Recently Diagnosed

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schism
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Recently Diagnosed

Postby schism » Mon Jan 14, 2019 5:50 pm

First a short back-story -- I am in the USA. Male, 31yrs old. I was diagnosed with H. Pylori in October, but I am allergic to penicillin so the doctor prescribed PYLERA which is a combination of Metronidazole, Tetracycline and Pepto Bismol. What's interesting is both antibiotics more rarely cause C.Diff and Pepto Bismol during treatment has shown to have protective effective against C.Diff as well. I know C Diff is still possible, but it's not as common as with other antibiotic regimens. Now I HATE antibiotics because I fear the disruption it causes to your body, but I was desperate to fix acid reflux and lots of burping so I went ahead and completed the course.

A week after I completed the antibiotics, I developed an itchy bottom. Now prior to all this treatment I did develop a hemorrhoid which didn't cause me much trouble at all, but I don't think it ever completely went away. So I don't believe that the antibiotic treatment brought on a hemorrhoid, but it may have exacerbated it somehow. The itchy bottom had some weeks of bad itching, minor bleeding while wiping, all classic signs of hemorrhoid. I was able to baby it along to the point where I felt like I was healing it and it wasn't causing me much trouble, until this month when I had a flare up bad. Super itchy and irritated and then immediately after this episode I began having diarrhea. Very weird diarrhea. I had the urge to go, but it never produced much volume. It also wasn't super watery, but it did have a unique smell. I had no pain in abdomen. No fever. I felt fine, but I just had to get up and go around 6-8 times per day even though very little diarrhea was actually produced.

After 4 days of this, I decided to go to the walk-in and they thought nothing of it, but I asked to be tested for C.Diff since I was recently on an antibiotic (well --- sort of, it's been 3 months since the HPylori antibiotic). They agreed to it and the test came back positive. The test says it's a "C Diff Toxin PCR" test. They said I need to start taking vancomycin immediately. Does a positive "Toxin PCR" test mean that I definitely have active c diff infection and need treated?

So I went to the pharmacy and got my prescription and also bought FloraStor. I took the FloraStor then some time later started antibiotic. I haven't had diarrhea since. I've been comfortable with no urges to go. My stools have been forming more and more ever since I left the hospital on Saturday. This morning I pooped and the poop was solid, symmetrical and brown, followed by just a little bit of loose stragglers :P .

I honestly don't think the antibiotics or the FloraStor could stop the symptoms the same day? But maybe?

I am worried that I didn't really need the vancomycin and perhaps I was spontaneously overcoming the diarrhea. I'm worried I made the wrong decision in taking it and screwing my microbiome up even more and if it's decided that I really shouldn't be on the antibiotic, now it's too late -- I'm told you can't stop the antibiotic now, have to continue thrashing your microbiome to the end!

I'd also like to know if an itchy bottom is a sign of c diff and maybe I've had it ever since Oct when i stopped the antibiotics, but it just never caused any other issues?

panda18
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Re: Recently Diagnosed

Postby panda18 » Mon Jan 14, 2019 9:30 pm

My recommendation from personal experience is two follow your primary care physicians instructions first and finish vancomycin.

Everyone is different with resolving c diff. I am the same age as you but female. My story is Sept 2018 I had a about a two week course of Clindamycin (one of the top antibiotics to cause c diff) I had about a week off and then suddenly I had acute appendicitis and had to get it taken out. I was only given antibiotics while in the hospital. I thought I recovered. I was so stupid to stop probiotics after clindamycin. Each day after appendectomy I felt abdominal pain (sharp stabbing pain but it wasn't localized anymore) I took ibuprofen and had 10 bowel movements in one day and then i stopped. Early November I felt worse and worse. November 7 I went to the hospital (3 days) and was diagnosed. I was admitted and was on flagyl (IV) and oral vancomycin (liquid). I took probiotics two hours after vanco when I went home (about 2 weeks of vanco) Gradually my stool formed. Then I was retested (same test you had) and tested negative !

jstep813
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Re: Recently Diagnosed

Postby jstep813 » Tue Jan 15, 2019 12:22 am

I'd finish the antibiotic bc it could cause more problems down the road if you were to relapse.

AllisS
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Re: Recently Diagnosed

Postby AllisS » Tue Jan 15, 2019 1:31 am

Hi, schism. Welcome to the site. Please read our guidelines for all new posters when you have a chance -- it's the first thread in the introduction.

