Immune system susceptibility

[JohnB]

I was wondering if anyone else had to deal with a cold or virus due to a weakened immune system. Yesterday I had a dry cough that overnight got much worse. This afternoon I suddenly felt chills, body aches all over, and had a low-grade fever (I never had a fever from C. Diff). I was afraid it may be due to the thrush in my mouth going into my esophagus. So I went to the ER just in case, where I had a chest x-ray done which was all clear. I figure I may be dealing with a flu bug or virus on top of all this now. It's really frustrating.

It seems like suspeptibility to being sick with a cold or virus increases when our immune systems have been greatly compromised. Anyone else had to deal with this?

[cindym]

JohnB- Welcome to the rotten world of cdiff and its nasty side effects! Immune system problems are indeed common with this nasty bacteria. Thrush (if in your throat) will (from my experience) cause intense swollen glands, a sore throat that is like strep w/ white pockets all over the back of your throat and most of all gives you the feeling you are about to choke or suffocate. The other thrush in the mouth which I have experienced for more than 7 years on and off can be controlled with nysastatin swish & swallow or totally left alone if it is not sore. In the beginning I treated it almost continuously only to have it return over and over again. I only experienced the throat thrush going into the esophagus on one scary occasion and had to take massive amounts of diflucan for 14 days. My doctor finally told me that as long as I am taking vancocin the likelihood of thrush going totally away and not returning is slim to nil and treating it is almost a choice thing depending on how severe it becomes. One important thing I have found in dealing with viral colds etc is to start either mucinex or robitussin immediately and continue taking it until all signs are gone as this keeps everything flowing. Hang in there and find out what works for you!

[JohnB]

Well it turns out I got the flu. Was pretty wiped out the last couple days. Today the fever is going away, but I have a lot of nausea due to post-nasal drip.

Now here's something that's worrying. Despite the flu, I was feeling alright stomach-wise until today. Today I had lots of gurgling and bad "D" with a sense of urgency. I'm worried that the C. Diff is coming back, because the flu knocked my immune system down. I've been taking Tylenol round the clock to keep my fever down also. I took one last night on an empty stomach which was a really bad idea, and that's what seemed to trigger the D today. I've been taking extra Florastor just in case but I don't know if it'll be enough to fend off a relapse. :(

[feelinghopeful]

I came upon this interesting finding quite some time ago but never had a reason to post it but I think this is as good an opportunity as I'll have:

http://www.science-projects.com/fever.htm

Unless you really have a bad fever, maybe it's not such a good idea to try and control it. Possibly there's a reason we get fevers. And this may also fit in with some poster's ideas that their tendency toward low body temps might contribute to their inability to get rid of C-Diff. I found this link precisely because I tend to have a low body temp, myself. C-Diff is a gram-positive bacteria, too.

Who knows how good this science is but it's food for thought.

I'd lay off those meds that mess up your stomach, too. They make me double over and get D when I'm in the best of health.

[Suezer]

That is an interesting theory/article. I have ran a low body temp also with C Diff, and I thought someone wrote here that this meant my immune system was suppressed (not functioning in full gear) I may be wrong, however I do think that a "low" grade fever could be a sign that your immune system is doing what it needs to fight whatever is going on. I would most likely drink "alot" of cold fluids,make sure I am eating small meals every 2-3 hours.Take a multi vitamin if tolerated. Adding some Zinc, perhaps. I would keep an eye on the fever, if it went beyond low grade I would probably then take a tylenol. I used to take something called "emergen C" when I felt a cold coming on, it really did help keep it in check, however, now with C Diff being a factor I am not sure that would be a good suggestion, as I am not certain at what point of (C Diff)recovery you are at. Someone mentioned Mucinex in a different post, that stuff really helps alot with congestion.

I hope I am not over-doing any advise here, most of it is basic common sense. And again these are just things I would consider if I were having similar symptoms.

[anlockwood]

Hi JohnB,
You need to watch the D very closely. I have said many times before on other posts but my infant son was one of the unlucky ones that had a reoccurence of c diff because of a flu bug. I know there is another lady on here who dealt with the same thing. My son was 70 days plus post c diff and the flu bug hit with vomitting and when the D started we tested and sure enough it was back. It was his dr's belief that the flu helped to lower the good bacteria down low enough to where the c diff could flourish again. Not a bad idea to get a sample in to be sure.
Amanda