Amanda's Case History

[akaspktrue]

I was first diagnosed with C Diff approximately 4 months (August 2006) ago by a positive stool culture. I was feeling really bad and had been feeling horrible for a couple of weeks and had gotten so bad that I went to the emergency room. I submitted a stool sample and was given fluids and medicine for the diarreah. While in the emergency room I had at least 15 bowel movements with very bloody diarreah and had positive blood on the doctors stool test thing from the rectal exam. I was averaging at least 20 bowel movements a day. Well, they discharged me after a few hours and told me that if anything came back with the stool tests they would call me. Two days later they called me and told me I had C Diff and that there was a prescription waiting for me to pick up at the pharmacy, Flagyl. Well, I took that for the 10 or 14 days, I cannot exactly remember how long. After that I still kept feeling bad and was not getting any better so I went to my primary care doctor and she said just to be sure she would put me on another course of Flagyl. Well after that, I still didn't feel any better. Now the doctor says that I couldn't still have C diff because I have already been through 2 courses of the Flagyl. Well for some reason I still have horrible diarreah and am feeling like my insides are getting ready to fall out. About a week ago I went to the ER because the diarreah was still out of hand of course with the severe nausea, abdominal pain, and extreme fatigue and exhaustion. I almost feel like death warmed over. The ER doctor insisted that nothing was wrong with me and to take in more fiber and that would bulk up my stool and cause me to have more solid stools. I became very frustrated. After continuously badgering the doctor she finally agreed to allow me to submit a stool sample and she would send it to the lab for testing. Well, guess what, the next day she must have felt kind of bad, because she was calling me to tell me that I had C Diff. She consulted an Infectious Disease Doctor and because I had already been through 2 courses of Flagyl they have put me on Vancomycin 125 mg 4 x day for a month. I have been taking the Vancomycin for about a week now and I still don't feel any better. I really hope that I will feel better soon. I hope someone here can offer some advise on how to talk to my doctors to maybe get them to take me seriously and tell me how long you think it will be until I can live again. I am feeling so sick and I don't know what else to do. Thanks for any suggestions that you may have.