Can't tell if I still have C-Diff or if it's due to all this Vanco

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jlevine
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Joined: Wed Oct 10, 2018 3:07 am

Can't tell if I still have C-Diff or if it's due to all this Vanco

Postby jlevine » Wed Oct 10, 2018 3:31 am

Hey,

so I originally felt pretty good after two weeks on a heavy Vancomycin dose right after getting C. Diff, but then 3 days after I stopped I wasn't feeling great so I was put on a loooong tapering dose of Vancomycin. I no longer have D whatsoever, but I do now and then develop a very bloated and painful abdomen, which usually makes me want to vomit. I often wonder if the Vancomycin is actually still helping or just hindering the work of the probiotics I've been taking (which are Culturelle Digestive Health, Extra Strength. If anyone has a probiotic that worked better for them please let me know).

I'm considering getting an FMT soon because I've been reading around here that it has worked for those in a similar situation to mine, but I'm worried that they'll turn me down if I test negative for C-Diff. As a relatively poor college student with pretty unsympathetic professors, I'm both too busy and too tight on money to be taking constant trips to the hospital, especially since I'm in the middle of several projects and midterms. Still, it's just as bad that I've had to miss class now and then out of fear I might vomit if I went.

I'm both scared to continue taking Vancomycin because I wonder if it is what is upsetting my stomach, and scared of the increasingly lowered doses of it in my near future.

NanciT
Long Time Contributor
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Joined: Thu Sep 18, 2014 12:01 pm

Re: Can't tell if I still have C-Diff or if it's due to all this Vanco

Postby NanciT » Wed Oct 10, 2018 12:14 pm

Hello and Welcome to the site Please read the first thread for all new posters

It's difficult to say if Vanco is causing your issues, only a GI can make that determination. If posters are on treatment and continue to have issues, I tend to recommend return to their GI.
You mentioned you felt good after the initial treatment but after 3 days did not feel well. If the D did not return, I have to wonder if it was a relapse or not. If you have been seeing a GI, then try an ID.
If you continue on medication and you did not relapse, it can upset everything. Often after any treatment for CDIFF , we can end up with Post IBS.
I would not consider an FMT if there is a question if this was an actual relapse.

Sorry you are going through this!

NanciT

roy
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Joined: Sat Aug 02, 2014 1:05 am

Re: Can't tell if I still have C-Diff or if it's due to all this Vanco

Postby roy » Wed Oct 10, 2018 1:37 pm

"not feeling great" does not indicate a c.diff relapse.
Only the return of WATERY stool 3x a day for at least 3 days suggests it's back.
If a test is done when theres no classic watery D a positive result is very unreliable and a Dr should not assume c.diff is causing a disease.
Vomiting is not a normal symptom of c.diff.
Possible but not usual.

FMT comes with risks, it's not a quick fix and should be viewed as a last resort for ongoing multiple relapses that result on full return of D several times a day.
Your nowhere near sick enough to be considering FMT.

jlevine
Brand New Poster
Posts: 2
Joined: Wed Oct 10, 2018 3:07 am

Re: Can't tell if I still have C-Diff or if it's due to all this Vanco

Postby jlevine » Wed Oct 10, 2018 7:08 pm

I should clarify that the D did return after my three days off of Vancomycin, which is why my doctor considered it might be a relapse. He told me that it takes a long time after being cured for C Diff tests to show up negative, so we couldn't be sure if it was a relapse or not, and going back on the Vanco certainly did remove the D once again, though there was a possibility it was only a coincidence that I had pains and D that day.

I guess all I can do is finish this tapering dose of vancomycin while dealing with the bloating and then see if the D and other symptoms return once I'm off of it again. In the meantime, I'll consider trying to find a GI once my midterms are over.


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