NEW, Need advice, please help!

[Sad2017]

Hi all. I was dx with c. Diff back on May 18th, it all started after a case of strep and being treated with clindamyacin! I thankfully was dx very quickly within a day or so but i did end up in the hospital for 4 days. I was treated with the standard 10 days of metronidazole and seemed to get better fairly quickly. I ended the horrid metronidazole and 4 days later my symptoms returned. My pcp represcribed metronidazole but i was unable to tolerate it the second time around, she immediately called in vanco for me which i took 3 doses of and developed horrible tinnitus from, to the point it made me nauseous so they them immediately started me on dificid. Dificid worked well for me and i tolerated it well and saw relief within a couple of days of starting. I ended the dificid on June 13, 2017 and have been doing fairly well up until the past day or so. I'm not sure if this is normal recovery or something else brewing just looking for some opinions from others who have knowledge. Over the 4th of July weekend I may have over indulged in foods i haven't eaten in awhile such as steak, crab legs, even a fresh garden salad and a beer. Things seemed ok until July 5th when i had a little bit of an off feeling in my stomach not so much intestinal but more upper GI area it came with some nausea and my stools were looser but still formed. That wave seemed to pass and the next day felt good, we went to my in-laws for dinner last night and ate salmon, cooked veggies, and sweet potatoes. All seemed fine after eating and through the night but I woke this morning with lots of gas which produced some M pieces something i haven't had in a couple weeks. After the M i had a sm bm that was a few formed pieces with some M and then that was followed by a much larger volume bm which was almost soft serve consitency and then one smaller bm of just a few sm pieces. I seem to feel fine my stomach gurgled a lot early this morning but seems to be better now. I actually saw my pcp this morning for a follow up and mentioned to her she said the M was a little concerning to her but that she isn't overly concerned but gave me a cup and lab order incase something develops over the weekend. And I have a scriot for dificid standing by. I guess I'm wondering since I'm feeling pretty good is this likely to be a relapse? When it came back after the metro there was no doubt it was back my initial infection and the relaspe came on and progressed very quickly. I'm so scared and feel rather lost. Thank you all for taking the time to run this group, it is beyond helpful!

[amg]

Hi there and welcome.

Try not to worry unless things keep progressing in the wrong direction.

There are a bunch of recent threads about diet and reintroducing foods after c diff. Your gut takes months to heal and many foods are very irritating and can cause GI symptoms and even M in stools.

Here's one recent thread but there are several other very detailed ones:

viewtopic.php?f=7&t=19363

Salad is a big offender. Raw veggies and many fruits are tough on the gut after c diff. You need to keep a bland diet for a while and reintroduce foods gradually to ensure you don't react badly.

Also, try to remember what your symptoms were during your active c diff and relapse. My daughter had several symptoms in addition to looser/M in stool. She had extreme fatigue, puffy abdomen, pale face, low grade temp/mild chills. That's how we differentiated relapse from post-infectious IBS symptoms. Relapses usually get progressively worse, whereas irritating the gut with the wrong foods subsides pretty quickly.

Good luck!

[Healed]

Sad2017~

Sounds like you jumped the gun a little too quickly with all of the good and rich food you ate. Like Amg suggested, stick to bland foods. Your gut is very sensitive right now. And it may take some time before you can indulge on food you use to eat before your infection.

[Sad2017]

Amg and healed, thank you for you responses! It is unbelievable how nerve wracking this infection can be! I've been waiting around all morning for something to develop, its a horrible feeling. Can I ask are you both recovered? And if so may i ask for how long and how long were your treatments?

[NanciT]

Hello and Welcome to the site Please read the first thread for all new posters. With post containing a great deal of description we have a TMI thread.

The symptoms you describe can be due to what you ate, often it take time for the GI to recover and if you are not there yet, it can cause a terrible upset.

We look for 3 days of consistent D to then call the dr. up and speak with them about possible relapse. Its sounds like you did well on Dificid but it can take some for recovery. Some develop IBS like myself and I am two years out still with IBS. I was on treatment for One year. Not everyday, but if I eat something that is irritating, things are not good for a few days.
Try to stick to a bland diet for a few days and see if things settle down.

