Anxious, first time sufferer

[Nikayla]

I am a 28 year old female currently suffering with c diff. I know this is going to be long so I'll try and summarize as much as I can, thank you in advance to anyone who reads this as I feel very alone in what I've been dealing with.

March 10th I had a fever which eventually subsided on the 11th, then really bad heartburn and chest pain on the 12th and 13th which I went to the ER for, I have acid reflux but the burning is always in the back of my throat, never had it in my chest so it sufficiently freaked me out. On the 14th I woke up with diarrhea, had a doctor appt with my primary and mentioned it to her but nothing really came of it.

Once I got home the horror started, I went to the bathroom more and more every hour until I was going about every 20 minutes until the middle of the night. I woke up no better on the 15th and went back to my primary, she suggested I go to the er to get some fluids since I couldn't eat, we went but they decided not to give them to me, but took a stool sample as they suspected c diff (so did I from my googling). Went home that night and they called to say I was positive for a campylobacter bacterial infection and would call back if c diff was positive. They ordered a 3 day course of Cipro which I got on the 16th, 2 pills a day. I started to feel better on the Cipro and foolishly on Sunday the 19th I ate the only more "normal" meal I've had in a month. The following days were awful, insanely bloated and gassy to the point I couldn't sleep, it finally let up but I was back to having 20+ bathroom trips in one day. My symptoms went up and down for well over a week, having one better day here and there followed by multiple bad ones. I eventually figured out that sometimes when I went to the bathroom it was actually nothing but mucous that came out, which sort of racked my body when it happened, it felt like my intestines were clenching or spasming during, this didn't happen when I had more "normal" bowel movements.

I went back to my doctor on the 28th as my symptoms still weren't subsiding, I went off gluten and nothing changed. I've already been off dairy for 3 weeks prior to this starting. Finally on the 31st my doctor decided to try and find the results from my stool culture as they'd never received it, and low and behold I had been positive for c diff the entire time and the hospital never informed me, treated me, or informed my primary. Suffice to say I was angry. My doctor sent a scrip for Metronidazole to Walmart, which just my luck they somehow never received so I had to wait until Monday April 3rd to call my doctor back and tell her.

Saturday the 1st however I started having this pressure under my left ribs after I ate, but it went away throughout the day so I suspected gas again. Sunday the same pressure came after eating and didn't stop. I went to the ER again on Monday but they didn't really do anything, checked my blood and urine and sent me home after taking 2 Flagyl. I told numerous nurses and doctors how I'd come in on the 15th and was never told I came back positive for c diff, none of them really reacted at all to that. My doctor had sent a referral for a ct scan of my abdomen but they didn't think I needed it despite barely being able to stand or sit up because of the pressure under my ribs.

Now today Thursday the 6th it has still yet to subside at all. I finally started my Metronidazole after the Flagyl and have had nausea the last two days especially when eating, my bathroom trips have gotten less everyday since Sunday but it honestly doesn't feel like a good thing. The pressure under my ribs makes it so I can only lay on my left side all day long, and the nausea is making it so I can eat even less than I already was. I've lost 12lbs since this started. I am still going to the bathroom so I don't think I have a full obstruction or anything but I just know something is up. I feel a weird bulge under and to the side of my left ribs which gets worse when I have food on my stomach, I have a lot of gurgling sounds, when I stand up I have extreme pressure under my ribs that doesn't move or go away unless I lay on my side. Does this sound like anything specific to anyone? I don't know if it's just been so long that I went untreated that my inflammation got really bad and is shoving my organs upward, after this many days it's just really worrying me. My primary thinks I'm really bloated but this many days non stop of this pressure, I really can't believe it's just bloating or gas. I finally have a ct scheduled for tomorrow but I don't know how quickly the results will be read, I have a lot of anxiety and I'm trying not to worry too much but it's extremely difficult, I've never been sick this long and this just doesn't feel "normal" to me. If anyone could give me some advice or an idea of what's going on if it sounds like what you've gone through I would greatly appreciate it. Thank you.

[amyc]

It is not normal to be sick so long, and it's completely normal to feel so anxious! Metronidazole is the same drug as flagyl, so you have been on the same medication all along.

I would call your doctor first thing in the morning about your pain. Your doctor can call the hospital and request your CT be read stat, or right away.

If you don't start to feel better pretty soon I would encourage you to talk about switching to vancomycin. Flagyl/metronidazole does work for most cases of C diff, but vanco seems to work faster for some people.

Going undiagnosed and untreated for 2 or 3 weeks isn't terribly unusual, unfortunately. Some folks who have posted here have been misdiagnosed for a couple of months or longer, and were able to be cured, so don't worry about that too much.

Finally, in the future if a script doesn't make it to the pharmacy, please call your doctor's answering service and leave urgent messages. They can call in scripts from home over the weekend. Some doctors will, some won't, but never be reluctant to call.

[Nikayla]

Thank you for the reply and reassurances, I will try to take your advice and see if my primary can request it be read quickly. Unfortunately I just go to a clinic and a nurse practitioner so there was no option to have my scrip issue addressed over the weekend, I left a message Friday about an hour after they closed but no one listens to them until the following Monday. I really hope my results can be read tomorrow and I don't have another wait ahead of me.

[beth22]

Many have pain with the c diff, but you mention left-sided under your ribs. C difficile gave me chronic pancreatitis and pain in that area is one of the symptoms. When you speak to your doctor, you might ask to have your pancreatic enzymes checked. Most likely it is not that, as most people don't get it, but there have been a couple, so I would mention it.

[NanciT]

I would get the CT even if that means going to the ER if you have any issues getting it and the flagyl has not improved things. I would also recommend the DR/NP send you to a GI. Often when Flagyl is not working Vancomycin is the next step but until you have the CT it's tough to know what is going on.
Stick with a very bland diet for now. During CDIFF I bought "Sea Bands" which you can get at any pharmacy and they help with the nausea. I also used a heating pad daily.
With continued pain, CT and lab is what I would ask for, make sure nothing else is going on. Remember, if the diarrhea continues at this rate, you can get dehydrated quickly. Make sure to drink plenty of fluids with electrolytes. I drink "Smart Water".
I hope things improve soon!
NanciT