45 Days off Dificid - Multiple Negatives PCRs and Still Feeling Sick

[peace]

My quarantine was released after a negative test in a major NYC hospital. I had nothing close to formed stools and then they did a colonoscopy on me.

There seems to be a lot of different information and I don't know what to believe. What I do know is that as long as we can get our bodies back to a healthy enough state, our immune systems will know how to win. There are always going to be C Diff spores around, at least around me as I live in NYC. I'm sure we all ingest them every day, it's just a question of if we have enough good bacteria to outweigh the bad.

Not that it really matters, but my new theory is is that the colonic awoken dormant spores I already had inside of me. I talked to the Colonic Association today and they know my practitioner well and confirmed what she said, that she has FDA hospital grade approved equipment. Everything is disposable from the speculum to the sheets and she wipes down the room and bathroom with a disinfectant strong enough to kills HIV/AIDS between each patient. The machine has a three part sanitation system.

Regardless, I still feel quite ill. My BMs have been formed the past few days, but I've experienced bad cramping and extreme nausea and chills to the point where I thought I was going to faint. That also happened to me after the I cleared the food poisoning infections. I hope we can get to the bottom of this soon and that I can build my body up in the meantime to fight whatever is going on.

Be well.

[cdiffrun]

C diff is a major infection and it will leave your colon in a sensitive state even after its gone. If you are negative for C diff via PCR and negative on colonoscopy I just think you have to be easy on your gut for a while. I would eat the BRAT diet and take a good multi-probiotic + kefir to try to restore your normal gut flora. Are you on a probiotic right now?

[peace]

My colonoscopy and hospitalization was for the food poisoning in August. I did not get C Diff until December and was not diagnosed until March 10th. I was outpatient for C Diff and had outpatient endoscopy and flex sigmoidoscopy after testing negative 2 weeks after I finished treatment.

As for probiotics, I was taking Progurt which has 1 Trillion CFUs and switching it on and off with OrthoMolecular's 225 Billion Probiotic. I have now switched to VSL3.

I know C Diff is a big infection (though my GI still calls it a 'mild diarrheal illness). I just don't understand why I feel worse now than I did when I had an active infection and 2 weeks post infection. Maybe lingering side effects of the Dificid? I should be getting PCR results that were sent to a lab tomorrow to make sure it's still negative as after all I was using my Doctor's in house machine. Also, I oddly know 4 other women who have had C Diff and even more oddly, none got it from taking antibiotics - 2 were travel related (India and Mexico), one is a mystery, and the other was hospital acquired. None of them had relapses and none had lingering symptoms.

I don't know if any of you know Dr. Cahill in NYC who specializes in Parasites. He says I have an e. histolytica parasite, but he tells that to everyone and he told that to me when I went to see him 7 years ago after getting sick on a trip to Thailand. I took the meds then and eventually felt better. I don't know what to do with this information but I will discuss with docs. Problem is I'm seeing holistic docs and regular gastro and everyone thinks everyone else is a quack. I don't even know what to believe anymore.

[peace]

Also, I don't eat dairy, so I can't drink Kefir. Do you know if water kefir is good..?

Thank you for your suggestions.

[beth22]

I just want to comment on your dog. If your dog had pancreatitis, that can cause severe D. The c diff that tested positive, may have been a different clostridium. Before giving away your best friend, I would find a vet clinic that tests for c difficile. I know the animal hospital where we used to take our dog tests for it and for other things. Your dog may have had the beginnings of pancreatitis all along.

[kanak]

I took Dificid for 10 days and relapsed immediately. I had two negative pcr tests despite symptoms and 23 days later tested positive pcr at Mayo. Was put on vanco and symptoms subsided in 36 hours. Within 48 hours off the 14 days of Vanco and an FMT, my symptoms returned full force. I am now waiting to see what Mayo will do.
Amy