doctor says he is sure I have C. Diff.

[omgushove]

Before a few days ago I had no idea what C Diff was until I started showing symptoms. After 5 days I decided to get a consult. He automatically told me C Diff. and wanted to get me a shot of antibiotics on the spot (lincomycin) and then sent me home with a bottle of Flagyl (28 pills). I questioned him if there was any tests to be done to rule out other things and all I got was a cotton swab that I used to wipe after a BM was told it would come back a week later.....My question for those experienced with C diff. is should I start antibiotics now before the tests come back or wait? From what Ive read on here it could turn deadly :S . . OmgUshove btw I'm 22. Los Angeles any other doctor recommendations around this area?

[AndyShax]

He wanted to inject you with Lincomycin for what?
This guy is dangerous, move on please and find a physician with a clue, and ask for a stool micriobiology test for parasites and pathogenic bacteria including cdiff.
Leave the Flagyl alone until you get some real answers.

[omgushove]

I have no clue - to be honest I had no Idea what it was until I got home and looked it up.

However it stopped everything...

I'll see what happens in the morning if my symptoms come back or not. But from the list of symptoms online and pictures it seems exactly what I am experiencing.

Anyone happen to know a Dr. in the LA area where I can get fast results? And experienced with C diff?

Thanks

omgushove

Edit: My cousin (M.D.) said it didn't make sense to use lincomycin (Clindamycin here in the US)

[AllisS]

Clindamycin is one of, if not THE, top-offending antibiotic for CAUSING C. difficile. That is how I got it; I was prescribed clindamycin after a tear-duct/nasal-passage outpatient day surgery last summer.

[Kathy George]

OK….. Let’s have a time out!!!!! Your doctor is a ’QUACK’. If the doctor shot you up with Lncomycin due to assuming you had C-diff, then he is way off base. This medication can actually cause C-diff. Quite honestly, you probably never had C-Diff and in all likelihood your symptoms were viral in nature. If symptoms return a PCR test is necessary to determine if C-Diff is the culprit. However, you stated that the Lincomycin helped!!! Consequently, doctor was way off base with his assumption. Take care and please keep us updated!!
Kathy

[omgushove]

Last night was the first night I have been able to get more than 3 hours of sleep. Woke up this morning feeling alright - then it started again. Wasn't the D but after 4 BM's in 2 hours upon waking up it was the kind of D that everybody seems to experience here.

After reading the replies and hearing what my cousin (M.D.) had to say I will definitely try getting another consult from another doctor tomorrow.

However my cousin did tell me if the D started again to go ahead with the flagyl?

Prior to this I have not used antibiotics for 3 years+. I however read that Nexium for GERD has to possibility of raising risks for catching C. Diff.

To be quite frank, I am very scared right now as I do not know how exactly to go about the next step.
How do I find a doctor that can give an adequate test with fast results? (not one that takes an entire week)?

I just want to know what is happening to me and fix it. I am 22 years old. Living alone with my parents on the other side of the world with the closest relative being a 6 hour flight away. I am beyond scared and hopeless right now. I don't even know how I can attend my class tomorrow for my exam review.

How can a find a doctor that would schedule an appointment faster than 2 weeks :'(

[AndyShax]

What country are you in?
Do you have 24hr clinics where you can get a fast MD appointment?
If not you can go to hospital ER complain of bad diarrea and ask for stool test for parasites and Cdiff.

Flagyl is toxic, wipes out your anaerobic gut flora, and causes nasty side effects. You dont want to take it unless you really need it.

[Bobbie]

PPI's (Nexium is one) have been implicated in causing C. diff. Don't panic. I was on one for years without C. diff. Then got C. diff. while off it.

Do you have acid reflux? Zantac (generic) works as well for me as the PPI did.

I agree- get to an ER. Might be "just the flu" but scary when you are not at home - or when you are home.

I don't understand if you are in LA or in a foreign country. If in LA, contact Beth (one of our mods) who lives in LA. She is having surgery tomorow so contact her early in the morning or in the late afternoon. Ask her husband where to go if she is asleep.

Let us know what happens.

[Bobbie]

Thx., Roy. She shouldn't have problems finding help there. Post was unclear as to where she is.

[omgushove]

First off, thank you guys for being incredibly supportive.

I'm actually a guy (lol) , currently living in Los Angeles, CA - been living here on my own since 18.

Bobbi - Yes, I have been diagnosed with GERD and found out I had a healed ulcer during an endoscopy

I ended up being able to schedule an appointment with a GI on Wednesday.

Unlike the pervious doctor (which I will get to in a moment), the GI sent me to a lab to get tested for C Diff. and for parasites - no cotton swab this time!

He didn't exactly tell me what to do except to not take the Flagyl prescribed by the previous doctor. Just told me to eat more fiber.
Lab results won't come back until next Weds where I have another appointment.

This have gotten a lot better since then (thank you guys so much here at cdiffdiscuss).

*** TMI on my current condition warning!

So for the past few days I have no longer been running to the bathroom 15-30 times a day to pass yellow mucus D. It seems to be roughly 1-3 times during the morning now. Still yellow and even though it is now solid first thing in the morning it is followed by the kind of D Roy has previously described earlier in this thread. But this is now only in the morning. The cramping/rectal pressure seems to have dulled out.

I have been taking Schiff's digestive advantage though for close to a week now and could possibly be the reason why my BM's are getting more normal/regular. Which I hope continues.


