experiencing loss of appetite/gag reflex?

[pleasehelp]

Background Info:Hi everyone, Im a 21 year old male and I was diagnosed with C Diff in mid Jan 09 after taking antibiotics for my throat (believed to have been strep throat). I had really bad stomach pains and diarrhea (probably 10 trips a day) for a few days (the diarrhea turned bloody on the 3rd day) and so I went to the hospital. I can attest that those few days were filled with pain and absolute suffering. I had a urine test, blood test, stool test and chest x ray at the hospital to determine I had C diff. I was then given metronidazole which stopped the stomach pains and the diarrhea after 4-5 days. I had another stool & blood test done after 2-3 weeks: positive for c diff toxins, blood test was fine. Another 2-3 weeks later I had another stool & blood test done: negative for colitis c diff + toxins, blood test was fine.

The issue:My major problem now and has been for the past 3.5 months is that I feel sort of nauseous/ gag reflex in the back of my mouth, which makes it very hard to eat/loss of appetite. I should also note I did vomit once during the whole ordeal in Jan, specifically the morning before I went to the hospital, and ever since that I have had this problem. Also worth mentioning is that my stools haven’t been the same in size/proportion since the c diff, going to the bathroom once a day versus twice as before.

I have complained about the nausea/gag reflex to my doctor during the visits where he gave me the lab results, and he is saying that it is all in my head as the last results were negative. Another retired registered nurse told me that people may experience this because their systems have been hit hard and the food travels slowly thru their systems, creating the nausea etc. A natural pathetic doctor told me that some people experience this since the intestinal lining is/has been hit hard and is now sensitive. I also saw a microbiologist that gave me a liver cleanser, which I took for about 2 weeks. As you can see I have seen several people about this…

At current I am taking probiotic pills, multi vitamin, the natural pathetic doctor gave me powder that is supposed to help the intestinal lining and a stronger probiotic powder form that is supposed to be stronger than the pill version. Additionally, the natural pathetic doctor said it does take a long time for people to get rid of the nauseous feeling. I should also say…after taking the powders from the natural pathetic doctor, I feel as if the nausea/gag reflex is stronger, and then decided to cut back on the dose as he recommended.

Is there anyone here that has experienced this nausea/gag reflex??? And if so, any advice???? Thank you very much for reading this and taking the time to help me. All I can say is that the past few months have been a HUGE challenge and I’m REALLY distressed, and Id really appreciate someone’s help.
Harmeet

[Nancy1]

Some folks here have taken phenergan and others have taken zofran for nausea.

[pleasehelp]

Thank you roy and Nancy1 for taking the time to reply. I think I will stop taking the stuff I got from the NP doctor for a few days as it has seemed to make the nausea/gag reflex stronger, and see if that makes a difference.

Right now Im wondering if I should just continue waiting it out or if I should go see someone else (everyone ive seen says itll take time though).

Have you guys heard of anyone else going thru the same thing as me, as I thought this would have been a common problem? Also, is this an issue that people have faced before while the gut flora is getting back to normal?

Harmeet

[pleasehelp]

Thanks roy for your reply, Im glad to hear that others do experience this uneasyness after c diff as I am. It is true that after breaking your arm or whatever, it does take a while to recover (I remember this from the time I dislocated my arm), and since the bowel is larger it should take time. I just freaked out thinking its been 3 months now with this qweezyness and why why why & do others have this as well.

I havent paid too much attention to altering my diet thus far, but I was thinking of actually following the BRAT (maybe braty) diet. Maybe not 100%, but following it more as Ive read others have tried on this forum.

Ive been hearing a lot about ginger and ginger products (ginger biscuits etc) for nausea, and am considering ginger pills that can be purchased from organic type grocers?

