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[Corbsmom]

Thank God I have found you all!!
I'm a mental mess with all of his c-diff.
I'm a mom of 4 awesome kids, and the wife to the most incredibly patient and loving husband.
I was given Chlyndamycin for a "possible MRSA" infection, And 2 weeks after I stopped the antibiotic
I had a change in my stools. After 2 weeks I decided I better head to the Dr to see what was going on
And that's when I got the horrid diagnosis of C-diff. I took Flagyl for 14days and that was when the D started.
I was going several times in the morning only which sounds like a lot of people have.
Things slowly cleared up and I thought I was on my way to be better, then a week and a half later the horrible D started
Again. I was not retested just started on Vanco for another 14 days. Things returned to the "new normal" and I've been
Good for about a week and a half. Today I'm back to having the D, and I woke up with a white pocket on the back
Of my throat. I've lost 14lbs in the past month and a half and am down to 113#.
I'm scared and worried.
Worried about having to taking an antibiotic. And scared that the Diff will never go away.
I take a tsp of black seed oil in the morning and also just started taking Bentonite Clay.
I take a raw probiotic and S. boulardii, which I just increased to 2 times per day.
I have seen my PCP who I feel like is writing me off, and an infectious disease Dr that
Laughed this off ( and made me feel so depressed all over again )
I will be seen g a GI Dr tomorrow that can hopefully help me get on a road to recovery for good.

So- how do I know when the D is caused by the Diff? How do I differentiate that it isn't caused by stress or
Food? I feel great for the most part, just bogged down by worrying. I have babies at home and I'm so scared this
Nasty bacteria is going to be the death of me!

[georgina]

Hi Corbsmom
I am so sorry that you are suffering with this horrible bug.I'm sure one of our moderators will soon give you the standard introduction.
I understand everything you are going through , the anxiety the frustration , depression but it seems you have great support at home and now you have a great support here on this site.
I'm so mad on those dentist , they just have to give the worst offenders and they never explain the risk that comes with it.If you want my opinion,i'll tell you that Clyndamycin should be prohibited .
Flagyl is the first line treatment for CDiff but it becomes increasingly useless as there are many resistant strains (mine was) and can make you sicker than CDiff, it's an awful drug.Vanco is always better and can make you symptome free in less then a week.You will have many off days post vanco , but you can always follow the 3 day rule that we all follow.If you are not experiencing blood or copious WD recovery, if you are feeling good : no fever or pain then you are in recovery.And of course , you can always test but be sure to wait at least 2 weeks from your last dose of vanco if you don't want false negative or positive results.
Good luck to you , and don't even thinck about death , you are young and healthy (besides CDiff)and you are going to be fine!!!

[Corbsmom]

Thank you so much!!!
All I can think about is how I have a baby who needs his mommy!! As the tears stream down my face..
The flagyl about did me in. I swear I had malnutrition psychosis. I ended up in the ER because I was so weak, afraid
To eat because it might cause D but so hungry I could the whole house.
I'm a bit worried about this white pocket I have on the back of my throat right now. Just what I don't need
is a round of antibiotics.
I agree about Chlynda....now to figure out a way to get it pulled off the market!!

Also what do you mean by the 3 day rule?
I'm assuming it's if I don't t have copious amounts of watery diarrhea or bloody stool for 3 days, then
To think on the positive side and assume this all just par for the course of recovery?

[georgina]

I treated my white pocket with bee propolis (topic apply) and sea salt water gargle. Propolis seems to have activity against bacteria, viruses, and fungi. It might also have anti-inflammatory effects and help skin heal.Eat a lot of bone broth nice and warm and soothing and FULL of nutrients to help your body put up a good fight.