***

NOW. As for the Doctor's you guys have called a QUAK and dangerous - THERE IS MORE TO THE STORY!!

SO!

He gave me a shot of Clindamycin which helped for the day.

My current GI thought it was incredibly weird when I told him this information and told me Clindamycin might have been one of the very first antibiotics shown to cause high risk of C diff.

But here is the catch. As he pulled the vial of Clindamycin from his drawer to withdraw into the needle - I noticed there were Chinese characters on the vial (I am living in the US). Before I knew it he was giving me the shot while I asked him where he got the vial from. He told me Taiwan.

The only reason I know it was clindamycin was because there were the words Linco under there and knowing what the Chinese characters where due to the fact I studied mandarin in high school and now currently in college - I was able to find out what exactly it was I saw.

So. He gave me a shot of antibiotics that he or someone else brought back into the US from Taiwan. But thats not all. He gave me two bottles of prescription meds to go with it, Metronidazole (Flagyl) and Donnatal. This was a first, as I was accustomed to having a Dr. write a script where I then go to the local pharmacy to pick up. THESE TOO were from TAIWAN according to him. He told me he didn't believe in how the US healthcare is being run with such high costs on medicine and tests and thus the reason to use the stuff from Taiwan and that it is exactly the same thing - which I do not doubt.

HOWEVER - how is this possibly legal? I looked online and found out that he is licensed by the state of California :S .....


*****
Sorry guys for such a long post - I have a question.

So I was reading the FAQ's on this forum about cleaning. Today I bleached my entire bathroom, room, clothes, etc. as I did not wish to infect my roommates if I did in fact have C diff

During the process I ended up getting BLEACH into on of my eyes lol...I just seem to be having bad luck (got rear ended at LAX today too)

Instead of going to the ER because I'm your typical broke college student, I found an optometrist still opened! (8:25pm). Turns out it was only minimal damage and that I should be fine within a few days. I was prescribed Ciprofloxacin. After reading up a lot on C diff this recent week I have become rather paranoid of all antibiotics. Does anybody have any suggestions or experience with using Cipro eye drops? I know the oral ones seem to be a cause of C diff too, but how about the eye drops? the pharmacist said it doesn't even go to the intestines?

THANK YOU GUYS ALL SO MUCH - this is one of the most supportive/understanding communities that I have found.

omgushove

[gm37]

Wow! You have quite a story! Sounds like you are on the right track with your testing and seeing a GI. C-diff is such an odd illness. You can have good and bad days.
About the eyedrops.... I really don't know. You might call your pharmacist and ask. They know more about drugs than doctors do. I used antibiotic eyedrops for an infection and had no problems.
Hang in there and keep us posted. Fascinating stuff about the drugs from Taiwan.
Anne

[getwellsoon]

Yes, call a pharmacist and ask. I think it is much less likely to cause problems with Cdiff but since you are having problems right now it might not be wise to take them. YOu could call and ask if they could prescribe something less than Cipro eyedrops. Cipro is a big offender for CDiff. That said, you must treat the eye so if there is nothing else you can take you will have to take the chance. At least you have a test in now and if you do have it you will start meds and feel better soon. I'm glad you seem to be recovering on your own. Keep us posted and stay away from that first Dr. I think he is doing illegal things. Carol

[Bobbie]

Cipro is big offender with C. diff. However, there is little "drainage" between eye and rest of body. You can reduce this further by holding your finger at side of eye you have put drops in - blocks off tear ducts. Double check this as a long time since I've done this. I had a series of eye infection and always ask for sulfa - not big offender - even though I broke out from sulfa once.

I would not use this doc. again. Several years ago, there were reports of "tainted" drugs from the Orient. Your current GI sounds fine. We also have a Doctors Forum on thi site that lists docs. posters have used and recommended.

For list of antibiotics see CDI - Antibiotics. Remember, however, almost any antibiotic (including Flagyl - rarely) can cause C.diff.

Clindamycin was first antibiotic implicated in contributing to C. diff.

You sound as tho. you have my brand of luck - bad.Welcome to the site. Am glad it has been helpful.

[Kathy George]

I reluctantly used antibiotic Eye Drops for symptoms of a feeling of a foreign object, burning, itching within my left eye. Doctor gave me instructions in regard to instilling drops into the eye while blocking the duct so that very little drainage and systemic absorption could occur. I was told to place one finger at the inner corner of my eye (near the nose) and apply gentle pressure for 30 seconds. This technique should keep the eye drops within the eye thus prohibiting drainage through the tear duct. I had no ill side effect!!! Take care!!!!
Kathy

[GGB]

I had the same thing happen to me last Thursday (the 7th). I was cleaning bathroom and accidentally got bleach into my right eye. Called opthomologist office and was told all doctors were in surgury. Nurse said to rinse eye with water for 15-10 minutes. Easier said than done. She said to come into office later in the afternoon (turned out to be about 4 and 1/2 hours after accident happened). Was seeing double and could hardly see anything on the eye chart. He said my eye had swollen but he did not think there would be much permanent damage. Was really painful. The best thing about the office visit was when they put numbing drops into my eye for the eye exam. I can notice a little difference with my vision now but feel so fortunate that it was not worse. Such a freaky think to happen. He did not put me on any antibiotic drops. He said if I did not have c-diff history that he would have probably prescribed steroid drops but he thought I would be alright without them. He seemed to know more about c-diff than the g.i.

Best of luck to you. Praying your do not have permanent damage to your eye.

Sylvia