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Re: Having my first relapse

Posted: Tue Nov 21, 2017 10:45 pm
by MrsM25
Yeah, that’s the worst part. My appetite says eat everything but my colon says otherwise. I have not had any issues since going back on the vanco but I really don’t want to push it. And yes, I’m sure I will be feeling slightly sorry for myself when I see all of the lovely pies that I am not allowed to eat!! Haha...but I will literally do anything at this point to get rid of cdiff. Small sacrifices I suppose.

Re: Having my first relapse

Posted: Wed Nov 22, 2017 1:00 am
by georgina
You can indulge in whatever you want but you need to be ready to pay for it later. If you wanna stay safe on Thanksgiving eat the bland foods : turkey , mash , baked potatoes , green beans , carrots . Do stay away from gravy and excess sugar , alcohol , they might give you nasty symptoms.

Re: Having my first relapse

Posted: Wed Nov 22, 2017 3:54 pm
by Momma
What is considered a relapse? I have been off vaco for a week and am having symptoms, I am under a great deal of stress could this be the cause?

Re: Having my first relapse

Posted: Wed Nov 22, 2017 6:01 pm
by amg
Hi Momma,

A relapse is when you haven't completely eradicated the c diff from your system, and your immune system can't fight it off, and you become sick again with active disease. People can relapse anywhere from a few days to weeks or months after.

This is different from intermittent stomach "issues" during recovery. (Recovery is the days/weeks/months your intestine is healing after being treated)

Stress can definitely cause gut issues in the recover period following c diff. So can certain foods, menstrual periods, alcohol, coffee. The increased gut issues after c diff can be referred to as post-infectious irritable bowel syndrome. You will see it referred to as PI-IBS on this site.

It's important to distinguish a true relapse from the little stumbling blocks the gut can have in recovery, because a true relapse needs treatment just like you needed treatment the first time.

Good luck!

Re: Having my first relapse

Posted: Wed Nov 22, 2017 8:05 pm
by MrsM25
Yes, exactly what amg said! The major thing that happened when I relapsed was I got seriously horrible stomach cramping and diarrhea which progressively got worse over even hours. I went from feeling like I was in recovery to bam, full on D and awful pain and gas. I was going 20 times a day in full relapse again and had a lot of M and the awful smell returned. I also got really bad body aches and fever like I had the flu. I don’t even remember the initial infection being that bad. But as soon as I was back on the vanco I was feeling 90% better. Hoping this round does the trick! Fingers crossed! Hope you feel better momma and it’s just a little bump in the road to recovery for you!

Re: Having my first relapse

Posted: Wed Nov 22, 2017 11:05 pm
by Mimi2020
Hi! I relapsed after my first course of Vanco too. Then my microbiologist had me take a 3 months course of Vanco with a taper that did the trick. It has been a little over a year since I took the last pill, and although I still suffer from IBS, I haven’t had a relapse. I’m stil taking 2 Florastor and one Bio-K capsule a day, and I eat sour kraut, drink organic Kéfir and eat mostly cooked vegetables. What helped me gain my energy back was drinking smoothies every day for lunch ( I mix strawberries,blackberries,raspberries, pear, apple and Kale) in my Vitamix. I can’t eat an apple ( I’ll see the pieces in the toilet the next day, but when the fruits are processed in the blender, I have no problems. I strongly recommend those smoothies, they will help you get your vitamins and energy back. So, yes, there is hope and you can be cured with another course of Vancomicyn with a taper. Keep your spirits up, there is light at the end of the tunnel.

Re: Having my first relapse

Posted: Wed Nov 22, 2017 11:38 pm
by MrsM25
Thanks Mimi2020! Hoping that the second round works although he did not do a taper, just another 10 day course of vanco. Feeling nervous about relapse again but I’m trying to stay positive. The smoothie thing sounds like a great idea. I love fruit but the only thing I’ve been able to tolerate are bananas so smoothies sound like a great option. I mistakenly got bold and ate an apple the night before I relapsed. Not one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.

