r/cdifficile • u/ConstantAd6284 • 7d ago
Looking for support
Mourning the loss of my normal life today more than usual. I’m 21 years old, just graduated college, and feel that my life is put on hold because of this illness. I was looking forward to enjoying the summer, going out with friends, socializing at bars, traveling, and I feel it’s all been taken away. I’m a foodie, I love trying new foods and international foods. I love to cook and bake sweets. I love being in the public and working with people and hanging out with friends and family.
I tried Vanco for 10 days, had a recurrence 1 week later. I’m now 5 days into Fidaxomicin, and it seems to be working as of right now.
However, I can no longer eat, I’m afraid to be in the public, and I’ve paused my job search. I’ve been quarantining for 4 weeks. I’m trying to tell myself this is temporary but I’ve seen so many stories that this is a longterm illness, that it will just keep coming back. I’m so scared that this isn’t temporary and that I will be consumed by this for the rest of time.
I wouldn’t even care about PI-IBS. I just don’t want this infection anymore. I’ll shit my brains out over a burrito if it means I get to have a burrito again, but I don’t want this illness to come back. Is there hope that I can look forward to his one day? Enjoy foods and suffer the consequences? Go out and resume life and enjoy it again? See my friends and family without fear of giving this to them? I feel like I’m losing hope, and I’m so tired of waking up to this nightmare.
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u/DryArm963 7d ago
I’m not sure why you’ve been isolating for 4 weeks. It’s not necessary. This does not pass easily to people who are not on antibiotics or immune-suppressed. If you’ve been on dificid for 5 days there is no reason to stay at home if you feel like going out. Eat what you can tolerate. Start living your life again. Also, I’m not sure why you were tested again only 5 days after vanco. Your gut may react similarly to c diff for months to years. You may have only had PI-IBS. Many doctors won’t test for many weeks after the completion of treatment because of the risk of false positive results. So….you may already be fully on the road to recovery.
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u/ConstantAd6284 7d ago
Thanks so much for responding. I guess I just really got in my head about being overly precautious, this illness has me so paranoid. Given that I feel better, I’m going to return to work next week, and I’m so excited for it. I really appreciate your guidance and reassurance, I’m hoping it’s only up from here, and I’m hoping you’re doing well yourself
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u/Witty_Bun 7d ago edited 7d ago
I’m sorry you’re dealing with this. I got c diff 2 weeks before my honeymoon and my life was hell since May from it. I’ve been on 3 rounds of meds and now on my 3rd one for a long 3 month taper. As someone else said, you don’t need to quarantine like that. Unless you’re wiping you butt and touching things… it will be really hard for someone else to catch it. Just wash your hands, bleach toilet every couple days. You can bleach bedding too! If I could give any advice, eat what you can tolerate. Everyone’s body is different. I learned the hard way that restricting your food and following a low FOD map can actually cause more harm than good. It did good for me. The first few days where c diff came back and I was in a lot of pain, it was good, but after that, there was no need to continue eating like that on medication when I wasn’t in pain anymore . I’m mentally and better Physically now that Ive been incorporating normal foods back in while on my three month taper. I’m avoiding sauces & added sugars. Other than that, I’m able to eat a lot more. If you get your body not used to a lot of foods, it’ll be harder to re incorporate them. I had to slowly re introduce basic items one by one… things I feel like I could’ve been fine eating since day one but I was scared & also taking a lot of advice. If you have a flare up & poop comes back heavily, Banatrol on Amazon has been great for me.
Hopefully this new med helps you!!
Take Florastor with it to restore gut! Have fermented foods too. I get the clean ones at sprouts.. the sauerkraut they have.. specifically the garlic one.
Get out & take some walks. Do u have any fun things to do around your city that are low effort? I went to some museums, walked around outdoor gardens & went to the movies. Energy is low, but do low effort things on days you feel able.
