Sheesh. . .C-diff!!

It is true that one of the more disconcerting things about this infection is that to cure the pernicious effects of an antibiotic you take--another antibiotic.
 
Marita40 said:
It is true that one of the more disconcerting things about this infection is that to cure the pernicious effects of an antibiotic you take--another antibiotic.
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I hope you are taking probiotics too. You need to restore your bowel flora to a healthy mix. At least eat some yogurt with probiotics!
 
Meadbh said:
I hope you are taking probiotics too. You need to restore your bowel flora to a healthy mix. At least eat some yogurt with probiotics!
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Marita said that they were in the first post.

Also mentioned something called "kefir" which could be simplified as "thin yogurt", but is much more.

Sounds like kefir along with the probiotics are getting a lot of biological agents in the system to displace the nasties!

Kefir: Kefir - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 
Marita - I am curious to know how you are doing after round 2? I finished my Flagyl last Tuesday and it all came roaring back over the weekend. I am now on my second round of Flagyl and I am feeling equally sick if not more so this time (from the C Diff, not the Flagyl). Tell me there is hope.
 
Miss Molly, I finished the second round of flagyl last Sunday. As the first time, the side effects of the flagyl were so terrible I felt far sicker on it than the C-diff alone. I stuck it out, however, and the C-diff symptoms have been gone since on it . Today's Wednesday, so it is still a waiting game to see whether the C-diff is gone or not. The flagyl takes at least 72 hours to leave the body--still feeling a few side effects such as mild stomach ache and bad taste in mouth. I am continuing with the probiotics, as my doctor wants. My plan is to wait and see what happens over the next week; if the C-diff comes back, I will visit my doctor and get a new prescription for vancomycin. I will not go back on the flagyl again. I hope the best for you: just stay on the second round of flagyl and give it time. It builds up in the body and is very powerful. Again, on this round of flagyl all the C-diff symptoms have been gone: I've been "normal" in the you-know-what category. If it weren't for the horrible flagyl I would have felt great these last 10 days. I really hate that the "cure" is worse than the disease, for me at least! I'll check in in a week or so.
 
Marita40 said:
Miss Molly, I finished the second round of flagyl last Sunday. As the first time, the side effects of the flagyl were so terrible I felt far sicker on it than the C-diff alone. I stuck it out, however, and the C-diff symptoms have been gone since on it . Today's Wednesday, so it is still a waiting game to see whether the C-diff is gone or not. The flagyl takes at least 72 hours to leave the body--still feeling a few side effects such as mild stomach ache and bad taste in mouth. I am continuing with the probiotics, as my doctor wants. My plan is to wait and see what happens over the next week; if the C-diff comes back, I will visit my doctor and get a new prescription for vancomycin. I will not go back on the flagyl again. I hope the best for you: just stay on the second round of flagyl and give it time. It builds up in the body and is very powerful. Again, on this round of flagyl all the C-diff symptoms have been gone: I've been "normal" in the you-know-what category. If it weren't for the horrible flagyl I would have felt great these last 10 days. I really hate that the "cure" is worse than the disease, for me at least! I'll check in in a week or so.
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Well, I hope this time you are cured and don't have to do any more rounds of meds. I have read that the Vanco is much easier to tolerate than the Flagyl. I really don't have too many problems with the Flagyl - just a bad taste and it gives me nightmares. It's the symptoms of the C Diff that do such a number on me. I am also doing the probiotics and eating yogurt. I was really shocked when my symptoms returned. I was not expecting that to happen at all. I am usually very healthy - never get colds or flu. This has really been a difficult time for me. Keep me updated on your progress. They say the C Diff has become quite resistent to medications and is becoming harder and harder to cure.
 
I'll admit to shock, too. I have always been exceedingly healthy and energetic, and I feel like I've aged significantly over the last two months--not one well day. For the first time in my life I've been truly scared of dying. . .it just wreaks havoc over the whole body. The good news is that the vast majority of people are cured, eventually, and that the fecal transplant science is now well accepted as a highly successful cure--should one need this last ditch effort. I noted that it is being done regularly in my neck of the woods, and that gave me comfort. Hang in there!
 
