I have CDIFF, now what?

[collegegirl129]

I am 18 years old and seem to have contracted C-Diff after anti-biotics from a minor surgery. My symptoms slowly progressed after finishing the anti-biotics that caused this and didn't become severe until 2 weeks after I had finished them. My doctor never tested my stool because we are both 99.99% sure this is what I have and I have to treat it quickly, before college starts in 1 week. I am otherwise very healthy. My symptoms were very frequent bouts of diarrhea with mucus and strong stomach cramps. At my worst point I was having to go to the bathroom every 2 hours. Otherwise I felt fine.

He prescribed 250 mg of Flagyl 3x a day for 10 days. Besides the flagyl, I am taking pro-biotics with S. Boulardii twice a day, as instructed by the bottle, and fiber supplements. This has helped a lot! I don't seem to be having any adverse reactions to the Flagyl but I still have slightly loose stools.

My question is, what else can I do to prevent a relapse? I read that after one relapse, it can be significantly harder to shake C-Diff, so I am hoping to kill it after this first initial bout. Should I disinfect every surface in my house? Avoid alcohol after the flagyl is over? (I work at a fancy restaurant and taste wine very often)

Secondly, how long after antibiotics without symptoms until I can declare myself C-Diff free?

And lastly, will it ever be safe for me to take anti-biotics ever again without a relapse?

[beth22]

I copied your post into the Questions about c difficile section so that you could get some feedback.