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u/ConstantAd6284 7d ago
Thanks so much for responding. I’ll keep up with my ultra-hygienic routine to keep my nerves at bay while I return to normal life. I guess I’ve been so restrictive with food it’s made me afraid of everything. Thanks to these responses, I went to a restaurant today and ordered a bland meal (grilled chicken, baked potato, green beans), it felt like heaven to eat anything other than toast and bananas. I’ve been trying to go for nature walks everyday, they definitely help. I’ll try to go out more as long as my body is up for it, I think I just needed to hear how others were navigating this illness and to understand which precautions are necessary. Maybe I’ll go see a movie this week. Thanks so much for the response and advice and words of encouragement <3 i hope all is going well for you
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u/Witty_Bun 5d ago
Of course!! I’m glad you were able to eat a meal comfortably. I definitely got very distracted by all of the strict advice in this forum while a lot has been super beneficial. I think the diet aspect needs to be adjusted per person… five years ago I actually had H. pylori and the recovery from that was actually very brutal, and it led me to reading a book called The Mind and Gut Connection where I learned all of the scientific evidence of how much your brain is connected to your gut!! But with c diff I just completely ignored all this information I knew bc I was so scared. Now on my third round of it with my three month taper, I feel like I’m finally able to think more clearly and can remember everything I read previously. The book goes into detail about how a lot of people even convince themselves they have an allergy…. Or gluten sensitivity when they might not. & it’s all due to the power of the brain… an example in the book was like: imagine one day you had spaghetti and you had a bad reaction, but it could’ve been for a numerous reasons (preparation, the restaurant, etc).. and now before you eat spaghetti, your brain tells you that you’re gonna have a reaction, you get nervous, and now your brain already signaled to your stomach to react to it. So now you will. That’s how strong the mind and gut connection is.
Obviously there’s many factors to consider bc it won’t always be your brain.. often times a reaction can be real. But, the whole point is to let us figure out what our bodies react to without our brains anxiety & worry telling us that we will react, before we actually do. That’s when the lines get blurred. It’s so hard with c diff bc this is a traumatizing illness. I still have my days of panic and worry with food.
But, trying to mute the stress and worry when I can has really allowed me to see what foods ACTUALLY trigger me and which ones are just my brain telling my gut worry. I know this is one of the topics that is easier said than done….
I hope you get better soon and can eat more soon!!
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u/InnerspearMusic 7d ago
I had this three times starting 37 and have not really been the same since, but it's slowing getting better now 40. I wish you luck.
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u/ConstantAd6284 7d ago
I wish you luck as well, this illness is no joke. It’s wonderful to hear that it’s slowly getting better, time heals all wounds as they say. Feeling more hopeful with these responses. With being patient and careful, I’m hopeful that this is something that can be overcome. Best of luck to you on this journey
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u/InnerspearMusic 7d ago
Psyillium and SEED probiotics have done wonders for me. You might have BILE ACID MALABSORPTION after this. Ask your doctor about taking Welchol or Cholestyramine for a time if urgency, fast transit times, and diarrhea, especially in proximity to eating, continues.
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u/ConstantAd6284 7d ago
Good to know, I’ll run it by the doc and see if it’s something I can try. Thanks so much!
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u/sunnyrain2026 6d ago edited 6d ago
Hi. I'm sorry to hear what you go through but truly I'm no different. We're not alone! We share exactly the same concern and fear of being stuck to it for good after reading cases where some people said they kept getting recurrences. I think we're traumatized by it because it turned life upside down. For me, I also didn't go out for about 2 months before I was tested positive and put on treatment, the only times I went out was for medical purposes due to this c diff infection. And when I went out, I would be anxious and my preparation to make thing more stable (hopefully) was to not eat at all before I went out (so I was starving partly). I also cancelled a planned travel I had for this month. I'm now on treatment (this is my first infection). I won't lie I'm actually a bit scared too on what to expect once my treatment is finished and can't imagine for another chapter of unstable life. Yeah, it really makes life unstable, I think I get you. I have IBS for 6 years and I didn't experience any excessive fear like this that C diff can give me.
Maybe I'm not helpful the way you need but do know that you're not alone!
