Kefir worked for me 3 years ago. Still free of it.

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.
EvrHis7
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Kefir worked for me 3 years ago. Still free of it.

Postby EvrHis7 » Wed Jul 17, 2013 4:57 am

C-Diff is being labeled by some in the medical profession as an epidemic, with some even calling it a potential pandemic. It is severely contagious, and it's affecting people, globally.

A local Aspen Dental dentist prescribed a harsh pre-treatment, precautionary antibiotic called Clindamycin (or Cleocin) for me, even though I had no dental infections. Turns out that drug is well known to be the top antibiotic for causing C-Diff. I was taken by ambulance to the emergency room after I had taken it for only two days.

I was told I was severely dehydrated, and could have died, had I not come in to the hospital when I did. I live alone, see, and I was so sick that it didn't register to me that commode visits every five minutes or so for two days could potentially kill me. I figured that out when I finally couldn't even get out of bed. I had cramping in the lower gut, with nausea, and the lethargy was so bad that getting to and from the bed to the bathroom seemed like a thousand mile trip. Were it not for the walls, I'd have had to crawl. I couldn't eat. Shoot, I couldn't even get to the kitchen. Drinking water made me sicker. I started to think I was not real, that I had slipped into some other dimension, and I knew I was in trouble. I had to find help. Ambulance was called.

The ER professional gave me several IVs to rehydrate me, and to get my energy level back up so I could get home. She sadly offered the only treatment they knew of - and on-again, off-again antibiotic regimen for the rest of my (to be shorter) life. That scared me, so I researched the heck out of the disease and found it to be the same treatment offered by doctors everywhere. I also found reports that said one could expect, at best, only a poor recovery rate, with a lifelong requirement for frequent and varied antibiotic treatments. Worse yet, C-Diff is known for its high mortality rate. I fought off some really threatening and horrible depression, and determined that I would dig until I found a better answer - if there was one.

Fortunately, I found info that reported test patients who had no recurrences when using a product called Kefir. I offer to you what I found. Please Google the topic, "Kefir for C-Diff", and also check out "Lifeway's Helios grade, Kefir" at http://www.lifeway.net/Probiotics/.

Lactose intolerant's can also take Kefir for C-Diff. Th website above explains why it isn't an issue, when using this kind of yogurt. This brand, in testing by a research university in Illinois, I think, (but can't remember where, for sure), turned out to be the most effective, according to the info I first ran across when I was ill. Additionally, the Mayo Clinic, according to a few websites I found, is now also testing Kefir as a treatment for C-Diff.

I stopped taking the prescribed antibiotics, cold turkey, replacing them with the Lifeway Helios Kefir. I noticed improvement within only a few hours. After 12 hours I was able to stay out of the bathroom for up to three hours. Within 24 hours, I was nearly back to my normal bathroom routine. After a week, it was as if I had never had it. It's been about three years now. No recurrence, no other issues, no IBS, nothing.

Kroger & Walmart both carry it in their dairy coolers, bottom row, under other yogurts, or in their health food dairy section. I mix mine: Kefir/Orange Juice half-and-half. Kefir is slightly fizzy, so the mixture tastes like an Orange Cream Soda. Quite yummy good. I also put it on salads like a fruity dressing, and that is very good, as well. Strawberry flavor and peach are my favorites.

I hope this info helps somebody. It saved my life.

(P.S.:I don't work for any of these companies mentioned, nor am I a rep for anything or anyone. I'm just a survivor, and a healthy one at that.)
OldLadyJ

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Re: Kefir worked for me 3 years ago. Still free of it.

Postby gm37 » Wed Jul 17, 2013 11:50 am

I am thrilled that you have recovered from your bout of c-diff. C-diff is an odd disease that presents differently in each patient ....and it seems that each patient responds to different treatments. So glad you found one that worked for you.
Many patients would not do well quitting their doctors prescribed antibiotics. Always check with your doctor.
Anne

Mia-Mia
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Re: Kefir worked for me 3 years ago. Still free of it.

Postby Mia-Mia » Wed Jul 17, 2013 11:45 pm

Were you tested for c diff? Also how long were you on antibiotics which kind before you quit? What was your dose of Kefir per day?

EvrHis7
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Re: Kefir worked for me 3 years ago. Still free of it.

