Cdiff recurrences

[pam2738]

I am wondering how often Cdiff recurs after a person has been free of it for some time, like several years.

And if we who have had it are always subject to it possibly recurring, is it because we still have the spores in our GI tract? I thought everyone had them, only with all the other bacteria there, & it is the combination of abx & a possibly run down immune system or another debilitating factor, that cases those of us who got Cdiff to do so.

Can anyone clarify these two questions?

Thank you,

Pam

[feelinghopeful]

My GP told me everybody has C-Diff in them and you can't catch it. The truth is, not everybody does carry the bacteria. At one point 'they' said 3% of the population at large carried C-Diff. If you've been in the hospital, percentages greatly increase and go up with the length of your stay. I imagine the percentages have gone up substantially across the board since those studies were conducted (antiquated information is often repeated regarding this disease) - along with the incidence of disease, especially community acquired infection. Scroll down to Table 1 in the following research paper from 1982 and you can get a general idea of percentages of carriage 27 years ago:

http://jcm.asm.org/cgi/reprint/16/4/659.pdf

Given how many times a day a person can unknowingly come into contact with C-Diff spores, at this point I wouldn't worry about having had C-Diff years ago because you could easily have brushed elbows with spores again. The best thing you and everybody else can do is avoid antibiotics (culture if you need antibiotics to target the bacteria), eat to fortify your intestinal flora and wash your hands a lot. Oh, and stay away from Splenda, courtesy of a regular poster here named Hua Kul. And, of course, stay out of the hospital!

Personally, I believe you can banish the spores and bacteria with diet but can't prove it.

[pam2738]

Thanks for the reply!

A friend of mine who "beat Cdiff" in 2007 has just been diagnosed with it again, so that's partly why I was asking. But there seems to be a lot of indecision out there on the part of doctors as to whether we who have had it still harbor the spores, or whether having gotten "well, we have no spores so that if we come down with it again, it's a brand new infection.

And what's with the Splenda????????

Pam

[feelinghopeful]

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez

Somebody posted the above the day I answered you.

Short answer: I think that most if not all people who've had C-Diff come out of it carrying spores. Best you can do is try to eat a healthy diet with lots of soluble fiber to try and make them go away.

Best of luck and really (I mean really) sorry for your friend.

[feelinghopeful]

Not sure you'd have the spore problem if you recovered without antibiotics. That would depend on a few things because the bacteria only spore when threatened. As you can see by the time of this post, I can't sleep. Boyfriend's out of town and I get the creeps in the house alone at night. Time to take something......

Good luck not getting C-Diff again.

[pam2738]

Feeling hopeful,

Re the link that you posted, which paper is being indicated. There's a LOT of them.

And do you know why Splenda is a no no? Curious about that.

I was on Flagyl for 6 weeks & then Vanco for about 6 months on a very slow self-directed taper. I had been referred to the GI dept of the U of WI but could not see a doctor there because "doctors are for surgeries." I had to see a PA & by that time, thanks to this list, I knew as much about Cdiff as she did!

Pam

Pam

[shamrockmom]

I am looking for a second opinion with a GI doctor that either specializes in C- Diff or handles many C-Diff cases. I had my 3rd bowel obstruction in a 4 year period and picked up C-Diff this last time in the hospital. I took Vanco 250mg 4x day for 10 days. Finished 1 week ago and symptoms are back and labs were done incorrectly so the tests are being redone. Doc doesn't want to re-medicate yet even though I am VERY symptomatic. I live in Long Island, NY and I am looking for a GI doctor either in New York City or Long Island, NY. Can anyone recommend anyone because I don't know how much longer I can go with being medicated?

[feelinghopeful]

Hi Pam, I forgot to get back to you with the correct link. Thanks to Shamrockmom it came back onto the radar! Stay well, Pam.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entre ... cmdl=Books

The study was supposedly funded by the sugar industry but I'll let you make your own decision. Sugar subsitutes are about as good for you as margarine.

[feelinghopeful]

Shamrockmom,

Why don't you call the doctor from LI listed in Doctors. I'm sure he's seen his fair share of C-Diff or he wouldn't be here. Here's the list:

http://www.cdiffsupport.com/phpBB/viewforum.php?f=9