Ready for my C. Diff to go away!

[Crohns10]

I am so frustrated right now!:angry-banghead: I was diagnosed with C. diff about 2 months ago now and had to stop my Remicade. They put me on Flaygl first and then we retested… still have C. diff. So my doctor started me on Vancomycin, and we are retesting tomorrow. I am really feeling pretty horrible still, but I am telling myself it is the Crohn’s because I am not getting my Remicade, which I am sure at least some of it is. I am scared that I am still going to have the C. diff. and my Crohn’s is going to get worse because we can’t treat it and the C. diff isn’t fun either. I was wondering has anyone else had trouble getting over C. diff? I am just getting really down about it, I just turned 30 and everything is getting a lot worse, which makes me feel old (even though I know I am not), which does not help.

Okay, I am done complaining. I know there are many people who have it worse than me so I should just suck it up, but I am thankful that this forum exists so I can rant like this and not feel too bad about it. Thanks for listening to me! Any advice, words of wisdom, or shared experiences would be appreciated.

 

[matty]

hi there and sorry about your c-diff. I had 2 episodes of it in 07. Dr. put me on flaygl pills for 10 days and i couldn't stomach them but forced them down. But eventually i vomited it out and had to stay in hospital to get it intraveneously. I got it back a couple days after 1st one and when back to hospital for 2 weeks. It did go away then but dr had me do a colonoscopy and said mild uc. I'm not sure but i think the flaygl might help the chrons because it helps with the c-diff colitis. I hope your next test comes in negative. You can try probiotics, they are supposed to help with the bacteria in your colon, like replaceing the good ones to fight the bad c-diff ones.

 

[Crohns10]

Thanks Matty, I took the test today and hope I will here good news tomorrow. I am on probiotics, my doctor had me start those when I started the Flaygl, sorry I forgot to mention it.

 

[25times]

I`m in the same situation! I have C-diff, so I can`t get remicade until it`s gone. I was put on vancomycin in the hospital, and given emergency medical coverage once I got out. The coverage was supposed to pay for the vancomycin and well as all my other drugs, but the pharmacy screwed up big time and told me it wasn`t covered, which it was. By the time they realized it was covered, it had run out. So I was only on vancomycin for about 10 days. That should be good enough, but I`m scared I still have it. I`m supposed to get remicade at the end of the month, but I can`t if I still have C-diff. Prednisone is working for now, but I start tapering tomorrow, and I can only be on it for 3 months, tops. It`s a shitty situation. I hate money. And crohns.

 

[exit4]

I had c diff 2 times in 2009 after using antibiotics in a hospital for infection caused by failed fistula plug. Both times took Vancomycin for about 2 month's before I started to feel better. I belive for me, c diff changed the way my Crohn's behaves - more pain in more places in my belly. Stick with Vanco and keep taking pro biotics. I took Healthy Trinity, a little pricey but worked good for me.

 

[tiloah]

Some things they didn't tell me until AFTER my C. diff was treated:

Wash your hands thoroughly after using the facilities
Take probiotics (see you're doing that, which is good).
Wash everything in hot water
Use a different bathroom from your other family members
Once you get the all clear from C. diff, bleach every surface in your bathroom

You do not want to reintroduce it to your system. I was so freakin' miserable on the Flagyl I would do anything to keep from getting it again. Although if it doesn't go away that doesn't mean it's your fault.

The antibiotics may be the reason you are feeling "horrible still." Hopefully your C. diff is gone and you can move on. It's a tough one to get rid of, but hang in there!

 

[matty]

Same thing happened to me, they didn't give me any info about c-diff. I found out after got home and lookedit up on computer. It's just sickening, i might not have gotten the 2nd episode if i knew this. While there i was having a shower and got nauseated and pulled the cord for nurse. Before she got there i dressed quickly and ran to my room and bathroom and bent over toilet bowl. Nurse came in and saw me bent with my wet hair all over toilet bowl and she calls another nurse to come and look at me and then they leave. I probably got some fecas on my hair. They didn't tell me a thing.

 

[Crohns10]

I got the all clear on the C. diff today from my doctor so I can start my Remicade back up as soon as the paperwork is reprocessed :bananawhich I hope is soon, because the Crohn’s symptoms are backoo!!! She gave me some more advice regarding C. diff and other things you, being a compromised person, can catch easier than healthy people can. I had a false positive for aspergillus in my colon the first time the C. diff came back positive, thank God it was a false positive, but it has us both a little extra paranoid. Anyway, she told me to never eat any fresh fruits or vegetables outside of my own home (I know with Crohn’s I am luck to be able to eat them at all) and I need to wash them really well before I eat them. She also mentioned belching the surfaces of my bathroom, and told me not to drink water from my tap (I am on well water) until we have a filtration system put in.

25times I am sorry you have C. diff, it is awful! The Vancomycin worked for me, so hopefully it will work for you. Are they retesting you for it before you start the Remicade?

exit4 I also got it after taking antibiotics for a mild bowel obstruction and my WBC was high. I was in a lot of pain and couldn’t get into GI doctor so I went to immediate care and they told me to quit eating solid food, rest, take Cipro and if the pain gets any worse go to the ER… Well, whatever was causing the mild bowl obstruction got a lot better, but after this experience, I hope to never take Cipro again!

diesandhur thanks for the advice and words of encouragement!

matty, I am sorry you had such a bad experience in the hospital. Here’s hoping none of us get C. diff again!

 

[25times]

I've been put on strong antiobiotics for a bacterial lung infection. My GP told me you can either risk getting c-diff again, or definitely get pneumonia. So I'm taking the antiobiotics. The c-diff sucked, but not being able to breathe is one of the worst things I've ever experienced (I've had pneumonia before.)
I've been on the antiobiotics for about 5-6 days now, and I have noticed some symptoms. My bowel movements and gas are really bad smelling, and I know that's a main symptom of c-diff. This came on pretty suddenly so it worries me. I haven't experienced any actual diarrhea, but I've had cramping and the feeling that I'm about to have diarrhea, but then it's solid. I think that's from the tylenol 3's. I haven't had any diarrhea for about 2-3 weeks. I've also noticed significant pain in my lower left side, which my dr told me was from the c-diff colitis I had. This also came on pretty suddenly. At the same time, I'm also having more crohns symptoms. Like, LRQ pain, joint pain, eye problems, my gums are sore... Stuff like that. I called my GI's office and left a message but they haven't returned my call yet. I'm not sure if I need to be retested for c-diff, increase my pred dose (I started tapering last week) or what. Right now I'm just dealing with it I guess haha