Took a stool test which came back positive, but very mild symptoms

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soundp
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Took a stool test which came back positive, but very mild symptoms

Postby soundp » Tue Jun 25, 2019 4:01 am

I'm glad I've found this helpful community. I'm 29 years old, male.

2 weeks ago, the I finished the dentist-presribed dose of Clyndamicin. I took a probiotic (equvivalent to Florastor) each day I took the antibiotics. During this time I didn't have any major side-effects - maybe a bit more frequent bowel movements.

Fast forward to 4 days ago, around 10 days after finishing the antibiotics, I noticed loose stool and more frequent bowel movements (3-5/day). 3 days ago I got back on Florastor and the bowel movements are greatly reduced (1-2/day). Yesterday I only had 1. Also yesterday, I went to a lab for stool analysis, and in a few hours, they got back to me with the results: toxins A, B and GDH are positive. After reading through some posts here, I realize that I maybe shouldn't have done it, because I don't fit into the 3 day rule's pattern.

I currently don't have any symptoms other than the loose stool (~ Bristol type 6) once or twice a day. I ringed up a general practitioner, told her all this, and she said to keep taking the probiotic and that it can resolve itself - just so we don't bombard my organism with more antibiotics.

My question is, should I listen to the general practitioner or should I be on antibiotics ASAP? I would like to react as fast as possible, plus I'm afraid of spreading this to others. And of course, I'd avoid antibiotics like fire if possible.

Roy had a comment which addresses this to some extent, but I'm still afraid. (viewtopic.php?f=5&t=21346&start=15)
> You can have a bucket full of c.diff and tons of toxin BUT if you dont have D theres no disease and no need to treat.
> Treating in that situation can be harmfull.

Thanks!

AllisS
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Re: Took a stool test which came back positive, but very mild symptoms

Postby AllisS » Tue Jun 25, 2019 6:13 am

Welcome to the site. Please read our guidelines for all new posters -- it's the first thread on the intro page.

Your GP is right -- do not treat yourself with another antibiotic on the basis of a positive lab test. Your symptoms are very likely a non-C. diff reaction to the clindamycin. That said, most posters on this site, including me, contracted C. diff from clindamycin. It's the top-offending drug for C. diff. Many dentists have stopped prescribing it "preventatively" (as has been their habit) for that reason. In fact, the use of "preventive" antibiotics is on the decline in dental situations in general, thanks to the dental profession having become aware (albeit slowly) of the risks of this and other strong antibiotics outweighing the potential benefits. (The benefits are often slim-to-none.)

If a dentist or other practitioner happens to prescribe clindamycin or another antibiotic for you in the future, best to question if an antibiotic is truly necessary or just "preventative." In certain situations, e.g., joint-replacement surgery, a limited course of antibiotics seems advisable. In most dental scenarios, it is not. Should an antibiotic seem necessary in *whatever* situation, always ask for the least-risky one at the lowest-possible effective dose.

It won't harm you to take the Florastor for awhile and conceivably it may be helpful.
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

soundp
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Re: Took a stool test which came back positive, but very mild symptoms

Postby soundp » Tue Jun 25, 2019 6:29 am

Thank you very much for taking the time to reply!

I'm generally a healthy person, and this got caught me up in an anxiety loop, where I try to frantically read everything there is. I will try to calm myself somehow.
This category of problems with antibiotics were entirely unknown to me, before this happened. I blindly trusted the dentist's judgement, and she also didn't warn me about any of this. From now on, I will definitely do my research before taking any medications and especially antibiotics.

roy
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Re: Took a stool test which came back positive, but very mild symptoms

Postby roy » Tue Jun 25, 2019 6:34 am

C.diff is only a disease if the host response does not deal with it.
If it resolves without treatment it's a perfect situation.
It means you have a strong immunity much like being vaccinated.
It sounds like your body is doing what nature intended and dealing with it!
Adding treatment now might disturb the natural good flora and make it worse.
If things go downhill fast then you might need meds but if it's not broke dont fix it!

georgina
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Re: Took a stool test which came back positive, but very mild symptoms

Postby georgina » Tue Jun 25, 2019 7:15 am

Looks like your immune system is dealing with the infection. Even tough your tests came back positive , if your symptoms subsided , there is no need for treatment. Stick to whatever you are taking , because its working , and you might be just fine.

soundp
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Re: Took a stool test which came back positive, but very mild symptoms

Postby soundp » Tue Jun 25, 2019 7:57 am

That is very encouraging to read; thanks Ron and Georgina.

