Things are Looking Up!

[Troubledbythis]

Hi all...

Several weeks ago I reported being diagnosed with C-Diff after a 7 day treatment of Clindamycin. I lived with the problem for a week before going to the doctor. My doctor was all over the possibility of C-Diff and immediately ordered a test. Once we knew I had it she prescribed a 14 day blast of Metronidazole. She told me if all was well after 10 days I could stop. Things were better at 10 days and I stopped only to realize it was a mistake after one day. I got back on the drug and it was followed up by another 10 day prescription of it. I carefully used the drug and carried out the medication until it was gone. My wife and I also performed a fecal enema once a few days before the second prescription ran out.

Once off the drug I still wasn't sure if I had successfully kicked the beast out of me. Things still weren't normal in the bathroom world but were far better than before the treatment began. Day by day things continued to improve. It's now been about two weeks and things are very close to normal with me again. I did do a second test at 10 days after the last day of the prescription and the test still showed positive for C-Diff. My doctor explained it takes some time to rid the body of the toxin and we agreed to do a test again in 6 weeks, providing I continue to do well.

I read where some people continue to test positive with C-Diff in the stool but do not have any of the other normal symptoms. I'm not sure if this is where I'm headed and what's done, if anything, when this occurs. For now I'm grateful to be where I am today and that I'm feeling so much better, mentally as well as physically.

Thanks for everyone's time to answer my posts as well as all of the other stories and information on this site. I used it a lot and found it extremely helpful.

[Bobbie]

Glad you are better and the site was helpful. Please contact us again in a month or two if you are still doing OK so we can add you to "Success Stories" for inspiration to others.

Congrats. to you and your wife. You are fortunate to have a supportive spouse. Many are not.

[Kathy George]

I’m going to assume that the fecal enema probably helped you more than the antibiotic therapy. None-the-less, your doctor is right in regard to recovery process. It takes time for overall improvement in motions; it just doesn’t happen overnight. The gut flora needs time to become completely re-established. You are doing quite well, and it appears that you are on the road toward a complete recovery. On another note, when experiencing minimal symptoms, I would be reluctant to treat even if you do test positive. False positive is a common occurrence, and test result should not influence one to fall back on aggressive treatment plans. Take care and do keep us updated!!
Kathy

[mimmi]

I was very interested to hear your story, since my Mom was diagnosed with it on May 13, although she probably had an episode in March, then a relapse where it was tested and recognized as cdiff on May 13. She took the 10-day dose of Flagyl, was retested 6 1/2 days after finishing the dose, and tested positive for cdiff. She started feeling normal the second day on Flagyl; it was great. Her bathroom needs have been normal, I'd say, since then. We were hoping she'd retest negative, and were surprised when the test showed as positive. (Actually, the first level was "inconclusive," and then they went to the second level of testing and it showed positive for the cdiff toxin.)

I was encouraged to hear that you say that your "doctor explained it takes some time to rid the body of the toxin and we agreed to do a test again in 6 weeks, providing I continue to do well."

I was thinking that our having done the retest at only 6 1/2 days was too early ... many of the posts here indicate retesting at about 10 days.
Meantime, we're going crazy again with feeling like everything is "contaminated," just when we thought we could relax about things a little.

Does anyone have any more feedback on why someone who has taken Flagyl may have the symptoms go away, feel "great," and then test positive?

It makes me wonder how many of us are walking around with cdiff, and don't realize it. Wondering if there are any studies out there on this kind of statistic.

[gm37]

So sorry you are dealing with c-diff. It is a strange disease.
It is my understanding that once upon a time, c-diff could be successfully treated with Flagyl. However, viruses mutate and the Flagyl is no longer as successful in treating the new and improved model of c-diff. I am not a doctor or a scientist, but this is the explanation as I understand it.
When I had c-diff, the Flagyl got rid of my symptoms, but did not get rid of the c-diff in my colon. I took Vanco and finally Dificid.
Good luck. Keep us posted.
Anne