Drummie's Story/History

[Drummie]

Hi. I'm a 30-year-old female. I'm a professional musician. I wasn't sure where to start with this board, but I thought this was a good place, to put my history up for reference.

When I was 25 I got C diff. I didn't take antibiotics, nor any exposure to the hospital or anything prior to having it, so doctors never knew how I got it. I went to my university clinic for weeks and weeks and suffered with this until I finally had enough- after fainting from dehydration one day- and went to a specialist. Luckily I had very good insurance at the time. He tested me and put me on cipro and flagyl and it worked. I was very nervous for several months afterward, and took a loooooong time to start eating other foods rather than the bland diet and believe it was actually gone. I also was diagnosed with general anxiety disorder at the same time, so it took a major hit on my confidence and lifestyle. Basically the whole thing flipped my whole world around and I am not the same person anymore.

After years of tooth troubles and refusing antibiotics I was doing fine. Then we come to last month. I got dizziness and tooth pain one day out of nowhere. I unfortunately no longer have health insurance, so I went to urgent care. The Dr. told me I had an inner ear infection and it just has to run its course as it is viral, but that I needed to go on penicillin for the tooth pain. I told her my concerns but she insisted it was safe. I picked up the prescription and still couldn't take it, I was too scared. I talked to the director of urgent care and he again told me I couldn't live my life in fear, and he understood my concerns, but that I needed to take it. My husband (who was my boyfriend the first time I got c diff), insisted I was being silly and I need to take it, especially after paying for it.

Well I was just so scared, so I finally took the penicillin. That night I couldn't sleep because I felt like I'd made a huge mistake but knew I HAD to finish them since I started them. I was fine for the whole course. Went to the dentist for the tooth and had to get a former root canal redone due to reinfection. The week of that I started to get D, off and on, like every 3 days or so. Dentist couldn't finish the rc because he said it was so badly infected he had to get out what he could, but pack in calcium hydroxide (i think), and finish it in a month (3 weeks from now). Meanwhile, I think I'm ok because no D, but it came back.

So, the D started a week after going off of the penicillin, and it was 1 day, fine for 2 days, d another day, fine for 3 days, D again, fine for 4 days, D again 2 days- So then I call the Dr (I decided to go to a family practice doctor because I'm tired of urgent care and getting new doctor every time I visit- I need a primary doc). I went today and he said it sounded like it may be c diff and he gave me the prescription for flagyl along with lab tests but not to take it until the labs come back. I don't like meds so I don't want to start it without confirming. BUT, I was under the impression that it would come back right away. I took in the lab today and asked when I will hear back and she said a week! I don't know that I can hold out a week, so I left a message for doctor of what to do and am waiting to hear.

[Drummie]

An update. Test came back negative and then the D returned, again in this same cycle of D one day, fine for a day or two, then D again. Dr. wants to refer me to a specialist already for a colonoscopy! I've only visited him once and had one test done. It feels extreme to me.