For the time being, I'm on the BRAT diet plus chicken soup and cooked chicken meat. As for the probiotic, it's Saccharomyces boulardii, and I usually take 1-2 250mg pill a day - this is their recommended dose for C.diff. Other than this, I threw out coffee and switched to mint tea. Today I feel a lot more "clear" in my head than yesterday.

I can't thank you enough for you contribution to the community. I'm certain a lot of people find relief and encouragement in your replies, even if they're just lurking. Keep doing what you're doing.

soundp
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Re: Took a stool test which came back positive, but very mild symptoms

Postby soundp » Thu Jun 27, 2019 1:14 pm

During the last 2 days, I've been increasingly feeling better, BUT my stool is not improving at all.
Today was the first time a WD occurred, once in the morning and once in the evening. Sorry for being a bit graphic, but I noticed that the food I eat isn't completely digested either (carrot pieces, etc). I might have triggered the WD by drinking a lot of yogurt (until 2 days ago, I was strictly on the BRAT diet). I've also started drinking a multi-vitamin to somewhat balance out the bland food.
In other news, I received the second part of the stool results and they found small traces of Candida. My GP said that it's fine, and that it's also due to the antibiotics I took for my teeth.

I really really hope that it will sort itself out.

beth22
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Re: Took a stool test which came back positive, but very mild symptoms

Postby beth22 » Fri Jun 28, 2019 1:23 am

I found I could no longer tolerate yogurt with c diff and vitamins were a problem too. Maybe hold off on the yogurt for a day or two and see if your stools improve.

georgina
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Re: Took a stool test which came back positive, but very mild symptoms

Postby georgina » Fri Jun 28, 2019 7:22 am

I too cannot drink yogurt / kefir , it gives me more frequency , gas , bloating , gurgling , looser stool.

soundp
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Re: Took a stool test which came back positive, but very mild symptoms

Postby soundp » Wed Jul 03, 2019 11:55 am

I think I'm back on track. Since this Monday, I'm having normal BMs.

I've logged a 10 day period, starting from the first symptoms to returning back to normal.

Day 1: 5 soft BMs, took 1 pill of probiotic in the evening
Day 2: 3 soft BMs, took 1 pill of probiotic, feeling very down and low on energy
Day 3: 3 soft BMs, took 2 pills of probiotic, feeling slightly better
Day 4: 1 soft BM, took 1 pill of probiotic, feeling ok mostly due to the 1 BM
Day 5: 4 soft BMs, took 2 pills of probiotic, feeling the same
Day 6: 1 soft BM, took 2 pills of probiotic and 1 multi-vit, feeling a slight improvement
Day 7: 3 (1 soft, 2 watery) BMs, took 2 pills of probiotic and 1 multi-vit, feeling a slight improvement, the BMs were probably due to higher quantities of yogurt
Day 8: 1 soft BM, took 2 pills of probiotic and 1 oregano oil pill, feeling increased stomach acid but no heartburn
Day 9: 0 BMs, took 2 pills of probiotic and 1 oregano oil pill, feeling increased stomach acid but no heartburn
Day 10: 0 BMs, took 2 pills of probiotic, feeling increased stomach acid but no heartburn
Day 11: 1 solid BM, took 1 pill of probiotic, feeling a slightly sour taste in my mouth, faint stomach acid
Day 12: 0 BMs, the taste is gone, feeling good
Day 13 (today): 1 solid BM, feeling good

The 1-0-1 BM alternation is about normal for me. One interesting fact I've noticed is that my stool sinks now, where it was floating during the recovery.

It seems that the oregano oil helped to "kill off" what caused my symptoms. I'm not entirely sure if this was due to c.diff or a weird reaction to the antibiotics, like AllisS suggested.
I'm still very cautious about food, and try to introduce new ones slowly. I mostly eat cooked chicken meat with vegetables, oat meal, apples, bananas.

soundp
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Re: Took a stool test which came back positive, but very mild symptoms

Postby soundp » Wed Jul 31, 2019 12:38 pm

After my last post, I felt decent for 2 weeks: 1 formed BM per day (TMI: albeit yellowish).

Then, between July 16th-18th I felt a sudden weakness with flu-like symptoms. It cleared up and I attributed it to the nervousness about a big trip I had between the 19th-28th. I visited my GP before the trip, and she prescribed me some PPI medicine (even tough I didn't have any acid reflux, just bloating from Florastor) and told me to continue with Florastor. After seeing the risks of taking PPIs, I decided against it, but still bought a box of it.