Re: Having my first relapse

Posted: Thu Nov 23, 2017 11:06 pm
by Ril
Hello Momma and welcome to the site. Since this was your first post, please read the first thread on rules for posting.

You didn’t say what your symptoms are so we generally use the 3 day rule here- 3 or more episodes of watery d for 3 days is probably signs of a relapse. Soft stools, going several times/day, patterns different than before c diff are all common after c diff and can part of recovery and/or post infectious IBS.

Watch what you eat and stick to a bland diet.

Rita

Re: Having my first relapse

Posted: Thu Nov 23, 2017 11:52 pm
by MrsM25
What do you all do for probiotic usage? I’ve got 3 days left now of this vanco course and then it’s wait and see again. I have been doing 2 florastar in the morning and 2 at night, I drink kefir (1 cup a day), I’ve been taking align once a day spaced out between my vanco doses and I just received VSL #3. I took one of those today instead of the align. With my first vanco course and leading up to my relapse I did the 2 florastar in the morning and 2 at night and kefir once a day but still relapsed so hoping that VSL #3 adds a little something extra this time since so many on this site recommend it. On the bottle though it says you can take between 1 and I think 16 a day? How many do you all take? Any other recommendations? Thanks! Hope everyone enjoyed their thanksgiving!

Re: Having my first relapse

Posted: Fri Nov 24, 2017 1:36 am
by georgina
You have enough probiotic , you definitely do not need to add anything else. Do not overdo it with probiotics because you might get some symptoms from them that would send you into panic mode. Just take whatever you have now and watch your diet and let the Vanco do it's job . Hopefully this round of meds will do the trick.

Re: Having my first relapse

Posted: Fri Nov 24, 2017 6:11 pm
by MrsM25
Thank you Georgina! Feeling hopeful. This is the most normal my movements have been since before the c diff. I still have the rest of today, tomorrow and Sunday left for the vanco. First round of vanco, I never really got formed movements and then I relapsed a week later. Praying that the formed ones are a good sign but I’m not about to count my chickens before they hatch. One day at a time, right? Thanksgiving went well. I tried to be careful with what I ate but honestly, I snuck in a few bad things (apple pie and Brussel sprouts) and nothing seemed to effect me at all, had a normal movement today, no D. I haven’t had D in several days. Only thing I haven’t tried to sneak in yet since this second vanco course started is coffee. Scared of that one but it’s the one thing I am DYING for! Has anyone successfully done decaf coffee? I have silk creamer but I’m scared to try!!

Re: Having my first relapse

Posted: Sun Nov 26, 2017 10:48 pm
by MrsM25
Ready or not, here I go. One more vanco to take before bed and I am officially done with my second course. Praying for a better outcome this time. Feeling nervous!

Re: Having my first relapse

Posted: Sun Nov 26, 2017 11:22 pm
by Ril
Good luck! The second course of meds was the charm for me.

Try to resist the temptation for eating the “wrong” meds or you won’t know what possible symptoms are coming from and might panic for no reason.

Re: Having my first relapse

Posted: Mon Nov 27, 2017 1:10 pm
by MrsM25
Thank you Ril! I will try very hard to stick to my bland foods. I’m hoping that this round does the trick for me as well. First day off of vanco, yikes!

Re: Having my first relapse

Posted: Wed Nov 29, 2017 6:30 pm
by MrsM25
Ok, 3 days post second course of vanco. I was feeling well until today. It started this morning with some cramping and gas. I went to the bathroom thinking something more exciting would happen but I had a formed movement, no D. Cramping has subsided for now but now I am running a low grade fever (99.2) and feeling a bit run down. This is exactly how I felt with my original relapse but not quite as severe and no D this time. So, my question is, do you think I am slowly beginning relapse again only after 3 days or could this be PI-IBS even with the low grade fever. The only thing that is confusing me is I don’t have any D and with my first relapse, I had terrible cramping, D and M even before the fevers started. Ugh, I just want this to end.