How does it go in remission without treatment?

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mich99
Brand New Poster
Posts: 3
Joined: Wed Jul 26, 2017 9:42 pm

How does it go in remission without treatment?

Postby mich99 » Wed Jul 26, 2017 9:53 pm

I'm so grateful for this site, but I'm still so confused about this diagnosis! I'm barely 18 and have been experiencing severe D and abdominal cramping on and off since February. It all began with what I thought was a violent case of the stomach flu.. severe D & puking, a high fever, severe abdominal cramping, fatigue. It lasted for a week. Since then it has happened again 3 times.. Less severe than the first episode though, with cramping & D, sometimes a low grade fever. I have lost 23 pounds since February from the episodes.

After being unable to track it down to any trigger, as an original doctor tried to tell me to do, and suffering for months, I went to a specialist and finally got the simple specimen tests I needed to get the diagnosis. C. diff. So, back to my question, I'm just confused about how it could lay dormant for many weeks at a time.. after a week or so I would go back to normal and be perfectly fine, like nothing ever happened.. I thought for sure it was some sort of IBD.

I started treatment with Flagyl 3x a day. Pretty sure the culprit was antibiotics - Cipro. I'm just glad to finally have a diagnosis!

Lisa33
Long Time Contributor
Posts: 2430
Joined: Mon Sep 29, 2014 1:45 pm

Re: How does it go in remission without treatment?

Postby Lisa33 » Thu Jul 27, 2017 9:56 am

Hi mich99 - Welcome to the site, but so sorry that you are dealing with c-diff. Please read the first forum for all new users on rules of posting, standard intro, etc. It sounds like your body may have been fighting off the c-diff. I picture it as a tug of war between the good bacteria and the c-diff bacteria. Some posters have had milder cases in which they go through episodes as you have described. Severe, watery D with the urgency to go all day long for at least 3 days in a row is a good indicator of c-diff. All of the other symptoms that you had - fever, abdominal cramping, fatigue are also common symptoms. Vomiting is not as common, but some posters have had that as a symptom as well. All of these symptoms can also be from other pathogens, so it's good to have done a complete pathogen test of your stool to rule out anything else. Most people are tested by PCR for c-diff. A toxin test is usually done to see if you are positive for the toxins, which indicates a c-diff infection. After you are put on treatment, the correct protocol is really not to test for a cure, but go by symptoms alone. Some doctors still retest though. If that's the case, it should be at least 10-14 days after stopping treatment to avoid any false results and over-treating. Flagyl is usually the first line of treatment. I wish it wasn't because many do feel sick from the Flagyl. However, everybody reacts differently, so hopefully you can tolerate it. If not, push for vanco or dificid as they have higher cure rates. Vanco cured me after Flagyl failed, and I had no side effects on vanco. Also, be sure to take probiotics to help replenish the good gut bacteria and ward off the c-diff. VSL-3 and Florastor are very good ones that a lot of us have taken and still take years later. VSL-3 is a live lactic acid bacteria, so be sure to space it out from meds, as the meds will kill it off. Florastor is sacchromyces boulardii, a yeast probiotic that is not killed off by meds. Yogurts with live cultures and fermented foods that you can tolerate can also be helpful. Many also find Kefir to be beneficial. Hopefully, the flagyl does the trick for you once and for all. It can take time for your gut to recover, so don't be surprised if things don't return to normal quickly. It took me 8 months to have only 1-2 BMs daily. Many people also develop food intolerances. But stay positive, and remember that the majority of people are cured after 1-2 rounds of meds.

Good luck to you and feel better,
Lisa


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