Weird smell still there post Vanco

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.
rmm26
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Posts: 18
Joined: Wed Dec 11, 2019 12:46 pm

Weird smell still there post Vanco

Postby rmm26 » Fri Dec 13, 2019 6:36 pm

Finished a 10 day course of Vanco yesterday. Not having watery D, more like loose, mushy 1-3 times a day. The concern I have is that the strange smell is still present.

I met with the GI today and she doesn't think I still have it, but ordered a stool PCR test for next week just in case.

Had a couple questions:
1) Has anyone experienced the weird smell sticking around after treatment was over? If so, did it just take some time to go away?
2) Is it possible to have a false positive PCR assuming I test positive, since it hasn't been that long since I finished the treatment?

roy
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Joined: Sat Aug 02, 2014 1:05 am

Re: Weird smell still there post Vanco

Postby roy » Fri Dec 13, 2019 7:29 pm

It's not c.diff bacteria that changes the smell.
It's the combined change in the hundreds of varieties of bacteria that antibiotics have reduced or eliminated that causes the smell to change.
As your gut flora recovers the smell will return to good old poop!

Doing a PCR to see if it's gone is a bad idea.
The rate of false positives is very high and so is the rate of false negatives!
For example, 1 - the test does not detect dormant spores.
One germinates the day after the test and symptoms return but the test is negative so Dr does not treat.
Example 2 PCR is very sensitive it amplifies the c.diff DNA and any tiny amount left over is detected the test is positive but a Dr wants to prescribe meds even though you are well on the road to recovery.
Only symptoms indicate it's gone, no test is reliable.

rmm26
New User
Posts: 18
Joined: Wed Dec 11, 2019 12:46 pm

Re: Weird smell still there post Vanco

Postby rmm26 » Wed Dec 25, 2019 6:24 pm

Thanks Roy, I ended up not retesting.

I went about a week after Vanco where I was having formed stools, brown in color and felt like I was turning the corner. Today I went back to having the weird light tan, unformed floaty D (not real watery) that I had occasionally during my initial bout. Not a lot of urgency normally.

I have an appetite (when I'm not stressing about this) and feel relatively ok for the most part.

I haven't really seen people describe the light tan/floaty unformed stools on here, so I'm wondering if this is a normal effect of C diff or something else entirely. I did test positive for the C Diff prior to taking Vanco and the remainder of the stool culture came back normal.

rmm26
New User
Posts: 18
Joined: Wed Dec 11, 2019 12:46 pm

Re: Weird smell still there post Vanco

Postby rmm26 » Wed Dec 25, 2019 8:49 pm

After reading about Steatorrhea, I'm fairly certain the "odd" pale/floaty stools are this. I had it for a few days during my initial bout prior to treatment, and now again today almost 2 weeks after my last dose of Vanco. It hasn't been consistent (today was the 1st time post Vanco). Anyone else experience this and could it just be a normal stage of recovery?


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