It sounds as though you may not have had C. diff in the first place, but irregardless, treatment should be based solely on symptoms, not on a positive test result. It's virtually impossible that vancomycin would eliminate symptoms of true C. diff immediately upon taking it.

As for Florastor, it and other probiotics are not treatment for C. diff -- there' are no data showing that probiotics prevent C. diff, though several studies have indicated that Florastor (alone among all of the probiotics) may help prevent C. diff in hospitalized patients. Probiotics can themselves cause GI symptoms. It's unknown whether probiotics are beneficial against C. diff, or which strains are best, or in what amounts. Their benefits are mainly anecdotal as of the present time.

Generally it's not a good idea to stop taking a prescribed course of antibiotics, but this question should be directed to your doctor.

"Itchy bottom" would only secondarily be a sign of C. diff, e.g., from frequent diarrhea. It is, however, a symptom of hemorrhoids.
If your illness was preceded by use of a medication, e.g., an antibiotic, please fill out an FDA Adverse Event Report at http://www.fda.gov/Safety/MedWatch/default.htm

roy
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Re: Recently Diagnosed

Postby roy » Tue Jan 15, 2019 3:13 am

The advice to finish a course is/was to protect future antibiotic use in others, not to protect the individual patient.
I would be judging by my own lack of symptoms and the probable "cure" that my own immune system has instigated.
MANY experts dont agree the advice on completing antibiotics is valid.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/201 ... iotics-say

schism
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Re: Recently Diagnosed

Postby schism » Tue Jan 15, 2019 10:51 am

I would love to consult with my doctor and have heart to heart, but the problem is that isn’t mutual. They don’t care at all nor do they have the “time”.

I called them and left message with my GI doc triage nurse so they knew I was diagnosed. She called back and was very dismissive to my concerns and questions. She said “yeah it’s pretty common just take the antibiotics it’s fine. Just eat some yogurt with it.” She didn’t even ask my symptoms, my test results nor what kind of antibiotic I was even prescribed. Not one question.

So I could call back and say I’m concerned that I shouldn’t be on the antibiotic because I am virtually symptomless since the day of the diagnoses, but I guarantee they’ll tell me to just finish it. They don’t care about my well being and what’s actually best for me at all and that’s why it’s so frustrating and I result to researching myself and coming on here to talk with people that actually do care cuz they’ve been through it.

I hate the idea of continuing to nuke my insides while thinking it’s probably not even necessary and may even now be inviting new infection.

The doctor I saw for this wasn’t even a doctor. She was a PA and she wasn’t very knowledgeable. I asked her questions and she really didn’t know the answer. She told me c diff usually comes with fever and bad diarrhea not just small amounts. I am the one that pushed for a test to rule it out, but she never even explained to me that tests can be false positive and it’s really based on symptoms. She ran the test saw its positive and called and said “my god, you do have it”. I was so freaked out. She said start the antibiotics immediately. Why would she not have told me to give it a day or two since my symptoms were so mild? I didn’t know any better at the time, I was just scared....

schism
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Re: Recently Diagnosed

Postby schism » Tue Jan 15, 2019 12:04 pm

So like yesterday morning, this morning I had another BM. Yesterday the only BM I had was in the morning.

I hate to get into detail, but here goes :P Initially the poop was formed, smooth, brown. It was #4 on Bristol. Then as I sat there I just keep crapping and crapping. It was like a 5minute session of BM after BM. It was really a lot of crap. However all the crap that happened AFTER the first push was formed but very fall-apartish in water. I'd say its probably #5-6 then on Bristol.

I don't know -- just the volume of crap I had this morning sort of amazed me...I'm not sure what to interpret here.

LHutz
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Re: Recently Diagnosed

Postby LHutz » Tue Jan 15, 2019 5:08 pm

When you had diarrhea was it at least 3 times a day for 3 consecutive days? That's usually the marker for whether to treat C. Diff.

schism
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Re: Recently Diagnosed

Postby schism » Tue Jan 15, 2019 5:27 pm

Yes it was. Saturday was I believe day #4 with having diarrhea and it was anywhere from 4 times to 8 times per day that I'd feel the need and go to the bathroom, but again, it was always just a little diarrhea that actually happened and not very watery. The past couple of evenings prior to visiting the doctor, I also felt as though I needed to go poop but definitely knew I actually couldn't go. So this was just really uncomfortable and I would lie in bed trying to relax and sleep but it was hard to. I eventually fell asleep and felt okay in mornings.