Postby EvrHis7 » Sat Jul 20, 2013 3:26 pm

Mia-Mia, I was definitely blood tested, feces tested, and diagnosed with C-Diff when I was in the ER. They gave me a prescription for Flagyl and one which I don't recall. Took them for two days.

I mixed 1/2 cup Kefir with 1/2 cup orange juice and added a little water. I did this about four times a day for several days. After I started getting better, I decreased to three times for several days, then to two times a day for about a week. Then once or twice a day, as I remembered to, for about two weeks. But after a few days, I was nearly back to normal, as far as bathroom issues are concerned. It almost seemed too easy, after having read all the horror stories others struggled with. I thought for sure that it wouldn't work. But I've never even had a hint of a recurrence, and I thank my Lord for giving me the good sense to research it and not take that horribly sad treatment and prognosis as the only answer.

I had no problem drinking my Kefir concoction because it tastes quite good. And it's like $3 or less a bottle, which lasted me about a week the first week, then two weeks. Now I keep one on hand until it expires, just in case. I drink some about once a week, off and on, just because it's good for me.
OldLadyJ

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Re: Kefir worked for me 3 years ago. Still free of it.

Postby Mia-Mia » Thu Aug 01, 2013 5:38 pm

Thank you I am happy it all worked for you. I bought some kefir just I will try it for sure. I have been c diff for several years, but every time I get sick I think its coming back its horrible. I was on flagyll for a month I shouldn't of been. Because even though I was symptom free I still tested positive. Finally a infectious disease guy told me to get off. Thanks again.

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Re: Kefir worked for me 3 years ago. Still free of it.

Postby ppp67 » Thu Aug 08, 2013 3:32 pm

wow.
I love kefir.
I thought the sugary kinds (like 1/2 OJ,1/2 Kefir) would be bad because of the sugar.
When I was coming down with it, I was desperate one day.
Then I had a strawberry Kefir and I felt so good. At normal foods (coffee included) all day.
Then the next day? well, that's when it really got bad.

Same for my relapse. In all honesty, I still had CDIFF after the flagl and it
only took a few days to come back. Probiotics may have delayed/eased it.
On day 4,had coffee, felt bad, but had a KEFIR and was 100% ok.
Had a big supper that night. No booze or coffee, but had chicken.
The next day was kinda blah, but not dreadful. Tested positive that evening.

Personally, all the probiotics I've been taking (with and without ATX) seem
to make things better. The doctor told me there isn't proof that they work.
And my rheumatologist says the best thing you can do (to prevent a relapse)
is eat lots of yogurt. Probiotics pills were another option, but I'd rather eat something!
All the more if its good.

Hopefully will have more info too

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Re: Kefir worked for me 3 years ago. Still free of it.

Postby beth22 » Fri Aug 09, 2013 12:32 am

If you can tolerate yogurt and kefir that is great. Many people become lactose intolerant with c diff, so for those who want to try this, start slowly. You don't want to spend your day in the bathroom the next day. When I first got c diff, yogurt and kefir helped me too, but I soon became lactose intolerant and could not eat either anymore, unfortunately. Will try the kefir again soon though.

ChalkArtist
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Re: Kefir worked for me 3 years ago. Still free of it.

Postby ChalkArtist » Mon Sep 02, 2013 12:04 am

Dear EvrHis7:

Kefir with OJ sounds interesting--do you know anyone else who has tried this?

As someone still in shock, I found your discussion hopeful. I was just diagnosed with c-diff via stool sample and blood test last week (8/21/13). To say I am frightened and bewildered would be a huge understatement. I have never had GI issues before. I took an antibiotic four years ago and had a delayed bout of D a few weeks after, but luckily it resolved on its own in less than a week. I now feel like I fell off a cliff or suffered a terrible accident with irreversible injuries...

About a month ago I had oral surgery and was prescribed clindamycin to prevent post-op infection, as it seems so many sufferers on this site have. But I had no D at at all from it until a full 2 and 1/2 weeks after the course ended; I felt fine. During the clindamycin course (9 days), I ate 1-2 cups of fruited yogurt every day, believing, as my surgeon suggested, that doing so would likely forestall any D... But I had also been concurrently taking omeprazole (Prilosec) twice daily (in fact, for several years) for esophageal acid and, as I have now learned too late, that is a very bad thing to do; in all that time, I had never suffered any ill effects from omeprazole such as were described on the drug fact sheet my provider gave me (Kaiser Permanente). As my doctor explained when I was diagnosed, clindamycin and omeprazole simultaneously can be a "double whammy" for one's colon. Omeprazole greatly reduces acids that would normally keep intestinal bacteria in balance.