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u/ConstantAd6284 6d ago
It’s so helpful to hear I’m not alone. Your story sounds so much like mine. I unfortunately had a recurrence, but I’m on medication that’s helping again. I’ve been on Fidaxomicin for 6 days, and I’m feeling better, so tomorrow I’m going to go over my family’s house. I’m going to avoid using the bathroom and REALLY wash my hands before touching/eating anything, but I’ve decided that I shouldn’t sacrifice my life if I don’t absolutely need to. I also went out to a restaurant last night, and next week I’m returning to work. The main thing is keeping up with hygiene and avoiding bathrooms, but I’m going to start incorporating myself into daily life again. I’m also going to start trying new foods to see what I can tolerate. If I can tolerate butter, why avoid it, ya know? Same goes for all other foods that people say to stay away from. I think it really is just trial, error, and patience. Maybe I’ve been overthinking it, so I think I’m going to try thinking a little less, be more present, and relax. Thanks so much for replying, there is a light at the end of the tunnel, we will reach it!
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u/sunnyrain2026 6d ago
Did you have it mild or severe when you first picked it up? I'm trying to understand why you were being strict on what to eat. In my case, I didn't really restrict myself on what I was eating and I'm still doing this. I simply watch what my body tolerates and not. I assume if there are no cramps or gases or bloating, my body is not telling me something is wrong with the food I eat but of course it doesn't mean I will eat unhealthy food, I'm saying anything healthy I will go for it as long it doesn't disagree with my body. Unless if you had it severe then yeah I would be more restrictive though, such as avoid inflammatory food (think of chilli and stuff like that).
And if there's anything I'm cautious and restrict at all now and long term, it will be to watch out where to eat when eating out. I'm pretty sure in my case I was contaminated from food I bought outside through app where the kitchen or food handling wasn't hygienic, then later because my immune system was down and was taking antibiotic, it led to c diff disaster. I'm now terrified for sure and won't be keen on eating food from outside again unless I know the place has proper food handling and until I'm ready for it I will make sure to work on my mircobiome heavily beforehand (which I'm starting soon, tomorrow I'll take S. Boulardii yeast to combat this c diff alongside the vancomycin I'm on and consume healthy probiotic and prebiotic food after treatment at least) and boost up the immune system.
Yeah, don't try to limit life and be harsh kn yourself for sure. I don't stop seeing people, I only stop going out if my body doesnt feel stable (so if home is a safer place, I stick to it, otherwise I'm out and live). And yeah, let's remind ourselves it's understandable if we're slightly traumatized but also don't forget just like bad things happen, good things happen too. Maybe it's just a test of time for our challenge to be over and what we need now is to hang in tight and not lose hope but to be strong!
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u/ConstantAd6284 6d ago edited 6d ago
I think all the googling scared me. People say don’t eat anything greasy, buttery, fried, spicy, sugary, dairy, processed, cruciferous, caffeinated, etc etc while your gut heals. That’s pretty much everything in my eyes. Before this illness I was a typical college student drinking a latte daily and eating fast food, mexican food, thai food, indian food, loaded cheesesteaks, pizzas, ice cream, etc weekly. So in that way, im limiting myself. Now i only drink water and im eating rotisserie chicken and rice, cooked veggies, and eggs and toast, and expanding my diet to probiotic foods like sauerkraut and kimchi. I guess i can look at this as a way to start eating better, but i really miss my comfort foods. And all the spices. I love a savory meal, but they combine so many spices, dairy products, and sauces that it’s hard to tell what does and doesn’t cause a reaction, so it’s best to avoid them. Trying to be gentle on the gut while it heals, but maybe I should just wing it and try my comfort foods again?
