Flagyl 500 mg 3 times a day for 3 WEEKS?!

[Dakzee]

[I saw Roy's post and replied with this post. It didn't show up after I looked for it several times over about 15 minutes, and then I saw Megan's post, so I posted the larger response below - sorry for the double posting]

Roy

I was prescribed azythromyacin in early December, followed by 10 days of amoxicillin 875 3 times daily for 10 days. Finished hat just after Christmas. January 7 given 2 weeks of Clindamycin.
I first noticed my stools went from being hard (due to the hydrocodone) to soft but formed in December. The first 2 days I took Clindomyacin, I had watery D. For the most part they are semi formed and very soft, but sometimes they are not what I'd call liquid but not formed either.

This morning it didn't come out as straight liquid, but it was pretty watery. I'm taking 1/2 the amount of hydrocodone I usually take and my diet now is mostly liquids (yogurt, applesauce, Keifer, bananas, soup).

I've always had a cast iron stomach and rarely get nauseous.

Cris

[Misscshell24]

Don't worry. Sounds like you're doing all the right things, given your situation. You certainly have had a lot of atx, so having active c diff is a likely possibility. The pain Rx can confuse and complicate things. You know your body best and the doctor knows your health situation, and sounds like you've likely started the vanco, so best to listen to your body and doc. I had multiple surgeries and atx, so my pain was very severe, so I had pain Rx too. I had multiple relapses, it is possible that the pain Rx contributed to it by trapping the toxins, or could've been a number of other factors. The pain was really severe, though. Seems like you're aware that the pain Rx can stop you up and trap the toxins so you're doing what you can to minimize having them. Maybe ask the GI when you see them about your concerns. Hope the vanco works for you and you're feeling better very soon.

Curious you age and gender, also where the pain is. Is it abdominal from the c diff or related to your surgery?

[Dakzee]

Now I'm confused,

I feel like I have to defend that I have c diff - but I'm open to the fact that I don't have it and just have the bacteria. However ...

From what I've read, and I've read A LOT, people can have mild cases of c diff and that's what I think I have.

From the Mayo Clinic:
The most common symptoms of mild to moderate C. difficile infection are:
~Watery diarrhea three or more times a day for two or more days
~Mild abdominal cramping

http://www.patient.co.uk/health/clostri ... le-leaflet
~Many cases are mild
~Many people develop mild or moderate watery diarrhoea.
~They may also have some crampy abdominal pains [which I've had and am having], nausea (feeling sick) and fever [REMEMBER: I'm taking hydrocodone, so I wouldn't have a fever, but I did have a low-grade fever when I saw the doctor and I am having some abdominal cramping when I reduce or don't take the hydrocodone].
~This is similar to the symptoms that occur with many other mild or moderate bouts of gastroenteritis (gut infection).
~Symptoms may last from a few days to several weeks. [My very mild symptoms began in December, and the symptoms got markedly worse when I began the Clindamycin January 7th and haven't gotten better at all]
~In mild cases, symptoms often clear away without any specific treatment. [My symptoms aren't better]

http://europepmc.org/abstract/med/9509270
Infection may be asymptomatic, cause mild diarrhea, or result in severe pseudomembranous colitis

So, prior to starting the antibiotics I had periodic constipation due to hydrocodone use:
~ After waking up and starting to drink my coffee, I went once a day and it was hard, OR
~ Sometimes I didn't go at all (especially if I took 3 pills in a day) and I was constipated to the point I was so uncomfortable that I was unable to sleep.
~ On a few occasions when this happened, I took a few stool softeners to help relieve the symptoms and it seemed to help.

3 rounds of back-to-back antibiotics to try to get rid of the infection in my salivary gland (which didn't work):
~ 12/7 to 12/16 - I took a z-pak (take pills for 5 days, but the antibiotic works for 10)
~ 12/17 to 12/27 10 days of Erythromycin 875 mg 3xs a day
~ 1/7/2015 Clindamycin (forget the dose) 4xs daily for 2 weeks

~ Just before Christmas I noticed my 1 a day movements went from hard stools and bouts of constipation and were replaced by fairly soft stools once a day, but they had form (didn't break up in the toilet). I noticed it, but didn't think further about it.
~ The day I started Clindamycin, I had 1 watery stool and I went a lot (the only stool I had that day). The next day the same thing. Then after that I had 1-3 soft to watery stools (sometimes a lot comes out, they break up when flushed - the toilet water all becomes the stool color and there are pieces swirling around, and other times it's formed but fairly soft. Sorry for being so graphic)
~ And I began to be extremely fatigued and slept 10-12 hours a day and I was still exhausted and on a few occasions I went back to bed and slept after only being awake for 6-7 hours.

