Not typical symptoms

[Ashley20]

I took my last flagyl dose on Aug 23, i have only been treated with a 10 day flagyl course. Initially i only had D for one day where i felt really sick but then things seemed to resolve on its own, doctors still had me take the flagyl. I had a negative test on September 25, the test was an EIA. In November i had a week of D and truly believed i had relapsed, doctor ordered a stool sample and it got lost at the lab, so i never knew the result. Since the D stopped and my stools went back to one a day and formed, doctors told me not to retest. I haveva hard time believing that cdiff is gone. I sometimes get D if i eat a certain food but its only happened twice and then things go back to normal. I do have daily lower back cramping, usually after a meal or at night. I also have bad nausea in the mornings, especially when brushing my teeth. The cramping on my lower back is what makes me think i still have the cdiff but since i dont have the ongoing D, i think doctors will not treat. Should i be concerned with these symptoms? I have lost 38 pounds since August and still losing about 5 pounds a week. I do eat food, i can eat almost everything, my stomach does rumble and make wierd noises after certain meals. I only take one Florastor a day and i eat yogurt and drink kiefer. How many of you had lower back cramping with cdiff? Is this IBS or is the cramping from the cdiff hurting my colon?

[Ashley20]

Also, my baby tested positive for Cdiff by the Antigen test, i don't know what test that is. Im exposed to his diaper changes on a daily basis. I do take my precautions. He sees a GI on December 17 and he will be retested. Im hoping he comes back negative. But since he is not being treated, what are the chances that his body kicked it out on its own by now?

[seekingcure]

Ashley, I'm so sorry to hear you are still having problems. The thing that I would be most concerned with is the continuing weight loss. Are you breastfeeding or can think of any other explanation for the weight loss? Would think your doctor should be looking into what is causing that. Also, they need to find the reason for the continued lower back cramping. I never had pain in my back that was colon related, but I guess it's possible. Could it be actually coming from the back, maybe from lifting and carrying the baby and everything that goes along with taking a little one places? My pain is typically in the left lower abdomen, which is the descending colon and I think mine is from diverticulosis and/or IBS. I have had it mostly off and on since c-diff.

It's fairly typical for babies to carry c-diff and test positive until they are at least three years old. If he is not having diarrhea, even if he tests positive, it's probably nothing to be concerned about (other than being careful not to expose yourself.)

[Ashley20]

I think my weight loss could be anxiety? Since this all started i have extreme anxiety and depression. I made fish today and some steamed vegetables, its really hard to cook for my family...i wash my hands so much and still panic when going about touching things around my kitchen. My family thinks im crazy.. i miss my carefree days and the joy in my life which was tending to my family. I think cdiff has affected me more emotionally than physically. .but in turn the anxiety is hurting me physically :/ Thank you for your response, it lightens myvday to talk to someone who understands.

[beth22]

I would ask to be tested to see if you still have it. SIBO can cause those symptoms too and weight loss. That is what I had after c diff and I got a lot of food intolerances, gas, and kept losing weight. There is a breath test to test for it.

[Ashley20]

I will ask my GI to test me for SIBO. Do you think i could still have cdiff without the D? I usually go once a day and in the morning...always well formed. What test should i ask for? Pcr? I think my GI uses EIA. Did you have lower back cramping too?

[seekingcure]

Although the usual hallmark of c-diff is copious diarrhea, I think it is possible to have a low-grade case without having diarrhea, although I think most people even with a low-grade case would likely have several BM's a day and not just one. When you had active c-diff, did you have a lot of diarrhea or did you have symptoms more similar to the low back cramping, noisy stomach, etc. that you are having now? How are you feeling overall? When I had c-diff, I felt generally unwell and very fatigued, in addition to the GI issues. The test I always had was PCR, which is said to be accurate, but I believe it will also show a colonization with c-diff that is not producing toxins. Roy had a post somewhere about the best testing, but I can't seem to locate it right now. Roy, if you see this, will you refresh my memory? Or if anyone else can shed some light on this, please chime in.