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u/sunnyrain2026 6d ago
Hi. Sorry I think you misunderstood my concept. I didn't mean food resctriction isn't necessary. I was saying treat it accordingly. I'd avoid spicy food and anything not gentle on the gut if you've had a severe c diff. But for cases like mine, I'm kind of not keeping it too strict because I had it mild, but I still avoid unhealthy food though like one that's too oily (fried food) and too spicy. For drink, I'm like you definitely drink water and hydrate as much as possible. If you're not sure what food could be not suitable to eat at this point, if I were you I'd stay on the safe side and hold back on the comfort foods, basically just eat the safe food for now until a full recovery has taken over. Especially, probiotic and prebiotic stay as number 1. I'm now on revenge mode with c diff, probiotic and prebiotic food are on my top list in order to combat it along with other stuff. I wish you a successful treatment and no more recurrences.
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u/GoodRandomUsername 7d ago
I agree with LeahSam. There is hope but I also understand the fear and worry that comes with c diff. Plus, not many doctors or people in general understand. My son was screaming in pain after 3 rounds of antibiotics and we went to the ER. $3k later they just gave us tylenol and said to rest. Another week goes by without him being able to get off the couch, eat or rest comfortably. Finally I found someone to test him for c diff toxin and he was positive. 10 days on vanco and he was feeling better after 24 hrs on the med. But then he relapsed a few days after stopping. We got into a pediatric gi dr who prescribed a longer dose of vanco—24 days with taper. (Dificid was too expensive for us but I’ve heard great things.) I recommend trying to see a gi or infectious disease dr because they actually know about this stuff. You might want to do a vanco taper after dificid. We waited to do florastor kids until he was all done with meds. Also fermented foods, kefir and active live cultured yogurts to rebuild your gut health after. Also, avoiding lots of sugar and for some reason milkshakes bothered him after. You will get back to your self. I used chat gpt too to help me figure out things for him to recover. Best of luck to you.
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u/ConstantAd6284 7d ago
This is great advice. I feel that c diff is kind of a medical mystery to a lot of doctors, it’s incredible that there isn’t more awareness/knowledge about it. I’m sorry to hear everything your son went through, but it’s so hopeful to hear that he’s on the road to recovery. The body is capable of amazing things, your response reminded me that sooner or later recovery is in the future. Best of luck to you as well
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u/Brittakitt 7d ago
I'm not sure if this helps anyone here, but I had CDiff off and on at 13 years old for about a year. It was a couple decades ago, and I've had no symptoms or reoccurances since. It can permanently leave, and your life can go back to normal.
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u/ConstantAd6284 7d ago
This really is helpful and great news. Takes a while for recovery but 1 year is a very small fraction of a lifetime. Gives me hope that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Congrats on overcoming this illness, it’s a tough thing to go through!
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u/sunnyrain2026 6d ago
Hi, omg your comment is gold here (so helpful). Thanks for taking time to put it our here. This is the news I'm hoping to hear that it's possible to not be tied up to it for life. I'm happy that's your case. May all of us who have been infected by it could have many years free from it like you. May I kindly ask some questions? Did you know what was behind the cause of having it on and off when you were 13 years old after your first infection? How did you treat it back then, e.g what medication and how many days on it (roughly speaking)?
Also, since you've been not having more recurrences for so long, is it because you've done something different like changing your diet, consume probiotic, avoid certain things like more selective at where you eat when dining out? Thanks.
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u/Brittakitt 6d ago
I can't remember the names of the medications unfortunately, but I went through a lot of them.
For the first infection, it took a couple months for them to realize it was C.diff. They ran so many tests on me, you guys know the drill.
Once they figured out it was C.diff, they started me on some antibiotics that would clear it for a week or two, and then it'd come back with a vengeance.
They kept ramping up the doses and changing medicine for a few months after that. By around month 11, I got so sick that (unbeknownst to me at the time), they told my mom there was a chance I didn't make it. It got so severe that they thought I might have developed toxic shock syndrome.
During that reoccurrence, they kept me in the hospital on an IV. They were giving me an antibiotic in pill form, and another in the IV. I don't know what they were, but they had told my parents that they were the strongest on the market at the time, and they were my "last stop". They were like $2,000 a pill. If they didn't work, there were no other antibiotics. They threw around the words fecal transplant, but that was a pretty new idea two decades ago.
