Day 6 on Vanco and still 15+bm a day :(

Since c-diff is a disease of the "lower half", so to speak, we find that many of our members cannot refrain from discussing what comes out the bottom end. If you must do it, please do it here.
AmandaSt
Brand New Poster
Posts: 3
Joined: Sun Sep 18, 2016 12:19 pm

Day 6 on Vanco and still 15+bm a day :(

Postby AmandaSt » Mon Sep 19, 2016 3:50 pm

Hi everyone. Firstly, I'd like to say how absolutely wonderful it is to have this site in existence. I've tried googling info for c diff and find there is a lot of information lacking, from both my medical community and online. Thankfully I stumbled into here.

About me: 32 yo female. I gave birth to my first child 2.5 months ago. About 1.5 months ago, I was hit with severe stomach pain. Then the d began. After several trips to the er, a stool sample finally revealed c diff. I was prescribed flagyl and began treatment that Saturday evening. By Wednesday, I was feeling awful with worse symptoms. I ended up spending the night in the hospital and given a prescription for vanco.

It's now day 6 of vanco and while I'm still getting stomach pain and nausea frequently, it is not as debilitating as before. However, I've had absolutely no relief for my d. It may even have increased. I'm going about it 15-20 times a day and can barely care for myself or my baby. I've had to have a lot of help from my parents and in-laws to get through each day. I'm continuing to lose weight and am about the weight I was when I was 14 years old. I've asked my family doc to refer me to an infectious disease specialist but am unsure how long that will take.

I'm trying to give these pills a chance to work, but is it normal to feel almost no relief or decrease in bm? I'm trying to stay positive, but it is becoming a soul-crushing journey. Did anyone have a similar experience with vanco, or should I be pushing for a new treatment? Any advice (not taken as replacement for medical advice from a pro) would be greatly appreciated.

roy
Administrator
Posts: 4193
Joined: Sat Aug 02, 2014 1:05 am

Re: Day 6 on Vanco and still 15+bm a day :(

Postby roy » Mon Sep 19, 2016 4:02 pm

D should have slowed by now so if it lasts another day it's back to the Dr.
I assume your on 125 vanco 3- 4 x a day.
Dr will probably increase it to 250s.
That said don't forget that if vanco does not slow the D it might mean something else is causing it.
Your history and symptoms do match classic c.diff though.

AmandaSt
Brand New Poster
Posts: 3
Joined: Sun Sep 18, 2016 12:19 pm

Re: Day 6 on Vanco and still 15+bm a day :(

Postby AmandaSt » Mon Sep 19, 2016 4:16 pm

Thank you for the quick reply.

Yes, I'm on Vanco 125mg every 6 hours. I get stomach pain, nausea and a need to run to the washroom no matter what I eat or drink. The lack of relief or improvement is frustrating. I do have ulcerative colitis so I know digestive pain/issues, but this is different and exponentially worse. I'm wondering if I've developed some other issue, like IBS on tip of the c diff. I suppose a colonoscopy is the only answer to that.

roy
Administrator
Posts: 4193
Joined: Sat Aug 02, 2014 1:05 am

Re: Day 6 on Vanco and still 15+bm a day :(

Postby roy » Mon Sep 19, 2016 4:41 pm

Dr should increase the dosage and extend the course if your still having symptoms at the end if day 7.
Don't want to freak you out but it's highly likely baby is carrying c.diff.
NO treatment or test needed as it's a normal gut bacteria in babies.
70% if them have it.
Just be aware of that at diaper and bath times.
Good excuse to pass the smelly ones to dad!

georgina
Long Time Contributor
Posts: 2635
Joined: Sat Sep 12, 2015 10:07 am

Re: Day 6 on Vanco and still 15+bm a day :(

Postby georgina » Tue Sep 20, 2016 12:14 am

Amanda
Totally agree with Roy , it seems that the dosage is too low to control your symptoms and you might need your dosage to be revised by your GI. When I was on my third vanco taper 125 mg x 4/day wasn't working for me anymore so my doctor raised it to 250 x 3/day and I felt much better. Also , you can experience a UC flare that can make your symptoms worse , unfortunately I know a few people who had that happened to them after Cdiff. A colonoscopy would not be such a great idea when you are going to poop 15 times / day ,harsh prep that can make you D worse; maybe a rectosigmoidoscopy would be better as no prep is needed for it. Discuss that with your GI and also ask about Dificid witch in my opinion is the greatest drug to treat this infection.
Good luck

