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Cdiff (clostridium difficile) diagnosis - 7 months on still having problems.

Posted , 4 users are following.

emma72706
emma72706

Hi I wrote a comment earlier but I wanted to post something more specific on cdiff. I was diagnosed Sept 15, due to it going unnoticed for 7 weeks it caused quite a lot of inflammation in my bowel, I stayed in hospital for 3 weeks and was put on vancomycin for this duration. I then relapsed in Jan 16 and was put on flagyl for 2 weeks. I've since been clear of infection however I've been left with daily diarrhoea and stomach pains. I get cold sweats at night, I lost my appetite and can barely function.

Has anyone else had cdiff and been left with ongoing problems? How long did it take to get over this?

0 likes, 13 replies

13 Replies

  • alison_74603
    alison_74603 emma72706

    Posted

    What were your symptoms
    • emma72706
      emma72706 alison_74603

      Posted

      When I was first diagnosed?

      I had been on antibiotics, that's how I got it. I had a fever of 39°c to start with, I was sweating, but I mean I was having to change my pj's every couple of hours as they were soaking. I had diarrhoea and it was a foul smell (cdiff has a certain smell to it), I was also throwing up constantly. The tummy pain was unreal. There was a lot of blood and mucous in my stool too. Due to the infection going unnoticed it got pretty severe, my tummy became distended and even more painful, the sickness and diarrhoea increased and my fever rose to over 41°c. Naturally bc of all the above symptoms I had dizziness, low blood pressure, exhaustion and dehydration.

      If you're asking what my symptoms were bc you think you may have it, please go to your Dr asap and get a stool sample as it's a very nasty infection that can get serious very quickly.

  • ruby96281
    ruby96281 emma72706

    Posted

    Hi, I find this very interesting as my sister thought she had the flu, she is 69 and in good health, very active.  She had the vomiting and diarrhea going up to 20 times a day without eating and hardly drinking anything.  This went on for 8 days and then she felt a speck better.  Than her husband, who is in Stage IV cancer, got the flu with the same symptoms.  He could not swallow anything and not even his cancer medication.  He got so bad he could hardly walk from weakness and he was taken to the Emergency Room and they gave him IV fluids and sent him home.  We could not believe this.  He didn't get no better.  Then my sister started getting sick again, worse then the first episode.  She went to the Emergency Room and they did some tests and they told her it was her gallbladder and it needed taken out right away.  She said I don't want to do this tonight, can I have until tomorrow to get used to this idea and they told her Yes.  The next day they took her gallbladder out, because according to tests it was bad.  She had no symptons of gallbladder problems and all of a sudden they took it out.  The day after surgery they told her to order anything on the menu so she had a donut.  Well, that didn't work very well.  She started again with the vomiting and diarrhea.

    The surgeon said you came in with these problems and I am just here for your surgery.  He sent her home. 

    Finally after both of them were sick for five weeks I told her she needs to call her personal physician and she made an appontment.  He did stool samples and told her a few days later she had C-diff and so did her husband.  They have been on a compound antibiotic for four days and both are feeling better but far from being well.  They still have diarrhea but only a few times a day.  They are very weak and can't really do anything because they get exhausted very easily.

    I had never heard of C-diff until 4 days ago and I read after that around 25% of the people who get C-diff have to take at least two bouts of the antibiotics. 

    Good luck to you.

    Ruby

    • emma72706
      emma72706 ruby96281

      Posted

      Hi Ruby,

      I'm sorry to hear your parents are having such a terrible time. Some advice I have for them:

      Codine phosphate is by far the best medicine to help with the tummy pains and it helps to constipate you a bit relieving the diarrhoea a bit.

      Warm baths are a life saver to help with pains too.

      And finally eating 5-6 small meals a day helps, it doesn't take away anything but I have noticed the diarrhoea isnt as aggressive since there is very little already in your tummy.

      I know it's not what they want to hear but maybe if they know that it could potentially last longer than expected their doctors will medicate them quicker, it took mine 6 months to decide to treat it bc she thought it was just a bit of IBS bc of my digestive system was in such a bad way. Try get your parents hydration sachets, unfortunately dehydration is very common and can complicate things even further.

      I do honestly feel for them, I know how horrible the infection is and I remember how scared I was at the time. Albeit I'm still having problems it's day and night to what I used to be. Tell them to be strong and do anything that makes them feel better 💜

      Lastly, cdiff is highly infectious and has one of the highest survival rates on surfaces. It can last for months and months. Not that I'm implying otherwise but make sure heigene is at its highest, bleaching the whole toilet on a daily basis, at least while theyre still under going treatment.

