Recovery and prescribing meds to take on trips

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slplkaye
Regular User
Posts: 34
Joined: Wed Oct 25, 2017 8:47 pm

Recovery and prescribing meds to take on trips

Postby slplkaye » Thu Nov 16, 2017 3:53 pm

I am an otherwise healthy 35 year old woman who was diagnosed with c diff on October 25th after taking Clindamycin in early September due to cellulitis after a spider bite. I began having diarrhea while on the antibiotics and was told to keep taking them because "everyone has diarrhea on antibiotics". I had diarrhea off and on for weeks before it finally got so bad that I was having diarrhea 20+ times a day. I went to the doctor and was told that I probably didn't have c diff because I didn't have fever and was still going to work and not doubled over in pain. The doctor did both a GDH and EIA test, and they were both positive. He started me on both oral Flagyl and vancomycin. After researching taking these meds orally at the same time, I suspected that this was not "standard practice". I only took the Flagyl for a couple of days and figured out that it was making me sick as a dog! So, I continued with the vanco only and finished my ten-day course on November 4th. My diarrhea stopped on the second day of meds, althout I continued to have 2-3 soft bowel movements a day. After finishing the vancomycin, I felt great for two days, then I started having horrible gas and abdominal pain. I decided to up my Florastor to see if that helped. I continue to have 2-3 bowel movements a day, which are formed, but there is a sense of urgency every time I have to go. If it hits me at work, I am scared to go in fear of infecting someone. Also, my bowel movements are "messy" now. I am using a half a roll of toilet paper and multiple flushable wipes every time I go. Before c diff, I only had a bowel movement every other day. I have questions about recovery:

1. Are the symptoms I am having consistent with recovery?
2. Should I retest?
3. When can I stop bleaching like a crazy person and doing my laundry separately?
4. My doctor kind of blew me off when I asked if he would prescribe vanco or Dificid to take with me on vacation next week. Should I contact him and ask again?
5. What is the average time for relapse? If I make it two weeks off meds due my chances of relapse decrease?
6. Am I putting my family in danger if I share a bathroom with them on vacation?

I am so happy that I have found this group. This is a scary diagnosis and most doctors do not seem to know much about it. I live in a rural area and I cannot get in to see a GI until April. Many of the questions I have had have been answered in this group. Thank you all so much!

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

Re: Recovery and prescribing meds to take on trips

Postby NanciT » Thu Nov 16, 2017 9:10 pm

Hi

As far as relapse, there is no timeline. It can be days, or as long as 2-4 weeks. In my case, it was often 2 weeks but if I recall correctly it was more like 3 after Dificid.
In recovery, BMs can be all over the place. You went from 20 a day to now formed 2-3 which sounds good. As far as the gas and any type of pain, it can take some time and go easy on the diet. I had issues for a very long time with Post IBS, that is what I would talk with the doctor about if it continues.
One important thing is you don't want to treat something that is not there, often we don't test. If diarrhea returns for several days, then I would test.
As far as vacation goes, I still take precautions when sharing a bathroom but that is just me.

It sounds like you are on the road to recovery, watch your diet and continue to take a probiotic. I find VSL#3 helps the post IBS
NanciT

amg
Regular Contributor
Posts: 275
Joined: Sat Oct 01, 2016 3:16 pm

Re: Recovery and prescribing meds to take on trips

Postby amg » Fri Nov 17, 2017 1:17 am

I agree it's good to have a plan in case of relapse while on vacation. You don't want to spend days trying to get treatment because c diff can make you very sick in a short time.

In our case, we traveled to Hawaii right after my daughter had finished a course of Flagyl for a relapse. We did discuss this with her ID doc. He said if she relapsed again, he would prescribe Vancomycin. I called the local pharmacy closest to where we were to stay in Maui, and was told it would take 3 days to get Vanco pills in stock from the mainland, if we brought in a prescription. So our ID doc gave us a prescription for a 4 day supply to get at home before we left on our trip, along with his phone number to call or text him directly if she should have symptoms of a relapse. That way we could start meds quickly, while waiting for the rest of the prescription to come from the Maui pharmacy.

I would recommend you find out where your nearest vacation pharmacy is, ask if they have Vanco or Dificid in stock, get their phone number to have for your doctor, and make sure you have a way to get in contact with your doc if you need him/her to call in a prescription. And if it will be difficult to get to a pharmacy, or if they don't have your meds in stock, then yeah - I'd ask for a more solid plan from your doc.

We all shared one bathroom while on the trip. My daughter ended up not relapsing until after we got home from that vacation, and no one else in our family got c diff. The risk of infecting your family is very low if you aren't having symptoms of active infection while sharing the bathroom.

georgina
Long Time Contributor
Posts: 2635
Joined: Sat Sep 12, 2015 10:07 am

Re: Recovery and prescribing meds to take on trips

Postby georgina » Fri Nov 17, 2017 1:35 am

Sounds like you are experiencing what we call a "normal " recovery . Everything from gas , minor cramps , bloating , abnormal stool is normal during recovery. You should definitely not retest unless you are having the classic relapse symptoms : frequent D , abdominal pain etc. There is no time frame for relapses , but as you probably read most relapses happen in the first month after treatment.
As others said , is good to take precautions if you are traveling , if full blown D returns while you are on your vacation you do not want to wait it out as Cdiff can be dangerous if left untreated , ask your doctor for more vanco to have with you just in case something happens.
When I'm going on a trip I always carry with me a bleach spray bottle.
Hope everything goes well and you will have a great time on your trip!


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