Rose's Case History

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I'm now at the end of a 16-week pulsed taper of Vancocin. I caught c-diff last July after antibiotics for strep (amoxicillan, z-pak) when I visited my father in the hospital who was dying of c-diff. Three days later, I became sick with c-diff myself, was hospitalized, and almost died. Did Flagyl in the hospital, then Vancocin for 10 days, then Vancocin for 6 weeks on a pulsed taper--each time ending in a relapse 3 days after the medication was stopped. An infectious disease doctor put me on a more extended pulsed taper, lasting about 16 weeks. I took Rifampin in the first ten days of this <BR>taper. <BR> <BR>IN December, I saw Dr. Christine Wanke at Tufts New England Medical Center, whose associate is Sherwood Gorbach who developed Culturelle. She recommended that I not take the Culturelle and Florastor sachromyces together as they can bind each other, and advised me to just take the Culturelle--2 capsules 2 X per day. I'm being followed now by an infectious disease doctor who is more local. <BR> <BR>Now I'm down to 1 Vancocin every 3 days--in fact, I just took the last pill. I just read about Lauren's taper, which keeps the Vanco going a bit longer and I'm thinking of giving this info to my doctor. I've had IBS at best all these months, and my stomach has been increasingly iffy--in the last three weeks, I've also developed a good case of Gerd. So I don't know whether it's time to stop the Vancocin for good--or whether it's gotten to be a psychological crutch at this point. I just don't want to have another relapse! At the end of this 3rd taper, I've never been so scared. <BR> <BR>I'm writing because I just discovered that you've updated this incredible web--site just as I'm reaching a tell-tale moment with the Vancocin taper.