Are symptoms worse with relapse?

[cryingsilly]

Another question for those with relapsing c. diff.

Were your relapsing episodes of c. diff worse than your initial occurance?

I read in the article on treatment that relapses tend to have higher abdominal pain, fever and leukocytis.

Has your experience shown this to be true?

As I have mentioned before, I am concerned because I already battle with Lupus and any infection brings me WAY down.

I read also in the article on treatment that those who developed first infection during the spring have a higher chance for relapse as well as do women. Strange isnt it? Wonder why spring would make a difference.

Thank you so much
Darlene

[Christina]

I had some relapses that were worse than my initial infection and some that were somewhat mild. My worst was when I relapsed while on Xifaxan as it took longer for the Vanco to kick it out probably because I had the Xifaxan in my system and my strain was resistant to it. That was maybe my 4th or 5th relapse. Also, I had a real bad one while trying to get a positive to get to Minnesota for the stool transfer. They wouldn't take me unless I had a recent positive so I had to take myself off of Vanco and force myself to relapse. I had very large quantities of blood that time.that was probably relapse 36 or so. Not once the whole time I had C-diff did I ever have a fever or a high WBC's. Lots of stomach pain, though.
I never read anything about the spring. I do know though that every relapse sets you up for another relapse. The more relapses you have the harder it is to stop the cycle.

[Nancy1]

My last relapse was the worst, but I think that was because they made me wait 3 days for a positive test result. Those were 3 horrid days, with D every 10-30 minutes day and night. Before that I hadn't had to wait so long after a relapse started before taking vanco or Flagyl, except during the month before I was first diagnosed. I asked the same question, whether relapses continue to get worse, because that would be really scary. I was told that if I could start vanco ASAP after the bad D began, the relapse wouldn't be so bad. So I made an agreement with my doc that I would take a sample, then start vanco right away. Then I didn't have any more relapses, hurray.