Infectious Disease Appointment finally

[jackie24]

Finally had my appointment with the infectious disease doctor at UVA on Friday. She really put my mind at ease after almost 6 months of my Cdiff journey. She gave me a stool kit and more Vanco to finish out a little longer of my taper and pulse. She said if after the taper and pulse I start having WD 3 or more times a day to get a sample and take the orders to my local lab to be analyzed. If it come back positive she would give me another long course of Vanco and refer me to the doctor that deals in the FMT’s and we would go forward with that.

She also informed me that they can’t guarantee that I won’t have complications from the FMT because there are things that are new everyday they don’t know to test the stool donation for. She said they just learned not to long ago that Covid 19 is found in feces. Anyone ever been told that a FMT could have complications? Another thing she told me that was a shocker is there’s no proof that probiotics like Culterelle and Florastor helps with CDiff at all and she recommended yogurts, Kefir. And other natural things with probiotics in them. Anyone been told that?

[beth22]

Yes, I have read about the probiotics. You have to remember that your GI tract has hundreds if not thousands of different strains of "good bacteria" and a probiotic only has at most 15 or so. It can't possibly replenish what was lost with antibiotic treatment and c diff. I was told before my FMTs about the no guarantee and that you might get something else. They tested my donor for pathogens, both bacterial and also for parasites and c difficile. However, you can't test for every possible thing. And yes, Covid can be found in stool. I have read that too. If I had to do FMT again, I would again use a relative that I know is healthy otherwise. If you know the person doesn't have digestive problems or has been sick, etc. it is more reassuring. Obviously the donor would still have to be tested. My donor had to have blood tests as well - one of them was for venereal disease and HIV.