if that is because I have lost 20 lbs. at this point and my stomach is full of more stomach acid then food??

I just don't know what else to try?! Suggestions would be greatly appreciated! How in the world do I get these bowels to firm up?!?
Will the more I eat cause me to have cramping and everything blowing through again??

Also, is there a typical time frame for relapse? I know it can happen again at any time, but wondered if most people tend to relapse within a week or so of stopping their treatment meds??

TIA!

[iamsick]

During recovery I also ate the items you have listed but also, rice, baked/microwave potatoes, chicken, fish, boiled eggs. Oh, and I drank and continue to have lots of Kefir. Have you tried any of these?

[jjglad]

I keep seeing people talk about Kefir....where do you buy that?
I have not tried potatoes yet...maybe one for lunch.

Thank you for your response! I appreciate it. Trying to be a wife and mother of 3 with this infection is just miserable! Missing so many of my kids events at school, etc. because I can't leave home!

What heartburn meds/indigestion meds are safe?

[Ashley20]

You can find keifer in the refrigeration aisle where the milk and coffee creamers are at. I buy mine at Walmart. I used to buy plain at first but now i buy the strawberry one, i drink keifer twice a day. :)

[georgina]

Hi AshleyThings like rice , oatmeal can help to bulk up the stool.When i was in early recovery i was drinking tons of bone broth and i was making a vegetable soup with celery,parnsnip,carrots and rice and it was quite nice.You can also try baked or mashed potatoes , grilled or boiled chicken breast or turkey or fish (meats are always well tolerated as long as it's not red meat),grilled zuchinnis,hard boiled eggs ,baked apples.Try to eat gluten free and lactose free in early recovery to give your gut a chance to heal.

[iamsick]

You can also purchase Kefir at your grocery stores and Wal-Mart in the refrigerated aisle as Georgina stated. They do sell at Aldi's if you have one for ~.50 less a quart. If you want to save a little you can stock there. has a long shelf life even after opening.

[jjglad]

Thank you all for the extra food suggestions! I ran :) through the grocery store and picked up some rice cakes, rotisserie chicken and found the Kefir in my yogurt section. here's hoping it is not a relapse and just my gut having a hard time healing! Here's hoping anyway...

[Lisa33]

I lived on bananas, rice, apples, rotisserie or grilled chicken and baked potatoes while I was in the midst of c diff. I had extreme nausea and no appetite with c diff. I forced myself to eat these foods as they were tolerable.

[ResearchGrandma]

Others have given you good advice. Be careful with the kefir though - I am almost 4 years past my last positive culture for C. diff, and I still can't tolerate any dairy, not even kefir. I still always have soft stools, and frequently still have the "mush". As long as I feel OK, I have learned to live with the poor quality stools. I have had to add extra portions of foods high in potassium because I guess I am excreting too much postassium with the soft stools. There is a prescription medical food "Enteragam" that I learned about from this site. I have been trying it for a few months and it seems to help to firm up stool somewhat. My GI doctor had some sample boxes. Otherwise, it is expensive - new - and probably not covered by a lot of prescription plans. The manufacturer has their own mail order pharmacy that seems to be the best place to get it if you can't get a free sample.

[jjglad]

Thank you Research Grandma!
I was curious if the dairy tends to give you an upset stomach or cause the bowels to be "bad"?? Just didn't know how to tell what is causing which issue anymore. Have tried cutting back on some probiotics today just to see if that helps. Wondering if I was taking too many strong ones in one day?? We shall see, but I was curious what the dairy sensitivity might be causing?

Thank you all!