Marita40 said:
MissMolly, so sorry. It is a terrible thing. Please keep us updated if you want. A week off flagyl--which made me equally as sick as the infection--I relapsed and am now on a second round. Have been dealing with this now since Jan 4 and have had pretty much no life during this whole time.
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How does your doctor feel about the fecal transplants mentioned in #5?

http://www.early-retirement.org/forums/f38/sheesh-c-diff-64842.html#post1277346

The anecdotal evidence that I've read about this has been compelling.
 
travelover said:
How does your doctor feel about the fecal transplants mentioned in #5?

http://www.early-retirement.org/forums/f38/sheesh-c-diff-64842.html#post1277346

The anecdotal evidence that I've read about this has been compelling.
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We (my doc and I) have not yet had this conversation, so I don't know. From what I have read, this is a last resort option - that all regular medications have to be tried first. I truly hope I don't get to the point that I have to do this - just the thought of what is being put in you is disgusting. If a second round of Flagyl fails, you move to Vanco then to Difficid (a new drug). Then if you continue to relapse you look at fecal transplant.
 
MissMolly's sequence of treatments is what I've read, too. However, despite the "gross" factor I for one am not at all turned off by the last option. It supposedly takes just a few minutes and works something like 98% of the time. I would do it in a heartbeat right now rather than be told I had to go on yet another round of sickening medicine. The real gross factor for me is the symptoms of C-diff.
 
MissMolly said:
If a second round of Flagyl fails, you move to Vanco then to Difficid (a new drug). Then if you continue to relapse you look at fecal transplant.
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I knew about Flagyl (I took it for 6 weeks two years ago to cure my C. diff infection) and Vancocin, but was not aware of a new drug on the market targeted at C. dif. I found this very interesting (and very scary) article on the new drug: F.D.A. Approves Drug to Treat Hospital Scourge
Infections and deaths from C. difficile — the name means “difficult” — have increased sharply since the 1990s, in part because of the spread of a more virulent strain. It is estimated that several hundred thousand Americans are infected each year. Up to 1 percent of patients must have their colons removed and about 5 percent die.

While most of those infected are elderly people in hospitals or nursing homes, younger adults and children can also be infected, and there are cases that arise outside the hospital.

Problems usually start when people are treated with antibiotics for some other infection. That can kill off many of the harmless bacteria in the intestines, allowing C. difficile, which is resistant to most antibiotics, to take over.
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I developed my infection after taking an antibiotic for a sinus infection. I've managed to avoid all antibiotics since that very unpleasant experience.
 
Marita40 said:
MissMolly's sequence of treatments is what I've read, too. However, despite the "gross" factor I for one am not at all turned off by the last option. It supposedly takes just a few minutes and works something like 98% of the time. I would do it in a heartbeat right now rather than be told I had to go on yet another round of sickening medicine. The real gross factor for me is the symptoms of C-diff.
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I read somewhere about a person basically doing it themselves through the back end. I guess it doesn't distribute the good bugs through the upper GI tract, but the price is right.

http://www.slate.com/articles/healt...1/the_enema_of_your_enemy_is_your_friend.html

And then there's the do-it-yourself crowd. All you need is a bottle of saline, a 2-quart enema bag, and one standard kitchen blender. Mike Silverman, a University of Toronto physician who wrote up a guide to homespun fecal transplants for the journal Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology, says it's entirely safe to do the procedure this way, provided that a doctor gets involved at some point to screen the donor sample.
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REWahoo said:
Now that right there is gross... :nonono:
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+1

I would never attempt to DIY something like this. With the torment my gut is already in, I would much prefer this procedure to be done in as sanitary a situation as possible, and I would want the donor material to be screened for any additional bad organisms. Also, if done during a colonoscopy (the normal procedure) they are able to populate the entire colon instead of just the lower end. Yes, if all other treatments fail, I will do this. As gross as this sounds, it is highly preferable to what I am currently suffering. This is one nasty disease. :(
 
travelover said:
Like I said earlier, my MIL died from C diff. She was otherwise pretty healthy.:(
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Travelover - I was wondering if you would be willing to share any additional information on your MIL? You say she was otherwise pretty healthy, so why did she die from this? Was it the malabsorption issues associated with this, or did it go into some kind of secondary infection? What medications did she try and how long did she suffer from this? I have thought about this statement all day long. If you choose not to respond, I will understand.
 
