More Questions About My 3 Yr. Old

[Daisydogmom]

Hi There Again,

First of all, thank you so much for taking the time to read this. I just have a few more questions about my three-year-old son with C. diff. He just finished his 15 day treatment of Flagyl (Thank Goodness!!!) this past Wednesday. He really is too young to tell me how he's feeling, so I can't tell if he's feeling better or not. His diarrhea is gone, but consistency changes still from day-to-day (sorry for TMI). He has very dark, puffy circles under his eyes, is extremely grumpy and weepy (not like himself at all), & his sleep pattern seems to be so screwed up.

1. How do I know it's gone & will I know if it's back? The doctor says to put him right back on meds if ANY signs reoccur. Are the above mentioned signs? The doctor seemed wishy-washy about giving me any kind of clue to what the signs would be. The pediatrician has only had one other case in his career, so he tells me he isn't sure. I asked his pediatric GI doctor too, & she really didn't go into it either.

2. Do I need to retest him? The pediatrician says no, as long as symptoms are gone. The GI doctor says 2 weeks after stopping the meds no matter what. I hate being given contradictory advice!!!

3. Flagyl again if it's a relapse? His pediatrician says Flagyl again. The pharmacist & my mom (also suffering from C. diff) say do Vanc.

Sorry for all these questions. I am just so confused right now & the doctors don't seem to be helping me clear up my confusion.

Sincerely,
Concerned Mom

p.s. I am just so sorry you are all going through this. I can't even imagine...

[Bobbie]

Daisydogmom,
I know what you are going through because my younger son had C. diff. when he was 4 -- & again when he was about 10. (I also had C. diff. twice many years later.) My son had it first in l979, & I'm sure he would have died if it weren't for his ped. GI. His ped. (an excellent, well-respected doc.) told me when I had to carry my son into his office & couldn't wake him up, "Let's give him a couple of days." I went home & called the ped. GI. The ped. (had been our doc. for l3 yrs.) dropped both my kids & I had a terrible time findng a new one.

1. How do I know it's gone & will I know if it's back? C. diff. is vey hard on the GI tract. Your son might still not feel well but actually be over C. diff. Also, many can't tolerate Flagyl & some of his symptoms could be related to the med. (I can't remember how long it takes to "clear" your body of it. Call your pharmacist.) Trust me -- you'll know if the infection comes back. He'll have the same symptoms he had before -- profuse diarrhea, cramping, a strange smell, etc. & they will consistently become worse.

2. Do I need to retest him? Many docs. don't retest unless symptoms reoccur & are ongoing. If your ped. GI insists, however, I'd consider doing what he says. Remember, most docs. (even those in the same field) seldom agree on anything.

3. Flagyl again if it's a relapse? My own personal (non- medical) opinion would be to try Vanco. (unless you want to try Flagyl one more time as I believe your son has only been on it once) as it is sometimes more effective against stubborn cases of C. diff. & has fewer side effects. Many docs. don't want to prescribe it for fear of eventual resistance, but I wouldn't worry about that now. (I don't believe it's that common., but again, I am not a doc.) Check your insurance; it's terrifically expensive. I'd folow the ped. GI's advice on this one.

Since both your mother & your son have C. diff., I'd be extra careful about good hygiene. Thorough hand washing & disinfecting bathrooms are particularly important.

Good luck. Remember, 80% recover after one or two rounds of meds. Let us know how your son is doing. You sounds like a "worrier" (I am, too) & it's hard to see your child suffer. Best wishes.

[Daisydogmom]

Thank you so much for answering all of my questions! Yes, I am quite the worry-wart. :) Especially since I've watched my mom lose tons of weight over the years from this, I get especially freaked out.

I can't believe that your son had it twice (so many years apart). That must have been horrible. UGH!!! Are you feeling any better?

[Bobbie]

Daisydogmom,

C. diff. is esp. hard on us "worriers."

How long has your mother had C. diff. ? Was it associated with antibiotics. (It ususally is, but not always.) It can be one nasty infection.

