C diff or something else

[Sitedude]

I know no one can say for sure without a stool culture but just wanting an educated guess from those who have experienced c diff

On june 14 a saturday I developed a slight fever and constant d every 30 minutes through the night. The d continued for about 8 days. D on day 5 and 6 had blood when I wiped but my rectum felt very sore and tender to the wipe. I think it maybe have been a hemorrhoid on day 9 it slowed down to 1 d in the am. The next day I was forming solid bms today is day 11 and yesterday and today I had a bm around the same time both days and they both were about 4-5 solid pieces with a tiny amount of m only visible on the tp.

I may have gotten a stomach bug from some uncured pepperoni from amazon but just wanted others opinions.

Also the d does not smell up the bathroom which I've read is a sign of cdiff.

I can get an appointment monday for testing but if it's going back to solid I dont know if they will test

Also I have not had any antibiotics and the only thing I can think of is possible exposure from changing my 6mo babies diaper.

[beth22]

Welcome to the site Sitedude. Please read the first forum for more information for new posters.

Like you said, without testing it is hard to say. Any number of GI infections could have your symptoms like salmonella, e coli, etc. The only way to know for sure is to test. I would ask your doctor to test for other pathogens besides c difficile.

[georgina]

The D episode may have been due to a virus or a common gut bug . Since D irritates the anus it may have flared up the hemorrhoids or it caused a fissure which lead to the bleeding . If the D has slowed down it most likely NOT CDiff . With CDiff it never gets better , it's only worse. Eat bland for a couple of days , try a probiotic and pepto bosmol or a binding agent like Questra, and use a cream for the anal area.
For the future , please use the TMI section for descriptive posts.

[Sitedude]

Thanks for your reply. I had a tiny amount of watery stool this morning. Few hrs later 4 80% formed stools. If it were c diff would it do this? There was a speck of blood on one of the stools

[Sitedude]

Another update been 8 hours since last stool does c diff come and go like this. I cant get tested for c diff until next week at gp

[roy]

20% of diagnosed c.diff cases resolve without treatment.
Probably a lot more go undiagnosed, clear up after a few inconvenient days, and are just put down to "a simple gut bug" because that's exactly what c.diff is.
If your symptoms resolve its gone!
Testing if it resolves on it's own might not be a good idea.
If its positive your Dr might (wrongly) want to treat.
Natural immunity and our own body defeats c.diff and MANY other bugs and diseases every day of our lives.
IF your bodys done its job you dont need treating.

[Sitedude]

roy wrote:
> 20% of diagnosed c.diff cases resolve without treatment.
> Probably a lot more go undiagnosed, clear up after a few inconvenient days,
> and are just put down to "a simple gut bug" because that's
> exactly what c.diff is.
> If your symptoms resolve its gone!
> Testing if it resolves on it's own might not be a good idea.
> If its positive your Dr might (wrongly) want to treat.
> Natural immunity and our own body defeats c.diff and MANY other bugs and
> diseases every day of our lives.
> IF your bodys done its job you dont need treating.

Roy thank you I had another pretty much normal bm an hour ago, this morning was watery 1x after 2 previous days of decent bms

The only thing bugging me is the itching lol.

I only had the fever on day 1 (june 14) after that I never had a fever. I dont feel terrible gassy every once in a while. Is it a good sign that it went from like 20x a day of d to 3 days of normal looking back to 1 watery incident then back to semi normal an hr ago. Sorry if this is Tmi just worry, have a newborn and my town has heavy amounts of infected people and the doc office in town is where they take covid patients daily. I do have an appointment scheduled monday and really really dont want to go if necessary I seen someone post about a 3 day rule? So as long as it doesnt go back to how it was 20x a day I should try to ride it out?

Ty for your last reply it makes me feel a little less anxious I beat anxiety 4 years ago and felt it creeping back with this situation

[Sitedude]

Quick update no d for the rest of the day what are your thoughts on my last post roy

[Elvish2]

The only real way to tell if you have it is to consult with your doctor and test. If you're continuing to get better, that's a good sign, but it's hard to say with ups and downs. When I got c-diff this time, I was up and down for a week or two, but then it became unmistakable.

To ease your worry about going in on Monday if you end up deciding to, could you call your doctor and ask if they'd prescribe you a stool test kit without an in-person visit based on your symptoms? Then all you'd have to do is go in briefly to pick up the kit (or send someone to pick it up for you), complete the kit at home, and then return it, without having to sit in a waiting room or the doctor's office.

[beth22]

You could also request a phone or video appointment. I have done that with the GI and he ordered tests. I just have to go to the lab and turn them in, but I am waiting too. I think there is a GI bug going around where I live. My friend, who has never had c diff, had it too. COVID-19 can also give GI symptoms, but there is no treatment for that. Like other viruses, I guess it just has to run its course. Not saying that you have that, but you mentioned it in your post. I would call tomorrow and ask if your appt can be switched to video or phone if you are not comfortable going in to the office.

[Sitedude]

I actually went to go to pick up "culture test" when I got home I realized it was to test for colon cancer. Called them back and they are like oh ya we wont order a stool culture until you come in monday. When people have ups and downs does it go away for a few days and return to semi normal bms

[Sitedude]

Another quick update normal colored solid bm. Could I just have anxiety over reading about cdiff

[roy]

Yes!
It's very unlikely that you have c.diff colitis.
Theres a BIG differance between testing positive for c.diff and the disease that's correctly called clostridium difficile colitis.
Even if you had a positive test it's not something that should be treated.
In fact if your Dr ordered a test the labs are instructed not to test a formed stool sample.
That instruction is to protect you against being treated for c.diff unless its causing disease.
Try to move on and stop using Dr Google!

[Sitedude]

Thank you so much Roy it feels like a weight is off my chest. Man I wish there was better treatment options for c diff sufferers. If anything changes I'll let you know but I do feel okay minus the occasional gassy feeling. Hope everyone on the forums has a great weekend

[D1dad]

I can tell you that when I had it I was going15-40 plus times a day. Around a week into it, before I sought treatment, I added florastor and that almost worked. The next few days was the same as before so I drove to the ER. If yours resolved That’s fantastic. As was said, cdiff will get better on its own or you’ll be seeking treatment and will know when it’s time to do so hopefully.