Scared that I am relapsing

[MaryH]

35 year old female posting. I used to be healthy, but was sick with cdiff for the first time for two weeks last July before being treated with Vanco. I had caught the cdiff after being treated with antibiotics for mastitis. Since treatment all of the D has stopped, but I have never gone back to how I was before the infection. I am nauseous at least 3 or 4 days per week and I often have localized pains in different areas in my gut. Recently I think I caught a stomach bug and had the extremely painful stomach cramps when going #2 and just a few episodes of D followed by mucus. Now I've had at least 5 days of bright red blood in my stools, but still no frequent episodes of D like before. My abdomen is also very sore and I continue to be nauseous. I also have the low grade temp and mild headaches that I had before. The exhaustion is also terrible and sometimes it's hard to even walk up the stairs.
My questions are, is D always a necessary part of cdiff? Or might this still be cdiff without D? 5 months later would I still test positive due to colonization? Would it even be worth testing or should I wait until severe,multi episodes of D return? Thanks in advance for any advice.

[NanciT]

Check in with your GI if you have blood for 5 days. This should always be checked and it could be a hemorrhoid or a fissure which can be caused from CDIFF. Having the Flu could also attribute to this. I would get it checked out.

Generally with a relapse the D continues. It does not sound like a relapse, but a flu can stir things up. I had something back in Aug. that lasted a MONTH with D, I was sure it was a relapse....it was not. I did get tested because my symptoms were exactly the same and I had it 4 weeks, lost 12 lbs etc. I also work in a hospital and that puts me at risk. I was also tested for many other things at the time, happy all were negative.

Call your GI and explain you had the flu and then the recent Blood, he will advise.

Take Care

NanciT

[MaryH]

Thank you for your response NanciT. Do you know how long the post cdiff nausea generally lasts? I'm at 5 months post and still nauseous most days and localized pains all through my abdomen. Aside from these more recent worsening symptoms, is that normal? How long before a body heals? How long before I'm no longer potentially colonized?

[NanciT]

Very difficult to know. I still have nausea on and off, my stomach is far more sensitive then it ever was prior. I was on treatment nearly a year so my gut took a very long time to heal.
I had abdominal pain, more of a gnawing feeling for a long time. Some go right back to "normal". My experience was different. I still cannot eat beef so I no longer try.
I do feel like I am at a new normal, I still go bland when I have a bad day.

NanciT

[AngelaB]

Hi MaryH;

I am wondering the same thing! I do not have D at all but have significant gut pain (also have fibromyalgia), and feel weak and tired. It has been 3.5 weeks since I finished a 10 day course of Dificid after being on Vanco several times. Is this how the relapse starts before the D hits? I am praying it is just bad post IBS. I also was probably exposed to a stomach bug which doesn't help either!

AngelaB

[MaryH]

Hi Angela, I'm hoping and praying that this is not the beginning of a relapse. Did you relapse before and that's why you were on vanco several times plus dificid? I was only ever on one course of vanco and just have still not felt the same since other than the fact that the D cleared up and I'm definitely not as sick as I was before. Just this nagging nausea and on and off stomachs pains plus extreme fatigue. Does c diff make your body take longer to recover from stomach bugs I wonder?

[AngelaB]

Hi MaryH:

I did relapse twice on Vanco. I asked my ID dr. for the Dificid because I had read that you are less likely to relapse. However, that may be for someone who has never had CDiff before. I am not sure how my case factors in since I had CDiff once in 2015 and my first episode was about 22 years ago. Both times I was able to beat it with Vanco. I definitely felt better on the Vanco than I did on the Dificid. I know I read somewhere on these boards that because your body is still recovering and your gut has to heal, it is very susceptible to any bug. I feel like I haven't felt right in a long time (except when I was on the Vanco). I am hoping for the best. Feel better and let me know how you are doing.

AngelaB