Lesley's Case History

[Guest]

I have been a very healthy 49-year-old woman for a long time until I contracted bronchitis this past autumn. Against my better judgment, but listening to family, friends and co-workers, I went to my family doctor for medication. On a couple of other occasions when I had an upper respiratory infection, the doctor prescribed Zithromax. This time he gave me samples of an antibiotic called Spectracef. The bronchitis went away, but the diarrhea and abdominal cramps came on me with a vengeance. I suffered mostly in the morning. One morning when it was particularly bad, I went to the emergency room. After some routine tests, they took a stool specimen and advised me to take megadoses of Imodium. I was hardly eating anything because everything I did eat went right through me. A couple of days later, I was told by my doctor that I had antibiotic-associated colitis brought on by the C. Diff. bacteria. He asked me why I didn't tell him that I was allergic to cephalosporin drugs, and I said I had never had them before so how was I supposed to know? He prescribed metronidazole for me which caused extreme nausea. I lost 5 pounds in 1 week, and for a size-4 woman, that's a lot. I complained to the doctor about the effect of this medicine, so he said he would put me on something else. After finally tracking down a pharmacy that carried Vancomycin, I went to pick it up and was informed that even with my prescription drug plan, the cost for 14 days worth of pills was $346!!  I said there was no way that I would pay that ridiculous amount. I stormed out of the pharmacy, drove right to my doctor's office and complained about what he did to me. I then tried to get Vancomycin through our mail order drug plan (at a greatly reduced price), and my doctor had me taking Questran until the Vancomycin arrived. As it turned out, the mail order drug company had to order the Vancomycin and I wouldn't receive it for 5-7 days. So I reluctantly continued with the metronidazole since the Questran didn't seem to be helping. I was never so relieved when I took the last metronidazole tablet. I seemed to be slightly improving, but then a few days later, the symptoms reoccurred and I had to take the Vancomycin. I figured that with all I had read about Vancomycin, I would definitely be cured. Not the case. Three and a half months later, I am still suffering. Yes, the diarrhea is not as severe and occurs only in the morning. The cramps are not as debilitating as they were. But I'm not nearly back to normal. I have been supplementing my diet with acidophilus and yogurt, in the hope that the "good" bacteria will eventually win out over the "bad" C. Diff bacteria. I wish I could find something that would rid my body completely of this terribly stubborn bacteria. <BR><BR>[Guest Posted by: 'Lesley']