Young adult. Cdiff relapse for 2nd time.Need some help!

[erika4223]

Hey guys! My name is Erika. Just turned 21 end of December and I have been constantly sick for over 6 months.

It all started last winter with pneumonia at first,stomach bug,upper respiratory infection(as the doctor said) and prescribed me a Zpack for pneumonia, a month later I developed a upper resp infection and was then put on another Zpack,inhaler,codene cough syrup.I then developed a Sinus infection. I was put on Aveloxx for 14 days.Not so long after i recovered from it and 2 months ago i was stuck in bed for 5 days and thought I had the Flu so the hospital couldn't do anything for me. I called the doctor at that time I was using and he said please go to the hospital! I went to the hospital they did xrays,ekg,tons of blood work,stool samples etc. Couldn't figure out what was wrong with me so i discharged myself waited days for my result, and was told I had Salmonella food poisoning. I was then put on cipromofloxin which barley got the food poisoning out of me and was told i shouldn't have even been put on it.I had Salmonella for 20 days with recover.Towards the end of the food poisoning almost being gone. I thought I caught Ecoli or salmonella again. I was never told to be on a special diet or anything. I changed my doctor because my other one wouldn't listen to anything i was saying and she thought i was absolutely crazy and would laugh at me anytime i wanted blood done. I found a new one and he finally ran blood work on me and stool samples. I had CDIFF while I had the food poisoning and the Aveloxx and Cipro caused it. I was then put on Flagyl, prilosec and belladonna which helped very well. I was taking VSL3 refrigerated.I was on Flagyl for 14 days 4 times a day. I am a very petite girl and now weight 108 from being so sick. Two days after i got off the antibiotics last week I had all the symptoms of Cdiff back. I went to the doctor and was fainting everywhere.I was put on Vancomycin and im on my first day. I need help or answers to when i will feel better, or what I can eat? as far as diet I've heard about clay, and Colotial Silver which my mother takes. I'v e lost 20 pounds and im only 5 feet. Im looking for any help! or any doctors that specialize in cdiff in the areas around NYC,CT or jersey.I'm looking to meet some people on this website or anyone that has had similar stories. Please Please! im beginning to give up.Anyone Please! you may also email me personally. I hope someone can help me.Thanks so much! Erika :

[beth22]

The vanco takes about 3 or 4 days to kick in, at least for me. After that you should start to feel better. Eat what you tolerate, but I can tell you that I became lactose intolerant early on, but not everyone does. For a couple of days I would eat bland foods - chicken or turkey, rice, oatmeal, toast, applesauce, etc. You should feel better in a day or two and then add more foods. Probably best to avoid spicy things, foods that cause a lot of gas. When I first had c diff, I could eat just about anything. It was later, after many rounds of vanco that I became food intolerant. Hopefully, you will not need many rounds of vanco.

How long do you have to take the vanco? Many people do better when they taper it. If your doctor did not tell you to taper, you may want to call and ask. I know my last ID had me go down one pill every 7 days or so and then I had to take one week of Xifaxan as a chaser. There are all kinds of protocols. Some people pulse, etc. See how you do on the vanco - what strength are you on?

Good luck to you and I hope you get rid of this soon.

[gm37]

Erika,
Your story sounds so much like mine...and many others on here. We never heard of c-diff until we got it.
The Vanco is strong medicine and should help you feel better shortly. Some of us heal quickly and others take more time. Just take care of yourself. Rest and eat what you can. Don't push yourself. Keep in touch with your doctor and ask questions. Mine has suggestions on how to help my colon heal. If one thing doesn't work, we try something else.
I know you must be feeling nervous about all of this. Several of the nurses at the hospital told me that they had been sick with it and recovered quickly. That made me feel hopeful. Even my doctor's wife had it and she recovered.
Keep your chin up and RELAX if you can.
Anne

[rhona]

I followed the BRAT diet, yogurt and chicken. That is pretty much all I ate for a while. Everyone seems to be able to tolerate different foods. I have a hard time with sugar, dairy, and veggies. I'm very slowly adding things back into my diet.

