Diagnosed Today

[Bdiff]

After taking Cipro February 7th, I have been experiencing all the c.diff symptoms. Two cultures that showed a negative result and 2 rounds of Flagyl for good measure I was still sick with all the gory details. Friday a GI finally tested again and today's result positive. I have just started vancomycin 4 times per day, plus Florastor per GI. Seven weeks of BD up to 5-10 times a day has created a hemorrhoid nightmare. Proctologist won't treat anymore until D is under control. So, here are my questions:

When will relief come?
If you've had the hemorrhoid part, does this begin to heal as the c.diff does?
After reading hours on this site, and suffering an anxiety attack, will bleach really keep my family safe?
Why do I feel like a leper all of a sudden?
I've lost 15 lbs already, but I am still afraid to eat. I normally follow a paleo/whole food diet but now what?

PS, I have read the rules, and most of the main topics and been to the Peggy Lillis website.

[saraht]

Hello, and welcome. Below you will find our "Standard Introduction" letter for new posters. Please read, and look for moderators response below.

Welcome to the site! Please read in "Rules of Posting" on Board Index forum, under Sub Topics "Please Read Before You Post" and "Site History and Information" (Note the limits on posting.) This will guide you in using the site and answer some of your questions.

We have an Information Board with a lot of articles, and personal experiences regarding C.Diff and C.diff related issues, under Board Index "CDI - C. diff. Info. All You Want to Know and More." Also, please check out "Dr. Tom Borody's Articles 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. 2016 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..


Bdiff,
Sorry to hear you are going thru this nasty beast. I will try to give you some answers to the best of my knowledge.
Depending on the person relief can come when the vanco kicks in. C.diff is a very nasty infection that really does a beating to our insides. In my own experience it would take me a couple days to finally have things somewhat settled after starting medication.
I have had many hemorrhoid from c.diff, and all have healed on their own. Do you use any prep-h or other hemorrhoid cream? Prep-h makes different kinds which can be very soothing.
Yes, bleach kills the spores. The problem with cdiff isn't necessarily the bacteria itself, that is very easy to kill. It's the spores, to my knowledge bleach is the only thing that will kill spores. You feel like a leper because you don't want your family to go thru what you are going thru. C.diff is a very lonely feeling disease. I don't know where I would be if it wasn't for the other mods on this site. We all just understand each other, and exactly what we have to deal with in day to day life.
As I am sure you have read c.diff can cause food intolerance in some people. If you find that a food is making your symptoms worse, cut it, and once you are all healed you can slowly try to reintroduce it. Many on here with food intolerance follow the BRAT diet. These foods are the easiest on the tummy.

I also wanted to add that in some people like myself, Florastor can cause D and GI upsets like any other probiotic. If it doesn't bother you, then continue to take it. Live cultured yogurt is good to eat, or if you have found you've developed a lactose intolerance or already have it, you could try Kefir. I hope you feel better soon. Best of luck, and keep us updated on how you do!

-Sarah

[Bdiff]

Thank you Sarah. The spores have me freaked out. Has anyone ever given this to someone in their household? A few weeks ago I tried yogurt. It didn't stick. I've left dairy alone since. I'm 6 vancos and 2 florastor capsules in and I feel worse than the other day when I thought I might be getting better. I'm back to feeling like I have to "go" every time I stand up and now my body is hurting like when I was on Flagyl. I paid big money for this sporicidal disinfect because I was freaking out last night. Now I've read only a certain kind of bleach??? I know there is a ton of info here and one can easily be overwhelmed. I am feeling that way now. My whole life has been on hold for 7 weeks now and reading these stories makes me less hopeful.

[NanciT]

Bdiff

I am so sorry you are going through this, many of us here understand all the feelings you are going through, unless you have gone through this, it is difficult for others to understand.
It is a hugh disruption in one's life but you will get through it. Give the Vanco some time to work. Treatment and recovery both take time and it gets frustrating as you are following MD's orders, doing everything right but it still will take time.
The Clorox Wipes on Amazon are the only one's I know of that specifically say CDIFF on them, I still use them all the time and I am 1 year out.
There is a great deal of information on CDI, look into all the categories and it is very helpful.

Just know you will recover and many do after a round or two of treatment.
Take Care and I hope Vanco kicks in and you start feeling better
NanciT

[Ismaila]

I just want to add that some of the most senior members/moderators on this great site said that it is VERY RARE that members of household get infected. Once you are diagnosed , and extremely careful, it is close to impossible. A person , as we all know, must basically ingest traces of feces to become infected.

If you are cleaning carefully with bleach(any bleach!) and washing your hands thoroughly, you should be ok.

I also , for example, discarded all the laundry hampers, and got new ones, and I have been using separate one for my laundry only. I currently also wash my laundry separately.

Let's not get completely insane here, right?

All the best to you, and hope you get well soon.

