What's going on with this?

[uncle-buck]

Hi there,

I'm new to the site and appreciate the many contributions of its members, moderators, and contributors.

Last summer, I contracted a c diff infection after taking Augmentin for an eye infection. My longtime physician prescribed Flagyl which appeared to knock it out. A month later, I took a Z-pack for a sinus infection. A couple of weeks after that, I began having symptoms similar to the c diff symptoms, but without the D.

Went back to my doctor who re-tested for c diff. The results were negative. But my GI system has never been the same. Taking various probiotics in an effort to restore balance of flora.

Since I no longer have D, is it safe to assume that the c diff is gone?

Still having bloating and gas. Had a routine physical yesterday and my doc mentioned the possibility of SIBO. We're going to explore that further after blood test results come back.

BTW, had upper and lower GI scopes in Feb. and the GI doc says everything looks good.

Thanks for any comments or opinions.

Bert

[Nancy1]

Bert,
From your description I would guess that you no longer have cdiff. There are rare cases where people have cdiff without D, but I believe they generally test positive. Many of us take a long time to recover after cdiff. This is very common and could be what is happening to you. You may have IBS, which happens post-cdiff to about 20% of people. Have you tried Gas-X for the gas and bloating? It helped me a lot.

[uncle-buck]

Thank you, Nancy and Roy.

I will try the Gas-X and see how it goes. I'm not yet prepared to stop the probiotics because a recent bout of indigestion improved dramatically after I began taking Enzymatic Acidophilous Pearls.

Will keep you posted on progress.

Thank you again for your comments.

[Bobbie]

uncle-buck,
About l out of 5 people develop IBS after a bout of C. diff. See FAQ-IBS & FAQ-The Three Day Rule . C. diff. & IBS can have similar symptoms.

If you continue to have problems, I'd contact a GI or ID for your own piece of mind if you are still concerned.

Out of curorisity, why Augmentin for an eye infection??? Did you take it orally? (Many eye infections can be treated with sulfa eye drops -- little absorption -- not much risk of of C. diff. Do check this out with your eye doc. and/or pharmacist.) See FAQ-Antiibiotics.

Do be careful about taking antibiotics again. Make the doctor "prove" to you, one is necessary.

[uncle-buck]

Bobbie,

I've been to a GI doc and he seemed puzzled by my symptoms. He did upper and lower scopes and said everything looks good.

What's an ID?

I have no idea why the eye doc prescribed Augmentin for an eye infection. I was on vacation in Nevada last summer when it happened and was ignorant about the dangers of antibiotics. Yes, I took it orally - and before I knew anything about probiotics.

I sure will be careful about taking any antibiotics in the future.

My primary care doc thinks it might be a good idea to get tested for SIBO after the lab results from last week's physical exam come back. I've been doing a little reading about SIBO and it sounds like a definite possibility.

Thanks for your continuing assistance.

Bert

[Suezer]

Hello Bert

An ID is an Infectious Disease Specialist.

Many IDs are well versed in the treatment of C Diff / Recurring C Diff.

Hope you get to feeling better.

[beth22]

Uncle Buck - I had c diff with no D for months and had several negative test results until I got the pseud. colitis with bleeding. Only then did the test come back positive and by then I felt really awful and started medication. In fact, during one of my relapses I had constipation - so you can't always tell because of not having diarrhea. At first I just had a lot of bloating and nausea.

[uncle-buck]

Thanks for the clarification and good wishes, Suezer.

Beth, I have heard of people having negative test results while they're still infected. One doc who's a personal friend says that's fairly common because evidence of the infection can be present in some parts of the stool and absent from others.

I'm thinking it may be SIBO - or just an imbalance of microflora in my gut. I started taking enteric coated peppermint oil capsules yesterday, plan to start a course of the VSL#3 probiotics on Wednesday, and have scheduled a phone consultation with Kelly Karpa, author of "Bacteria For Breakfast" in early June.

[Mia-Mia]

What is SIBO? I heard that if you have blood in the stool that the c diff test comes out positive regardless if you have it or not, Also if the stool is very solid you could get a false positive. Not sure But i did read it on a medical website. Anyways i hope you are better take care.

[beth22]

I definitely had c diff, many relapses for 7 months. Only two of them had bleeding. SIBO is small intestine bacterial overgrowth which is measured by a breath test that you take after drinking lactulose - a type of sugar. The test tells you if there is a bacterial overgrowth in the small intestine, but it can't tell you which bacteria. Many people who have IBS, especially post-infectious IBS like me, are thought to have this overgrowth which causes the IBS symptoms. The overgrowth can be triggered by a previous infection, bacterial, viral, or parasite. I tested positive on the breath test and am going to see a specialist in May to see what to do about it and if it will relieve these symptoms. I never had IBS before getting the c diff.

[Bobbie]

See FAQ-SIBO.

[Mia-Mia]

Thank you I am new

[Barbie14005]

What is SIBO?

[fire7163]

SIBO= Small Intestine Bacterial Overgrowth...not a good thing

Fire

[Bobbie]

See FAQ for more info. about SIBO or google it.