c-diff and post-partum

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.
beth22
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Re: c-diff and post-partum

Postby beth22 » Sun Feb 05, 2012 10:49 pm

Salads, raw fruit and vegetables are big triggers for many, including myself. I still can't eat them and I'm almost 2 years post stool transfer. I'm getting better with cooked vegetables though. I would try a bland diet for a couple of days and then introduct one thing at a time. See if dairy or anything else seems to cause you problems.

gm37
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Re: c-diff and post-partum

Postby gm37 » Sun Feb 05, 2012 11:46 pm

Cory,
I am so sorry that you have been through so much misery when you have a baby to take care of.
You have gotten some great advice. Yes, lots of healthy people have c-diff relapses.
And, yes, IBS can seem like a relapse. Getting retested might put your mind at ease. That would help you to relax and enjoy recovering! Those veggies might be the problem!!!
I hope you get to feeling better soon.
Anne

nutmegchan
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Re: c-diff and post-partum

Postby nutmegchan » Mon Feb 06, 2012 12:16 am

cory,

i didn't go straight to having the diarrhea but it hit me in a few days after coming home from the hospital then continued to just get worse and more frequent. for the first couple weeks i thought it was just from the antibiotics but when week 3 came and things were just getting worse and i had started noticing other symptoms i went in to get tested for c diff. i think it actually bothered me more once i became diagnosed and kept relapsing than it did when i actually had it without treatment those first couple weeks. over time i came to realize i think i only had a "mild" case of c diff but mild or severe it can still take a long time to cure just because of the nature of the disease. you need antibiotics to kill it but ultimately only your good bacteria you have naturally will keep it at bay so it's always a rush for that to come back before the c diff does. that is why the probiotics are really such a HUGE part in treating it because it helps get everything back to normal before the c diff comes back. otherwise you just stay on a vicious cycle of reinfecting yourself constantly and hence the relapses.

Bobbie
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Re: c-diff and post-partum

Postby Bobbie » Mon Feb 06, 2012 12:25 am

See CDI - Three Day Rule and CDI - IBS.

Cm517
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Re: c-diff and post-partum

Postby Cm517 » Mon Feb 06, 2012 2:57 pm

I am planning on doing a stool test this week. I guess there is a part of me that is nervous I will always just test positive even if my symptoms aren't bad. I think this is because I have had 3 positive tests since October (:
Today has been better..just some cramping but the bowel movements are still ok. Did anyone else have weight loss and appetite issues during and after the c-diff? I know I shouldn't complain about losing the baby weight but I have been trying so hard to just put back on a few pounds to feel totally healthy again and it has been really difficult. Also, does anyone know if you are a carrier of the c-diff will you always test positive? I don't know if I am a carrier but just wondering.
I still find it crazy that I probably had c-diff for close to 3 months before seeking help. I think my doctor finds this unusual as well, but it still all seems to add up being in the hospital twice and being put on 3 different types of broad spectrum antibiotics within 3 weeks. Maybe like what nutmegchan said my case was more mild than severe and I was just able to let it go for so long until it got horrible. I just kept telling myself this was normal after being on antibiotics!
I ordered the vsl#3 today and plan to continue to stay away from veggies. I will let you all know how the stool study goes.
Thanks again!

nutmegchan
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Re: c-diff and post-partum

Postby nutmegchan » Mon Feb 06, 2012 3:15 pm

i had asked my GI doc at my 6 week follow up visit (since going off antibiotics) if i should get retested just to make sure i test negative, but he said it wasn't necessary as long as BMs were ok and he said stool tests (or at least for c diff) actually don't work as well if your BMs are ok anyway. only if it went back to the diarrhea or really loose would it be worth getting tested. my GI doc also told me that once your system finally does go back to normal that there is really no reason one should contract c diff again (or at least if you just had it mildly like it sounds like you did and i as well) as long as you stay away from antibiotics.

also, just my personal opinion on getting tested, even if it comes up positive, unless you are having the severe diarrhea again i would not seek more antibiotics. the longer you can go without antibiotics while taking the probiotics the better chance you have of building up your own immunity again. whereas if you start antibiotics then it's back to square one and you'll have to try to regrow all your good flora and restart probiotics again. also a side note with the vsl#3. like many probiotics, you may initially experience what seems like a return of your symptoms whereas really you are just experiencing the "die-off" as the probiotics to an initial sort of wipe of your system. this happened to me when i first started taking it. granted i took probably a bit more than i should have the first time, but i ended up going to the bathroom 7 times i think 2 days later. of course i was worried but then things went back down to normal again. so don't be alarmed if this happens to you as well!

Cm517
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Re: c-diff and post-partum

Postby Cm517 » Mon Feb 06, 2012 3:50 pm

I agree with the stool testing. I have read that it is difficult to test with formed stools. Also, since my GI told me not to worry about retesting after my colonoscopy I have been putting it off. I guess I will just continue to see how things go.
Thanks for vsl#3 advice. I was a little nervous after ordering it because of how much more it contains than the culterelle I have been taking. I plan to just take it once a day. Also, good advice on not treating unless there is d. I tried to just tell myself all weekend that the cramping could be from anything. I had left over vanco from after my colonoscopy when my doctor told me to stop all meds and I was so close to just taking the remaining few. That would have screwed up what I have been working so hard on these past 3 weeks.
I know you are almost at 3 months. Is that what your GI told you would be a good mark to get to? I will definitely try to avoid all antibiotics from now on. I honestly can't remember the last time I was ever on an antibiotic prior to all this (it had to have been when I was very young). I work as a teacher and this has been such a wake up call. When other teachers or even students talk about being sick and taking a quick fix antibiotic I think to myself what are they thinking!!! (:
~Cory

nutmegchan
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Re: c-diff and post-partum

