Last dose today. What happens now?

[RomGrl]

Hey guys,

I'm on my very last dose of Vanco. I'm pretty nervous about what to expect the next few days and I tend to over worry. I've read about the 3 x 3 rule. But what should I expect coming off? How can I know for sure it's a relapse?

I tend to gurgle still. I will have just a little Vanco liquid left and Monday I get to see my GI doctor. I guess I'm just wondering what to expect as normal post c diff recovery?

Loose bowels? Rumbling?

[Dusty$@]

I wish you luck.. I had 3 separate antibotics over the last few months including vanco and I am still testing positive ... last one was Deficid.. (very very expensive!! ) sadly nothing seems to work for me - I am headed for a transplant.... I am learning everyday how to protect my gut and strengthen my immune system.. it's a challenge but nothing is as bad as C-Diff. NEVER NEVER AGAIN will I take antibiotics unless on my death bed. There are so many ways to combat illness with out taking antibiotics. Please update you visit... all info helps! Again Good Luck!!!

[RomGrl]

Dang, how did yours start off? What types of symptoms did you have? And I will be sure to update everyone as time goes by! I'm so nervous. I will never take antibiotics again neither.

[roy]

Dusty
You said your testing positive but do your symptoms match the test?
If your being treated just on test results and not having D you might be overtreating.

[Lisa33]

Recovery may be a bit of a rollercoaster ride, especially in the beginning. You should expect BMs to be inconsistent for some time. Mine continued to be loose and yellow for several months. I would have to several times in the morning still - Anywhere from 2-4 times on average. At times, I had D as well. I experienced nausea in the morning for a while as well. But, I would feel good for the rest of the day. The 3 day rule is definitely a good gage. At times, you may feel like you are relapsing, when indeed you're not. I was sure of it one time in early recovery and actually tested to find out I was negative. Many of us are unfortunately left with PI-IBS. Usually you have some good days mixed in with the bad days in early recovery. But as time goes on, the good days start to outnumber the bad ones. You should see continued improvement over time. But if watery D starts to become more frequent and get get worse, then it's a good indication of a relapse. Things will be weird for a while. BM's will most likely not be normal and anxiety may be high as you don't have vanco as your crutch any longer. That's all normal. It actually took me 8 months to have just 1 and sometimes 2 BMs per day. Good luck to you and hopefully you are done with c-diff for good!

Lisa

[RomGrl]

Lisa,

Thank you I'm so scared for tomorrow morning. This anxiety is wrecking me. And I cannot go back on anxiety meds because of the tolerance and withdrawal they caused me in the past. I've been doing a lot of mindful meditation. But I'm so scared.

[Bobbie]

RomGirl,

We are all scared -- and we have to handle it.

Take it a day and an hour at a time. The only person who can deal with this is you.

Let us know how you are doing, best of luck.

[georgina]

Bobbie gave you good advice , take it day by day ,hour by hour. If you feel like anxiety is overwhelming and antianxiety meds are not an option for you , you can discuss with your doctor about trying an antidepressant or you can go to a therapist. Cognitive -behavioral therapy helped some of the posters from this site.

[roy]

If there's a genuine reason for anxiety then it's not wrong to ask for chemical help.
Some of them also calm the gut.

[Ril]

If you have had issues so serious in the past that you can't consider trying small dose anti anxiety meds, there are several, then Georgina's suggestion of antidepressants is a good alternative. There are some that have antianxiety components to them. If things get bad don't hesitate to discuss with your dr.
Try to feel good about a new step towards recovery, as hard as that may be. And other symptoms such as nausea and food intolerances may be present. Choose foods carefully until you see what you can tolerate and best of luck.

Rita

[RomGrl]

Ril & Roy,

That sounds like a good idea. So far, the morning hasn't been bad. Everything is still normal. Just a little M. And from what I understand that is normal. I had a normal dinner last night as well with no issues. I'm hoping it will stay that way. I've been loading up on all the good bugs (probiotics and prebiotics).

You're right, if it does get bad enough there is no shame. We all need a little help sometimes.

I can expect Mucus for a little while correct? I mean with post ibs ?

[maxny1]

Good luck. I am supposed to reduce my pulse regimen from 250mg/day every 3 days to 125mg/day every 3 days next week, and part of me just wants to self-prescribe and keep the 250 going for a few more weeks or even months. I have just 2 BM's/day but I have been fighting this since October and I really cannot afford another recurrence.

I guess the flip side is we have to cease the broad spectrum antibiotics (Vanco) at some point if we want to give our flora a chance to heal.

Either way some anxiety I think is par for the course. I am on a low dose of lexapro (SSRI antidepressant) and I think that helps anxiety as well. I hear ya on benzo's though, the tolerance/withdrawal is no fun so I avoid those, although I was on ativan during my CDI hospitalizations.

[RomGrl]

maxny1 wrote:

I hope you start feeling better soon. So far today has been decent, I have also been able to eat whatever (except excessive amounts of sugar) but I can still tolerate some. I haven't had any bowel issues.

although, I did develop a small external hemmy... It friggin hurts.

[Lisa33]

As time goes on, the anxiety will get better. For now, do whatever it takes to get your mind off of it and to try to keep the anxiety at a minimum. The worrying will only make gut issues worse. We all know how hard this part of recovery is, but you have to think positive and move forward. Everybody gave you great advice. Cognitive behavioral therapy has worked for me in the past. I find that if I immerse myself into everyday life - work, daughter, cooking, etc, my mind stays occupied and the anxiety is kept at bay. You can't sit around waiting for a relapse to happen. And don't be alarmed by weird BMs. Mucus is not indicative of relapse, unless it's accompanying frequent watery D with the urgency to go. Your gut and colon are healing now and you are on your way to a c-diff free life again. That's what you have to keep telling yourself!

[Ril]

Max, you are correct about lexapro. It is an SSRI- antidepressant that also has antianxiety properties. Benzos at low doses are good for some people under a dr's care. That's an issue for each individual and their dr. No shame in anything that helps between PT and dr.
Romgrl, I would just caution you to be careful with high fiber foods. It's good you seem to be tolerating a regular diet but raw vegetables, salad etc seem to be particularly irritating even if you can manage dairy and heavier foods.