It was a progression of feeling worse and worse and not knowing why.

It wasn't until after I had almost finished the 2 weeks of Clindamycin that I noticed the warning instructions that said I SHOULD have notified the doctor right away about my diarrhea, but I was afraid of the growing lump in my mouth and that I have cancer and I only had a few more days so I finished taking the med and then told my primary care doctor what was going on. I had a test and it was positive. After a round of Flagyl, my symptoms didn't change and I tested positive again.

Remember, I'm taking 1-2 10/325 hydrocodone a day and have been long-term and this will firm up stool and reduce feeling sick, signs of fever and abdominal pain.

When I don't take the hydrocodone I feel much worse (overall feel like crud, occasional stomach pains, lots of stomach gurgling and my stools become much looser/semi-watery) and have been caving in when that happens and taking the hydrocodone so I can function and don't feel so terrible.

I forgot to mention in my list of symptoms that I've felt dehydrated many times and had a headache (which is very unusual for me), so I'm taking Gatorade and trying to drink more water to keep the dehydration at bay and it's working.

And I've always had a cast iron stomach and rarely ever get nauseous.

I don't know if it makes a difference, but I don't eat breakfast or lunch and I haven't for years - so maybe that's why I don't have as many movements a day. I only eat at night - say a meal about 5 or 6 and then another around 9 or 10 and I'm up nights usually until 3 and sometimes till 6 am.

While taking the Flagyl, I began having movements during the day on top of my wake up movements.

Cris

[beth22]

You can have c diff without the watery D. I was C when I first had it, but had lots of M alone. The problem with that was that the toxins stayed in and made me very sick. When I was put on vanco, the stools got very loose, but the toxins did clear. Every case is individual. Some people don't get watery D, but have a lot of M, bleeding and pain. You can't just say that only cases with watery D are treated. If you look at enough case histories, you will find some where people went into toxic mega colon without the watery D. Since you already started treatment, you have to continue. I wish that there were the FMT pills that people could take at the onset, whether for mild or severe c diff, but that is not yet the case. Meanwhile, I agree that you are on the right track.

[Bobbie]

Cris,
You will find people on this site - like people everywhere including doc's - disagree on many aspects of c diff because we have all had and seen different experiences. .

The typical case is someone who does have frequent watery diarrhea with perhaps some nausea. However, there are exceptions. Some have vomiting, some don't; some have constipation, most don't (but it does happen):; some have fever, some don't, some have nausea, some don't. The pain medication you are on could also contribute to constipation as it slow the GI tract down.

The best indication is a PCR - 10 to 14 days after c diff meds are stopped. Some have no symptoms and do not need treatment even though they test positive.

Confusing? You betcha. C diff is a complex, nasty infection. Difficile is Latin for difficult - and that It is . There are more and better tests and treatments now. Years ago, we had Flagyl and Vancocin to treat and toxin tests - which often were inaccurate - to diagnose.

Listen to your body. If you feel you have c diff, you probably do. Get tested! See CDI - C. Difficile testing.

We are here to support you, but we are not in the medical field and can't diagnose anyone. I so hope you do not need surgery but face that decision later and concentrate on c diff now.

With best wishes from all of us. Keep posting.

[Dakzee]

Update - and thanks for everyone's support and kindness.
I started Vanco liquid the afternoon of April 4th. I think it's working yayyy!

Now I'm trying to catch up with what I wasn't doing because i was so focused on the c diff.

Appointment with the GI PA today.

Thanks,
Cris

[beth22]

Glad you are feeling better!

[NanciT]

Happy to read the Vanco is helping!!

Bobbie is right, C DIff is different for everyone. I had watery diarrhea 3-4 times in the morning, vomiting was severe(I ended up in the ER with dehydration many times over the 10 months) nausea, on and on. I just saw a new GI this week and she was surprised the diarrhea was just 3-4 times in the AM only...but she said this effects everyone different. She also told me she had other patients that had the vomiting. I could not find many on this site, but it was so severe I developed a hernia.

Hope your visit goes well with the new GI and you start feeling better!