Will it ever go away?

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Mel826
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Posts: 1
Joined: Fri Jun 09, 2017 6:13 am

Will it ever go away?

Postby Mel826 » Fri Jun 09, 2017 6:42 am

Hi, I am 30 years old. I have multiple sclerosis. On March 23 I was on vacation with my family and a cold I had turned into a sinus infection and ear infection. At the time I was in so much pain I couldn't think straight and I raced to urgent care when they have me a very broad spectrum antibiotic. I took that for ten days. Maybe about 15 days or so after starting the antibiotic I began having diarrhea and some minor stomach cramping. I didn't think much of it at first. About a week into that the stomach cramping was horrid and I could barely accomplish anything in my day. I was having 8-10 (maybe more) bouts of diarrhea per day. I finally decided to go to the emergency room. I tested positive for cdiff. They put me on flagyl for 10 days I believe. After three days the cramping subsided and I started feeling better. By day ten I even had pretty normal stools.
Two-three days after I finished the antibiotics I awoke and knew it was back. The stomach pains were full force and I had three bouts of diarrhea before breakfast. It continued on and got to the point that I began to almost black out several times. I got so nervous that I again rushed to the emergency room. They kept me all day as my heart rate would not go below 130. They said it was all from dehydration.

Anyways, they gave me another script for flagyl and one for vancomycin. At first my insurance didn't want to cover the vanco. So while the docs sorted it out I began the flagyl. I took the whole course and again was feeling better. It took a week before they got me my vanco script filled. When I got it, I was feeling fine on flagyl so I figured I'd hold off on taking it. Two days after completing round two my stomach began feeling a little "off" and I had a small amount of diarrhea. I immediately started the vanco script figuring if I only got rid of say 97% again I will take this stronger drug to kill it off before it's in full force again. I was on vanco for over two weeks. (It was a two week script but they had me taking it every six hours but I never got up in the middle of the night to take it so I took three per day and just took it for extra days.

Now I am two days post completing the vanco and my stomach feels a little wonky. I wouldn't say pain... But just not how it has felt the last two weeks. I'm so nervous that it isn't gone. Or that my fear of it coming back is taking over and basically making me addicted to antibiotics!!

Is it normal to feel weird or have stomach symptoms after finishing the antibiotic even if you felt fine while taking them? Could this be because of the antibiotics or is it most likely the cdiff is not gone again?

Did I screw up by not setting an alarm to take the antibiotic every six hours even in the middle of the night or is it just most important that I took them all?

Is there anything I can do besides take antibiotics? I've been drinking kefir and taking probiotics and eating yogurt the whole time to help my good gut bacteria.

I don't like antibiotics and I can't believe I let myself get into this mess over an ear infection. I just want to be fine with it. It scares me because I start getting so nervous towards the end of the antibiotic thinking that once it's done the cdiff will return.

Any advice you may have would be so appreciated! Do I wait to see if everything starts up again before panicking or is the small amount of diarrhea and stomach feeling off enough of a sign? I'm so tired of being so stressed over this!

Ril
Long Time Contributor
Posts: 1837
Joined: Sat Oct 27, 2012 2:45 pm

Re: Will it ever go away?

Postby Ril » Fri Jun 09, 2017 8:52 am

Hello Mel and welcome to the site. Please read the first thread on rules for posting.
Most people do not get up during the night to take a dose of vanco so don't worry about that. The doses are divided up during daytime hours. In hindsight it would have been better to have taken it 4 times/day rather than 3 with the full doses taken each day.

What you are describing may well be early recovery. Recovery from c diff is a tricky thing. Stools do not go back to your old "normal", many still get nausea and feel generally unwell for a while, there may be cramps and some urgency - PI IBS, and there are food intolerances. Just watch that watery d doesn't resume again. We go by the 3 day rule- 3 watery stools/day for 3 days is cause for concern.

Read the CDI section of this site. There is much good information.
Sorry you are here and going through this but wish you well. Hope you are on the way to recovery.

Rita

NanciT
Long Time Contributor
Posts: 3035
Joined: Thu Sep 18, 2014 12:01 pm

Re: Will it ever go away?

Postby NanciT » Fri Jun 09, 2017 11:35 am

Hi Mel another Welcome to the site

It does sound like recovery which can take some time for things to get back to "normal". If symptoms continue, I would recommend to follow up with a GI. It's good to have one post CDIFF if you have symptoms and many often do. I continued on with the probiotic and still take it two years later.
Watch your diet in recovery and add new foods slowly.

Hopefully this will pass and you will be on your way

Feel better soon

NanciT


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