3 Month Mark

[C2Difficult]

I am a 20 year old female, never was very healthy in the sense of working out and eating clean however I was healthy in the sense that I was a fully functioning human being with no medical issues. My story started May of 2013, when my stomach began acting up.I went from 120lbs to 99lbs. I figured it was IBS brought on by stress and wouldn't poop in a cup for testing, so the cdiff bacteria sat in my body for many months and it's obvious that it still has lasting effects even though I tested negative in April. So for about a year, I unknowingly was infected with cdiff. When I finally got tested, they treated me with flagyl (worst side effects from a medicine EVER) twice and then liquid vancomycin is what got rid of it. I don't know what I was expecting when I finished the course, but nothing changed with my bowel habits so I went to a naturopathic doctor. He gave me sacchromyces boulardii along with another probiotic supplement and advised me to cut out ALL sugar, wheat, and dairy. That is how I got rid of the infection and prevented it from coming right back.

I am the type of person who believes that everything will work itself out, however when I was infected I saw no light at the end of the tunnel and saw a future of being homebound for the rest of my life. So if that's how you feel right now looking for solutions, I'll have you know I am functioning again and have my life back (sort of). I will be honest, things aren't back to normal but they are better which I am thankful for. I have post infectious IBS that is usually specific to mornings only, from the time after my first meal usually around 7am until 11am. I am on a prescription anti-diahrreal called lomotil that I take in the mornings and will be starting an antidepressant that my doctor is confident will help me get back to normal while my gut heals. I also have been taking VSL3 which gives me more formed stools and am switching to the double strength prescription dose. If anyone has any advice on treating PI IBS, please please please let me know. I know it could be worse but I'd like to hear your stories and success in hopes of getting my life back to normal. I'm so close!

Good luck to everyone seeking answers out there, and if you have any questions about my treatment I'll gladly respond with a little more detail.

Best Wishes L.M.