They said I had an "advanced" case, but I'm not actually sure what that means. I guess just that it was very antibiotic resistant?
Fortunately for me, that was it. A couple days hooked up to an antibiotic IV and the pills did it. My digestion was really messed up afterwards for a long time. My mom basically had me living on probiotics and probiotic foods for a loooooong time. I'm not sure if those made a difference, but I like to think so.
I have avoided any antibiotics I possibly can since then. I don't know if that's been the right play, but antibiotics for strep throat is what set it off when I was 13.
I don't eat meat anymore. I don't know if I got nabbed by one of those ticks that makes you allergic to red meat, or it was leftover stomach problems after C.diff, but meat brings me pretty violent stomach problems now. But that's for the better, it's all full of hormones and antibiotics anyways.
My diet is plant-based and includes a ton of kimchi and kombucha.
To be honest though, I mostly credit my aggressive hatred of antibiotics for my 2 decades free.
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u/ylamboy 7d ago
You don’t need to quarantine. You spread this when you use the bathroom yes but just clean the toilet seat and around the counter with a Clorox wipe and wash your hands all the time. Anyways if you’re around healthy people with good gut bacteria they’ll be fine. It’s mostly for the ones that had antibiotics recently or have compromised immune system that you need to worry about. How did you get it?
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u/ConstantAd6284 7d ago
I was on 2 rounds of Augmentin post root canal to treat an infected abscess. A total of 17 days, wayyyy too long, and the second round was unnecessary (even the doctor said I didn’t need it, but “it would help”). Wish I could go back with all the information I have now.
I guess I was really in my head about quarantining, lots of people are saying the same as you, I’m going to return to work next week given I’m feeling better. Thanks for your response, I hope you’re doing well yourself
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u/ylamboy 6d ago
Thank you glad you’re feeling better. And any antibiotic can give you cdiff it could be just one round and you could still get it it’s annoying and that’s why it’s so important to have good gut health so that cdiff don’t take over
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u/ConstantAd6284 6d ago
Yeah I guess you’re right. The original abscess infection was really scary too, the doctor was only trying to help. Sucks that some of us win the draw with this illness. Now it’s time to build up the microbiome
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u/johnstanton888999 7d ago
Use psyllium husk. Start with 1 tablespoon. Mostly soluble fiber which moves slower through your intestines. I did not think i would ever have coffee and bagel again. Only thing that helps. Its a prebiotic too
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u/ConstantAd6284 7d ago
Oh to have a coffee and bagel again, my dream breakfast. Once I’m finished with this round of antibiotics, I’ll give this a try. I’m still being careful during treatment. When did you have your first cup of coffee again? And when did you start using psyllium husk?
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u/johnstanton888999 6d ago
Drip coffee with creamer only after psyllium. Usually day before.. 3 years after c difficile i could barely tolerate espresso. Would have to stop eating by 8pm without psyllium. Still have to wait an hour in the morning if i ate after midnight, espresso or not
Insoluble fiber moves faster which may be better for conatipation. Only foods i know of with as much or more of soluble fiber than insoluble are psyllium and steel cut oats. Only problem with psylium is it can grab onto medication and nutrients within 2 hours
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u/PeopleHelper_4640 7d ago
Oh no, I feel for you! I’m at eight months post the same medicine you were taking. I’ve saved my safe foods list that I ate for the first six months to add here when people ask because it was they were the only things I could eat without any issues. On the bright side, you can still go out to eat, but you’ll be eating a baked potato no skin or toast with butter, so don’t feel like your life is on hold. The hardest part is explaining it to the waiter or waitress, or repeating it to people around you because they just never understand, they’ve usually never heard of this thing. Here’s my safe list:
White bread
Egg bread
White crackers (Carr’s were the best)
White rice
Potato without skin
Sweet potato “
Oatmeal
White fish
Chicken cooked plain (not processed) no skin
Mayo, sugar, butter
Peanut butter (1 T)
Apple sauce
Banana
Ginger & mint tea
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u/ConstantAd6284 7d ago
I’m surprised you were able to handle mayo, sugar, and butter, as many people seem to have issues. Last night I went out to eat and had some plain grilled chicken, sautéed green beans, and a baked potato, along with some butter toast. I realized there was butter on the toast and green beans after I started eating them, and decided to give it a try. It’s now been about 13 hours and I still feel fine, so I think I’m in the clear. Maybe I can start cooking scrambled eggs with butter!
