Possible false negative?

Please limit your post to questions only. You can ask multiple questions in the post. (One post per person per day about yourself. See exception in General C. diff.Discussion.)
mattzkie
New User
Posts: 16
Joined: Thu Jun 14, 2018 1:08 pm

Possible false negative?

Postby mattzkie » Thu Jun 14, 2018 1:20 pm

I was tested positive for C diff on May 26th for having penicillin for 5 days for my strep throat and I stopped taking penicillin and started a 14-day Vancomycin prescription 125mg 4x a day on May 27th and recently finished my very last dose on the morning of June 11th. Ever since i finished taking Vanco i started feeling more gassy and nauseous all throughout the day but BM only up to 3 a day at the most, no wet diarrhea, just flaky sometimes soft and thin. I called my Dr and asked if they are just normal symptoms after finishing Vanco or am I having a relapse and she said she wouldnt know unless we test my stool again so the same day i sent in my stool sample for testing and today i got the result and it says Negative.

Basically my question is, was my doctor correct by testing my stool too early? because i got done with my final dose of Vanco on the 11th and i got tested to see if i still have c diff 2 days later. Aren't doctors supposed to be relying on symptoms and not just testing? Is it possible to get a false negative because i only been done with my last dose of Vanco 2 days prior to the testing?

Any answers will be much appreciated!

By the way i been taking only 1 pill a day of Culturelle probiotics since May 26th and I am still taking it I have 10 pills left. Should continue or is this what also causes my nausea? It is really difficult for me to get through the day whenever a bad nausea comes up and it usually shows up for me when i wake up in the morning or after I eat or after i have BM

beth22
Long Time Contributor
Posts: 10852
Joined: Tue Apr 07, 2009 2:23 pm

Re: Possible false negative?

Postby beth22 » Fri Jun 15, 2018 2:15 am

Hi mattzkie and welcome to the site. Please read the first forum for more information for new posters.

Testing that soon after finishing vanco is almost always likely to give a negative result. I did the same thing, testing about a week after my first bout with c difficile and I kept getting negative tests until about 17 days out. It doesn't mean anything one way or the other. You could still be in recovery. Many people get PI-IBS symptoms and many get food intolerances. If you suspect that Culturelle is giving you the nausea, try not taking it for a day and see if it makes a difference. I had to try several different probiotics before I found one that agreed with me. It is a good idea to continue taking one though or to eat yogurt or kefir if you tolerate them.

If your symptoms continue, you can see about testing further out. Of course, if you suddenly get WD and get full blown symptoms, let your doctor know right away. Hopefully, you are on your way to recovery, but the road can be bumpy.

mattzkie
New User
Posts: 16
Joined: Thu Jun 14, 2018 1:08 pm

Re: Possible false negative?

Postby mattzkie » Sat Jun 16, 2018 9:47 am

beth22

its been 5 days since the last time i took my very last dose of a 14-day prescription of Vanco, these 5 days have been up and down, from nausea, frequent flatulence to lose stool to pink spot on my toilet paper after wiping from bm, and the past two days i been experiencing some pain on my lower left side of my abdomen and sometimes my lower back..i been hesistant to call and ask my doctor lately about my symptoms because i feel like they think im just a super anxious and worried person, which i am...

my question is, do you think this could also be part of recovery period? sometimes i would have the urge to go bm all day but im able to hold it in or sometimes i choose to because of my paranoia of having more than 3 bm's a day...the past 3 days i only went 1 to 2 bm a day at the most...could the pink spot on my toilet paper after wiping be because i hold in my urge to go?

i dont know anymore its just frustrating and exhausting having this because before i found out i tested positive for cdiff (pcr) i was a happy outgoing person and this past month have bringing me down lately.

btw, i had an ultrasound yesterday that my old dr ordered for me a month ago just a precaution due to an elevated alt level but they only checked the right side of my abdomen because it was a liver/gall bladder ultrasound..im still waiting for the results

beth22
Long Time Contributor
Posts: 10852
Joined: Tue Apr 07, 2009 2:23 pm

Re: Possible false negative?

Postby beth22 » Sun Jun 17, 2018 1:38 am

What you describe could certainly be part of recovery and hopefully it is. The pink on the TP could be just irritation from wiping or a small fissure or hemorhoid. See how you do in the next few days and if you are worried, speak to your doctor.

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

Re: Possible false negative?

Postby Ril » Sun Jun 17, 2018 9:58 am

1-2 BMs/day is nothing. That is certainly not worrisome. I had a lot of nausea for quite a while throughout recovery as did many others. If it continues there are a few things you can try. Check back for suggestions. Just a light pink spot on TP an not blood in stool is likely a hemorrhoid or irritation. If it is only on TP it is from wiping.

I would not “hold it in”. That really doesn’t prove anything and only causes you more gas and discomfort. It sounds as though you are on the road to recovery but see how you progress in the days ahead and try to stay calm and positive.
Rita

mattzkie
New User
Posts: 16
Joined: Thu Jun 14, 2018 1:08 pm

Re: Possible false negative?

Postby mattzkie » Sun Jun 17, 2018 4:40 pm

So today, is an odd day because for the first time since i finished my last dose of Vanco, i had bm twice within couple of hours the first was the usual 6am before breakfast bm which was solid and formed and after breakfast, an hour later i had a long pencil-thin stool and right after that i got nauseated again and had that burning sensation around my rectum and i felt instantly weak and fatigue. I usually only have 2 bm's per day since finishing Vanco but today its only a little after lunch and i already had two and i been having lower left abdominal pain for 3 days now on and off. I dont know whats going on anymore my anxiety disorder is about to flare up again because of this and im becoming paranoid for fear of cdiff coming back or some kind of colon cancer because im kind of a hypochondriac and kept researching ever since this morning about colon cancer might be causing the long pencil thin stool with some mucus. I just dont know if its IBS or constipation or when i should call the advice nurse because i kinda hesitate calling the doctor because i feel like they are getting annoyed with my complaints. Thank you for anyone's input regarding my situation...

By the way, i ate a can of chicken noodle soup and some crackers last night for dinner and ate mashed potato with green beans and zucchini and salmon for lunch yesterday so i dont if thats caused what i am feeling now too..my usual breakfast for the past 6 days has been banana flavored oatmeal with either banana or toast

beth22
Long Time Contributor
Posts: 10852
Joined: Tue Apr 07, 2009 2:23 pm

Re: Possible false negative?

Postby beth22 » Sun Jun 17, 2018 10:11 pm

IBS can give all kinds of stool and I found that foods I could eat before c diff did not sit well with me afterwards for a long time. Vegetables were one. Why don't you try and keep a food journal and see if there is a pattern to any this with foods that you eat.

mattzkie
New User
Posts: 16
Joined: Thu Jun 14, 2018 1:08 pm

Re: Possible false negative?

Postby mattzkie » Sun Jun 17, 2018 10:42 pm

beth22

I think i really do need to keep a food diary but i know for a fact that mashed potato sits pretty well with me and earlier for dinner, i ate some peppery potatoes but i only scooped up the potato part from the skin and ate 3 strips of steak with jasmine white rice so i dont know if im gonna be regretting that later tonight or for the next days to come and also after my dinner i tried an organic peppermint tea for the first time because i saw people on this forum posting about how peppermint tea helped them so hopefully it also helps me and ill just have to wait and see if it does..and if it does then i will make it a daily thing for me to drink a peppermint tea at least once a day after a meal.


Return to “Questions about Clostridium difficile”



Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 29 guests