It took doctors a while to figure out I had c-diff. I relapsed in the first month off Flagyl. Now I am on Vanco tapering. I'm still not feeling normal, but no D, so that's good. I saw a great specialist in Baltimore, Maryland. PM me if you want his name.

What was the Belladona for? Are you still taking it?

[erika4223]

Thanks for all your responses guys! I'm on 250 mg tablets of vanco 3 times a day they gave me 30 tablets.I took one this morning and got ringing in one ear 15 min after it was crazy but i took all three today and feel a little better! It's so hard because the doctors didn't want to prescribe it to me because i needed to do another stool sample. which they wouldn't put through bc i forgot my last name on one of them! So i had to do yet ANOTHER. I still haven't gotten the test back. but you KNOW WHEN the cdiff returns!

I ate the BRAT diet right after i had my salmonella, but only for a week, then tummy was bad again, then good again so i figured i could eat normal and i'm starting to think thats what may have made the cdiff return if thats possible? Ill call doctor tomorrow and see if i can taper! I've been very nervous and scared and have had alot of breakdowns but i'm starting to think more positive now! my moms actually had cdiff before and has lyme disease and all the antibiotics they put her on caused it. It took her 6 months to get rid of and she was just put on a new antibiotic for lyme and she actually recently relapsed and had it last week when i did. Shes better now and in the past had 5 rounds of flagy and 4 of vanco . We weren't passing it back and forth either because i wasn't living with her all the time or even sharing bathroom. Were both very very cautious. She's helped me alot through this but its just so unbelievable what one little antibiotic can do to your whole system. Im also getting alot of pressure on my lower areas,very painful. has that happened to any of you?Rhona i live in CT, Maryland is too far for me :( I relapsed on flagyl too, occurred a few days after i got off of it what about you? I was taking belladonna for the severe pain in my lower abdominal and the spasms in my stomach, it helped stop the nausea and I still take it when i feel the pain coming in my stomach. It really really really helped me in the beginning of the cdiff,not so sure if its working as effectively anymore. I really appreciate all the help from you guys! It feels so good to know your not the only one out there and when other people just don't understand I can come here and talk.

[Bobbie]

Hi, Erika,
Standard Introduction
Welcome to the site. Read the first forum ALL USERS READ THIS FIRST & its subtopics – especially the announcements: PLEASE READ BEFORE YOU POST and GUIDELINES FOR POSTING TO OUR DISCUSSION BOARDS. They will guide you in using the site & answer some of the most frequent questions. Read Dr. Borody’s & Dr. McDonald’s articles and some of the topics in FAQ – especially Hygiene, Nutrition, & Testing.

The majority (almost 80%) recovers with one to two rounds of Flagyl or Vancocin, but an unlucky small percentage does not and can suffer for months. You're already on step two.

Everyone eventually recovers, however, unless other factors are involved (advanced age, other severe health problems). If antibiotics contributed to your C. diff. be careful about taking them again. (See FAQ-Antibiotics.) Some people can tolerate them without a problem; some develop C. diff. again. (See Dr. Borody’s article.)

For docs. in the NY area, check the forum Doctors.

I'm glad your mother is there for moral support. Sometimes I wonder if a tendancy to have the disease runs in a family because my son had C. diff. twice in l979 and again six years later. I had it twice (l993-l997 -- extenuating circumstances) and again in l999.

C. diff. makes almost everyone a nervous wreck! It is one nasty disease.

Hang in there!

[rhona]

I relapsed in the first 30 days. I got sick on flagyl and was only able to do 8 or 9 days of flagyl. That could be why I relapsed. But I was normal for almost a month before my relapse.

There is a list of doctors on this site. It's not very long, but you may want to check it out and see if there are any near you.