Newly diagnosed but no stranger to c diff

[CindyP]

And no stranger to this forum. I was a member back in 2013 but for some reason could not resurrect my old profile. But - here is the one post I made:

viewtopic.php?f=5&t=11486&p=70296&hilit=cindylynn#p70296

The post above is about my daughter having 7 months of recurring c diff that was cured with FMT in November of 2013. I thought I made a "success story" post, but I can't find that one.

Anyway - unfortunately I am now back because I've contracted it myself.

I had surgery 3 weeks ago for pelvic floor reconstruction - rectocele and sphincteroplasty. I was given multiple different IV antibiotics in the hospital. The first, when I was completely out of it, was clindamycin. I was sent home with 5 days of Cipro and Flagyl (they tried to prescribe Clinda for the take-home and I refused - not that it made any difference). I met almost all the high risk factors - GI surgery, hospital stay, multiple IV antibiotics, and PPI usage.

Although I was healing ok, I hadn't had formed stools since the surgery. I took Align daily. Then this last weekend I started getting really sick. By Monday I was super suspicious (I know what that stuff smells like!) and called the surgeon's office to tell them I'm having D. They set me up with a lab appt and yesterday I got the positive dx. The surgeon's office prescribed flagyl. In the meantime, I had notified my gastroenterologist's office about the testing, and they told me no flagyl -they ordered Vanco. Thank goodness I called them! The surgeon should not be handling this issue - esp if she's unaware of current treatment guidelines!

BTW, I wound up getting the liquid form of Vanco from my local hospital pharmacy for a whopping $40! That was $610 less than Walgreens was going to charge me.

At 53, my intestinal tract was pretty fragile before the surgery, since I had diverticulitis in 2017 from IBS-C, and I had a hiatal hernia with GERD and Barrett's Esophagus that I had repaired in late 2017 with a Nissen Fundoplication. Nevertheless, by the time of this recent surgery, I had almost gotten my belly under control - with very little IBS-C symptoms on a daily basis. Now here I am, scared that I'm going to wind up with a virulent strain like my daughter had, but hopeful that it won't be. I'm trying to follow my GI doc's orders, and trust in the medicine, and not become an anxious mess.

I've been re-reading the forum for updates pretty extensively in the last day and a half. I have a few questions:

1. I would like to begin Florastor as soon as I can/should. I'm on 125 mg. every 6 hours. So, when is the best time to take the Florastor? Should I be taking it concurrently with the Vanco, or wait until I'm done/almost done?

2. My husband is immunosuppressed - he takes methotrexate for rheumatoid arthritis. Does this put him at greater risk for getting it? I'm trying to do just the recommended amount of cleaning and not overdo anything, since I know I have a tendency for anxiety and germophobia. Also, he has a very lackadaisical attitude about hand washing. He'll either just use water, or if I get onto him, he'll use soap for a few seconds and that's it. He certainly doesn't wash his hands every time before eating.

3. Finally, in searching the forum, I found one instance of someone saying they woke up in the middle of the night to take the 4th dose of Vanco. I feel like having a steady dose in my system is best - is that nutty to set an alarm to take a night dose? I'm self employed (but not working right now - too weak) so if I miss a little sleep it's ok, I can catch up during the day.

Thank you for your time. I'd say it's good to be back, but, well, you know....

[georgina]

If Florastor helps , you can take it along with Vanco .It's yeast so it won't be killed by antibiotics.
Even though your husbands immune response is low, as long as your D is under control you are not a contagious , although proper hygiene measures should be taken : bleach cleaning the bathroom , using separate towels , washing underwear with bleach , proper hand washing after using the toilet or before preparing meals.

[Fish1]

When I was doing vanco every six hours I took it at 6 am 12 pm 6 pm and then 12 am. I did set my clock to make sure I was getting it every six hours. I still had a relapse. Back on a Vanco Taper now, and I set my clock for the first ten days every six hours. It just made me feel better that I was taking it exactly every six hours. I don’t know if it matters though; some of the contibuters with more experience might know, I’m still a struggling newbie.

[Bobbie]

Fish,
If it makes you feel better to take Vanco on a strict schedule, do so. We all have to monitor and control our own progress. C diff is a difficult and complicated disease.

Good to have a plan and follow it. Let us know how you are doing. With every good wish!

[CindyP]

Thanks Georgina. Lack of proper hand washing is my main concern on my husband's behalf. I guess I can't control that, though, so need to let go. As long as I'm doing what I can to minimize potential spread that's all I can do.

Thank you, Fish1. I did wake up last night at 3 am - and then couldn't get back to sleep until 6. Haha. May have to rethink my schedule.

[Ril]

If you insist on taking it every 6 hrs, change the times to something more manageable. Don’t worry about the 1 dose that has to be longer or shorter in order to make the shift. It won’t hurt anything. Most medications are never given at the exact same time all the time.

[Nancy1]

To echo what Ril said, my doc told me that it was more important to get enough sleep than to take Vanco exactly 6 hours apart. So I took Vanco at midnight and then about 7 a.m., noon and 6 p.m.

[CindyP]

I can see that. But since hitting menopause, I can't remember the last time I slept through the night. I wake every night without an alarm and usually for at least an hour.

[Fish1]

Thank you Bobbie