Q's about ending Vanco

[rei099]

I am on a second round of Vanco. The first round was 10 days and 6 days after it finished, I relapsed with intense symptoms and sickness. Obviously, I didn't get re-tested, but I'm quite sure it was c diff because of having D around 30 times in one day. I began a second round of Vanco and the pain began to diminish by the next day. After about five days, my D stopped and BMs became normal. I assume because of all these things, it was absolutely a relapse.
My question is, round 2 of Vanco was originally 10 days, but my PcP moved it up to 30 days. (I can't get in to see a GI..) I am on day 10 of the second round and I still have sharp pains in my c diff area. Does this mean that c diff is still there? I asked the PcP but she just said that I should be on a longer course since I had a relapse. But I want to know more about what is happening, and what other issues people have gone through as they neared the end of their antibiotic.
Did anyone else still have the same sharp pain they began with, maybe to a slightly lesser degree, as they FINISHED their antibiotic.
Clearly, I have another 20 days now, (I asked about tapering and she said she's never heard of Vanco being tapered... :{....) so all I can do is hope that a hardcore month of Vancomycin will help - not harm me...

SUMMARY:
c diff positive -> 10 days of 125 vanco 4x
6 days later, relapse
day 4 of relapse -> 10 more days of 125 vanco 4x, extended to 30 days at the same frequency

Thoughts?

[NanciT]

Hi REI

I have to say everyone is different, there are some who never get that pain. I have had it throughout and now in recovery I still have it, it's much less and for me if my diet is light I now have no pain at all. When I try new foods, I tend to get the pain back. It takes time, the gut has been though alot, these medications are strong and healing is a process.
If you read through the board you will find various experiences. Some go back to eating quickly, others like me take time. I was treated for 10 months so my recovery has been slow.
I have used Levsin which is an antispasmodic and that has helped along with a heating pad. Maybe talk with your MD about a medication to try.
I am sure your concern is if there is pain , it must still be CDIFF but I have been CDIFF free for 1 1/2 year.
Once you complete this taper, give things time. Are you taking a probiotic? I still take VSL#3 and find it also helps.
Take care and I hope you feel better soon!
NanciT

[rei099]

I'm not doing the taper. Just 30 straight days of vanco. I'm trying to get a GI cancellation to discuss this so I don't relapse for the third time.
I always wonder how to tell how severe an infection is. I don't understand how 1 round of vanco didn't stop what I though seemed mild.
I was afraid to take vsl3, but the more I read, the more I see everyone here is taking it. Is it really that exceptional? I'm currently using Florastor.

[georgina]

I think It was a wise decision for your doctor to keep you on Vanco more , 10 day course of Vanco for a relapse is not enough. Having formed stool is a very good thing and it indicates that vanco it's doing it's job although you should not have this sharp pain.Discuss that with your doctor and see what he recommends.In the mean time you can use a heating pad for your pain , or some peppermint or chamomile tea.

[roy]

Google vanco taper or do a search on here for it.
Print it off and show it to your Dr.
A taper and pulse cured many on here.
It tricks c.diff spores into vegetating and the next dose of vanco kills it.
Take 30 days straight and the spores can stay dorment waiting for the attack from vanco to end.
You could even show your Dr this site.
Then there's the fact that you have a serious amount of vanco tabs and plenty to do a taper..
I would never encourage anyone not to follow a Dr's advice but how you take them is up to you;-)

[NanciT]

I somehow thought you were doing a taper. You can get that information and as Roy has mentioned take it in to the GI.
This is what I did, I printed everything out and went in to review. At first my GI was not too responsive, but I was NOT getting well. I ended up doing this with a Dificid taper and it cured me, but it was my own research that I brought in and everything I learned from this site.
NanciT

[Lisa33]

I also think that you should push for a taper of the vanco. The taper has cured many on this site.

If you aren't having the D anymore, then the vanco is doing its job. I never had the pain that you described, but many have. My opinion is that the pain doesn't indicate that the c-diff is active anymore. Many have had pain well into recovery as they healed.

[rei099]

Thank you for responses. I met with my RN/naturopathic physician today and she said that the most important thing to take was the S. Boulardii (sp..) and get complete GI testing, and of course, continue my antibiotic course. Not to focus on the c diff, as I may have had an underlying cause to even have gotten it. I told her about the taper and she thought it sounded great as well, so I am going to see a GI next week. I finally got an emergency appointment. I was concerned about taking antibiotics for so long, but fortunately, the S. Boulardii is one thing that can help. She has suggested cutting out lactose as well, while I have this situation, and warned me that if I do take VSL3 or up any other probiotics, I might have bloating and other symptoms that mimic c diff. I know some people have said that before, here on the forums, and I think I may have experience taking too many Florastors myself, in the past.

The more I think about this whole situation, the more I want to try to end the antibiotics as soon as possible and try to put my body in a situation to heal as best as it can. I feel very strongly about the pulse/taper now, since I do NOT have D., do not feel sick (only have that mild side pain). I still don't know why/how this happened, as I never had any condition before and do not have a suppressed immune system, do not go to hospitals, eat healthily, ect..ect... It's being healthy and having this happen that scares me the most, because it doesn't make sense and it could happen again, randomly.

[amyc]

I sincerely doubt you have a serious underlying health problem, and it is very frustrating to hear that nurses/doctors are saying this to young patients. It is great that you got in to see the GI doc so you can get expert advice. Hardy spore forming bacteria like C diff don't behave nicely and stay inside hospitals and nursing homes, or magically disappear if an infected person or unhygienic health care provider spreads them outside of a health care facility. It would be nice if serious pathogens like C diff glowed bright green like the radioactive slime in old horror movies, but that's just not the case. MRSA used to be only seen in hospitals and prisons, but now it's everywhere. I believe the same thing has happened with C diff.

[roy]

I am not too sure if I would take the advice of a naturopath re c.diff
It has its place in healing after mainstream meds but not in treating an active infection.

For anyone taking S boulardii
If there's blood in your stool you should not be taking it.
There's a high risk of it causing a systemic yeast infection