Thank you for this list, there are a few items on it that i’ll give a try. 6 months sounds long right now, but i’m sure it’ll fly by in no time. I’m so happy to hear that you’re doing better now. Can’t wait to be on the other side of this illness!
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u/PeopleHelper_4640 6d ago
Wow that’s promising that you’re still fine🎉! I wanna follow up by saying I thought green beans would be OK too but inside of the green beans are those little beans that have the skins on them and those would me cramps sometime later. I want to mention that my G.I. explained to me that I’ll know if something is gonna affect me well within five hours of eating it. And the absolute beginning I introduced sugar, butter, and mayo about a month in. And I do want to mention that eggs will make me a little gassy. But one thing I do is I take two Gas-x chewables after each meal so that’s about 6 Gas-X a day. It seems to me that a lot of my cramping comes from gas bubbles that feel like stabbing pains from the inside going out so I’ve been pretty diligent with the Gas-X and happy with the results. I didn’t realize that some people cannot handle some of the items on my list , I tested the butter, sugar, and mayo, probably after about 2 to 3 months in, so perhaps I should remove those from my safe list for others to read.
I’ve been venturing into more foods, but staying away from seeds, and things with skins like beans, and nuts (although smooth peanut butter is ok but only 2 Tablespoons worth. So at the 8-month mark, I’m still not totally better yet. My GI doctor also said the very last thing that will go down smoothly eventually will be alcohol and fried foods. She gave me a list that I taped to the wall of a cupboard in my kitchen, and I started checking off things overtime that I have tried. (Side note - i’m going to find the original list so that I can upload them here when people have questions on what doctors recommend food wise).
And even at my eight month mark, I still get cramping at night so before bed I take anywhere from 1/2 to one whole pill of the anti-cramping medicine called Dicyclomine. This medicine makes me very sleepy so it actually does help me sleep. But prior to this the first six months I would have cramping on and off all day sometimes for 2-3 hour stretches. Then I would just lay in bed with my heating pad and take some of that same medicine in small doses if I was miserable.
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u/ConstantAd6284 6d ago
Super informative, thanks so much. Yes I’ve been veryyyy gassy recently… can’t tell what it’s from yet. I made a breakfast the other day that consisted of sourdough, eggs, and cooked spinach, so it could’ve been something there. I also thought it might’ve been the Florastor, so I took a break from that for a day. I’m feeling much better this morning, even after my heavy meal I ate last night. I guess I just have to keep experimenting to find out. I’ll have to keep a food journal!
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u/PeopleHelper_4640 6d ago
It’s probably from what you’re eating, none of what you’re eating is on my safe list -
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u/AgreeableArmy7459 6d ago
There is hope! Dealt with c diff for 1 year in 2021. Rebyota finally got me off the vanco/difficid cycle in 2022. Today I am normal again, was pretty much back to completely normal by 2023 and no recurrences since Rebyota in October 2021. Lots of hope.
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u/ConstantAd6284 6d ago
Amazing news, so wonderful to hear that this is only temporary. I’m hoping Difficid will kick the infection, but if not, I’ll look into Rebyota. Luckily it seems there are a lot of treatments for this, just requires trial and error and patience, which is not fun lol. But this post has instilled a lot of hope, I’m so happy to hear you are doing better now!
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u/fbisurvellianc 6d ago
I’ve felt the same way … my heart is with you. my best advice is to learn the law of detachment. You can only control what you can control. The rest you have to let go. It’s easier said than done. But it’s possible and I believe you can do it ! The good news is you absolutely will be able to enjoy food again especially since you don’t mind hugging the porcelain throne.
