Erin-Case History

[prairierose]

I am a 29 year old mother of a 10 month old baby and I have been battling C-Diff for over 6 weeks.

I have been a sufferer of IBS for 5 years, but once I got pregnant with my daughter my symptoms GREATLY improved and stayed that way even after her birth. I was recently diagnosed with Hashimoto's disease, which is a treatable thyroid condition. Other than that , I was very healthy, active and happy!

The trouble began when I had a persistent yeast infection that would not go away. My husband and I were planning a trip to Vancouver, BC to visit my family and I decided to go to the doctor to have the yeast problem checked out before we left.

My family doctor was away so I went to a walk in clinic. This is where my life changed. The doctor there examined me and immediately concluded that I had a bacterial vaginal infection and that I would need two antibiotics. I was surprised since she didn't actually take any swabs for lab testing (which is how it's diagnosed). She said "the lab is closed" and said I needed to start the antibiotics right away. I was perscribed two antibiotics for 7 days: Flagyl and Nu-Cephalex.

I went home and blindly trusted the doctor and started taking the drugs. 3 days into taking the antibiotics I started having diarrhea. Nothing too bad, just very frequent stools. I read that diarrhea was a common side effect of the medications but that you should still report it to your doctor. So the next day I went back up to that same doctor and told her my concerns. Aside from her being very rude because she was trying to eat her pizza, she told me that diarrhea just happens with these drugs and to finish the remaining pills. I asked her again about swab samples to confirm her diagnosis to which she reluctantly agreed to do.

Two days later I was violently ill with bloody diarrhea. I couldn't get off the couch the cramping was so bad. I was goin to the washroom 20+ times during the day. I was very scared and my husband took me up to Emergency at 6 am in the morning.

I was put on an IV for fluids and was given Buscapem for the spasming that was happening in my bowel. They wanted to give me morphine for the pain but I wanted to know what was going on around me so I refused the morphine. A stool sample was done and the diagnosis was C-Diff; that was August 6th 2005.

The hospital basically wanted me out since I was now a threat to other patients so they sent me home with another prescription of Flagyl. I questioned the doctor about prescribing me the same antibioitic that may have caused the diarrhea in the first place and she said that I would feel much better with each dose of Flagyl and that was how they treat C-Diff.

Then things got worse. The Flagyl made me so incredibly nauseaus, I couldn't eat or sleep. I was having the severe diarrhea still 20+ times a day. I felt like I was dying. I went back up to emergency and was again put on an IV for fluids and now Gravol for the nausea. Again I was kicked out of the emergency after a couple of hours and sent back home this time with an increase in the Flagyl dose.

My husband cancelled our trip and had to take a week off work to care for our 10 month old daughter since I couldn't stand up from the cramping and I lived in the bathroom. I just continued to get worse on the Flagyl and wound up back in the emergency room. I took a taxi at 11pm to the hospital since my husband was with my daughter and I had dragged her to the emergency room enough times. I ended up passing out in the emergency reception. This time the hospital was so crowded that I was put in a supply closet on an IV and given a bed pan and no toilet paper and told not to leave the room because I was a threat to other patients. This was the worst. I was all alone, scared to death and utterly exhausted. I hadn't eaten or slept in days. I had also developed a weird sensation in my throat that I couldn't swallow. When a doctor finally came to see me he flashed a light in my throat gave me a few sedatives and sent me home. The only good thing was that I was going to see a specialist in the morning for an endoscopy examine.

The specialist finally pulled me off the Flagyl and put me on Vancomycin. He also discovered that I had developed Manillia in my throat which is a fungal infection. I was prescribed another drug for the Manillia.

After 5 days of the Vancomycin I started to feel better. My mom had flown in from Vancouver to help me with my daughter (we had just moved in the spring and had absolutley no family or friends able to help us). After 10 days on the Vanco the symptoms were almost gone. A few days off the Vanco the diarrhea came back...with a vengence. I couldn't reach my specialist so I had to go to the walk-in clinic. They contacted the GI doctor on call at the hospital and I was put back on the Vancomycin. I went through another 5 days of utter hell before the Vanco kicked in again. But this time as I got to the end of this 14 day dose the diarrhea came back. So I am on my third round of Vanco for two weeks at a stronger strength and Questrin at the same time.
It is currently September
15, 2005. I have been on the Vanco and Questrin for two days and have horrible lower back pain and I am still having the diarrhea 6-7+ times a day. I am living on Jello and broth. I am literally at the end of my rope. I am so scared I will never get over this. I cry every time I am in the washroom. I can only hope and pray that I can beat this.

[prairierose]

My daughter who is 10 months old was diagnosed with C Diff on September 22, 2005. She was not on any antibiotics and never has been. She begins her first round of Flagyl today.

I am still fighting my own battle with C diff which is coming up to the two month mark. I am now on a lower dose of Vancomycin and Questram. I am still suffering from back, hip and joint pain. the diarrhea has slowed down due to the mega dose of Vanco I was on for two weeks.
I just hope I can stay well enough to care for my little girl who now has the C diff which she caught from me despite all my attempts to prevent it.

[Lauren]

THIS CONTRIBUTED BY ERIN'S HUSBAND JOSE - MOVED FROM ANOTHER SPOT

for those of you who have read erins case history this is an update by her husband. Both my daughter and wife still have cdiff (colitus for my wife) It has been at least 5 months now, although frankly I am losing track. My one year old daughter, Maren, is back on flagyl but all in all seems healthy. Erin, my wife on the other is having a tough time. The newest idea (guess?) from the doctors is for her to take a low dose of vanco for a month with some expensive probiotic. Part of me just thinks she should get an enama. she has been on vanco for a loooong time now.