I am now on a 14 day course of metronidazole (Flagl) and 5 days into treatment. I have also stopped taking omeprazole completely since the day of diagnosis and stopped yogurt as well. Will my acid production kick back in and help the needed healthy bacteria return???? (I'm 62...) I sure hope so... And do folks find they can take any vitamins? I was taking 2000 mmg of vit. C every day before this happened, among others.... Incidentally, my oral surgeon never asked if I was taking omeprazole nor ever mentioned c-diff as a risk of clindamycin. He seemed not to know about omeprazole and its c-diff risk at all, but I have since talked to him about it. He listened thoughfully and took notes.

My D has not been nearly so intense as many folks on this list describe--at its worst, 4 times per day, over several days. I have had very little cramping and no fever at all. But I had pink mucus with traces of blood, and since I first became ill on 8/21/13 nearly, I have lost almost 8 lbs.(!) from 153 to145 lbs. The D has now stopped; I had only one morning BM today which at first seemed solid/normal, but rather quickly disintegrated once in the water. So I definitely know I am not well. I have been eating the same meal 3 times per day for a week now: brown rice, bananas (2), boiled chicken breast, and Egg Beaters (basically egg whites).

I must say, as someone new to this bug, I am chagrined by the plethora of different treatments folks try. After much surfing of dietary suggestions all day (and now, joining this list) I purchased some Florastor to take with the Flagl, as a first step. But I have no idea how to transition back to a different, more normal diet. Tonight I thoroughly cooked barley together with rice and added well-steamed peas, since all are fairly soft and soluble fibers. I guess I'll know pretty soon how that works. I normally only drink soymilk and I wonder if Kefir is compatible with that, if I need to try that route... My doctor forbid me to drink any fruit juices and especially orange juice, which I also normally drink every day.

Blessings to all of you on this list...I feel MUCH LESS ALONE than before I found you! Here's a little thought from the poet Wallace Stevens: "The chants of final peace lie in the heart's residuum."

beth22
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Re: Kefir worked for me 3 years ago. Still free of it.

Postby beth22 » Mon Sep 02, 2013 1:22 am

STANDARD INTRODUCTION: Welcome to the site. Read the first forum “All Users Read This First” and subtopics “Please Read before You Post” and “Guidelines for Posting to our Discussion Boards.” They will guide you in using the site and answer some frequent questions. Read Dr. Borody's article and topics in “CDI” – formerly” FAQ” – including “Hygiene” “Nutrition” and “Testing.”

The majority (about 80%) recover with one to two rounds of Flagyl or Vancocin. An unfortunate small percentage doesn’t and can suffer for months. Most eventually recover unless there are factors such as advanced age or other severe health problems. New treatments include fecal infusions and Dificid. Other drugs and treatments are in the pipeline, and there is increased recognition of C. diff.
If antibiotics contributed to your C. diff, be careful about taking them again. (See “CDI – Antibiotics”). Some people tolerate them; some develop C. diff again. (See Dr. Borody's article). Don’t take medications for C. diff. unless you are tested. (See “CDI – Tests.”)

For further information see http://www.peggymemorial.org and several other support groups on FB. Do research on medical sites such as “Mayo Clinic” and “Web MD.”

This is a support site not a medical site. We can’t give you medical advice but can tell you what worked for us and offer support. No one will understand what you are going through except someone who has/had this unpredictable disease. The best protection (for you and others) is thorough hand washing and good hygiene.

Sorry you are going through this. I, too, did not have a lot of D when my c diff started, but had the M with B and was told that meant it had gone into pseud. colitis already and I took vancomycin. Hopefully, the Flagyl will get rid of your symptoms soon. As you feel better, I would try and introduce more foods. I found that baked potatoes agreed with me as well as rice and pasta. Breads were ok too, although some people have trouble with gluten. I could no longer tolerate dairy. Vegetables and fruits were hard for me too. Everyone is different. I would introduce one thing at a time so that if something does not agree, you will be better able to tell what it was. Florastor gave me a lot of gas and looser stools, but it works very well for some people.