If you do test positive that doesn't necessarily mean that you should rush into re-treating. The antibiotics that kill c-diff also kill good bacteria as well so that's not always the best route to go. Some posters (Beth is one) have tested positive and used small amounts of pepto bismol and subsequently tested negative. Another idea is to try some EnteraGam. It is a prescription medical food that is supposed to help IBS and also is said to remove some of the toxins from c-diff, so it might help with a low-grade case. You might ask your doctor what he thinks about trying some Pepto or the EnteraGam to see if that gives you any relief from symptoms.

[Ashley20]

When i first had cdiff i had alot of WD for one day. It then turned into mush or unformed stools even before i treated. During flagyl and after flagyl i began having formed stools and mushy stools. I had alot of bloating and gas and nausea. As more time has passed my stools have got alot better, usually only once a day and well formed. I dont have bloating or gassiness anymore. The nausea is usually in the mornings. I actually didnt have lower back cramping till this month...its a new symptom that came about after having D for a week in the beginning of this month. I will ask my GI for enteragram...i have an appt on Dec 3...i have only seen him once. Im hoping he wont want to do a colonoscopy cause i sure don't want to.

[Ashley20]

I also had a few days of constipation before starting the flagyl. And i was drinking apple cider vinegar before treatment and it actually formed my stools and they looked normal...doctor still had me take the flagyl and ever since then i have only had the diarrhea a few times. During the first month after treatment i was going 1 to 3 times a day. But that changed to once a day as time went by.

[Lisa33]

In my opinion, it doesn't sound like you have an active c-diff infection. Are you eating enough calories per day? Not eating enough can produce acid in your stomach, which can create nausea, especially in the morning. Nausea has been one of my biggest issues. I also suffer from nausea a lot, especially in the morning. When my IBS kicks in, the nausea also kicks in big time. I am not sure what the reason is for the cramping in your lower back, but I had weird issues that were unexplained in recovery. For me, once I changed my diet to a gluten free one and really ate clean and healthy, my overall well-being felt better and the weird symptoms went away. Some of my symptoms, were pain in the middle of my back on the left side, as well as fogginess, extreme fatigue and achiness. Have you gotten a complete blood workup since treating c-diff just to make sure that you aren't deficient in anything? Maybe get a urine test done too, since you are having back pain just to rule out any UTI or kidney thing. And, I also think the anxiety can be contributing to your weight loss and symptoms as well. When my anxiety is through the roof, I lose my appetite. My opinion, for what it's worth is to try and focus on getting your anxiety levels down, focus on your calorie intake and diet and make sure you are getting the supplements that you need to boost your immune system up.

Also, if you decide to retest, I think that the labs won't always test on formed stool. Bobbie has written about this in some posts. I think your doctor may have to request a test for formed stools. I may be wrong, but I'm pretty sure I've read this by Bobbie before.

i hope you and your son continue to move on from this ordeal and don't have to think about c-diff anymore. Feel better.
Lisa

[Ashley20]

Thnks Lisa, i am starting therapy and seeing a homeopathic doctor to try to get my anxiety and depression under control. I tried zoloft but had an allergic reaction to it. I had a CBC done and everything came back normal but they didn't check for vitamin and mineral deficiencies. I need to start walking and getting out more too. I admire all you moms who are able to get past this and continue enjoying life and caring for your babies....for me its a daily battle, i have become extremely OCD and have a hard time functioning at my house and doing my household chores. Cdiff has left me completely paranoid and i wonder if i will ever be able to have my life back.

[Lisa33]

You will have your life back. I think we are all left with some anxiety from c-diff. With time it does get better. The further out you go, you should start to ease up on the excessive cleaning, etc. You will get through it. It is very hard as a mom, but you pull through. I guess we have no choice but to pull through. I guess we all become stronger and more educated from this experience.

Hang in there,
Lisa

[beth22]

I was deficient in vitamin D for one. When I started to supplement and my levels became normal, my looser stools firmed up. I don't know if it was coincidence or not, but I think what Lisa said about checking for vitamin and mineral deficiencies is a good idea. Low B12 can also cause symptoms.