Can your body rid itself of c.diff?

[Joy A.]

I have been dealing with c. diff. since July 2008. I have had multiple (positive) tests, colonoscopy, 2 rounds of flagyl, and 1 round of vancomycin. Currently taking probiotics, prebiotics, florastor, and metamucil. Nurse called today to say positive test again, but doctor will call tomorrow (out of office). I am feeling a little better than I did in July, but not myself. I am truly not eating much...if I eat too much the next day is horrible. Will my body fight the infection or will I need to try more meds? I still have the "D" but not everyday. I feel like my abdomen has swelling and occasional back pain. I have read about some very sick cases and I am afraid I may end up really bad if this does not clear up. Is it possible I am getting better without antibiotics?

[fire7163]

Joy:

In my experience the answer is no, your body is unable to defeat the infection without assistance. If it could, it would have beaten it before now. I think that you just may have become more capable of dealing with the issues that it brings when you relapse, so it seems to be getting better. In my case after numerous relapses, I firmly believe that you control just how much of a victim you will allow yourself to be. I never missed a shift and still work out daily, no matter how" punie" I may feel. You will not get well overnight. The fact is that the largest organ in your body has a major infection and will take time to heal. The gains that you make will be small, but will be signs of progress. Your new normal may be different than it was. Your body will continue to fight and hopefully make some progress, but with a disease as nasty as C-Diff...it's going to neeed some help. especially with positive results. Hang in there.

Fire

[JohnB]

Joy, do not take this as medical advice:

My case of CD has been pretty mild. After my first and only round of Flagyl, the symptoms came back just a few days later. However I kept testing negative and doctors refused to prescribe me an AB without a positive test result. I ended up cursing doctors and toughing it out for two weeks, and I actually improved on my own after I upped my probiotic intake. However, right now I'm dealing with a setback/relapse brought on by the flu. Please note that I'm a young guy in my 20s so age and immune system health may be a factor.

However, I do NOT recommend that you attempt to heal on your own at all. Please see a qualified physician for the best course of treatment.

[feelinghopeful]

Did you test positive very shortly after treatment? My husband did and recovered with no further treatment (after a number of relapses, though). The doctor told him to wait and see for a while. Sometimes there's residual toxin and even some toxin being produced but you have sufficient good bacteria to eventually overcome what's been left behind. That's why they often treat based on symptoms after innitial treatment/s and not necessarily another assay. It can come back positive or negative without any real indication of whether the patient is recovering or not.

It really comes down to how quickly you can get your own natural flora to recover while keeping the C-Diff and symptoms under control. In no way would I recommend not taking antibiotics if you're feeling very ill and your doctor wants to retreat but post infectious IBS can feel as bad if not worse than C-Diff at times. The more antibiotics you take, the more bad AND good intestinal bacteria is killed off. You have to pay attention to how you feel and use common sense. With relapses, if you had a smell with C-Diff, you'll probably get that smell back. The D will more likely get progressively worse or stay the same, not be one day on, two days off, etc. For me the telltale signs were very ugly, large blobs of congealed mucus and intestinal lining with blood running through them and blood, and that smell. I would also get a horrible thing where my body would involuntarily try to expell when there was nothing there to expell. That freaked me out even more than other symptoms. I would also invariably start to run a fever. I never had a doubt when I was relapsing but I waited to see (not beyond reason) just in case my body could get one leg up on this horrible infection. Everyone is different so what I'm saying is, if you're not sure you're having a relapse and think you may even be recovering, don't rush to take more antibiotics because unless you're planning on doing some kind of procedure to replace the good flora, you are killing off more good stuff with every antibiotic you take.

I hate to confuse you but some here have been convinced they were relapsing only to find it was IBS or a setback. Do not wait if you see blood or have a fever or have more than reasonable D - that is never good.

I will add one more thing. I'd done some home infusions almost a year ago (not sure if you know what that is but I'll leave it at that). They stopped the D, the fever, the blood and I felt good but I did have issues, a different kind of intermittant D, bloating, GAS, lots of stuff... but for three months I never got that smell and never got a fever and somehow I just knew it wasn't C-Diff taking control. Then, when I wound up taking antibiotics again for something, there was no doubt when I was having a relapse.

Sorry to confuse you or ramble. Take care of yourself armed with knowledge. You're lucky to have a doctor who is willing to take care of you. Best of luck. If you need antibiotics, take them. If you feel you're recovering and aren't very ill, wait an extra day or two but not beyond reason. At least that's what I did and would do again.

[Joy A.]

Thank you for all of your responses. I am having a very difficult time reading my body. I feel like I am getting better, but I am not able to eat anytime or anything like I did before c. diff. Since I am having more good days than bad days it is going to be hard for me to take more meds to get a negative test result. I am waiting for the doctors phone call to see what the next step will be.

[cindym]

As a long term sufferer I can say with certainty that if I had been allowed the luxury of having a mild case I would have tried to overcome it with lots of probiotics and foods prior to taking vanco or flagyl. In my case having the worst form of course this was not possible but the flagyl made me MUCH WORSE and I believe the vanco seriously compromising my gut flora and does not allow any of the good guys to come back. However, without the vanco I am hospital bound. It is a vicious cycle. I have known 3 people who never took meds and after being very sick (stomach virus sick) for 2-3 weeks finally it turned around on its own. They were lucky and I thought their doctors were mad men however, they are well and I am not.........go figure!

[Bobbie]

Joy,
See Dr. Borody's article. He lists the treatments for C. diff. -- the lst is to stop the offending antibiotic. (Roy mentions this in his post.)

You need to eat even if you don't feel like it to keep up your strength. See FAQ-Nutrition. If necessary, supplement with Ensure or Ensure Plus (more calories) or Boast. Most docs. keep you on a bland diet such as BRAT (bananas, rice, applesauce, toast) & suggest adding other foods gradually. Some cannot tolerate dairy products (possible exception yogurt) & avoid excess sugar. (It is supposed to "feed" the bacteria.)

It takes some people a long time to feel well again. About one of five develop IBS. (See FAQ-IBS & FAQ-The Three Day Rule.)