C-diff and possible Crohn's

[RippMama]

My 14-year-old son has been having bloody stools since December. We thought it was hemorrhoids, so tried increasing good foods, water, using stool softeners, etc. It has progressed to the point of fevers, constipation, stomach pain, incredible pain and bleeding with BMs and just feeling lousy. With the first round of fevers (early March), doc did blood work, which showed elevated SED rate and anemia. He said to re-check in two weeks. Son felt some better for a few days, and then fevers returned, so we went to the ER at our children's hospital. More blood work (elevated CRP, slightly low hematocrit), and we met with a GI who was very suspicious of Crohn's and scheduled a colonoscopy. They sent us home with a stool kit to get a sample. It took a few days to get one, but finally succeeded yesterday. It came back positive for c-diff!! Which has me so confused! C-diff with constipation?!?!! So we're supposed to talk to the GI to see if he still wants to do the scope (have to wait until tomorrow to call). Is it possible that he could have both?? Will they even do a scope with c-diff going on? I have had Crohn's for 20 years, but this is very different from what I deal with.

 

[my little penguin]

Many kids have had C Diff and Crohns

A lot of kids on here have constipation with their Crohns
Ds is one of those
Not sure on scoping with c diff ???
I would assume they would wait for it to clear first

Keep us updated

 

[Farmwife]

My grace was first dx with cdiff but after doing the antibiotics, she still was sick.
So the gi scoped and found ibd.

I would think they would wait until the cdiff cleared before doing scopes.
Cdiff itself can be very serious.
I pray he feels better soon.

 

[Maya142]

They usually do wait for CDiff to get better before doing scopes. Usually with CDiff you'd have watery diarrhea, many times a day. In fact, often the lab won't even test solid stool samples. I'm not sure what that means for your kiddo's results - I guess the infection could just have presented differently?

But anyway, with Crohn's, kids can have constipation or diarrhea (or both or neither)! It really varies.

Let us know what your doctor says.

 

[Maya142]

Wanted to add - he will probably need antibiotics for 10 days or more for the CDiff. Usually Flagyl or Vancomycin. My kiddo has Crohn's and has had CDiff twice.

 

[RippMama]

Yeah, it's the lack of diarrhea with c-diff that's really thrown me. He started flagyl today and frankly feels worse than ever. He has been running a pretty high fever and has slept the whole day.

 

[Maya142]

My kiddo did better on Vancomycin vs. on Flagyl - might be worth asking about.

 

[Farmwife]

Is his fever any better? Did you call his doctor to report it?

 

[RippMama]

Fever is much better today. Doc is changing him to Vancomycin and postponing colonoscopy for now. He still feels like there's more to the story than just c-diff, still highly suspicious of Crohn's.

 

[Farmwife]

That's a good doc. My own daughter was dismissed because they thought that cdiff was the whole issue. Sadly not the case.
I hope that's not the case for your son but it's better to be vigilant.

 

[RippMama]

Update: Scopes were done yesterday, and he has Crohn's. Such a lousy thing to pass to your kid!! My heart is broken for him because, having lived with this stupid disease for 20 years, I know how awful it can be. Thankfully he has grown up around it, but I don't believe he comprehends just how nasty it can be. Wishing I could shield him from all of it!!

The plan is to do a short burst of prednisone and then right to Humira. Praying he responds well and gets back to growing like a teenage boy should.

 

[my little penguin]

Hugs
Glad you got a dx quickly
Sorry he is joining the club

Did they mention supplemental nutrition as well?
Most kids use it here in addition to meds
(Ds is on humira and mtx)
But drinks neocate jr with food to keep up with weight and growth

Best of luck to you and him

 

[Maya142]

Sending hugs!! Thankfully, there are some good medications options now, like Humira.

If you're on Humira, you know that the shots hurt. We used ice before and after the shots and did them while watching TV, so my girls were distracted. That helped.

I would also recommend supplemental enteral nutrition. Some kids are able to drink shakes, other need to use feeding tubes. You could start out with OTC shakes like Ensure and Boost. If those don't work, then usually a semi-elemental shake like Pediasure Peptide or Peptamen Jr is the next step. Then finally elemental shakes like Neocate.

My daughter was unable to gain weight until we got her on enteral nutrition. It made a huge difference - she went from being severely underweight and malnourished to a normal teenager. She uses a feeding tube, but many kids are able to drink the shakes.

 

[pdx]

I'm sorry to hear about the diagnosis. Hope that your son's treatment works well for him and that he starts feeling better soon.