Vanco fail or too early to tell

[hledgess]

Ok so how would I know of my vanco treatment isn’t working .. like if it’s starting to fail? Bc I went twice today.. well yesterday and I was solid just a lot ... I ate a lot the day before .. but had no appetite.. at like 2 am I became hungry but also I hurt so just had crackers .. just woke up With the need to go I was cramping which makes my heart race and cause me to shake .. I’m 3 weeks into my vanco taper.. and scared .. I have been only going once a day and usually have an appetite.. is this normal?

[roy]

C.diff colitis is WATERY D 3 times or more a day.
Even that would be a very mild case and severe would be 20 or even 30 times a day AND night.
Think the consistency of burger sauce or ketchup!

Anything other than watery D is normal.

[hledgess]

But there are a lot of ppl that have it that don’t have those symptoms.. I tested positive for toxin b and only had D a few times but felt like absolute death and could not eat a thing and was becoming dehydrated until they tested for everything under the sun and found c diff toxin positive .. I Know I’m sick and with the positive test I was treated and was feeling better.. was eating and cleaning and working ok .. not stuck in bed .. but now as of yesterday and especially right now I’m cold and sweaty shaking and this happens w each bm for the most part .. is it positive to fail while on a taper? I’ve never gone this many times? Could it be my colon getting rid of all the infection? Bc I couldn’t even eat yesterday so how do I have all of this stool

[hledgess]

It’s no longer solid .. and have gone again since .. woke up again shaking .. that’s how I know I’m going to have to go.. can anyone tell me if they had any experience with this? Is it just a bump in the road or am I not responding .. I work tonight and feel dehydrated.. they’re talking about getting someone to replace me.. idk what to do

[roy]

Dehydration is not caused by the bug, its caused by the constant watery D that's typical of an active c.diff infection.
If your not having constant D you wont get dehydrated.

[Ril]

Try not to let your anxiety get the best of you. Some of your symptoms may be caused by anxiety. It is no shame to seek help to deal with anxiety caused by c diff, which can cause shakiness, fears, nausea etc. It happens to many of us. Your bowel symptoms don’t sound bad and perhaps your fear of continued illness is causing the other feelings of being unwell.
Many posters have used anti anxiety meds for the short term and/or counseling to help them get over the hump. Maybe it’s something that would help you?

Rita

[beth22]

What dosage are you on? When you taper and go down a dose, it takes a few days for your body to adjust. But, when I cut to 1 x per day, I relapsed.

[hledgess]

I was dehydrated bc I couldn’t eat or drink yesterday and ate a bite today but able to drink after the iv today .. I also have POTS which I get dehydrated ona regular basis if I don’t have two Gatorades a day .. the shaking tends to come with burping and heart palps which was how I knew something was wrong in the first place and after days of testing the toxin was found .. I’m on Xanax .. a decent amount to be honest but I still shake .. I’ve never experienced this and I’ve had anxiety my entire life .. also I’m on 250 3x / day.. I started that a week ago.. I was on 4x a day.. seemed to do better on the 4 bc it’s been a tough week

[beth22]

That's a strong dose and it would be unusual to relapse on it. I do remember that the longer I stayed on vanco, the worse I felt though. 250 twice a day was the best dosage for me. I also felt better when I stopped eating yogurt and any dairy. I don't know if Xanax can cause GI symptoms. You might ask your doctor about that.

[hledgess]

I’ve been on Xanax a decade and before that a decade so I don’t think so lol.. but yea it is strong and I just started the second week of only 3 a day .. I just had actual D too while on the meds and so much burping .. both elevate my heart rate it’s weird

[roy]

Beth meant your on a strong vanco dose.