cdiffdiscuss.org

Hi all. I’m four week post vanco. Tolerate some foods more than others, but even some foods I couldn’t tolerate while I had c diff and after treatment I’m SLOWLY starting to be able to tolerate again.

I was only on vanco two weeks. How do people tolerate light, social alcohol drinking? Maybe 1-3 beers. I read it can’t make c diff come back. Is that correct? Anyone wanna share their experiences?

I had two beers tonight. Feel fine for the time being, but I am nervous as to how I’ll feel in the morning. Shouldn’t have been peer pressured like it was. But I have missed normalcy and wanted to test the waters.

Neither light nor heavy alcohol use would trigger a recurrence of C. diff. That said, there are many other health-related reasons to avoid heavy use. Decisions about social drinking/light use of alcohol would totally depend on what you as an individual can tolerate GI-wise in terms of any non-C. diff-related discomfort.

I guess I just wanted to see if I could handle a bit of normalcy. My stools had actually been solid the past couple days.

I did have another stool test that unfortunately came back positive for c diff the other day. This is four weeks post vanco. But I saw an id doctor the same day (gi hooked me up, thankfully) and he said based on what I’ve told and showed him (pics), that it was likely a false positive test and that c diff testing can give false positives for “quite some time”. I’ve then read peer reviewed journals and such that said the same thing, that my gi shouldn’t had bothered testing my stool right now, and that combined with the fact I’ve been having really normal stools the past three days made me feel like “what the hell? Let’s just see”.

I felt no worse than I usually do this morning. But my bms have been off. A mixed bag with a solid log, and then two #6s (Bristol chart) with some solid chunks.

For the life of me I can’t remember what my bms looked like back pre cdiff when I drank. Never really paid attention. I’m hoping it was just the alcohol “irritating” my recovery as I haven’t had a sip since New Years aside from last night. Body probably wasn’t used to it. Hopefully will go back to normal(ish) within the next day or two.

First, vivid descriptions of stool belong in TMI please.

That said, your ID dr is of course right. You should not be tested for cure or relapse right after c diff treatment. It should be based on symptoms and you can read about that everywhere on this site and in all literature on c diff. Positive findings can result in overtreatment for no reason so be thankful you saw the ID dr and think about why the GI dr didn’t know the same info?

In terms of the effect of alcohol right after c diff...your gut is healing from an extremely irritating infection. Your best bet is to stick with a bland diet and add new foods slowly. Alcohol is the last thing I would add. It is very irritating and and to me drinking is asking for trouble...and I am no tee totaler. I did not drink wine for a year but I struggled with a rough recovery. It does not sound as though you are having as much difficulty, but I would still be conservative and slow things down.

Rita

If you drink alcohol after c.diff you might get a pain in your foot.

It does not mean c.diff is coming back.
It means you dropped the bottle!

Haha.

I did drink again last night, didn’t plan on it but a friend of mine unexpectedly came for a visit. I’ve been having frequent bouts to the bathroom today (about 8), but they were “normal” except for one which was watery d. No other “dire” symptoms.

Just saw the tmi post, sorry. Will put vivid descriptions there for now on

I think the most important thing to keep in mind is we have been impaired since c diff. My GI told me that healthy Paleo type foods feed the good bacteria and carbs, saturated unhealthy fats feed the bad. Alcohol feeds the bad. I try to keep the balance in check.

I drank alcohol on New Year’s Eve about a month after completing a 6 week Vanco taper and relapsed a week later. Was it the alcohol which is an irritant ... I will never know. But the mistake I made was wanting to be normal when I wasn’t. I could have done far more than I did with probiotics and diet, and even rest and stress reduction during that time. ... so think of it this way, you are at risk for relapse. Just try to take care of yourself and do everything you can to promote restoration of a healthy gut and microbiome for a couple months.

For me it's been almost two years since my last Vanco dose and I can enjoy a glass of white wine or a glass of beer , but just one , if I have a second glass I get crampy.

MKW-
May I ask what your signs of relapse were, and how you got it confirmed?

I’m a 28 year old guy who was generally in good health prior to all this. Not sure if that makes a difference normally, haha.

If it’s tmi, please feel free to PM me

Bobbo, if you are so worried about relapsing you have no business drinking alcohol yet!

For me the signs of a relapse were :a increase in frequency of runny stools, urgency , pain , and generally feeling very very ill.

I don't think you should drink alcohol right now. I don't think it can cause a relapse of the disease, but your body is weakened, which means alcohol can negatively affect you. You risk becoming addicted to alcohol if your normal life is to have a beer. It's too dangerous, especially now for you. Just read about online sobriety help https://www.theluckiestclub.com/join-community, and I strongly advise you to understand that alcohol is not part of a normal diet. Alcohol always harms your body, and it is very dangerous for those whose body is weakened by the disease.