Vanco or not?

[kcarlton]

Hi, I am new to this message board and have learned a lot so far. I have a lot of digestive issues like bloating, low stomach acid, food allergies, etc. and in a stool test an overgrowth of bad bacteria was found like Klebsielle, Enterococcus species, and more. I also tested positive for C. Diff. However, from what I read C. Diff is always in the colon is that correct? Maybe I misunderstood. Also, I do not have diarrhea like most people here but instead need to take magnesium citrate so I have a bowel movement. Without it I am easily constipated.

My doc put me on Saccharomyces boulardii and said I can also take Vanco or another antibiotic. Since I don't seem to have the horrible symptoms of C. Diff I was wondering if it's necessary to take the VAnco. Will it kill some of my good bacteria, too? I am not sure what to do and just wanted to get some feedback and opinions. I am also taking a high dose probiotic. I stopped taking probiotics last year because suddenly they were causing abdominal distention and edema. Then I was on antibiotics twice and I should not have stopped the probiotics - hindsight. Anyway, I am now back on them but I guess I got the C. Diff from taking the antibiotics.

TIA,
Kristina

[Nancy1]

Kristina,
Welcome to the group that no one wants to join. Be sure to read All Users Read This First, Dr. Borody's article, Dr. McDonald's article (in the FAQ section under Articles by Experts), and all areas in FAQ that interest you.

My understanding is that cdiff is in the colon. About taking vanco, what does your doc advise? It will kill some of your good bacteria too. We can't give medical advice, but if it were me, I think I'd take the vanco to get rid of cdiff, which may be causing you other problems besides D.

Many of us got cdiff after taking antibiotics. We will always have to be careful about taking them again, because they can retrigger cdiff. Good luck. Let us know how it goes.

[kcarlton]

Thanks - my doctor pretty much left it up to me. I am concerned because I already have so much bacterial overgrowth/imbalance but on the other hand I have read how difficult it is to get rid of C. Diff.

[kcarlton]

Hi jaspore,

My doc has actually not given me a prescription yet. He just mentioned it as an option but also said it would kill some of the good bacteria.

For the other bacterial imbalance he said to take probiotics. He ordered a kit for me from Interplexus where you load up the first two days with 400 billion a day, then a week of 55 billion a day, and now I am on 2 billion a day for 45 days.