      Hope I don't sound rude or anything, I just want to give you as much help as I can as I know how hard it can be on sufferers and family members to go through this.

      If you have any questions whatsoever please get in touch, I'd like to help wherever I can.

    • emma72706
      emma72706 trisha87499

      Posted

      No not at all, it's a infection that you get in your gut. It's called clostridium difficile (cdiff for short) you can catch it from being on antibiotics that upset the natural balance of bacteria. A lot of people have cdiff bacteria in their digestive system but the good bacteria normally keeps it in check, if the antibiotics kill off too much of the good bacteria it can then give cdiff the opportunity to take over. It releases dangerous spores and left untreated can be fatal.

      It can also be caught in care homes and hospitals from others that are infected. The elderly are especially vulnerable.

      The infection can be left to sort itself out in mild cases, but in more severe cases antibiotics will be used, mainly vancomycin and flagyl.

    • trisha87499
      trisha87499 emma72706

      Posted

      Thanks Emma, it's a bit like helicabacter, don't think I've spelt that right, I've had 3 flare ups of that and is very painful, that also lives in your gut, my whole family ended up with it, nightmare, thanks again
    • alison_74603
      alison_74603 emma72706

      Posted

      Hi Emma Hope you don't mind me asking .. but what are the symptoms of C difficil. I have been on Omaprazole for 5 months trying to get off them every now and then I have Gastritis and diverticulitis which have similar flare ups .. as a result I have acid coming up and my whole digestive system feels infected .. I read that Omaprazole increases the bad bacteria worse than any other PPI .this was from USA medical research papers . I've had stool tests for H pylori and am clear but waiting further stool test results .. any advice I'm in Uk .Thanks
    • emma72706
      emma72706 alison_74603

      Posted

      Hi Alison,

      I was on omprezole as my tablets were causing acid reflux but they told me to come off them after I had cdiff has they could aggrivate my stomach even more so.

      The symptoms started off with what looked like a bug, vomiting, diarrhoea, I had a fever of 39°c and tummy pain. (I had been on antibiotics for quite a while leading up to this, which was the cause of the infection). However unlike a bug, the symptoms never got better, they just gradually got worse, this lasted for 6 weeks until they found it. I was having probably around 20 bouts of diarrhoea a day, along with a lot of blood and mucous in my stool. My tummy become distended and even more painful the longer this went on. Eventually I was put on vancomycin to treat it. But even since I've just always had diarrhoea, occasional vomiting and chills. I know that my symptoms and others that have experienced cdiff vary, some people don't even have diarrhoea. I hope your results come back okay, keep us updated 💜

    • alison_74603
      alison_74603 emma72706

      Posted

      Thanks Emma ...you have been through the mill with horrid symptoms ....  how long were you on Omaprazole and how did you come off them . Every time I try to come off them I get pain in stomach like period pains  and sore throat  and back ache . Im scared that Ill get Barretts if I have acid reflux ... but my problem I think is small Intestine  as I get constipated   with bouts of diahrea... .. Im thinking of getting Smyprove Probiotic to help gut heal . . 

      Thanks for your advice  and good luck getting back to normal . 

       

    • emma72706
      emma72706 alison_74603

      Posted

      Thanks Alison ☺

      Well they just took me off them when I was in hospital as it was causing more damage to my bowel.. however is there not an alternative that you can take? Have you asked your Dr to prescribe you something different that's a bit easier on your digestive system?

      If you're wanting to come off them maybe you could ask your Dr to start tapering the dose down? But on the other hand maybe the symptoms you're getting after stopping the tablets are actually from the reflux itself?

      There isn't any harm in trying Brobiotics though, hopefully that'll help ease your symptoms.

    • alison_74603
      alison_74603 emma72706

      Posted

      Thanks Emma ...so you stopped suddenly I guess and no side effects ? Or perhaps they were masked by the cliff symptoms ... any way I. will speak to my doctor and see what can be done ..thanks for your reassuring responses .

      A

    • emma72706
      emma72706 alison_74603

      Posted

      Well from what I can tell I had no side effects, however you're right in saying I can't be entirely sure due to the cdiff.

      Hope you get something sorted, let me know how you get on x

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