Crazy enough, last month my cousin had "horrible diarrhea" that lasted 5 days -- he said he was going 20-25 times per day. He's fine now.

After I heard this I thought man his was way worse then mine and he didn't even go to the doc...here I had barely any diarrhea for maybe 3-4 days and I went into doc and started heavy antibiotics already....I just feel like I jumped the gun a bit and should've held up just maybe a day or two longer :(

What's done is done I guess, I can only look forward and continue course.

panda18
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Re: Recently Diagnosed

Postby panda18 » Wed Jan 16, 2019 2:03 am

Based on your description of BM and you had a positive test; you have c diff and need to finish vancomycin.

I understand it's frustrating to put all these antibiotics and hurt your GI system. I would take probiotics too. When I was hospitalized I took probiotics and I currently take probiotics.

LHutz
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Re: Recently Diagnosed

Postby LHutz » Thu Jan 17, 2019 3:30 pm

schism wrote:
>The past couple of evenings prior to
> visiting the doctor, I also felt as though I needed to go poop but
> definitely knew I actually couldn't go. So this was just really
> uncomfortable and I would lie in bed trying to relax and sleep but it was
> hard to. I eventually fell asleep and felt okay in mornings.

I finished my Vancomycin course a month ago and I've been experiencing this as well. I'll go nearly the entire day feeling like I might have an urgent BM at any time but nothing every comes. It's definitely uncomfortable and feels strange. Like you, I go to bed with that strange feeling and wake up in the morning feeling fine without the feeling. My understanding is that this is a fairly common issue people face after a c. diff. infection because the infection causes significant damage to the GI tract.

schism
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Re: Recently Diagnosed

Postby schism » Sat Jan 19, 2019 10:22 pm

So my only symptom for really the past 3 months has been itchy bum. All started about 4 days after the antibiotic treatment I received. It would get bad then better in cycles. Diarrhea started last week when I began treatment but now that I’ve been on Vancomycin my itch has subsidied substantially and my anus looks much less irritated.

I still have a little itch but way better so far which I am very thankful for.

So after I finish my Vancomycin on Tuesday, if the itch starts getting bad again a few days later, does that mean I’m relapsing?

From what I can tell itchy butt isnt really a common C diff symptom but it’s really been the worst one for me. I figured since the vancomycin seems to be helping that it must be c diff related......

AllisS
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Re: Recently Diagnosed

Postby AllisS » Sun Jan 20, 2019 1:04 am

"Itchy butt" is not a C. diff symptom. It would be related to C. diff only if it was a result of frequent diarrhea. So, no, a worsening itch by itself would not signify a relapse.
If your illness was preceded by use of a medication, e.g., an antibiotic, please fill out an FDA Adverse Event Report at http://www.fda.gov/Safety/MedWatch/default.htm

Ril
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Re: Recently Diagnosed

Postby Ril » Sun Jan 20, 2019 10:40 pm

Itchy bum is usually a symptom of hemorrhoids, external or internal, frequently caused by straining, colonic sprasms, and or frequent BMs or d, such as with c diff. You might want to try soaking in a tub or using OTC hemorrhoid remedies and see if that helps. It is not a symptom of c diff.

schism
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Re: Recently Diagnosed

Postby schism » Mon Jan 21, 2019 12:52 am

Okay; well I do have hemorrhoids and I have been dealing with them for 3 months, but my fear is that they haven’t healed because of c diff. I thought for sure that since my itch was subsiding after I began antibiotic treatment that all along my hemorrhoids were related to c diff or the itching was at least.

BUT I’ve had a bit of itchy bum yesterday and today it was worse. So im freaking out thinking that it’s related to c diff and the Vanco isn’t working.

I’m also considering that it seems as though now that my poop is normal and fully formed the past few days, the itching is starting again. It’s like the diarrhea bout I had was actually calming my hemorrhoids NOT making them worse. So I wonder if the harder stools are pushing on the hemorrhoids and upsetting them? Any one know a lot about them and can tell me?

I don’t get why my internal hemorrhoids would cause my anus to get red/irritated and itch. Anyone know?

I’m afraid to go to doc to get hemorrhoids checked especially after fresh course of vanco cuz I don’t want exposed to any c diff. I’m sure they’ll recommend I get the hemorrhoids banded and I’m just super freaked now about reinfection.

Yet I’m also sooooo frickin sick of having to baby my ass and dealing with itch on and off.


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