Hope you feel better soon

NanciT

[OCmama]

I occasionally had mucus in my stool for a couple months following Dificid, it always made me nervous as I experienced a lot of mucus during my active C. Diff infection. My bm's are not back to "normal", but I am gradually being able to eat more foods without major upset. I finished Dificid in December.

[Sad2017]

OCmama, I am a nervous wreck since i have had 3 occassions today where i felt i had gas and went and it was nothing but M. i feel it may be coming back but no D as of yet nor any significant stomach pain or fever. I'm so confused with all of this, the waiting for something to happen or not happen is horrible! Being that i was just a couple days shy if 1 month off dificid I was so hopeful, them BAM this starts this morning! Frustrating.

[beth22]

If it continues, I would take the stool sample in for testing since the doctor gave you an order for it.

[OCmama]

I agree with Beth, I would turn in a stool sample if you are having frequent mucus. I have read on this site that Dificid tapers have been successful, my daughter (please God) is a little over 4 months off of a vanco taper. I will be praying for you!

[Sad2017]

I did try some Pepto earlier and it seems to have slowed the M down some. Other than the M I feel fine, hoping its just a bump in the road. Since it doesn't really seem to be progressing like my initial infection or the first relapse did. With both of those I went from 1 stool to going every 20 minutes in about the span of an hour, tops and I felt completely horrible. The more recurrances you have do they seem to get milder? If this is a relapse can they test on just the M I'm passing or should I wait for stool? My pcp told me they would probably reject any formed stool which is what I still had when I last went this morning.

[amg]

Hi again,

I didn't have c diff, but my 14 yo daughter contracted it after having her appendix out almost exactly a year ago. She relapsed twice on Flagyl and twice on Vanco and was finally cured by a Dificid taper - 1 pill twice a day for 14 days, 1 pill a day for 14 days, 1 pill every other day for 7 more pills.
Her last Dificid pill was in mid November. Her relapses all had a constellation of symptoms that together told us relapse. She has had a few episodes of mucous after eating something irritating, and of course we panic, but then we review her other symptoms of active c diff (for her --- puffy tummy, mild fever/little chills, VERY tired, pale face, in addition to the loose stools), and we tell ourselves if those other symptoms aren't present, then it's most likely not a relapse.

Hang in there. You will beat this!

[beth22]

When I first got c diff, I had formed stool, but lots of M. They tested the M and it came up positive.

[Sad2017]

UPDATE--Today I feel much better, I think this may have all been due to a stomach flu bug going around our area. I took 2 doses of pepto last night which helped a lot and this am the stomach rumbling is gone and my bm was 5 formed pieces M coating the stool, but that has been the only occurance of that so far, I was able to eat fine and am feeling good. I also am leaning toward a bug since my oldest son came home from wrestling camp last night stating his stomach hurt, no diarrhea or vomiting so we shall see. Parents at the wrestling camp state some of the parents along with some of the kids have had it as well over the past 3-4 days. So fingers crossed that is all it was and I am still in recovery and that I make it to the 1 month mark on Tuesday!

[beth22]

Sounds like you are doing ok. Wishing you continued healing!

[Healed]

Hello Sad2017~
I am not sure if I ever answered your question. I am still recovering from PI-IBS which is exhausting. My body wakes me up daily in the middle of the night for a BM and of course I can't go back to sleep. I am a zombie at work. I was diagnosed back in late Feb of this yr. Completed the Vanco in March 28th or 29th...So it has been 4 months out since I completed my meds. I am still struggling w/ putting on weight. And I do eat. I did get blood work up done. My vitamin D and Iron levels are low. So now, I have to take vitron C and Vitamin D 1000mg daily. I take 1 florastor a day. I use to take culturelle also-- but my tummy does not seem to care for it any more. I was doing or drinking 3 ounces of kefir.. Not sure if that was too much for my tummy-- so now doing 2 spoons ful of kefir..Currently, looking for a new probiotic. Thinking about acidophilus . Doing some research. Also, on Zoloft for my anxiety, stress, and PTSD. The biggest fear is having a relapse. Some posters have done remarkablely well in recovery and others are still struggling but surviving which is good to have a fighting spirit. I want lie-- I still get emotionally sad.

I am happy for you that you are recovering well. Continue on your progress.