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

Re: Day 6 on Vanco and still 15+bm a day :(

Postby beth22 » Tue Sep 20, 2016 1:21 am

Did they also check you for other infections and parasites? Sometimes you can have more than one thing. We had a few posters who had both c diff and e coli and one with c diff and salmonella. I would assume they tested for that at the hospital though, but if not, ask your doctor about it. Are you taking probiotics? There is one that I take VSL#3 that says specifically that it is used for UC. I don't have UC, but it helps me with GI issues. I took it with c diff and when I was on vanco.

AmandaSt
Brand New Poster
Posts: 3
Joined: Sun Sep 18, 2016 12:19 pm

Re: Day 6 on Vanco and still 15+bm a day :(

Postby AmandaSt » Fri Sep 23, 2016 9:34 pm

Hi, I wanted to thank you all for responses and to give an update in case anyone else is ever in this position.

After my switch to Vanco from the Flagyl, I gave it seven days and was feeling no improvements. Since I live in a rural area, my family doctor and I decided to bypass the two smaller local hospitals that I had already been to for this, and to drive almost two hours to the large city hospital that has on-site GI specialists.

I was admitted to the ER and stuck in the busy curtained ER area for two days. That part was not fun, but thankfully I was able to be seen by the GI team and was given a sigmoidoscopy the second day. They saw a lot of inflammation consistent with a colitis flare and started me on steroid treatments along with it Flagyl and coninued Vanco treatment. Happily I was moved that second night (yesterday at midnight) to an isolation room with private bathroom. Only two days of steroid treatments and I am finally, finally feeling some relief in terms of my excruciating stomach pain and constant d.

Basically, the c diff either caused a new, different colitis to take place or a severe flare of colitis that I didn't recognize/have never experienced and that went untreated/undiagnosed for a while. I had even asked several ER doctors over the last few weeks if I should try my go-to colitis meds in case, but they thought it was prudent to treat the c diff first.

Moral of the story: GI problems must be treated swiftly by GI specialists. I have never had anything severe like this and assumed that regular ER docs (and even a general surgeon I met with) could treat this. I'm getting a referral to a GI doc and will be seeing them regularly from now on.

Writing this from the hospital where I will hopefully leave in two days if my switch to oral steroids (from iv) goes smoothly and shows progress. Can't wait to get home to my baby xo

Jill79
Regular Contributor
Posts: 119
Joined: Mon Jul 18, 2016 10:51 am

Re: Day 6 on Vanco and still 15+bm a day :(

Postby Jill79 » Fri Sep 23, 2016 9:42 pm

Hi Amanda,

I was in the ER 3 times and they didn't even think to check for C. Diff, just sent me home with pain and anxiety meds. I will say that it was a stool kit provided by my PCP that detected the infection but after I relapsed when I completed my first round of Flagyl he was going to put me on the same Vanco dosage that yours did but my GI took over my care and upped the dosage to 500mg 3x daily which (for now) seemed to work.

I'm so glad to hear that you got the care you needed and are seeing some improvement! Congrats on the new baby and I hope you are able to return home soon!

Wishing you well! :)

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

Re: Day 6 on Vanco and still 15+bm a day :(

Postby NanciT » Fri Sep 23, 2016 10:58 pm

Hello Amanda

Sorry you are having such a difficult time but I agree traveling is well worth getting good care from a GI who understands not only CDIFF but also your history of GI issues. Make sure to keep in close touch with the new GI as you work through CDIFF.
It sounds like things have settled down a bit, hoping you get home to that new baby and feel better soon!

NanciT


Return to “Too Much Information”



Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 10 guests