Need an antibiotic and I'm scared

[GCTrailRunner]

Thank you all for the responses. I can't believe how badly I feel - I didn't realize how sick I was until I started taking the antibiotic. My lungs are still painful but I can tell that stuff is starting to break up in there. I did leave a message about possibly taking vanco or dificid while I am on the levaquin. Waiting to hear back. She gave me 500 mg to take for 7 days. My gut feels 'okay' but honestly - after having cdiff - my gut has not been the same. Always gurgling and churning - D at least once or twice a week....my system has not gotten back to normal. And the anxiety - never had anxiety until now - drives me crazy to the point where I feel like maybe I should be taking something for it. I am so thankful I found this forum - unless you have been sick with this it is hard to understand.... I am afraid of a recurrence not just because of my fear of feeling so horrible again but I have a family with a 3 year old and an 8 year old - I worry more about them catching it from me if I were to get sick again. Will continue praying that all goes well. My GI rescheduled my colonoscopy to 18 February - he can't do it next week since I am having respiratory issues. Thanks again to all of you!

P.S. beth22 did you do the stool enema yourself?

[seekingcure]

If you can take probiotics, I would increase those, even if the doctor does give you Vanco to take along with the Levaquin. Also add the yogurt or kefir to tolerance. Just make sure you take the bacterial probiotics (like Align or VSL-3) several hours away from the Levaquin or Vanco. You can take the s. boulardii anytime since it is a yeast and won't be killed by the Vanco or Levaquin. You can also ask your doctor about the probiotics. Some swear by them and others don't think they help, but I think they are worth adding. The PCP I used to see always mentioned adding probiotics anytime she prescribed antibiotics, either through probiotic rich foods or supplements, or both.

Also, try rubbing Vick's VapoRub on your chest and throat and covering the area with a slightly warm cloth before bed. The vapors will help relieve your congestion and cough and you will sleep better. As far as the anxiety, it is so common during and after this illness. We have all been there. Don't hesitate to ask the doctor for a little something to help alleviate some of it. I hope you start to feel better soon. Try to get as much rest as you can, not easy with an 8 and 3 year old, but you need to rest to let your body recover. Keep us posted on how things go. We are pulling for you.

[beth22]

Yes, I did them myself - more than one.

[roy]

A high offending antibiotic followed a week later by a colonoscopy prep!
Unless there's a VERY good reason for the colonoscopy you should question why the Dr's putting you through an invasive procedure.

[megan2]

I would find a new GI doctor. This one does not appear to have your best interest at heart. Giving you a colonoscopy after all this would be negligent on his part in my opinion. Is there a great reason he wants a colonoscopy? You need another GI doctor this one might have money on his mind only. I read in horror that you were scheduling a colonoscopy after this. Please get another oppinion

[GCTrailRunner]

In 2003 I had an issue with external hemorrhoids. The doctor I went to for some reason stressed that I needed to get a colonoscopy due to cancer history in my family. There is no history of colon cancer but I was just trusting that he felt there was a good reason to do it. He said he found a polyp but I never went back 5 years afterwards for another colonoscopy. This doctor said he normally would not do a colonoscopy but considering the fact that it has been 12 years and they had found a polyp that he wants to check me to make sure I am okay. I had also wondered if doing a colonoscopy was a bad thing - flushing out any good bacteria that had recolonized but another part of me thought that if they go in (hopefully he won't find any polyps) but can he tell if there is any cdiff infection going on?

[seekingcure]

Gloria, you might ask the doctor if it's okay to postpone the colonoscopy for a bit, if you're concerned about doing it so soon, but with a history of a polyp, you probably do need to follow up on that. My husband had a precancerous polyp removed and they repeated his colonoscopies every three years at first and then went to every five years after he was not found to have any further polyps. I'd ask to speak to the GI, tell him your concerns about doing it so soon after c-diff and then make the decision about whether or not to proceed at this time or wait awhile. Only your doctor is qualified to advise you on that.

How are you doing with the bronchitis and taking the Levaquin? Hope things are going well.

[GCTrailRunner]

The antibiotics are working - my lungs are feeling so much better. My stomach is gassy / gurgling / bloated but that has been the norm since cdiff - still makes me worry. BMs are okay but don't feel as if I am going all the way. Someone on this forum had helped me when they suggested Metamucil and that was making a huge difference I had stopped it when I went on levaquin but wondering if I should start back up again. I will talk to my doctor again -

[seekingcure]

Glad you are doing better with the lungs at least. Ask a pharmacist about taking the Metamucil with the Levaquin and if the timing of dosages matters. Probably not an issue, but always best to check with the pharmacist regarding medication questions. Praying you get through this round of antibiotics without any additional problems. Keep us posted.

[GCTrailRunner]

So I stopped taking the levaquin after five days. I know maybe two more days (which was prescribed) may or may not make a difference but just anxiety wise I had to stop. Still worried about having a recurrence of cdiff - of course the damange could already be done. How many days/months do I need to worry about the levaquin causing issues? I think I heard somewhere that it can take 2 to 3 months after stopping antibiotics for there to be problems. I did ask about taking vanco while on the levaquin and they said no - just wait and hope.

[Tonja13]

Sometimes, early after a relapse, if you are prescribed an antibiotics they will also prescribe vanco as a prophylactic because they are pretty certain you are going to relapse. But after you've recovered for more than a few weeks they usually won't. Vanco is strong and pretty much wipes out everything in your gut. It may trigger a relapse when you may have been able to get through a course of antibiotics without relapsing...(sometimes, less is more.)

Waiting time can vary, based on the antibiotic you were on. Some have very long half-lives, so it is still continuing to kill bacteria long after you've stopped...some a day or two, others for weeks. Then, your flora takes even longer to recover. General rule is 3 months, there have been cases of it taking longer--these are very rare.

Keep taking probiotics as if you are still on the meds for a while...keep cleaning, avoid medical facilities, go easy on the diet. Do what you can--just do your best and then try to relax. The majority of relapses do come within 2 to 4 weeks, so know that after a month, your risk of relapse drops significantly.

[roy]

When a Dr prescribes 7 days of an antibiotic you should follow his instructions and take the whole course
Dr know from experience how long it takes to eradicate most infections
A course of antibiotics must be treated as a single dose!!!
Cutting a course short can cause the remaining bugs to become immune to the antibiotic
Think about it this way
5 days hopefully killed all the bugs, but if a couple were still alive because they are stronger than the others and needed the full 7 days of meds then the tough ones could breed and be a stronger infection
That's exactly how superbugs mutate and become tolerant of medication

[beth22]

Roy is right. You should take the full course prescribed to you. Two more days would probably not make much of a difference if you already took 5, but if you relapse with pneumonia, you would probably be given 10-14 days to take. Ask your doctor if you should finish.

[GCTrailRunner]

Thank you all. I will take the remaining two pills and hope I don't have any issues. Stomach is off but no D. Still taking Align and florastor.

[megan2]

I am taking one vanco a day and doing fine with the c diff. However I have a fever sinus infection and have been wheezing and congested where I have trouble breathing. I went to the allergist yesterday and she told me I need an antibiotic. I was put on qvar ( cortisone inhaler because I cannot breath well and it is working) I told them I would talk to my internist about the antibiotic . I called him and suggested I take a z pack with the vanco. I want to know if anyone here had a sinus infection and took something for it if so what??? Did anyone take the vanvo along with the antibiotic?? So far I have not started the antibiotic my dr suggested I wait a few days to see if the fever goes down. Anyone took antibiotic with vanvo.. scared tp do this