Relapse after 7 years?

[TiffanyR]

Good evening,

I am writing this in the middle of the night after being awoke to run to the bathroom for a loose stool. I am quite scared and apologize for the long post. Long story short, 7 years ago my son and I were diagnosed w c diff. He had been on multiple rounds of antibiotics for ear infections and it is believed that is how it started. He got it and then I got it. We battled it for about 3 months on Vanco with a relapse or two between us before finally getting the medical "all clear". My son had a good recovery, thank goodness, but I on the other hand had lingering problems and ultimately was diagnosed w microscopic colitis after a colonoscopy performed by my gi. That was 7 years ago and overall I have done pretty well since then. I was on Prednisone in the beginning to manage flares and overall damage in my intestines but after a year / year and a half, I was weaned off the steroids and have done pretty ok since then with the help of a major diet overhaul to ease my gut issues. I've had a few minor flares since then but have been able to manage them at home without doctor interference.

Fast forward to the present. On September 22nd I started not feeling good, it started with a random loose stool. not fully D. Then going into the week, the stomach issues persisted and stools became looser. By last Thursday I'd say they were officially D. I started to worry. Usually I can level out those symptoms w my colitis over the course of a week but that wasn't happening this time. So I scheduled an appt w my primary care Dr for last Friday afternoon. It was a pointless visit of course because I hadn't been sick for over 7-10 days yet, the lab was closing for the weekend etc.She recommended immodium and to double up on probiotics over the weekend and to come back Monday. I know from my last bout w the disease that immodium is not recommended but I did take a half just to get through work. Over the weekend I felt pretty yucky but did not have any bowel movements on Saturday or Sunday, even w no Pepto or immodium. In that moment I had some hope that maybe it was just a colitis flare but I woke up Monday morning and had D immediately. Went to my app on Monday and Dr ordered a full stool work up. I do have anxiety and dr asked if I had possibly worried my self into a flare, which anyome with ibs Crohn's colitis will tell you is possible so I did start a new prescription for Prozac to help ease my anxiety. Anyways, I dropped off my samples on Tuesday morning only to be called and made aware rhey had forgotten the c diff test cup initially, that was extremely frustrating. So I dropped that sample off Wednesday morning. It's now 1am on Thursday morning and I am honestly just freaking out with not knowing what this is. I feel like my panic is causing more tummy issues on top of it and that is not helping. The lab said it may be Monday before they have the results and I may just go mad by then. I am so worried about getting my husband and son sick that I am bleaching everything like crazy. I feel like a leper
.So my question is

Does this sound like a relapse possibly? I have not been on any antibiotics recently ( last time was three years ago for uti) and have not been in any hospital settings, just my drs office after initial on set of symptoms. I'd say I'm having about one to two bouts of D a day. Not complete liquid but a level above that on the stool scale, like mush. I know there was that distinctive "smell" the last time but I cannot tell if it's the same this time or, sorry tmi, just the standard D smell. Ugh. In between the trips to the bathroom, I feel "decent" and I use that term loosely because I am a wreck right now. No severe 'constant' stomach cramping or severe nausea like I experienced last time. My stomach does bubble and cramp up throughout the day so I've been living w a heating pad on my lower belly. I am barely eating in fear of getting sick, I work full time and need every hour so I am afraid to eat on top of having no appetite . I've lost 7lbs so far since the 22nd. I can occasionally pass gas without having a literal accident like I did last time I had c diff.

In your experience, how long do c diff tests take to come back? I am praying my results are in before the weekend.

Is it possible to get a false negative on this test? I guess my concern is that w my history w the illness, my gut may still hold spores even if I am not in active infection. I absolutely dread taking antibiotics because of my history and antibiotics mess up my colitis pretty bad too. I don't even know if that is possible for spores to hang around and skew results but just wanted to check. I honestly don't know how I'll get through this if its a relapse. Or is it possible for the test to miss a positive diagnosis? I worry about potentially spreading germs/spores to my family or the public. Ugh I am a mess. I am praying it is not, my Dr said if all stool tests come back negative that she will refer me to another gi for another colitis work up, which I am also dreading because that will mean another colonoscopy.

If it is a positive result, is Vanco still the go to for antibiotics? 10-14 days initially? Flagyl didn't work for me last time.

Any advice or insight you can share would be greatly appreciated. I used this forum during my initial bout 7 years ago and you folks were a God send of support and information, thank you in advance. I wish I could remember my old login.

[NanciT]

This would not be considered a relapse. Once you have CDIFF and it finally is cleared, you are cleared. It sounds like you have a GI issue going on or possibly picked up an illness. Sadly, with a CDIFF history, our minds go there. If you have not been on antibioitcs or been in a hospital, the chances are low you picked it up in the general population.

My recent experience is similar. I am 5 years out. But in my case several around me picked up some kind of virus and everyone got through it in a week. I...did not. It lasted 4 weeks, D several times a day, I felt somehow I had picked up CDIFF. Not only did I test for it, my GI included several other tests. I HAD been in the ER a few weeks before and was sure I had it.
Thankfully, all was negative and I recovered. It took about 6 weeks to feel better again. My gut is just not the same as it was before CDIFF.

With you history, your GI should also rule other things out.

Sorry you are going through this and that we carry this fear around.

I hope you feel better soon

NanciT

[beth22]

If you had a PCR test, that usually comes back quickly. You can always call the lab and ask if the test is ready and if it is, ask them to fax results to your doctor or better yet, have the doctor's office call the lab to get the results. Hopefully, your test will be negative.

[hledgess]

Depending on your hospital it does come back quickly. I’m sorry you are going through this! I just tested positive dec 19th after 4 years free and did everything right.. so I hope you are negative