Formed stool and mucus, I need insight please!

[twoscoop]

Hello, I have been on this forum reading a whole lot and you guys are such a nice supportive community! I am at loss and if anyone can give me an insight of what's going on would be greatly appreciated. I tested positive for cdiff and took flagyl for 10 days. My last dose was 9/1. I had a great week and everything cleared up since the second day I started taking it. After the 7th day, I had abdominal cramping and just passing mucus. I actually haven't had D or loose stools since my treatment. Everything that comes out is either formed, or just frequent mucus. Abdominal cramping comes and goes, some days are worse than others. I do have a light pink streak of blood in my mucus as well. I don't know if this is a relapse? I know they say if you aren't having loose stool/D 3x a day 3 days in a row that it should be fine. I know everyone is different, but I am starting to wonder if my cdiff is back. I did go to the doctor and I have a stool kit ready, but they rejected it saying it was formed. The only soft liquid thing that comes out is mucus with the steak of blood. (blood isn't always present, but I feel like I have a cut inside because some days I feel a throb inside) Will they accept this as a sample? Or should I just wait for a mushy day. Also all my stools have this black chocolate chip chunk looking thing. I had black tiny specs before and eliminated bananas, and that actually went away. Just concerned about the black chocolate chip chunk looking things. Hopefully that's undigested fiber or something. Any similar experiences or advice? Thank you!

I take 2 florastors a day
I have also been keeping a food journal and this mucus flare up seems to happen after I eat bread. The first week off flagyl I had no bread and I was fine. The second week I had bread 3 days in a row and this flare up happened. It went away for 4 days, and I had bread again for 3 days in a row and same thing has happened. It could be a coincidence but that was my conclusion to all of this. Any thoughts?

[beth22]

A lot of M was always a sign that I had relapsed, but it doesn't have t be. I have turned in a sample of M and they tested it, so you can do that if you feel it is a relapse.

[twoscoop]

I actually took in my mucus and they rejected it. They needed actual mush/liquid. I never had mucus the first time I had cdiff. I don't think I'm relapsing but maybe it's PI-IBS? Is it possible to have cdiff with formed stools? I have nothing but formed stools but I just fart out mucus. It's strange.

[Ali-Mar]

Mucus only bowels was the main sign for me every time I relapsed

[beth22]

The same for me, but it depends on how much M you are talking about. With IBS there is some, but if it is a lot, then you need to bring it to your doctor's attention.

[twoscoop]

My first GI appointment isn't till Sept 28 but I'll ask. Hmm I hope it's not a relapse. Today the mucus went away. If it was a relapse, wouldn't it be continuous? Thank you guys.

[beth22]

With a relapse, it does not usually go away. Inflammation often causes M. So does C for that matter. Unless it gets really bad, just see how it goes until your appointment. If you get a fever or a lot of D, call the doctor.

[LHutz]

C. diff does a lot of damage to the GI tract, so once the active infection ends, many people still have a lot post-infection IBS symptoms. The post infection IBS can sometimes feel like a c. diff relapse. In my experience, the IBS symptoms came and went, but the symptoms of c. diff were constant. When I was recovering from c. diff I had a couple days where I had D with M and B. I was sure it was a relapse, but my doctor advised to wait a couple days because the M could be from lingering damage caused by c. diff and the B could be from hemorrhoids developed during c. diff. My doctor was right.

[twoscoop]

Thank you Lhutz. I guess I just have to be patient and see how things go. I know everyday is going to be different in my BM. I'll hang in there!

[speg]

My recovery was much the same. I was scared I was relapsing due to large amounts of mucus and occasional blood/tissue in what otherwise was formed stool. I took in photos of my M to my nurse practioner whose advice was "we don't want to over treat you're a healthy young woman with no D and a lot of damage to the colon, so wait". I followed her advice, the black specks, and mucus took about 6 weeks to subside, but I was left with internal hemorrhoids and chronic anal fissures (so I always still have small drops of blood when I wipe pretty regularly). I don't know about the bread/gluten connection because I was breast feeding my son, and he was suspected of having multiple food sensitivities so I eliminated the top 8 food allergens, red meat and much of the sugar in my diet. I think the diet might have actually helped speed my healing to be honest because stools became pleasant for a period in there (if you can actually consider poo'ing pleasant after having had cdiff haha).

In my case we didn't retreat. I'm still alive. Mucus/bloody tissue is gone and I eat whatever I want now, although there are a few things that sorta don't agree, mostly I'm ok. (Fast food is a no no and raw veggies seem to go through a bit more whole then they used to type of deal). I had to stop taking florestor because it was causing the opposite issue and I was becoming constipated :( I do take keifer milk most weeks, yogurts most days and a multivitimain. I some times take philissylum husk fiber pills due to the weird constipation/ex lg. bm spells, but it beats the alternative of hemorrhoids!

overtreatment has it's own risks and you really have to weigh if the risk of having a minor relapse is worse that of a major relapse with another antibiotic. I don't think you'll ever be rid of cdiff in the gut, just maintaining the balance of bacteria's that keep it suppressed at best (personal opinion)