Heres a list of all the things I have:
Organic store:
1. Multi vitamin - I will take this (after meals now)
2. Aciduphilus Ultra - maybe 1-2 pills a day to prevent reoccurance
3. Digestive Enzymes - probably wont take

ND doctor:
1. Zinc pills - to increase appetite - probably wont take
2. Adaptogen - for immune & adrenal function - probably wont take
3. Glutagenics - for intestinal lining - (strong taste...feels iffy after drinking) - probably wont take
4. Ultra Flora something - powder probiotic, stronger form - probably wont take

So 7 things here in total....but I think itll probably be best to just use some of these: multivitamin, probiotic pills, maybe digestive enzymes, possibly ginger pills?, brat(y) diet?

Any thoughts, ideas, or suggestions are more than welcomed

harmeet

[klt03301]

Hi Harmeet,

I, too, suffered from nausea for quite some time after being cleared of C Diff. It's not that uncommon. The gag reflex thing is something I can really relate to. It's horrible, BUT...with time it will get much better. I've been free of C Diff since 4/08, but was left with post infectious IBS.

About 4 months out, I started noticing an improvement and with each month it got better, with an occasional bad week or more here and there. I still have pain, also, but nothing like it was.

It may take some time, but your life won't always be this way. You will feel better again. When you feel rotten every day, it's hard to believe and get through, but try to tell yourself that it's just going to take some time. Zofran for nausea was a good friend of mine :-)

Oh, my doc, too, told me it was all in my head. NOT. Ask for some anti nausea meds anyway. Your doc shouldn't have a problem prescribing some for you.

Of course, if this continues, see your doc again. Hate to say it, but the nausea can still hit me every now and then...but it's much milder.

Although I'm not the same as I was prior to C Diff, I do have my life back and you will, too!

Karen

[pleasehelp]

Thanks Karen for your reply and taking the time for reading my posts. At this point I think Ill just try to stay away from more medicine as medicine caused this whole thing in the first place. I have several natural remedies that I purchased over the past few months (the ones stated in the previous post) and Ill try to cut out as many as I can and see how that goes for me as Ive heard people experience nausea from such things.

Did you ever give ginger a try & if so, how did it work for you? Also, if you dont mind me asking, how did you end up with PI IBS & what does that mean in terms of how it effects your life (does it mean you have chronic c diff symtoms)?

I really appreciate you taking the time for replying to my post. Nobody in my personal life being friends/family know what c diff is, what it does, and how long it takes to recover. They all think Im over reacting or just over thinking this (as the doctor said its in my head), but its nice discussing this with people that actually really know what its like.

thanks
harmeet

[klt03301]

Hi Harmeet,

I've tried ginger and it didn't really help me, but small sips of ginger ale did! Some people...I think one out of 5...develop post infectious IBS after c diff. I had IBS prior to it, also, but it's not the same as before. YOU MAY NOT EVEN HAVE OR GET IBS! It just may be normal recovery from C Diff. My ID doc told me my PI-IBS could last for months or years. It gets better with each passing month for me. How it affects my life: I don't have D, just abdominal tenderness/soreness, not much cramping at all, just sore. Fatigue, very rarely now. Nausea also rarely. Most days I can do what I want, even go to the gym for 1 1/2 hour workout. I still have to be careful about what I eat, though. I can't digest raw veggies yet and some raw fruits. I can eat all the spicy food I want and it never bothers me. I can even drink orange juice now, which I could not prior to c-diff (I think it's the probiotics I take that help with that). I'd say the abdominal soreness is the worst thing; it's there 2-3 days of the week (doesn't last all day). I don't need to take anything for the soreness: I'd rate it as a 2 on a scale of 1-5.

All in all, life is GOOD!

Karen

[pleasehelp]

Hi Karen, Im really happy to hear that you are doing as good as you are now and you give me a lot of hope/inspiration. Im really surprised to hear that you are working out as well...I used to work out quite often and had great results from it. But, since the c diff I havent done a single thing and anything I gained from previous excersizing is gone now (which hurt me a lot since it was really hard in the first place.) In fact, I had to drop school (spring semester) since thats when the c diff happened and currently did not enroll into the summer semester since the nausea hasnt gone away (I actually did try sitting thru a class with it but it proved to be a bad time). As you can see life has really been different since the c diff, as im sure you know all too well....but ill pick up from where I left as I start to feel better.

