relapse while on vanco?

[Vikingjeff28]

Funny how everyone is different. Ensure and Soy Milk I could tolerate very well. Ensure, lactose and gluten free. My key was going Gluten free for 3 months as I could eat NOTHING without major PAIN. Weight was falling off of me fast and this was also post C diff. I was so messed up from the post C Diff pseudomembranous colitis I hurt without eating anything, much less trying to eat. After I felt better on Gluten Free I then worked in real food. Last Night while the family was eating Chili I had to eat all natural peanut butter and yogurt. I love chili but the pain is not worth it.

[sangeeta]

Beth,

Did not have any D while taking boost. I had however started it very gradually like 1 tbsp a day and then worked my way upto 3 bottles a day to give me enough calories. I agree with Bobbie boost is very sweet and I did have issues with my sugar levels fluctuating. However, once I put on the weight, the energy level started getting better.Ensure might be a better option due to less sugar. I am 5 months post c.diff and am still struggling to introduce more food into my diet and the abdominal pain is bad at times. My heart says you will get over this soon, please hang in there and let us know what the doc. had to say. Take care!

[beth22]

Well, it was an interesting visit with my GI. He just got back from a conference where he heard some talks about post-c diff IBS issues and said that there are other toxins besides c diff toxins that are probably still lingering around. These toxins don't show up in stool tests because they don't even have specific names for them and probably are why I had so many negative c diff tests after the infection, but still had symptoms. He feels that in time when the normal flora can grow back it should get better.

Meanwhile I found that if I take a little Pepto Bismol with my meals it helps a lot. That is also the treatment for microscopic colitis, but he said the Pepto does have some antibacterial properties and can help with toxins too. Then there is always Questran - I took it when I had c diff and it made me nauseated, but it is supposed to help to bind toxins too. So, right now I will continue with the Pepto and see how it goes. He feels that probiotics would be helpful, but the doctor who did the stool transplant said not to take them because of the SIBO - and so did the SIBO specialist I saw before. I think the reason is that since I had an overgrowth of bacteria in the small intestine, they don't want to add any more, even if it is good bacteria. Apparently SIBO can be good bacteria in the wrong place. For the time being I will hold off on the probiotics, but if things don't improve will try the reuteri or vsl#3 again. I am also taking the fish oil capsules and I'm not sure if they help, but they don't hurt. The doctor said to continue with them too.

Sangeeta - your suggestion about taking small amounts of Boost is what I am doing and I think it is a good suggestion. So far, so good. I also bought some Ensure powder which only has 15% magnesium rather than 25% per 8oz and less sugar than Boost. I will try that too and mix it up myself. Hopefully, I can gain back some weight and will be able to go back to teaching in 6 weeks. Just dropped my daughter off at the airport - she is taking the vacation that my husband and I had to cancel due to my illness.

Meanwhile, as if this was not enough, I strained my back over the weekend and have swollen ligaments or tendons in my groin and it is hard to walk. As Bobbie likes to say "when it rains it pours". Anyway, that's my update.

Thanks everyone,

Beth

[Vikingjeff28]

I was on Colestid for two months in order to bind the toxins and get them out, helped a ton.

[beth22]

Did you take it after you stopped the ABs? Maybe I should give it a try again then since the doctor thinks it is toxins.

[beth22]

I'm having a really hard time trying to get enough calories in me every day. I can only drink one Boost so far and that is only 240 extra. What are some easier tolerated foods that have a good amount of calories that have helped some of you put on weight?? If I don't do the 2,000 a day the doctor is going to put me in the hospital.

[Suezer]

Can you tolerate pasta? Buttered noodles with salt should not cause you any problems. Have you tried oatmeal yet?
This may sound gross to alot of people but when I was going thru the worse times I started eating the following concoction 3 X a day to get enough calories:

1/4 cup instant unsweetened oatmeal
1 container of unsweetened applesauce (its like 1/4 cup of applesauce)
1/4 cup Kefir (any flavor)

Yup all mixed together. I still eat this twice daily!
My boyfriend calls it the "gruel." Not only does it sooth my stomach,but it gives me fiber,vitamin C and healthy bacteria. I always add the applesauce first to the oatmeal to cool it down a bit before adding the kefir. Sometimes I substitute the Kefir with vanilla yogurt. If you are lactose intolerant Kefir still shouldn't bother you as it is cultured ect.

Toast w/peanut butter,ramen noodles,rice. Stouffers has a small meal that I tolerated well also, a baked chicken breast with mashed potatos and gravy. Ate so many of those I cant even look at them now.

[Vikingjeff28]

I was on Colestid with all my AB's and for a while after. As far as extra calories, try soynut butter if you cannot handle all natural peanut butter. Good protein and calories in both. Also, try and put a spoon of hershey's syrup in your boost, that adds a bunch of calories. Doctor told a friend of mine who had cancer of tonsils to do this to gain weight. Can you eat deli grilled chicken or turkey with no bread?

