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Ulcerative colitis and C. diff or CMV

Posted , 2 users are following.

gabe99
gabe99

I posted on this board a few months ago when I had what I thought was a UC flare. After a few months I’m almost symptom free, but it has turned out that I had C. diff as well as CMV that may have been the cause of my UC. The symptoms were frequent watery diarrhea, but no blood and little discomfort.

I had had a number of bouts of C. diff. over the last two years treated with Vancomycin and more recently Dificid. When that didn’t eliminate the C. diff. I had a fecal transplant via enema with eliminated the C. diff but the diarrhea persisted and a sigmoidoscopy showed active UC. I was put on 40 mg. of Prednisone.

After two weeks and no improvement I was put on a course of Rifaximin. That didn’t work either. After a second sigmoidoscopy still showing active UC my doctor suspected CMV and started me on Valganciclovir. Now the reason he suspected CMV was that I had a liver transplant for PSC (related to UC) fourteen years ago and was still on immunospression drugs which predisoposes one to CMV. Almost immediately I started to improvce and after four weeks now I feel terrific, the dirarrhea is gone, although I still have several BMs a day, but the number is coming down.

Now I wanted to point out that C. diff. and CMV can CAUSE UC and its symptoms. I can not post links here, but do a search for ulcerative colitis with CMV and with C. diff. to find some interesting information.

This is just a note to point out that in some cases the underlying cause in not UC but may be C. diff. or even CMV in rare cases. You may need to remiind your doctor to rule out certainly C. diff. but possibly CMV as well if standard UC treatment does not work.

1 like, 3 replies

3 Replies

  • clive53
    clive53 gabe99

    Posted

    Great if I wasn't worried enough, thanx 4 that, I know it's a flare up of UC, I was on antibiotics 4 a while and the dr said it might cause a flare up
    • gabe99
      gabe99 clive53

      Posted

      C. diff. appears after the patient is given antibiotiecs.  The antibiotics kill off most of the good bacteria in the gut, but C. diff is more hardy and proliferates.  This is why so many people in hospital on antibiotics come down with C. diff.

      Read up on it, please!  And have your doctor check for C. diff.  Very simple test.  You just need to submit a stool sample.

      Not only that, but steriods can make C. diff WORSE.  It's tricky.  My GI doc of 40 years experience and who has known me for 35, missed the possibility of CMV for some time.  It and C. diff. are less common and busy docs may not think of it.

      Do a search for C. diff and colitis. and C. diff and CMV.  You'll be surprised.l

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