Postby nutmegchan » Mon Feb 06, 2012 4:05 pm

my first GI doc had told me to take culturelle or align. i tried both (but not together) and i relapsed every time. i never saw them do anything for me. also, because they are stored at room temperature in the stores i wonder how effective they really can be. part of why i switched GI docs :)

starting about two weeks after going off antibiotics i started having on and off cramping as well. felt like menstrual cramps (which they may also have been partially since i still haven't gotten that back yet). it has died down a lot in the past couple weeks but i still get it sometimes. my new GI doc said that it is likely due to the GI tract working harder to try and digest and break down everything while all your good flora is growing back. my mother who is a pharmacist has also told me that after any type of GI bug/infection that you tend to develop some intolerances to things, ie dairy, for a period of time. i used to down milk all the time but now i think it does affect my GI system differently. i dont' think i'm intolerant to it but i think i do digest it differently than i used to.

yeah, my GI doc said once i hit 3 months then that is generally the safe point since that's about how long on avg it takes for the good flora to grow back. i had also read on this site prior to him saying that that about 12 weeks is the safe point. so when he said 3 months that made me happy knowing that what he said matched what i'd read those who have been through it say :) i know i will definitely be avoiding antibiotics for the rest of my life now for sure! i think the last time i had it was for strep throat as a kid. and i agree when i hear people talk about taking antibiotics... it just makes me cringe now!!! i warn pretty much everyone i know when i hear the word "antibiotic" pop up in any conversation!

Nancy1
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Re: c-diff and post-partum

Postby Nancy1 » Mon Feb 06, 2012 11:44 pm

Re weight loss and appetite issues, I lost 27 pounds to cdiff. What helped me to get my appetite back during cdiff was Primadophilus reuteri. That was the only probiotic I took that I can say definitely made a difference. After I recovered from cdiff, it took me 2 years to gain back the weight that I lost. A lot of foods didn't agree with me (mostly things with fiber or fat), so I was very careful about what I ate.

youngmom28
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Re: c-diff and post-partum

Postby youngmom28 » Tue Feb 07, 2012 1:13 am

Hello!
I ended up losing 93 pounds including 31 of baby weight. I did not eat for days at a time as well as after cdiff i had no apetite. I was dx 2 weeks exactly from the date of my csection and then had it for a good 7 months with no apetite. My appetite came back about 3 months post cdiff. I am finally eating whatever I like and am maintaining a healthy weight. I was for sure overweight before, but I am now checking in at 121 for the last 2 months as Im eating now.

You will get through this! I promise...it gets better!

beth22
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Re: c-diff and post-partum

Postby beth22 » Tue Feb 07, 2012 1:32 am

I totally agree with what nutmegchan said about treating a positive result if your bms are ok. I tested positive intermittently for about a year post c diff. I still have IBS type issues and food intolerances (I also have SIBO), but my tests have all been negative for a year now. I only took Pepto Bismol. Before, when I would treat with vanco, I just kept on relapsing and going back to square one. However, back then, the relapses were full blown infections, with D, etc. When I just tested positive and the D abated after a day or two, I did not treat and I am glad I didn't. The Pepto helped and it was a better choice for me than the vanco at that point.

Cm517
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Re: c-diff and post-partum

Postby Cm517 » Tue Feb 07, 2012 11:33 am

All great advice and thanks again! I am so happy I decided to finally post. It made getting through those last few days where I thought I was relapsing better. I called my GI and they said not to retest as well. Only if I begin to have d again because it is difficult to test formed stools.
It also is good to know that the weight and appetite issues were things you all experienced and they will slowly got back to normal. My good friend who is an ER doctor has continued to tell me that it will take my body just as long to recover as it did for me to have the cdiff (so 7 months)!
I will begin the vsl#3 tomorrow and continue to be thankful for each day I feel symptom free.

Nutmegchan- What is the difference between the vsl#3 packets and the pills. I know the pills don't have as many per billion but they are less expensive. Did you doctor decipher at all between the two?

Cory

nutmegchan
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Re: c-diff and post-partum

Postby nutmegchan » Tue Feb 07, 2012 11:41 am

my doctor didn't specify, but from what i can tell there is no difference. just one in capsule one in packs. the capsules though are only half the amount of what's in the packets so two capsules = one packet. i'm currently taking one pack every other day so that would be the equivalent of taking one capsule every day. i'm not sure why the price difference is so much though. because you're still getting the same amount per bottle/box. 30 packs = 60 capsules. either one should work though i would imagine :)

beth22
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Re: c-diff and post-partum

Postby beth22 » Tue Feb 07, 2012 3:59 pm

I use the capsules. I don't even take a whole one because I don't tolerate probiotics well, so a packet would be a waste for me. I empty out part of the capsule and close it back up and keep it for the next day in the refrigerator. It works for me and when I had a comp stool analysis done, it showed I had good bacteria, especially the bifidobacterium. So, evidently, the VSL is working.

renamom
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Re: c-diff and post-partum

Postby renamom » Tue Feb 07, 2012 11:50 pm

Quick comment bc I'm trying to change a dirty baby, I have a hell of IBS symptoms post cdiff! Sometimes it feels like I'm about to relapse but I don't. I drives me crazy!! But as long as I have no cdiff I'll deal with the bad IBS


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