During the trip I was okay, BMs still formed and regular. On the second day, something triggered a burning sensation in my stomach (acid reflux) but it wasn't too bad, but I still took 1 PPI pill (this was the last one too) mostly out of fear. A few days after, I remember taking a mint gum which again triggered the burning sensation, and I think this is when I started feeling a small bump on my throat. I read that this might be due to the reflux. It's gotten better since then. But then a small canker sore appeared. My immunity is still fighting something. I also stopped taking Florastor to see how that affects me. No changes so far.
TMI: One day towards the end of the trip, I think I saw some trace of bright red B, and I think it was due to a hemorrhoid - I felt a burning sensation afterwards throughout the day. This hasn't repeated thank God. The next day everything was ok.

On the 28th, it was time to get home. Had a weak breakfast, and in the afternoon I ate an apple on an empty stomach. This triggered an acid reflux, but again not as bad but still uncomfortable. I've also noticed an increased frequency of burping afterwards. This gradually improved, and today I don't feel the mild burning sensation anymore and the burping greatly reduced as well. The initial canker sore healed up, but another one appeared on a different spot. My immune system is still working on something.
I have a scheduled check-in with my GP in a few days, but I think I will also look up a GI too. I would really like to make sure that things are shaping up well. These hurdles are discouraging but my hope is that they're part of the recovery. I'm Googling and looking up all these symptoms, which gets counterproductive after a while.

I'm afraid of having some issue due to not being treated with antibiotics against c.diff - if that makes any sense. If you look back to my initial post, my symptoms were very mild, and not cdiff-like, like someone pointed it out. And the test wasn't ordered by the GP, but I had it done on my own account after reading about cdiff.
If you read so far, thank you very much for your time. I guess I don't have a question but I just wanted to give a short update.

roy
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Re: Took a stool test which came back positive, but very mild symptoms

Postby roy » Wed Jul 31, 2019 1:18 pm

Sounds VERY close to normal!
The problem with going to a Dr with "symptoms" (or lack of symptoms) is that your sitting there and the Dr knows your expecting some sort of treatment/diagnosis.
Many Dr will oblige by prescribing a PPI or even antibiotics!
Some will even order invasive tests like a colonoscopy!
You are after all seeing them because you think your ill and its their job to investigate based on what you tell them.
You need to decide if this is an illness or is it just a bout of minor stomach problems and health anxiety.
Georgina will confirm that in your country (Serbia?) a colonoscopy might not involve any sedation!

georgina
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Re: Took a stool test which came back positive, but very mild symptoms

Postby georgina » Thu Aug 01, 2019 5:02 am

I cannot confirm anything for Serbia , but i can say that in Romania (where i live) most doctors don't do sedation for scopes. Colonoscopy and endoscopy , EVEN BRONCHOSCOPY done with sedation is RARE!

CindyP
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Re: Took a stool test which came back positive, but very mild symptoms

Postby CindyP » Fri Aug 02, 2019 2:57 pm

Oh my! Georgina, the thought of an endoscopy or bronchoscopy without sedation is terrifying. The gag reflex alone would seem to make sedation an absolute necessity. I just can't imagine.

I had to do a swallow test where they spray a numbing spray in your nose, the nurse inserts a tube into your nostril and you begin to swallow it down to the level of the top of your stomach. I gagged so many times I don't know how we managed to finish the test.

soundp
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Re: Took a stool test which came back positive, but very mild symptoms

Postby soundp » Fri Aug 23, 2019 11:39 am

I'm out of the woods! It took me almost 2 months, but I finally feel good.

After my last post I took out the scale, and I was terrified how much weight I've lost - almost 8 pounds (~4 kg) in a month. That was a wake up call. Before this whole ordeal, I was under eating already, but now that I've restricted my diet on top of that, it wasn't a good combination. I suspect this was one of the reasons why my immune system felt so weak. It's a very good lesson not to change your diet, without supervision. With all that research, I've convinced myself that I have candida and restricted the diet even further (for a few days, until I did the test which came back negative).
Luckily, I could and can tolerate anything when it comes to food, so I started tracking my calories and introducing 2 additional meals. Slowly, I've gained weight, and now I'm back to where I was before. The plan is to pick up a few extra weight, as I'm still skinny for my height.

The minor issues with acid reflux subsided after a week. The lump in my throat, which was a result of acid irritation also went away.

When it comes to BMs, they're better than ever for some reason. Before, they were scattered throughout the week, but now I have 1 solid BM every single morning. It seems that my system was reset, and the additional food and positive lifestyle changes did their thing to fix up my metabolism. I'm really happy about this.

Thank you all for the prompt responses - it means a world to me and I'm sure to others as well. The physical symptoms are nothing compared to the mental toll this causes. I'm really happy that this support group exists and that people can find encouragement in these difficult times.

I wish you all the very best!


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