Corbsmom be sure to read the rules of posting , is not my place to say this but : You can only post once a day about yourself , and you can post more to support others. (i hope i'm not wrong)

[roy]

The one post a day rule does not apply to new posters

[Lisa33]

STANDARD INTRODUCTION:
Welcome to the site. Read the first forum “All Users Read This First” and subtopics “Site History” and “Information and Guidelines for Posting to our Discussion Boards.” (Note limits on posting.) This will guide you in using the site and answer some of your questions. Read Dr. Borody's articles. Also see the topics under “CDI” – particularly Recent CDC Report, C. diff. Bible, Tests, Antibiotics, Hygiene, and Nutrition.
“Doctors” lists physicians our posters recommended and also a worldwide list of C. diff. specialists with contact information. (Many perform FMT's.) See the forum “FMT’s and FE’s” or “Media Reports” for new information on C. diff.
The majority of patients (about 70%) recover with one to two rounds of Flagyl, vancomycin, or Dificid. An unfortunate small percentage doesn’t and can suffer for months. Most recover unless there are factors such as advanced age or other severe health problems. New treatments include FMT's, which have a high cure rate. Other drugs and treatments are in the pipeline, and there is increased recognition of C. diff. 20l6 will be a year of many advances and HOPE.
Help us make others aware of C. difficle – which will lead to further advances in treating and/or preventing the infection. If antibiotics contributed to your C. diff, be careful about taking them. Some people tolerate them; some develop C. diff again. Don’t take medications for C. diff. unless you are tested.
For more information, see other support groups including http://www.peggyfoundation.org, Clostridium Difficile Infection (CDI) Support Group, FMT Discussion, Fecal Transplant Foundation, C Diff Foundation, and the UK Support Site. There is also information on some of the better medical sites like Mayo's, Medscape, and WebMD, and the CDC website. Don't use "Dr. Google" to diagnose yourself.
This is a support site not a medical site. We can’t give you medical advice but can tell you what worked for us and offer support. The best protection for you and others is thorough hand washing (soap and water are preferable) and good hygiene by you, those around you, and your health care providers.
No one will understand what you are going through except someone who has/had this unpredictable disease. All of our moderators and frequent posters had/have C. diff. (or a loved one with it) and know how physically, emotionally, and financially disabling it is.
Again, welcome. Remember, the odds are in your favor. (End of letter.)

Hi Corbsmom - Welcome to the site, but so very sorry you had to go through c-diff. I am only a mom of one, but I can totally relate to the feelings that you are going through as a mother. I missed the whole Fall season with my daughter last year and felt an enormous amount of guilt. I went through the motions of being a mother, but my body and mind wasn't into it because I felt so ill. And then you have the worry of passing this awful illness on to your family, so you become obsessive about cleaning. As long as you practice proper hand washing and bleach the bathroom, you should be fine. I don't think that I ever read on this board that another family member caught it.

Georgina gave you great advice. It sounds like you are doing everything right, and are feeling the symptoms of early recovery. BM's can be all over the place for quite some time, and many of us suffer from post infectious IBS. See the 3 day rule under CDI Info under the Board Index. It's a good gage to differentiate between IBS and a relapse. With my IBS, the D to loose stools would happen several times in the morning, always accompanied by nausea for me, and sometimes with M. I would usually feel better as the day went on. However, symptoms rarely lasted more than 3 days, although my last bout lasted almost a week, but that is rare for me. Watery D more than 3 times a day that seems to get worse should be addressed by a doctor for a possible relapse.

The fear of antibiotics is something we all unfortunately have to live with now. It totally stinks! I would get your throat checked out just to make sure it's not bacterial. Under CDI Info on the board index you can find a list of antibiotics by risk. There are low offenders that you can take if you really have to. I demand to be cultured now to make sure it is indeed bacterial. Rapid strep tests are not always accurate.

There is a ton of helpful info on this site, and we all understand what you are going through. C-diff is a really tough illness to go through, but you will get better.

Lisa

[Corbsmom]

Thank you all so much for your welcoming support.
I will definitely be pitting the 3 day rule to work. Perhaps
It will help maintain the santity of family as well.
I have always been a bit of a worrier, and a hyperchondriac,
So this C-Diff has been over the top anxious and yep, a bit
Depressed too.

I have a few questions regarding probiotics and other helpful supplements.