ChalkArtist
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Re: Kefir worked for me 3 years ago. Still free of it.

Postby ChalkArtist » Mon Sep 02, 2013 4:12 pm

Thanks so much for your thoughts!.... It is indeed a complex malady. Trying to add only one new thing to one's diet at a time makes sense. I am also thinking that graduating the quantity of new things one adds back, and doing so by VERY small increments, may help. So, for instance, along with my bananas, Egg Beaters, boiled chicken, and rice/barley breakfast today, I also had about 3 tablespoons of clear, fresh squeezed apple juice and 3 tablespoons of vanilla soy milk, since these are both things I drank previously. If I have no degradation, I'll do the same thing tomorrow and for several more days after that--and only very, very slowly increasing the amounts. My system overall is used to these foods, so it seems like keeping very minimal amounts of them present may be helpful. I may start the same approach with OJ; before this attack, I drank 10 - 12 oz with breakfast every day. It might take many weeks to get back to that level, but the object must be to do so in a way that does not overwhelm one's system. We got here by evolution, after all. Watching my backyard garden's ecology teaches me to try this--and to be patient.

One thing strikes me about so many of the posts: it seems relatively few folks have tried the same inverse procedure with Flagyl. So, for example, I am wondering if rather than just stopping "cold turkey" after day 14 of my regimen, it might be better taper down the dose starting from, say, day 12, so one would take only two doses on days 13 and 14, and then 1 dose (each) on days 15 and 16. After all, the object of the Flagyl is not to totally nuke the c-diff, but rather to "train" it back into balance with the other helpful pathogens . . . Any thoughts??

Bets, ChalkArtist

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Re: Kefir worked for me 3 years ago. Still free of it.

Postby getwellsoon » Mon Sep 02, 2013 5:24 pm

Oh, I think the object is to nuke the CDiff toxins. Its those pesky ones that hang around that cause the relapses. I think since Flagyl is fast becoming ineffective at killing CDiff most Dr.dont' even prescribe it anymore, they go straight to Vanco. It causes so many side effects I guess they think its better if you get off of it quickly. Vanco is so much easier to take and can be taken safely for months so maybe that is why they use it for tapers. I really don't know, this is something to ask the Dr. Good luck with the food regimen, sounds like a great way to introduce foods back into the diet. Let us know how you do. Carol.
CAROL

EvrHis7
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Re: Kefir worked for me 3 years ago. Still free of it.

Postby EvrHis7 » Thu Sep 19, 2013 12:27 pm

Vanco is another "mycin" antibiotic, and it also kills the good bacteria. If you take these drugs, kefir is even more vital. Take it three hours after antibiotic, or one hour before, with water or another liquid. This method came from research on kefir and how it has an incredibly high success rate, compared to using antibiotics, which has a high mortality rate, not to mention low quality of life.
Research Lifeway kefir, compared to other brands, which process the benefits right out of it.
I quit the antibiotics cold turkey because I knew they were doing no good, and only prolonging the disease. I was fortunate, in that I had learned the bad things about antibiotics decades before, when I struggled with h-pyhlori overload and its 3 antibiotic treatment side effects. Had I not had to find a way to recover from that, I might not have known that antibiotics would not help me.
Kefir is the only thing that helped me. I have not had even ONE recurrence, or one symptom of C-Diff after four years. For those of you who have been treating recurrences with antibiotics, one brand after the other, well...I'm not sure how well kefir will help, but if it were me, I'd try it anyway. You'll probably have to use it more intensly for a longer period, since your system is badly damaged by further antibiotics. I also wouldn't include other probiotics, since you may be overloading yourself if you include them with the kefir, which is superior to all of them.
By the way, kick the sugar habit, and cut way back on pastas. Don't eat any soy based foods (do the research of soy-it may scare you.) Sugar feeds the bad bacteria, as well as cancer cells, by the way.
Sorry I haven't kept up with the posting. I am surprised that mine was even read, not to mention responded to. I don't post online, but this topic is so important for us to pull together and help ourselves. I'll check in more often.
OldLadyJ

EvrHis7
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Re: Kefir worked for me 3 years ago. Still free of it.