MissMolly said:
Travelover - I was wondering if you would be willing to share any additional information on your MIL? You say she was otherwise pretty healthy, so why did she die from this? Was it the malabsorption issues associated with this, or did it go into some kind of secondary infection? What medications did she try and how long did she suffer from this? I have thought about this statement all day long. If you choose not to respond, I will understand.
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Sorry, I'm light on details as my XDW, an RN, was really her advocate. All I know for sure was that she caught the C diff in the hospital and couldn't shake it.
 
As mentioned, my father had this years ago, he was in his 80's, and he eventually beat it with the Vanco.

I thought he was going to die, primarily because he lost all hope, for the first time. He's always so upbeat. He also lost very significant body weight, which could have caused heart issues.

But he perked right up with the Vanco. And then gained the weight back.

One thing I want to mention: he was in a nursing wing where everyone had C-diff. We had to keep reminding dad that he could re-infect himself easily. I mean, I saw one patient dribbling feces down the hallway. Not his fault, it just comes out least expected. Dad had bad habits like using a paper towel to wipe the droplets off the sink and then put it to his lips. (Yeah, I know, gross.) We had to retrain him.

The point is, please be aware of where your hands are and keep them far way from your face. As we understand it, the hand sanitizers do nothing for this. You practically have to dunk your hands in bleach. I just about tied my own hands behind my back during that period.
 
JoeWras said:
As mentioned, my father had this years ago, he was in his 80's, and he eventually beat it with the Vanco.

I thought he was going to die, primarily because he lost all hope, for the first time. He's always so upbeat. He also lost very significant body weight, which could have caused heart issues.

But he perked right up with the Vanco. And then gained the weight back.

One thing I want to mention: he was in a nursing wing where everyone had C-diff. We had to keep reminding dad that he could re-infect himself easily. I mean, I saw one patient dribbling feces down the hallway. Not his fault, it just comes out least expected. Dad had bad habits like using a paper towel to wipe the droplets off the sink and then put it to his lips. (Yeah, I know, gross.) We had to retrain him.

The point is, please be aware of where your hands are and keep them far way from your face. As we understand it, the hand sanitizers do nothing for this. You practically have to dunk your hands in bleach. I just about tied my own hands behind my back during that period.
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JoeWras - thank you for this. This information is much the same as I have been reading about. You pick up this illness so innocently, not even knowing you have been exposed. Mine is suspected to come from having been on antibiotics from a tooth problem and then taking my mom to the hospital for an ultrasound shortly after. I take my mom (who is 82) to all her medical appointments of which she has many. So every week I am in a doctor's office, clinic or hospital setting due to my mom. Most of her docs specialize in geriatric care, so it is really not certain exactly where I picked this up. I thought I was doing a good job with the hand washing - but obviously not. I am glad your father recovered, especially given his advanced age at the time.
 
MissMolly said:
JoeWras - thank you for this. This information is much the same as I have been reading about. You pick up this illness so innocently, not even knowing you have been exposed. Mine is suspected to come from having been on antibiotics from a tooth problem and then taking my mom to the hospital for an ultrasound shortly after. I take my mom (who is 82) to all her medical appointments of which she has many. So every week I am in a doctor's office, clinic or hospital setting due to my mom. Most of her docs specialize in geriatric care, so it is really not certain exactly where I picked this up. I thought I was doing a good job with the hand washing - but obviously not. I am glad your father recovered, especially given his advanced age at the time.
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MissMolly, yep, you probably got it at the hospital. My sister's friend went through a scenario just like yours. She got it visiting her mom in the hospital. That's one reason she and I were so paranoid about our own hygiene. We learned you can pick this up. We weren't on antibiotics, but we also didn't want to take chances.

Another thing to mention: dad did most of the vanco at home. They almost didn't want to release him. We wanted him out of there so we could get him in a cleaner environment. Convinced we'd care for him, they let him go. So, when he got home, I followed him for a few days with bleach wipe downs of his vanity, toilets, etc. Then, occasional wipe downs after that.

Disinfect, disinfect, disinfect.
 
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