Diet Suggestions

[Melissa]

Hi, My husband was diagnosed with C Difficicle and has been treated for it, but like so many others he still has terrible pain and D. I would love to understand what food I should prepare/buy for him to not make the situation worse. Does anyone have any suggestions or know a place to find the information?
Thank you!

[Nancy1]

Melissa,
Welcome to the group that no one wants to join, for you and your husband. 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 of FAQ that interest you.

About diet, I started with the BRAT diet (bananas, rice, applesauce, toast). Then I was told no caffeine, no alcohol, little spice, little fat, little fiber. Some folks become lactose-intolerant as a result of cdiff, so be careful about dairy products. Most of us can tolerate yogurt with active cultures. I lost a lot of weight, and drank Ensure to help gain the weight back. Good luck. Let us know how it goes.

[trob25]

You need foods that will nourish the good bacteria in his intestines, these include Legumes (beans like chickpeas) and whole wheats. The good bacteria in you intestines feeds on these foods and it helps them to replenish. If he is not lactose intolerant, I would recommend a powerful Yogurt like Activia, or the Yogurt drink Danactive, which contains live cultures (good bacteria) to help repopulate intestinal Flora. Another excellent yogurt drink is Kefir, it is a wonder drink for me and others.

Also, while not for everybody, probiotics (good bacteria in pill form that can be found over the counter) may help him. These include brand names Culturelle, Florastor, Primadophilus Reuteri and others. The good bacteria may help his intestines recover and crowd out a C-Diff relapse. Some people do get worse on these, others have their recovery aided by them.

However, I should add that if he is still having serious pain and D, a stool retesting might be warranted just to rule out a relapse or recurrent infection. Those tests aren't always accurate, but its a good first step.

[Bobbie]

Melissa,
Let's hope your husband is in the fortunate 80% (approximately) who recover with just one or two rounds of meds.

For diet tips, see FAQ-Nutrition. I agree with Nancy -- Ensure helped me gain back needed weight.

[Melissa]

Thank you all so much for the advice! I think the reality of this is setting in on him and it's so depressing! Hopefully with some diet changes we can have more good days than bad!!

[Melissa]

Thanks Roy!

He did go back again to the doctor and the test results (from stool samples) came back clear. Is it possilbe to have false negatives?

[Nancy1]

It is definitely possible to have false negative test results for cdiff. In my 8 months of fighting it, I only had one positive. It is best to take a sample after one has been off Flagyl or vanco at least 10 - 14 days; how long was your husband off before he took his sample? If he is still having D, I think his doc should treat him based on his symptoms and not on the test result, so you might discuss this with his doc.