Postby EvrHis7 » Thu Sep 19, 2013 12:59 pm

P.S.: I quit sugar-based foods over two decades ago, along with sodas of all kinds, including diet sodas. Can't stand the stuff now. I had a peptic ulcer and was told I had to. Best thing I ever did for myself.
Also, soy - you have to quit that stuff! For many reasons. Research medical sites, and not Facebook or some social network!
All that pasta and high carb food only makes things worse for me. I can't do high carb diets. Haven't been able to for decades. Heavy diets of corn, peas, pasta, breads, potatoes, all that stuff causes BAD problems with my digestion. Veggies and fruits works well. I even put kefir on my salads. It kind of reminds me of raspberry vinaigrette. I can eat things like chili with great northern and black beans, but not regular diet of pastas, which I love, by the way. Not sure why I react so badly to them. I can eat certain Taco Bell foods for the protein - again, beans. Chicken, very little beef - maybe once a month, but not more than that. Extreme lethargy and sluggish thinking kicks in the next day, if I eat a meal heavy in beef. Fish (yuck), but I can eat all of that I want, which isn't much.
Lean meats, salads, fruits, pure, whole foods, cooked broccoli, cabbage, etc., is what I live on. I haven't been able to eat like others do for decades. However, I am also rarely sick, like others are, with the exception of C-Diff, which was caused by Clyndamycin prescribed by a dentist prior to tooth extraction. Sadly,
I was quite healthy prior to that dental visit. I didn't even have an infection in any tooth. I had a cavity. He prescribed it as a precautionary measure - one I lived to regret. Aspen Dental, by the way, was the place I went to. Turns out, they just wanted what they thought I had - money. They wanted to pull all of my perfectly good teeth because of, and I quote, "your (my) age". They tried to talk me into financing over $10,000 of work, which they would finance for me that day, if I just signed on the dotted line. Good thing I got C-Diff and wouldn't let them touch me again. It now seems like the lesser of two evils, as I see it.
OldLadyJ

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Re: Kefir worked for me 3 years ago. Still free of it.

Postby Kimy22 » Thu Oct 13, 2016 9:48 pm

I am thrilled to say I have gotten rid of c diff by drinking raw milk kefir. I had no luck with vanco or Flagyl. I also had a failed fecal matter transplant. My first FMT was successful one year ago and then the c diff came back and I flew to Florida for another FMT which did not work. The doctor who performed the FMT has a 99.9 % success rate. My problem is I have an extremely leaky guy because of mercury poisoning. I was scheduled to fly to Florida ka week later for a second FMT. This is so time consuming and costly, so I wanted to seek an easier solution. I read the post above from the person who cured himself with kefir. This made sense to me since it was a way to fill the intestines with good bacteria which is why the FMT's are so successful. I spent a 24 hour period eating mostly all fermented foods (saurkraut, kombucha and kimchee) and drinking raw milk kefir. The kefir was my main focus as it has more probiotics than any other food. I even put it by my bed at night and would drink it whenever I would wake up, which was 3 - 4 times. The next morning I woke up and my c diff symptoms were gone. The intestinal swelling was down, the diarrhea was gone with completely normal stools. I was so happy, to say the least. I will continue to drink the kefir and increase the good bacteria in my colon as you can never be healthy without healing the intestines. Also, I never want a relapse of c diff. I think the biggest mistake people make when using kefir to hea c diff is they don't drink enough. I drank over 2 quarts per day. I got my raw milk kefir from Miller Organic Farms in Pennsylvania. They ship almost anywhere in the U.S. They are Amish and have received a lot of backlash from the USDA for selling raw milk and raw milk products. You have to join a membership in order to buy which is only $35. I believe store bought kefir will work also, it just isn't as powerful and is pasteurized, so isn't as easy for your body to digest. If you have c diff, give this a try. It should work for everyone and is the easiest fix I have come across.

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Re: Kefir worked for me 3 years ago. Still free of it.

Postby Bobbie » Thu Oct 13, 2016 10:07 pm

Glad this worked for you. By the way, the doc' s 99.9'success rate is questionable.


MODERATOR'S NOTE: this thread was started years ago but still has some good info.


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