I currently am taking the Garden of life Raw Probiotic for Women.
I take 2/day at the moment. But I break the capsules open and
Pour them into a drink. Is this reducing the effectiveness?
And does anyone use this probiotic? I have done a lot of research and
See that a lot is people use the VSL3 or Culturelle.
I am also take the Jarrow Brand S. Boulardii.
Is the Florastor really that much more effective? I am only taking
1/day as it seems that when I take 2 I have some tummy troubles.
Again I don't take it in the capsule, I pour it into a drink.

I am also drinking Kombucha almost daily and was taking Kefir, but have stopped.
So I am sure it will be recommended to start again. I had stopped yogurt
Because I have a fear of the lactose intolerance, bit will add that
To the diet.

I have also been told about Bentonite clay and am in day 4 of this.
Does anyone take food grade Diatomaceous Earth as well? I am wondering if
This has had any positive effects do anyone else.

Has anyone used Biocidin or the Oliverex or done a GI cleanse
While dealing with this?

I am finally getting in to see a GI specialist today and will
Take this all to table with him, I just am curious if any of these things worked
For anyone else.

And how did you all work thru this? I feel like I have a few or
More really bad days and then have several good ones. I'm working on getting
FMLA but even so that only covers so many hours.
I also work at a hospital which I'm sure is where I was exposed,
And I have a paralyzing fear of being there.

[JeannieR]

Hi Corbsmom! I could not help but respond to your post, as your situation sounds so much like what I went through a few months ago! I too have children-- 5 of them, and an amazing loving supporting husband. I am a nurse, so I work in a medical setting. I also got cdiff from an antibiotic. You sound a lot like I did when I came down with cdiff. It is very scary and it is by far the worst experience of my life! However, I am on the down slide now and I can tell you that you WILL get better. I am now 9 weeks out and I feel mostly normal again. Once I started feeling normal I realized how crappy I felt! It is an awful disease to deal with physically AND emotionally!

I too took and still take bentonite clay, I also took activated charcoal which is very similar to bentonite clay as it binds to the toxins and eliminates. I never took florastor but did take the jarrows s.boulardi which is pretty much the same as florastor. I also took vsl3 and at one time taking 8 a day. Which I know some people would not be able to tolerate. I also still eat kimchi daily, as well as kefir. I also drink kombucha occasionally but drank it daily while in active cdiff.

It sounds like you have done your homework and are doing things right. It's great you are going to a specialist and I pray that he/she is helpful to you. I did my research with GI specialists, I saw a local one and he told me to take immodium which is a big no no! So I found a new specialist that was 2 hours away that did fmt's. And I'm so glad I did!
If you have any questions or want to talk just pm me. I know what you are going through is brutal and having a lot of support helps. I have met a few girls from the board and talk to them still. It is so helpful. I wouldn't be getting through this without them!
So just try and keep your head up and know that you WILL get through this! It may seem like your doomed with this, but you're not. It just sometimes takes awhile unfortunately!

[georgina]

Hi Corbsmom.
Hope you are feeling better today.About probiotics , i don't know if it's okay to break them and drink them into water.If Garden of life Raw Probiotic contains bacteria (lactobacillus , bifidobacterium etc) they will be destroyed in stomach due to the hydrochloric acid.Saccharomyces is a yeast that is proven to survive the acid and will not be killed by antibiotic.So maybe it's best to take Garden of life in capsule form for full efectiveness.I hope you get to see improvements soon!

[Corbsmom]

Thank you!
I kept the capsule intact this morning.
So I guess I will just have to wait a few days to see a difference.
I'm a little better this morning. Very thankful I was able to get my
GI appointment moved up by 3 weeks!

[GCTrailRunner]

Sounds like you are very healthy and doing the right thing with the supplements you are taking. I had never heard of bentonite clay - I might have to check that out! I also have two boys at home and it was so hard when I had an active infection - as Lisa said - I felt a lot of guilt and I also had a lot of anger because there was precious time that was taken away from my boys. I was so ill I really couldn't take care of them or spend time with them like I wanted to. I was afraid to hold them because I didn't want to make them sick and the anxiety was and still is at times almost debilitating. That being said - it has been about a year since I have been CDIFF free. You will get better eventually and will have a chance to make up any lost time with your little ones. This forum was a life saver for me - the support and information I received from everyone on here has been incredible! Keep the faith!