Feeling defeated and upcoming wedding

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Jenna24
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Feeling defeated and upcoming wedding

Postby Jenna24 » Wed Jul 25, 2018 2:38 pm

32 year old female- just finished 10 day course of Flagyl after 10 day course of Vanco didn’t work. I felt a little better after finishing the Flagyl but it seems that was short lived. I am once again running to the bathroom with BM of various “styles”, major stomach cramping and just feel overall defeated. I am getting married in a month and fear I will be battling this the whole day. Has anyone used anything to help relieve symptoms while on and off treatment? I am waiting to get in to see a ID doctor but that could take days. I have struggled with IBS prior to the infection and didn’t realize it wasn’t IBS until two weeks in. Looking for any words of encouragement or tips. Thanks

roy
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Re: Feeling defeated and upcoming wedding

Postby roy » Wed Jul 25, 2018 3:14 pm

Using flagyl AFTER vanco is unheard of!
Time to seek the advice of an experianced Dr.

AnxiousJ
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Re: Feeling defeated and upcoming wedding

Postby AnxiousJ » Wed Jul 25, 2018 3:17 pm

Congrats on your upcoming wedding but sorry you are dealing with this. I am not sure why you would be on Flagyl after Vanco didn't work. Flagyl is inferior to Vanco and there is a lot of information on this site and elsewhere to back that up. It is a harsh,terrible med that kills off even more good gut flora and is no longer recommended. If possible, try and see an ID or GI doctor and ask for either Dificid (which kills the least good gut flora) or possibly a Vanco taper. Also, consider going on a yeast based probiotic called Florastor and a high quality high count cfu probiotic such as Bio K Plus (can be purchased online or at Whole Foods) or VSL3 (behind the counter at most pharamacies). Make sure you are cleaning with bleach and water mixture. The heavy probiotic regimine along with the correct antibiotics may nip this in the bud. Good luck and congrats again on your wedding. Feel better.
Last edited by AnxiousJ on Thu Jul 26, 2018 3:40 pm, edited 3 times in total.

roy
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Re: Feeling defeated and upcoming wedding

Postby roy » Wed Jul 25, 2018 3:28 pm

Do not attempt to slow the D with any meds.
If its c.diff your body is expelling the toxins.
If you take anything to stop the D it holds in the toxin and can cause serious damage.
Go back to a Dr and get the correct treatment, Vanco or Dificid.
If a Dr prescribed flagyl after vanco they do not know how c.diff should be treated, if they say it's ok to use imodium they would be wrong.

Jenna24
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Re: Feeling defeated and upcoming wedding

Postby Jenna24 » Wed Jul 25, 2018 4:59 pm

Thanks for the information. I wish I would have known about the Flagyl, I felt worse while taking it. Hopefully I can get into the ID doctors soon.

MKW
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Re: Feeling defeated and upcoming wedding

Postby MKW » Wed Jul 25, 2018 10:45 pm

Hi, I can honestly say in almost 2 years on this board, you are the first person I've seen to say they were given Flagyl after Vanco. If you have a C Diff recurrence confirmed by testing at this point again, the next usual step is Vanco with a taper, or Dificid. If you choose Vanco with a taper you would ensure you would be OK through getting married. On the other hand, Dificid has a higher success rate it seems. Occassionally I see on here some doctors are willing to prescribe Dificid with a taper, but some doctors refuse. Do not take an antidiarrheal like Imodium if C Diff is possible. You want your body to expel the toxins. Some people are prescribed Bentyl or Levsin from what I recall, but these only really help with cramping if you are having a problem with that. Others I've seen have been prescribed toxin binders like Cholestyramine which might help with pain and damage from the C Diff toxins, but that has the potential to actually bind to the antibiotic you are taking and make it less effective from what I've read. ... I'm just relaying info I've seen others post, so no medical advice here! I am sure you are scared and frustrated. I had to have an FMT to be cured, and still suffer with many GI issues.