Ismaila

[saraht]

I want to add that you should bleach your potty often, and keep lids down. My big ole fur baby got d.diff from me years ago, twice actually, both months apart, due to my husband not caring and leaving the toilet seat up, and the dog drinking from the bowl. I think that is disgusting anyway but sadly he was uneducated when it comes to this stuff. Thank goodness flagyl worked for him both times. He quickly regretted that, so rules are anywhere I go, lids down. I didn't let my toddler near the bathroom I used for an extremely long. The only reason she goes in there now is to use the bathroom.

If the yogurt didn't agree with you, you could try kefir. I couldn't handle any dairy when I had c.diff but kefir was tolerable for me.

[Bdiff]

I'm 14 days out from diagnosis. I completed the Vanco. I've been 10 times today. Still riding the roller coaster called c.diff. What should the GI Doctor do now? I asked them Friday about Dificid and they said finish the Vanco call us next week. This is the beginning of week 10 dealing with this. Help

[GoGoGirl]

The best defense against spreading it is washing your hands after going to the bathroom. I use anti-bacterial soap. Several reliable website sources such as web-md and mayo clinic say the waterless anti-bacterial hand cleaners are NOT sufficient.

Also, wash your clothes and towels, sheets etc. in cold water with clorox. Hot water dissipates the bleach. I put a roll of paper towels in my bathroom and use that to save on towels.

I know what you mean by feeling like a lepar. My daughter cancelled her visit to me a friend asked (jokingly) if he should wear a hazmat suit to meet me for lunch! But we did not get this by being unclean. It is not our fault anyone than any other infection from the flu ro pneumonia is someone's fault. It just is. I have gotten over that creepy feeling I had early on. I hope you do too.

[GoGoGirl]

As for diet, ask your GI. There is conflicting information online. See post "C.Diff and Diet" posted April 9.

We are all different. For myself, once I got on vancomycin I was able to tolerate ANYTHING. Let you body tell you what is not well tolerated.

[beth22]

10 times in one day is a lot. If this is still happening tomorrow, call the doctor. Dificid is an option if you are positive again. Is there perhaps some food that is causing this? I got a lot of food intolerances that came about after I stopped the vanco. I also did not tolerate Florastor. It gave me gas, cramping, D and a rash.

[Bdiff]

I had 14 days/4x a day on Vanco. The only foods I am tolerating are chicken, potatoes, rice, avocado, herbal tea, water, and few veggies (very few). I will still get cramps, bloating and multiple stools a day at times. Other days only 2-4. I calling the doctor today I guess and I would like to be tested again but how far out from Vanco should a person be before they are tested I do not know. I'm over the leper feeling and have been very careful with hygiene and cleaning. Now I just want my life back. And some different food.

[georgina]

You hould wait at least 14 days from your last vanco pill , to get tested.The longer , the better!! If you test sooner you can have a false test result.It's not unusual to have those symptomes after treatment, early recovery it's really hard.Try to stick to the bland diet and stay away from raw veggies for now , they are really hard to tolerate.Rice ,potatoes are ok , white meat is easy to tolerate as well , be carefull with avocado as it can cause gas for some people.For me fish , cooked zuchinnies and chicken soup ,vegetable soup made with carrots , parnsnip , celery and potatoes were ok.Are you taking any probiotcs?
We all want our lifes back!!
Feel better soon.

[ResearchGrandma]

I also think avocado might be hard to digest. I was always OK with oatmeal, bananas, and smooth peanut butter. I am still not OK with any sort of dairy, including lactose-free kefir.

[Lisa33]

THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT - the link that GoGoGirl posted for Clorox wipes is not the correct wipes to kill c-diff spores. The normal clorox wipes do not kill c-diff spores. I have deleted the post to avoid any confusion for future readers. The only wipes that do kill c diff spores are the Clorox Healthcare Germicidal bleach wipes. Here is the link:

https://www.cloroxprofessional.com/prod ... -a-glance/

These say kills c-diff spores right on the container. I believe you can only buy them online, as I've never seen them in a store. I have bought them off of Amazon. If you make your own bleach solution - 10 parts water to 1 part bleach, make sure to change it out after 24 hours, as it will lose its potency.

[Acres]

Hi,
I was afraid to eat as well, but I forced myself due to the fast weight loss. Now I am eating tons of almond and walnut butter, a brat diet with chicken, ground turkey, quinoa and eggs. Not gaining, but stopped losing weight.
I introduce foods very slowly, with small quantities and then increase the amount very slowly - and only try this with one food at a time. I cannot tolerate oatmeal, most veggies except zucchini, and high fiber items.
I drink strong ginger tea, chamomile tea, and decaff. green tea.

I use Clorox germicidal wipes any clean everything in the bathroom frequently. No one in my home has been infected with this monster. We have a dog, and keep the bathroom door closed and the toilet cover down.
I wash my clothes separately, and use bleach in hot water - will change that to cold tomorrow.

I want my pre-monster life back as well. Many people here have beat this, so there is solid proof for our eventual recovery.
I have found from reading this site that recovery takes time, a very slow process. I took 10 days of vanco., then I took 10 days of dificid and I am hopeful, although I am far from ok. On bad days my anxiety and fear are through the roof, so I understand how you feel.
Scott