In terms of a daily diet, where there certain things you ate during your recovery? For instance, I stopped drinking milk, eating raw fruits, spicy foods, and avoiding fast foods since I heard these can aggrevate the condition. I try focusing on things as toast, rice, bananas (i heard these should be ok), and subway has been ok for me. The whole diet thing seems to be a bit of a challenge and Im only eating when I really feel hungry.

sincerely
harmeet

[pleasehelp]

Hi Roy, thanks for your reply. I actually do feel worse in the mornings and tend to feel better as the day goes on, which I always thought was strange. Id always think, ok, Im starting to feel alright around night time, but would wake up the next morning back to no good.

Ill try what you said about eating smaller more frequent meals a day versus eating 3 meals a day in relatively larger proportions. Also, thanks for suggesting the oatmeal, it will help add some variety as well. Any other good snack ideas? I have been trying crackers with cream cheese, but Im not sure how good cream cheese is right now, but its just for some taste.

sincerely
harmeet

[klt03301]

Hi Harmeet,

Roy is right. Smaller, more frequent meals are best. I didn't have a problem with milk products, but many folks do. Roy gave you some great advice about what to try and to avoid gluten for a while. I found oatmeal was the easiest thing to have in the mornings (his suggestion).

I'm hoping that you will start feeling better soon! Hang in there, it will happen :-)

Karen

[cindym]

Glad oatmeal did well with some of you but for me it caused lots and lots of frequency! Still , I have problems with it causing frequency. I had an infectious doctor tell me that the more rounded your diet and more selection of food- the quicker the bacteria would restore itself. However, who knows as everyone is different. I really think everyone should determine on their own their tolerances and their limits and stay with what works for them. Suggestions are helpful but not all things that bother one will bother another. A diet without junk is the best suggestion I have had to date.

[pleasehelp]

Hi everyone, I was wondering if it is really important to drink plenty of fluids, plenty of water, or either? I find myself drinking only a limited amount of water through out the day like maybe 1-2 glasses a day since water doesnt seem to be the most appetizing right now, and restore to sipping on ginger ale due to the nausea. I also stopped drinking juices like Five Alive since I find its too acidic and doesnt feel right after I drink it.

Im worried about getting dehyrated and have been feeling tired etc (but im not sure if this is just part of the recovery) and thought Id see what others have to say about this.

sincerely
harmeet

[Nancy1]

harmeet,
I think it is important to stay hydrated. The first time I went to the ER due to cdiff they were quite concerned that I had gotten dehydrated. Water didn't appeal to me much either, so I drank gingerale and Gatorade. I even bought Pedialyte but never drank it.

[fire7163]

Nancy:

You are so right about hydration. Trust me we are experts in it.Aanytime you start losing significant amounts of fluid, you have to replace them asap to keep the body in balance. Your first instinct is to drinl lot's of water, which is ok except that it does nothing for your electrolyte levels which are crititcal. We use a rule on scene 1-20oz bottle of water, the 2nd bottle mixed with the electrolyte suppliments and just keep repeating for as long as needed. My guys recover much faster and perform much better
than if they were using straight water.

Fluid loss doesn't have to be sweat. "d" can cause massive fluid loss.

Fire

[cindym]

Pleasehelp- This advise is coming from the NAUSEA QUEEN........I too have dealt with severe nausea on many occasions. I found water to also make me feel much worse. On the occasion of severe nausea spells I drink gatorade (not the regular but the RAIN version) and found that it is not as strong in taste and actually quite hydrating. I prefer the green rain version. Gingerale due to being carbonated can sometimes add to the nausea and yet other times be somewhat helpful. I also find that drinking from a straw (at the advise of my internist) works miracles! If you do not drink you will end up with kidney stones or worse so you better DRINK DRINK DRINK! If you were never big into drinking it takes time to build your tolerance up but it is a must with this condition to stay on top of the hydration problem. Another thing that I have found out is if I eat first and then drink afterward I tend not to get as nauseated. Good luck and I hope this will all pass quickly for you.