Lisa33
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Re: Feeling defeated and upcoming wedding

Postby Lisa33 » Thu Jul 26, 2018 9:28 am

I'm not sure if you are taking any probiotics, but I am one that believes that probiotics aided in my recovery. They can also be beneficial with the IBS. I took VSL-3 and Florastor to help replenish the good gut bacteria. VSL-3 is a live bacteria, so it would have to be taken hours apart from any c-diff meds as the meds will kill it off. Florastor is sacchromyces boulardii which is a yeast probiotic that is not killed off by meds. Others have taken Enteragam which is a prescribed medical food that has shown benefits in aiding with c-diff recovery. These are all some things that you should go over with your GI to see if it can help you in any way to get through this awful illness and have a wonderful wedding day without the worry.

Ajs
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Re: Feeling defeated and upcoming wedding

Postby Ajs » Fri Jul 27, 2018 11:40 pm

I too was prescribed flagyl after Vanco. It was a complete waste of time. At the time I barely knew what cdiff was and knew nothing of the latest treatment order. Now after my third treatment (Dificid) which I finished almost 5 weeks ago, I fear that I’m starting to relapse. Finishing up day 2 of 3 WD with M. Hoping tomorrow will be different.

NanciT
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Re: Feeling defeated and upcoming wedding

Postby NanciT » Sat Jul 28, 2018 10:38 am

Hopefully the WD is not a relapse, I had this several times post Dificid taper. The post IBS still continues for me so maybe that is what you are dealing with.
If the D continues call the GI, if it's been 5 weeks post Dificid that is unlikely but we have had a few cases. The longest I went was 4 weeks.
The post IBS can be difficult and there are medications, if it is a relapse consider a Dificid taper. Are you watching your diet? It can play a big role in recovery. Also adding probiotics ( I took VSL#3) and have continued taking it.

Hoping things improve

NanciT

Jenna24
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Re: Feeling defeated and upcoming wedding

Postby Jenna24 » Sat Jul 28, 2018 11:02 am

Thanks for all of your input. i think the unknown is the worst part of all of this. Since my original post I have had some issues but now think it may just be the PI-IBS everyone is talking about. So hard to know the difference. I luckily got an appointment with an ID doctor for this Monday and hopefully can get some guidance. I am just trying to stay positive, but every morning it is like a terrible surprise on whether or not I will feel okay. I appreciate all of you and this site. Hopefully I can have some answers and will be able to share with you all soon.

Ajs
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Re: Feeling defeated and upcoming wedding

Postby Ajs » Sat Jul 28, 2018 12:46 pm

Same here! Thanks to all! Today my BM’s have been together, but the cramping and upset stomach has been horrible! Hopefully it isn’t a relapse. And you’re right Jenna24! It’s so hard to distinguish between PI-IBS and relapse. All I know to do is follow the 3 day, 3 times per day rule. Sadly, if I had known about this in the beginning I would have never started treatment. I never had WD. Only small amount of B and M...

Jenna24
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Re: Feeling defeated and upcoming wedding

Postby Jenna24 » Wed Aug 08, 2018 12:48 pm

Just wanted to check back in and update those of you who were kind enough to comment on my thread. I met with the ID doctor and he said that my IBS complicates the healing process. He suggested I retest to see if we were still dealing with an infection. If so, he suggested the Vanco taper, Dificid or the FMT. We were leaning strongly on the Vanco taper as it was the only option that would guarantee I would feel somewhat okay on my wedding day. Of course the price of all three options is crazy!!! My test results ended up coming back negative. My BMs have been more normal (normal for me that is) and I have been drinking Kefir every day. I am starting to feel like a normal person again, although I do have some bad mornings. I know the possibility of this coming back is high but I just am happy to be on the right track. Thank you all and I hope anyone still suffering finds their specific route to feeling better.

Ajs
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Re: Feeling defeated and upcoming wedding

Postby Ajs » Wed Aug 08, 2018 2:07 pm

So glad your test was negative!! That’s good reason to believe it won’t come back! Hope you enjoy your wedding day

Lisa33
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Re: Feeling defeated and upcoming wedding

Postby Lisa33 » Thu Aug 09, 2018 11:16 am

Great news on the negative test! The mornings were always hard for me as well, especially in early recovery. I felt like I was relapsing several times, but it was just post infectious IBS. You will feel better as time goes on!

beth22
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Re: Feeling defeated and upcoming wedding

Postby beth22 » Thu Aug 09, 2018 8:30 pm

Good your test was negative. Keep drinking the kefir.


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