Once you have the infection, you are more at risk of getting it again. (See Dr. Borody's article.) Try to keep your son away from antibiotics as much as you can (sometimes they are neccsary; sometimes they are not.)

Both my son & I had C. diff. again after a round of antibiotics for infections . Both of us have been able to take antibiotics at other times w/o getting it again. (I've had pneumonia 5 X.) The broader the antibiotic, usually the more it is associated with C. diff. See FAQ-Antibiotics. Others on the site have been able to tolerate them again; others have not.

[jaspore]

I've often thought , the only thing about C Diff that could be worse, is seeing one of my children suffer it.
It's not fun!
My doc put me on flagyl 4 times! Each time I had a reoccurrence.......
I am not one to complain much, but I think Flagyl is the WORST pill I've ever had to swallow in my life! It's horrid! The metallic aftertaste stays with you so long, and overall the side effects of it have been miserable. I finally sent an article to my doc that stated, "Flagyl is what you would give your mother-in-law, Vancomycin is what you would give your mother.", and that was stated from a prominent expert in this field.
Flagyl itself can make you very weak and tired........it also would constipate me........(one extreme or the other)
Give him time to rest, and see that he gets plenty of it...........
He should perk back up soon. You will KNOW if the C Diff returns.......
there will be no doubt! Then hopefully, you can try Vanco for him.
He may be just fine.......best of luck to you and your family.........
Thinking of you!
Jilla

[Daisydogmom]

My poor mom has had it 4-5 times over the past 10 years. She believes that she originally came down with the infection after being hospitalized for several days. She's pretty sure the woman she roomed with had it. Then, the rest of the infections occurred after taking antibiotics. I just feel so bad for her because every time she needs antibiotics, she panics (and rightfully so). Right now her Dr. gave her Vanco because they suspect she might have it again after taking antibiotics for pneumonia. My mom also recently had Giardia (Dr. has no clue how she came into contact with it). I just feel so bad for her. :(

Thank you again guys for answering my questions. I am going to try my best to keep my little guy away from unnecessary antibiotics.

Happy Mother's Day BTW!

[Bobbie]

Daisydogmom,
Your poor mother. Did they test her for C. diff. before prescribing Vanco.?

We all panic when we have to take an antibiotic again. Just be sure one is necessary (throat culture for suspected strep, X-ray for suspected pneumonia), or any test that could rule out an antibiotic. Unfortunately there are way more antibiotics "out there" than diagnostic tests. Probably more money to be made in selling antibiotics than the tests.

[Daisydogmom]

Sorry it took so long to answer you. No, they did not test her first. They actually give her the Vanco. as a preventative when she has to take antibiotics. I don't know if other doctors do that, too.

[laurabluize]

It's so hard to see our children going through such an awful thing. It's hard enough to have it myself, but to see my little girl not getting better after so long just makes me feel so bad. All she has seen for the past 2 months is Doctors and medicine, and sickness. Thankfully, children don't get it as bad as adults. What are your sons symptoms? Have they always stayed the same? My daughter is just about 4. She was also on a 2 week course of flagyl, and it made no difference at all. It didn't work for either of us. I am now on my 5th day of Vancomycin and I feel 80% better. I am waiting for a call from my daughters pediatrician to see what she thinks we should do. She mentioned flagyl again, but I don't know. We have both started taking lots of acidopholus, and boulardii, and eating lots of yogurt. Have you tried giving any of those things to your son. You can just empty the capsules into his food. He will never know. I hope I was of some help, and just remember you are not alone. Feel free to contact me anytime. Good luck to your sweet little boy.

Laura

[Daisydogmom]

I am happy to report that my little guy seems to be doing much better. His tummy seems to have stopped cramping too, thankfully. I just want to say thank you again to everyone who responded to my questions. It's so nice to know that I'm not alone dealing with this horrible illness.