[beth22]

I can eat all meats and pasta. No butter, not even a pat, no kefir - went completely lactose intolerant. I bought the oatmeal - Gerber. It doesn't have many calories though, but some is better than none. I'll try the peanut butter too. I don't know about the applesauce - any fruit I couldn't digest either. Maybe together with the oatmeal it will be different. Thanks.

[sangeeta]

I remember eating every hour while I was recovering from cdiff and yet initially I was not able to put on weight. My doc. was of the opinion that the absorption of food was very low and once it improved I would put on weight. As mentioned earlier, Boost helped me tremendously but i was taking the calories plus which has 120 calories more than the normal one. I introduced vegetables by taking their clear soup, peeled courgette is supposed to be very light for the tummy so i started with boiling just that and drinking its clear soup. I then added other vegetables one at a time and once i could tolerate their clear soup, I started mashing them up in the soup. Not much calories from them but atleast some vitamins. Like Suezer mentioned oats and pureed apple have been really helpful and I am still having both of them, twice a day. However, instead of buying the ready puree I boil the apple at home and mash it. I do hope you feel better soon and will be able to go to work in six weeks. My good wishes and prayers are with you. God bless you!

[beth22]

Thank you all for the good suggestions. This is going to sound really strange, but I have never eaten oatmeal that I can remember. Apparently I didn't like it as a child and my parents didn't give it to me and I just never ate it. Are you talking about instant oatmeal - the kind in the packet that you add water to or do you cook it? I looked at the different ones at the market and finally just got the Gerber one that you add water too, but I was going to add rice milk. Is this just as good? It doesn't have many calories, but I think they are listing baby portions and I would eat more. I know I sound like a complete moron, but I know nothing about oatmeal except that I used to eat oatmeal cookies.

[Suezer]

The oatmeal I eat is either the packets that you mentioned, or the canister of quick oats. You dont sound like a moron, so dont worry about that. Some people just have different preferences or diets throughout life. I never thought yogurt would become my best friend either until recent months.

I too cannot tolerate raw vegetables,or fruits, but applesauce does not bother me at all, now if I ate an apple cut up with the peels..for sure I would have some sort of bad experience with that at this point as well. The consistency of apple sauce is very tolerable.

I have lactose intolerance from C Diff also but I can tolerate Kefir, (Kefir actually helps with lactose intolerance) cheese,and yogurt.

[sangeeta]

I take Quakers oats and make it in water. Started with making it very watery and gradually thickened it.

[carrie]

I eat an instant oatmeal every morning and try to add a starch to every meal. My oatmeal seems to have lots of calories but the pks I eat have 50 grams(sorry I'm Canadian), Quaker has 30 gram - quite a bit smaller. I buy just the regular, I think it might be Natures Path brand. To get my fruit I actually buy frozen peaches and now I've added mangos and I steam them to break down the fibre and then refreeze them. At breakfast I just thaw the peaches(they have soluable fibre which is good as it slows down the GI) and add some frozen blueberries and a banana and rice milk( I also add my bulking powder I buy from Helpfor IBS) and puree it all in a magic bullet blender and add it to my oatmeal. It is a bit of work but this is how I ensure I get my fruit. My stomach is very finicky and it has taken a long time to tweak my diet but I ate this when I had active c-diff and have continued for almost two years. I can no longer eat fresh fruit so try to add it whre I can especially in my baking. I gained all the wait I lost very quickly and even went over what I usually weight due to the carbohydrates I was consuminng. Thank goodness I can now exercise as I was gaining quickly. I ate oatmeal for breaky, always had rice in my soups at lunch, my snacks were either pretzals or rice crackers and at supper I always included a potato,pasta or rice. If you are looking at Gerber foods I often snacked on their brown rice cakes with honey for toddlers, they are kind of expensive but they were tolerable, I enjoy them and hey have a decent amount of calories for a snack. I met with a dietician during my bout but I can't say it helped me a great deal as IBS can be so individual.
Do keep trying Beth, you will get there but it is a huge learning curve.

[beth22]

Thanks for the suggestions. Got the oatmeal packets and will try those tomorrow. Upped the Boost a little, but I think I am better off taking less more often during the day. Tomorrow will try the Ensure powder that has less magnesium.

Very depressed - just found out that I have another BV infection, but doctor wants to treat it with estrogen suppositories. It just doesn't stop. This was caused by the D* and if I treat this the traditional way with ABs which I really can't do, it would just cause more D* and the pattern starts all over. Am going to use some acidophilus suppositories too that I did once before and seemed to work. I keep wondering when all of this is going to stop - hopefully slowly my system will get back on track.

Thanks for everyone's good wishes and prayers.

Beth