4th Round of C Diff in 5 Months - Help!

[cjforrest]

I'm new to the group. First diagnosed in August and then again in September. On Flagyl both times. It came back with a vengeance in October. Placed on Vanco for 3 months (w/ 6-wk taper). I was off Vanco for a week and now it's back again. Culture says "heavy growth". I've also been taking Culturelle & Florastor since October (1 of each every 4 hrs). GP placed me on Vanco again at taper dose. I don't have a lot of confidence in that. Waiting for a call back from my ID. I really want to hit it hard this time. Any suggestions? HELP!!

[anlockwood]

A mod will soon give you the standard welcome. I am so sorry to hear about your battle with c diff and it sounds like it is a battle for you. Please know there is still a lot of hope and treatment options. I highly recommend reading under FAQ Treatment. Pulse dosing is something that has worked great for a lot of people on here who struggled with relapses. It can be combined with tapering. Also alot of people did really long tapers, some up to a year. Definitely worth looking into. Also it is ussually a last effort but nasogastric infusion has an extremely high success rate in beating c diff with only one treatment. Those who have done it swear by it but as I said that is usually a last resort as not many docs do it and not thinking insurance would cover it. Once again welcome!!
Amanda

[Nancy1]

cjforrest,
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.

Amanda has given you lots of good advice. They tell me that everyone beats cdiff eventually. Don't give up! I had it for 8 months and finally beat it by pulsing, which I found here in the FAQ section. There is a doc in Duluth, Minnesota, who does fecal infusions (see the Doctors section), but when I had cdiff you needed to have 3 positive test results. I only tested positive once in 8 months, so I was never a candidate. Good luck. Let us know how it goes.

[klt03301]

Hi CJ. I don't have much experience with relapses like you've had, but I can tell you one thing right now. If I continued to relapse, test positive (I think they require 3 and treatment failed), and had the funds, I'd do a nasogastric fecal infusion in a heartbeat. I know it sounds icky, but the more I read about it and the success people have had, I'd be on the road to somewhere getting one. That's just me. There are lots of other options and some have been mentioned above, so try not to get too discouraged.

Hang in there,

Karen

[falco22]

I agree with karen I would seriously consider a fecal transplant for sure. that is way too much for you to take. I wish you well. A lot of people talk about Dr. Aas in minnesota. I emailed him once and he wrote me back. You could even call his office. If you google him you will find him.
this is serious dont wait too long.