C diff or not C diff... that is the question...

[Cassci]

I had posted a couple days ago when I found out I had cdiff in another forum ( the wrong one, sorry about that) so let me give a quick recap.

Aug 18- took 1 clindamycin before wisdom tooth extraction. (also took ibuprofen which ALWAYS tears my belly up)
Aug 21st- Stomach felt awful, acidic, bad cramps, thought maybe the ibuprofen caused gastritis. (I get it easily) I thought it was caused by a Mikes Hard Lemonade, because my stomach instantly flipped upon drinking that one drink.
Aug 22- 23- watery diarrhea, felt weak, crampy
Aug 24-25- felt better, still a bit nauseous
Aug 26- had some (I know it's gross) wet farts while peeing and passed pink mucous, thought I was starting my period, did not realize it was coming from my bottom.
Aug 27... nothing special 2 more spotting incidents.
Aug 28- Realized the pink mucous was coming from my bottom and had a major panic attack. Panic attacks tend to flush me out as my nerves trigger bowel movements. I then proceeded to have 3 BMs- 1.lots of gas and pink mucous (looked like jelly strings), 2.pink mucous and some solid, 3.followed by a normal BM with light mucous. I went to the ER. with a stool sample of BM #2. They checked my blood everything looked great, not dehydrated, white blood cell count was great, in good health, did a basic 1 1/2 hour test, tested positive for C diff. Prescribed Flagyl
Aug 29- 1 somewhat loose stool with pink mucous when I woke up. Felt fine the rest of the day other than gas bubbles. Appetite came back and I ate lots! Was told by the pharmacist Flagyl was not safe for nursing moms. Called Pediatrician to have him change the prescription, changed to Vanco. Felt great the rest of the night.
Aug 30- Had a normal BM this morning. Poo had mucous throughout it (whitish colored with some pink.) when wiping there was some mucous. Still feel fine....

So I am wondering, am I getting better? It seems strange that I have no pain, white blood count is good, no fever, no diarrhea, no cramping, the poo does not really smell bad and normal BM consistency with the exception of the pink mucous. Could it be that I just have mucous colitis, or possibly an allergic reaction to that drink and am just a carrier for Cdiff? Could I maybe have gotten a little bout C diff earlier in the week and now recovering? I started taking florastor yesterday as well as eating activia and plan to add in culturelle today... I know that you guys are not medical professionals but I am questioning whether or not to go forward with treatment. The ER dr. was not very informed and I am looking at 2 weeks at best to see a GI doc. The vanco is pricey stuff and since I exclusively breastfeed my baby I am weary of wanting to take an antibiotic.

I am grateful to hear opinions, or others who have gone through symptoms like mine. It just seems strange to have almost none of the symptoms, and I have read you don't treat C diff with no symptoms but the pinky colored mucous is making me question everything.

[Lisa33]

It sounds like you are doing pretty well. If you just wrote this story and did not test at all, I would have thought that you may have just had antibiotic induced diarrhea and upset stomach, and not necessarily c-diff. However, you did test positive. Do you know if you were tested by PCR and if they checked for toxins? Positive toxins would indicate an active infection. Mucous is from inflammation, and is a symptom of c-diff as well as many other GI issues. My only advice would be to discuss your concern with your doctor to see if you should go ahead with treatment. This is really a decision that only you and your doctor can make together.

Hope you resolve things and feel better soon.
Lisa

[beth22]

You have the prescription on hand if you need it. If you feel that you are doing ok without it, or improving, then it is your decision about treating. All the things you mentioned are possible. It could be resolving on its own. If you get worse though, then I would definitely fill the prescription and start treatment. Schedule an appointment with a GI regardless, even if you have to wait a few weeks to get in. You can always try telling them that you were in ER and tested positive for c diff and to let you know if there is a cancellation.

[amyc]

I would fill the prescription today so you have it at home if things go down hill. I personally would have already started taking it with your symptoms, but that's a decision for you to make by yourself. But C diff can get nasty very fast, and I can tell you from experience that you aren't going to want to be driving to the pharmacy or waiting for insurance hassles if things get worse. Some pharmacies don't stock vancomycin, so it could be a day before you can pick up the pills also, and again, if you start feeling terrible you don't want to wait that day.

[georgina]

Agree , you might wanna fill in the prescription just in case things go south and you start feeling ill. You can be a carrier , but that bloody mucous attacks are still concerning . However , if your symptoms are slowly subsiding and you start seeing improvement , there is no need to treat. Are you taking probiotics?

[Cassci]

*****UPDATE*****
Had a normal BM again today (I've had only 1 a day the past 3 days)! Best part? NO BLOOD! YAY!

I still had mucous throughout that was the typical whiteish color (As I always have had some mucous mixed in with my poos for as long as I can remember) and a tiny bit of mucous when I wiped but no blood to be seen anywhere! I honestly think my body is beating this!

I am taking Florastor 2 pills, twice daily, eating activa yogurt twice daily, and am eating at least 2 packs of oatmeal and an apple a day for the fiber.

I usually have IBS-C and can go up to 8 days between movements, so going once a day and having firm but soft the past 3 days is so nice! I feel so excited not to see blood! So other than the extra mucous, I am symptom free of Cdiff.

I still have the Vanco on hold at the pharmacy though, just in case! Hear's to believing that God can continue to heal! <3

[Cassci]

Still regular! No jelly mucous when wiping, almost no mucous when wiping, minimal mucous in stool. I think its safe to assume my body is winning! :)

[roy]

Glad your doing well but we ask that posters don't give a day by day poo report;-)