Negative Test After Positive

[roy]

I would keep the meds in hand for a few days to see if the symptoms resolve without treatment.
Not advice, only what I would do if I had previously tested positive but was asymptomatic at that time.

[Mauler]

I agree Roy. Thx

[Mauler]

So I have not taken the Vanco (yet) and I do not have D but an occasional loose movement. I would consider all my symptoms gone except for some stomach feeling of fullness. I continue to take Florastar (generic because it does not contain lactose) and pb8 twice a day. My concern if anyone has some input is what I read about CDIFF that if untreated could cause toxic megacolon??

[beth22]

Toxic megacolon does not present with an occasional loose movement. It is a very serious condition and very painful. You definitely would know if you had that and would be in the ER. Probiotics can cause loose stools and GI symptoms too. I realize that you are trying to balance your flora, but that may be a reason. It may not be the positive test you had before. I took Pepto Bismol when I had a positive test with few symptoms. Ask your doctor if that is something you might consider. My experience was that vanco made things worse for me because I really should not have used it to begin with, as I was not having WD either. It can actually cause you to have a full blown relapse after you stop it. Questran might be something to consider as well. It binds up the c diff toxins and carries them out and tends to give firmer stools. It is a prescription medication that was originally used for high cholesterol. Some posters have had good luck with it.

[georgina]

I am a nurse , used to work in surgery floor before CDiff , and i have seen lots of toxic megacolon.The condition is dramatic , patient 's looks toxic with high fever , huge abdomen , really painful , sometimes patients have WD every 30 min with or they don't produce BM at all. I agree with Beth , it seems that you don't need the vanco since you are having really mild symptomes.

[Mauler]

So I went for my follow up with the GI. Since my stomach is still crampy with pain after eating coupled with loose bm and occasional diarreah, he wants me to take the vanco. i plan on starting it tonight but do the doses work best if they are exactly six hours apart? Thank you all for your support and messages!

[georgina]

Have you beeen tested?
I never took vanco EXACTLY six hours apart and it worked just fine.

[roy]

I would get another opinion.
5 months ago you tested negative.
You dont have classic symptoms.
See another Dr and get tested before you take meds.

[Ril]

I agree with Roy.
I would get another opinion from a GI or ID dr.
Your symptoms are ping-ponging back and forth and don't seem to be classic c diff.
If it were me, I'd want to be sure I needed any more meds before taking.

[justme]

Mauler: I'll have to weigh in on this one too. The Infectious Disease doctor told me that if I wasn't having 3+ episodes of watery D for 3+ days, the C. Diff was colonized and no longer active. You can still test positive for awhile after colonization. Taking more antibiotics if you are not symptomatic will only further irritate a sensitive colon and prolong recovery. I didn't get retested until a year later when I was in the hospital for a TIA. I was not symptomatic, but it was just to ease the minds of the hospital staff. I was negative. Loose BM with occasional D and cramping is typical of early recovery. Now 3 years later, I still have that from time to time. My recommendation would be to stay on the BART diet (bananas/applies/rice/toast) and keep a food diary to see what you are ingesting that may causing the D. As Beth said, probiotics can also cause loose stool and/or D. I still can't take them and its been 3 years since recovery for me. Try to relax, use a heating pad and Tylenol to ease the pain, and stop worrying about something that is rare and may never happen. If you are still unsure, see an Infectious Disease doctor who is knowledgeable about C. Diff.
Aloha and good luck,
Anne

[millah]

The other thing to note is that if you are experiencing an active c-diff infection (I am not sure if that's the case though), you should definitely not take Imodium. The toxins need to come out, not stay inside.

[Mauler]

Hello group- just wanted to provide an update and hopefully this will help someone else. Again, thank you for all the posts! Your efforts and encouraging words do not go unnoticed. So I sought two opinions in addition to my GI--another GI and Infectious Disease. All three agreed with my original assessment to take the vance so I did. I suppose they were right because around day 4 of vanco I was perfectly normal-- I mean absolutely perfect. Once i finished the meds, I declined for a few days-- loose bowel movements not really type 4 mostly type 5 or 6 on the Bristol Chart, with occasional D for a few days, I had severe nausea and feeling like I wanted to vomit, which included about a total (since the ordeal began) of a loss of 20 pounds bringing me to 150lbs. I gave up Florastor thinking perhaps that was my issue and I felt better once I stopped taking it. One thing that helps me is pepto. I only asked two of the doctors about pepto my GI said a tablespoon a day is fine and the infectious disease doctor said no way do not take anything that will keep toxins in. That same doctor told me I have classic symptoms of someone who will get better and then get worse with shorter intervals in between. Ultimately suggesting that I look into FMT so there is no delay if I should need it. So for now I am on no real meds, just probiotics (PURE 50 billion). The docs agreed that II will restest for cdiff again if I develop bouts of diarrhea and was suggested to only test if it is diarrhea. Again, thank you all for your support and private messages.

[Lisa33]

It sounds like you are in normal recovery. Hopefully the vanco did the trick once and for all. There are several on here who take pepto as well and it does help them. It sounds like you are finally on your way. I wish you continued improvement.

Lisa

[beth22]

Pepto actually has some antimicrobial properties that can be helpful when you have low grade c diff still lingering. My ID told me to take it when I tested positive, but did not have a full blown infection. I took a small amount with meals and a few weeks later tested and was negative. Looking into FMT is not a bad idea.

[amyc]

Hi Mauler, I am happy to hear your doctors agreed to treat the C diff and that you are doing better now! I can not take Florastor at all, so don't feel like you are alone in not being able to tolerate it. Perhaps a teaspoon of Pepto instead of a tablespoon could be enough to help with the post-infectious IBS stuff without causing any concerns about C. I have had several doctors tell me pepto is safe and not powerful enough to mask a relapse or cause C with a C diff infection.