It's Duke, again...

[Lauren]

Duke - you don't by any chance give your cat milk, do you?

[nappinduke]

No, Lauren, she's never had milk. Just "I ams" dry food and water throughout the 18 or so years that I've owned her. One G.I. doc that my brother spoke with today said that the cat probably had to go, as she was probably spreading C.Diff everywhere she goes, and that her litterbox, bed, etc. all had to go to the trash. Until then, scrubbing down all household surfaces with any bleach solution is probably a waste of time, as she just recontaminates everything as she leaves her litterbox. She has another appt. with her vet tomorrow. Hope he has some / any ideas, as don't know what to do with a sick cat that I've owned and loved for so very long.

Once she's been dealt with, I'll get some help in to scrub down the house. After that, I'm looking at going to either Kansas City to see Dr. Allan, or back to my former hometown of Lexington, KY, where we've located a G.I. and an infectious disease doc who apparently work in conjunction on C.Diff. Still getting differing info and advice from different docs, though, and it's wearing me down just trying to determine whom to see / talk with / visit next. If I can get organized and energized enough to travel to someone who is clearly "on the ball" with this, then that's what I'll do.
---Duke

[Nancy1]

Duke,
You mention that you're not sure what probiotics to take. Check out the FAQ section, which has lots of info. Probiotics help some folks and not others. The only one that I know for sure helped me was Primadophilus reuteri, which gave me my appetite back. I also took acidophilus, Culturelle, and Florastor. In most cases I took about twice the recommended dosage. I also ate yogurt with active cultures and drank kefir.

There is hope. They tell me that everyone beats this eventually. The Ten Commandments of Surviving Cdiff (in the FAQ section), especially #7 about never giving up hope, are great for helping you cope. You are being really proactive in seeing doctors, and I think that will help you. Hang in there.

[nappinduke]

Hey there, and best regards to, everyone! This is just a brief update. My sister has flown down from Lexington, KY, where we'll both return on this Saturday. I'm already lined-up there with a Gastroentarologist and an Infectious Disease doc who work together on C.Diff. Their big focus is on post-antibiotic intestinal cleansing, followed by a rebalancing of the stomach and intestinal flora. If they fail, I've also faxed my records to and had a GREAT consult with "Cheryl" at Dr. Marc Allan's office in Kansas City. They're ready for me, too. I AM GOING TO END THIS BEAST'S REIGN, forever!!!!

On a sadder note, the vet decided that my cat's C.Diff., as well as her several other age- related problems, had her suffering, with no good, long-term hope. She's gone now. It's very strange and lonely without her, but at least we won't be worrying about one another while I'm away.

Thanks so much for all of your help! I'll be off-line from Saturday until at least the end of March. Upon my return, I'll apprise you all of what I encounter, and the results thereof. THANKS AGAIN!!!!

---Duke

[Sheila1]

Duke,

I'm so sorry about your cat. I know how difficult it is to lose a beloved, long-time pet.

Very best wishes to you in your travels and endeavors. We'll all be waiting to hear from you when you're back at a keyboard.

I'll keep you in my prayers.

[Bobbie]

Duke,
Evidently your vet didn't actually diagnose your cat with C. diff.? I don't believe there is a C. diff. test for animals. Sorry about "putting her to sleep." We've had to do this with 3 dogs over the years. They were all old and suffering. We are kinder to our animals than people!

Glad you have Plans A & B -- best to have alternatives. You are fortunate to have a sister who is knowledgable. If the docs. in Lexington aren't successful, do consider Dr. Allen's broth. Cheryl at his office is very helpful. I believe they are changing "the broth" somewhat so it is more effective. Ask Cheryl about it. Be sure & tell her you learned about Dr. A. on this site. Perhaps I'll get a discount on my next visit. (??)

You mentioned the "best probiotics" in an earlier post. I attended a lecture on alternative medicine a couple of weeks ago run by several pharmacists from UMKC who also study alternative therapies. They have been very helpful. One resource they mentioned is www.consumerlab.com. There is a fee to join, but you can also get some info. free. (I posted info. on it on the site the other day.) Here is part of the report they provided me re. probiotics. Remember, this site does not recommend or endorse any product.

Probiotics containing a strain of Bifidobacterium or a combination of Bifidobacterium, Lactobacillus, and Streptococcus have been used to treat symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome with success. A product should contain at least one billion live organisms (or organisms that can be activated) per suggested daily serving.

VSL#3 is a probiotic that contains 450 billion live, freeze-dried, lactic acid bacteria in a combination of Bifidobacterium, Lactobacillus, and Streptococcus. Therefore, the product contains the appropriate quantity of appropriate live organisms to treat IBS. There are no safety issues associated with probiotics when used regularly at recommended doses. Quality can be a big concern with probiotics and VSL#3 has not been tested by Consumerlab. It is, however, one of the products used most often in clinical trials. We recommend that you continue the VSL #3. If you should have recurrence of symptoms, especially shortly after beginning a new bottle, then you might consider the possibility of a quality problem.

I have called the VSL3 product rep. numerous times in an attempt to get users of this web site a discount on VSL (very expensive). They also have a doc. with the company. Neither have ever called me back. I used VSL3 after taking the Zpak in Nov. & have not a reoccurence of C. diff. although I am at high risk. I did not find it particularly helpful with IBS but don't use it on a consistant basis.

Culturelle is another probiotics that has been studied somewhat but contains only Lact. GG. See FAQ-Probiotics for more info.

Be sure & ask the docs. in Lexington about visiting your parents. With proper precautions (i.e. washing hands well & bathroom hygiene), I doubt if there is little chance of infecting them, but my opinion is non-medical. Aso, pls. question these docs. further on the use of yogurt.

Good luck in Lexington. Let us know how it goes.

[Sheila1]

just a quick note, FloraQ contains all the suggested ingredients and is gluten-free, preservative free. Lists 8 billion colony forming units at time of manufacture and guaranteed 4 billion at expiration date. Dont' know that it's been tested by consumer labs though. www.floraq.com It's about $26 a bottle at Kroger here.

[Sheila1]

Bobbie, I did a bit of research this morning and it turns out there are numerous veterinary labs to test for CDiff!! That was quite a surprise.

There's MicroVet in Arizona, CentralVet Lab, etc. plus colleges. At Kansas State Univ. College of Vet medicine....and would you believe the toxin test is only $25 there?? Big difference in people tests and animal tests.
http://www.vet.ksu.edu/depts/dmp/service/tests/testindex.asp?query=bact
...also Washington State Vet college ($9 and $13 for the culture??!) It looks like most Vet Colleges can do them.

Maybe we should be sending our samples to the vet instead of people labs...

[Christina]

Just jumping in to say last year my dog became ill w/vomiting and diarrhea. Since I had c-diff my dog was also tested for c-diff which thankfully came out negative but she was also put on Flagyl just in case. Flagyl has the same effects on dogs as it does humans. I felt so bad having to give it to her as it made her even worse.

Nappinduke- I'm so sorry about your cat. I know how difficult it is to lose a pet. My thoughts are with you.
Also, wishing you success in your c-diff battle and hoping that you will win very soon. Good luck in your travels.

[Bobbie]

Thx., Sheila. Copied info. in FAQ-Animals & C. diff. And they used to say, "A dog's mouth was cleaner than a human's." Ha.

My dog became ill last year, too, Christina, & vet. told me there wasn't a test for C. diff. for dogs. Need to follow up with him. He put Sammy the Dog on Flagyl -- wanted to keep him on it for a long time. I pulled him off it after 14 days --he was fine.