Recovery after my second round of c-diff

We spend a lot of time talking about the bad news in this discussion group - here's the spot for the good news. If you've had c-diff and are now well, please tell us about it here.
Elvish2
Contributor
Posts: 78
Joined: Mon Jan 27, 2020 12:03 am

Recovery after my second round of c-diff

Postby Elvish2 » Thu Aug 12, 2021 3:21 pm

Hi all,

I figured I'd post here since it's been about a year and 5 months since I finished a Dificid taper for my second c-diff infection (my first was about 10 years ago; find that case history under my original username Elvish). I'm a female in my early 30s who came down with c-diff in early 2020 after starting a course of Augmentin for a suspected sinus infection. Despite stopping the Augmentin course after three days at the advice of my doctor, I tested positive for c-diff several weeks later with all the symptoms. Thankfully, one tapered course of Dificid worked well for me with few side effects, especially compared to my treatment with Flagyl back in 2011.

My long-term recovery has definitely had its ups and downs, especially during these uncertain pandemic times (including a time that I was sure I relapsed last fall, but it was just an IBS stress flareup). I had a clear colonoscopy in September 2020, a flu shot in fall 2020, and the J&J vaccine in April 2021, all with no bad effects. I've been quite careful for the past year and a half due to my fear of getting Covid; unfortunately, this has meant putting off some in-person healthcare visits at times.

Long-term since finishing Dificid, I've been dealing with post-infectious IBS, which comes and goes (mostly bloating/gassiness and occasional D flareups), along with occasional fatigue flare-ups. Honestly, I've been dealing with this to some degree ever since my first c-diff infection, so it's just part of my life now. This time around, I've also been dealing with IC/painful bladder syndrome since finishing c-diff treatment. I've seen a urologist (and had a bladder/kidney ultrasound) and have made some diet changes that have been helpful, but I still deal with an aching bladder and some urgency some days. I'm hopeful that this will continue to fade with time and with finding the elusive right diet/stress-reduction combo.

Currently, I'm still taking 2 Florastor a day (occasionally 3/day if I feel the need) as well as the supplement D-Mannose for the IC symptoms. I haven't tried Desert Harvest aloe vera supplements, but I hear that is helpful for IC also.

Sending positive vibes to everyone reading, no matter where you may be in dealing with c-diff or recovery stages. Things *will* improve, and treatments are only getting better.
2011: contracted c-diff after taking Amoxicillin and Cipro. Successfully treated with Flagyl taper. (Posts under old username, Elvish)

2020: contracted c-diff after taking Augmentin. Finished Dificid taper/pulse on 3/15.

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

Re: Recovery after my second round of c-diff

Postby beth22 » Fri Aug 13, 2021 1:10 am

Thanks for posting and giving hope to others. I hope you improve as time goes on as well. Aloe Vera can have a laxative effect, so if you start that supplement, do it slowly to see how it affects you.

healthys
Contributor
Posts: 63
Joined: Sun Nov 01, 2020 9:26 pm

Re: Recovery after my second round of c-diff

Postby healthys » Sat Aug 14, 2021 10:44 pm

Hello Elvish,

Thank you for posting this, gives me hope! I am in my early 30s too. Since having c diff ( October of 2020) , I continue to have PI-IBS as well. I have not had a colonoscopy done but I have been considering it. I wanted to ask how often do you have to go to the restroom in a day? I have 2-3 BMs a day and they can range between formed to loose and sometimes I see undigested food in it as well. Do you have advice on what helped you with these symptoms? And helped in binding stools like metamucil or benefiber etc?

Thank you!

Elvish2
Contributor
Posts: 78
Joined: Mon Jan 27, 2020 12:03 am

Re: Recovery after my second round of c-diff

Postby Elvish2 » Sun Aug 15, 2021 1:59 am

Thanks for the reminder about Aloe Vera, beth22! I will definitely have to start slow with that as I tend to be sensitive to medications and supplements.

Healthys, sorry you've had to deal with all this during the pandemic as well! Having a good GI that you trust can really be key, but I know that that can be especially hard these days. My GI recommended a colonoscopy in my case because I was continuing to have instances of M, occasionally tinged with blood, and she wanted to make sure I wasn't dealing with ulcers or something like that (thankfully, she found no issues other than hemorrhoids). I know many GIs rightly hesitate to recommend colonoscopies if they don't see a strong reason.

I think it's unfortunately in the range of "normal" to be having IBS issues up to a year after finishing c-diff treatment, if not longer. If you're slowly getting better, I would see that as a good sign. I know it can be hard to see small, slow improvements; I've been keeping track of my symptoms so it's easier to see trends over time. What you're going through sounds within the range of "normal" to me, though I'm no expert. Throughout my recovery, it's really varied; some days earlier on I was having 4-6 BMs, and sometimes just episodes of gas & M [sorry if TMI]. These days I tend to have anywhere from 0-3 BMs, and M is infrequent, but I'm definitely more touchy and will get D or M flareups if I eat anything too adventurous. I remember dealing with what seemed like undigested food during my recovery back when I had c-diff 10 years ago, but I don't recall that being too much of an issue this time around. Back then, I took Questran to help with binding, but I don't know its role in longer-term recovery. I tried Metamucil this time around, but I had to cut out taking it because it was causing my IC to flareup. I hope you can get some additional advice from your doctor or other posters, but in my case after initial treatment, time, stress management, and eating healthy (and discovering/avoiding trigger foods - some people on the board have had to cut out dairy or gluten) have probably been the biggest things that have helped symptoms. Good luck to you as you continue to navigate recovery!
2011: contracted c-diff after taking Amoxicillin and Cipro. Successfully treated with Flagyl taper. (Posts under old username, Elvish)

2020: contracted c-diff after taking Augmentin. Finished Dificid taper/pulse on 3/15.


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