One year check in.

[sept24th07]

I haven't been to this board in over a year, but I stopped by figuring right now there are people that were in my shoes over a year ago.

Last October I felt helpless. And hopeless. After a 14 days run of Cipro, I ended up in the hospital twice with cdiff. I was on Flagyl for 2 weeks, felt great for a week, and then... it came back. I thought for sure, at that point, I was doomed. Nothing would have convinced me otherwise. I read all about these "reoccurrences".

After a second 14 day round of Flagyl, I proceeded with caution thinking I was better. Wow. The time I spent transporting 'stuff' back and forth to the doctor for my every other week cdiff cultures was tiresome. It took countless follow up tests to keep confirming I was negative... but knowing this nasty bug, I was still skeptical. Even after the 72 day "you're all clear". I was nervous.

It took months of constant Align, yogurt (I can't even look at Activa anymore), and Danctive. I was careful what I ate, stayed away from all of the trigger foods, and watched my stomach like a hawk. I dealt with some latent IBS for a few months, but quickly it subsided once my body readjusted to normalcy. But trust me, it was a slow process. I took it day by day. Had some bad days, and some good. CDiff can do major damage, and it takes awhile for your body to heal itself...but...

At some point, the Align tapered off, I consumed yogurt like a normal human being, and I even... forgot about the whole experience. Back to eating hot wings for me!

My point?

When I was dealing with this dreadful lil guy, I was so consumed, everything in my life was cdiff driven... where I went, what I ate, the plans I made... but at some point, the treatment did work, and even more importantly, I forgot about the whole experience.

Yes, now a year later, I look back and actually feel proud that I made it through it... but stay positive... you can make it through it. Life does go back to normal.

[trob25]

I'm glad you are better and this is inspiring to read! I to had two rounds of Flagyl before being cleared in late September. I then proceeded to have a month where everything was perfect, but over the last three weeks I've had on and off problems, where I think I'm relapsing, then I recover.

At this point I'm 62 days off my last Flagyl and am consuming probiotics regularly, with mostly the appropriate foods. How long did you have difficulty after the C-Diff? I worry this has been going on to long for me, but I hear some people say it takes 6 months to fully recover.

[feelinghopeful]

This is totally screwed up. I posted here as well this morning and it's gone. Well, again, thank you for the encouraging post. Being almost 3 months clear it's a shining light to read that you've made it this far. My heartfelt congratulations. Thank you for telling everyone.

[Nancy1]

sept24th, congratulations! It is wonderful to read of your success. Thank you so much for coming back to tell us all about it. Success stories were so important to me in my early days of cdiff. It is great to hear yours.

trob25, for me it's over 2 years and I am still not fully recovered from cdiff. Many foods can send me to the bathroom for days or even weeks. Before cdiff I could eat anything. I had the most problems in the first 6 months, though. I don't think I have IBS, from reading about it on the net, but who knows, maybe I do.

[Bobbie]

sept24th07,
Congrats. Thx. for posting to inspire others. We need more people like you. We never hear from many posters again after they are "cured."

Try to stay away from antibiotics, if possible. Use good hygiene (handwashing best preventative) if have to be in a hospital for any reason, including visiting someone.

[trob25]

trob25, for me it's over 2 years and I am still not fully recovered from cdiff. Many foods can send me to the bathroom for days or even weeks. Before cdiff I could eat anything. I had the most problems in the first 6 months, though. I don't think I have IBS, from reading about it on the net, but who knows, maybe I do.

Wow, well it's good to know having problems for days or even a week isn't uncommon then after eating something new. Guess I'm in for a rough 4 more months after having a relatively good start after my initial recovery.

[cjforrest]

Thank you so much for sharing your success story and giving me (and many others) hope. I'm on my fourth round of CD since July and feel like CD has taken total control of my life. At times I wonder whether my life will ever be normal again. (I long for the day when I can stop focusing on my bowels!) And with this economy, I worry that I'll be the first to go if layoffs take place because with all the work I miss with this crap I know I'm the the weakest link. I can't afford to be without health insurance -- the Vanco would bankrupt me. I have only 2 more weeks left of FMLA protection and have 5 months to go before I'm eligible for another 12 weeks. It weighs heavily on me. However, I'm fortunate to have some wonderfully understanding bosses, so that's been some comfort. But still, I worry.....
I'll see my ID again in a few days and am hoping there's another approach we can take because Flagyl, multiple rounds of Vanco (with tapers), and tons of Florastor, Culturelle, yogurt and Activia haven't worked. I've recently added Primadophilus and DanActive to the mix and am hoping the doc will have something new to throw at it. Two highly-respected IDs have advised against the infusions, and that's something I would consider only as a last resort.
I could go on and on, but I won't. I just wanted to say thanks for coming back and posting your entry. It's given me and may others hope.
I wish you continued good health!!

[klt03301]

Congratulations to you and thank you so much for your story. It gives people so much hope! I'm very happy to hear you're doing so well and I wish you the very best!!!

Karen

[feelinghopeful]

CJ,

Reconsider infusions.

FH