C diff and low levels of vitamin D

[beth22]

A friend sent me an interesting article regarding having worse D* with c diff if you have low levels of vitamin D.

http://tinyurl.com/2vsmj28

[Nancy1]

Wow, the high mortality rates in these cdiff patients are really scary. In fact, they are so high that I wonder if this is a misprint.

[Mia-Mia]

YES GOTTA NE A MISPRINT I just got this off of WEB MD. death can be up to 25% in the elderly and frail. But the can also be said with the flu in the elderly the rate was higher.


Mortality/Morbidity
While most patients with C difficile colitis recover without specific therapy, symptoms may be prolonged and debilitating. C difficile associated diarrhea can be a serious condition with a mortality rate as high as 25% in elderly patients who are frail. Reports that focus on patients who are more seriously ill indicate mortality rates of 10-30%. Mortality rates have also risen over the past decade and reflect an increase in admissions and the

[beth22]

I re-read the article. I don't think it is a misprint, and I don't think it means that ALL of these patients died of c diff. They probably died of whatever else they had and they also got c diff. Some may have died of the c diff, but most likely they died of whatever else they were in the hospital for - cancer - heart conditions, whatever.

[MaryT]

Interesting re: vitamin D connection. I am post-infectious IBS, not still cdiff positive. But nothing helps my IBS and I just had my vitamin D tested and it is at level 8....they like it to be between 22-45. Tried one vitamin D supplement and it killed my stomach. Trying to find one now without any additives.

[beth22]

I can't take the pills either. I bought a liquid vitamin D that you spray under your tongue and is supposed to get absorbed sublingually. I got it online from Dr. Mercola products. It doesn't bother my intestines. I also got a B-12 like that, but haven't tried it yet. There are also sublingual pills you can get for B-12 - Twin Labs makes them. The only other vitamin D that I tried was a liquid from Costco - it does have additives though - cane sugar was one. I did ok with that if I took it with my dinner. The spray is easier though. I was told that any levels of D under 30 was not enough.

[MaryT]

Thanks Beth, I will definitively look for the spray!

[Bobbie]

MaryT & other who need Vit. D.

Try Vitamin D3 (1000 IU) by Freeda Vitamins, Inc. (Long Island City, NY).
The bottle says: no gluten, no lactose, no articifical colors, no artificial flavors, no sugar or starch, no gelatin, no yeast.

A bottle costs around $5.50 (100 tablets). You can order it from Walgreen's. Vit. D is fat soluable -- it stays in the body so you can take "too much." Most calcium supplements also contain Vit. D. I "ran my meds. by an "expert." He thinks I am on too much Vit. D so I am going to ask for a test.

It's hard work keeping up your health after C. diff.!

I, too, have IBS -- some days are good; some are "bad." Eventually, I decided to go for "quality" instead of "quantity" of life and eat what I want -- within reason. I got tired of wondering, " "Should I eat ????"