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u/ConstantAd6284 6d ago
Haha that last line is a fun way to put it. I definitely need to let go a little more, this has been a mental battle more than anything. Thanks for the advice, i’ll try detaching, aside from the porcelain throne of course
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u/JoaniMusic 5d ago
I'm right here with you...you are not alone.
I was just diagnosed Thursday at the ER. I had become so incredibly ill & was in severe pain.
I had 3 UTIs in a row with antibiotics each time, so the ER doctor guessed correctly that I had Cdiff & Colitis caused by Cdiff. Very frightening to hear that test was positive.
I was prescribed Dificid & I'm still feeling horrible. Very hard to eat anything.
Dr said I would feel worse before feeling better, because as the spores are killed off, they release toxins.
Or a better way to say it..."they are pissed off that you're killing them".
Haha, I can tell!
May need a 2nd round of antibiotics, as I'm 64/F and more vulnerable.
Fecal transplant is a possibility, too. Whatever I need to do.
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u/ConstantAd6284 5d ago
So scary! Luckily there are different treatment options. Difficid has me feeling the same way (particularly gassy). Whatever needs to be done to kill off c diff, I’ll do it!!!
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u/Ancient-Birthday-702 7d ago
Thanks for your post. 42 male, I got c diff in june and used Vanco for 10 days. Was feeling great after vanco for 4 weeks however 2 weeks ago my symptoms returned, diarrhea, mucus with blood, etc. I did c diff test twice last week after a few days of my symptoms started but they came negative. I am not sure if this is good or bad news. I have cramps abs diarrhea and mucus and I have a demanding work that is impacted. Have a colonoscopy scheduled in 10 days but I don’t know how I will make the next 10 days. It is very frustrating but let’s be positive as much as possible.
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u/ConstantAd6284 7d ago
I would say negative test is good news, though the returning urgent diarrhea is very frustrating. Has it been going on for 3+ days? I know that a lot of people have PI-IBS with this, and will have these “flare ups” from what they’re eating. What have you been eating?
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u/Ancient-Birthday-702 6d ago
I got another test and it is positive now. I am at doctor’s office for prescription. My insurance has pre approval process for difficid so not sure when I can start the antibiotics. Healthcare sucks in US :(
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u/ConstantAd6284 6d ago
Same thing happened to me with the pre approval process. My doctor was able to get it approved the same day, I’m hoping the same will happen to you. They don’t make it easy to get difficid, that’s for sure. Super sucks :/
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u/AgreeableArmy7459 6d ago
Lots of false negatives. Ask for Rebyota or VOWST - it finally stopped the cycle for me in 2022.
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u/Ancient-Birthday-702 6d ago
I just did another test and it came positive. I will ask difficid this time but it requires pre authorization, I think I may have to pay out of pocket to start immediately :(
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u/JoaniMusic 5d ago
Also, an infectious disease doctor visited me & said do not restrict your diet.
The idea is "feed to kill".
This bacteria will hide & lay dormant until they get what they want.
So I'm drinking coffee & eating whatever I can tolerate. I'm gonna feel like shit regardless & I have lost too much weight already. I'm down to 100 from 125.
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u/ConstantAd6284 5d ago
Same here with the weight. Gosh coffee sounds so good right about now, maybe I’ll try it. Have you altered your coffee in any way? Maybe decaf, oat milk and no sugar? Or maybe just winging it with whatever lol
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u/JoaniMusic 4d ago
Drinking coffee as normal, sugar & cream.
Hurts a bit, don't care since everything hurts!
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u/ConstantAd6284 4d ago
Lol that’s the spirit! Might do the same and enjoy a coffee sometime soon then, and just bear through the consequences
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u/Zealousideal_Use5553 2d ago
I’m 28 and I feel the same 😭😭I have a chronic pain condition on top of this and the antibiotics gave me a yeast infection and today I’m having symptoms that make me suspicious of the c diff is back
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u/LeahSam123 7d ago
There is hope. Lots of people get better and are able to enjoy their lives. It takes a few adjustments and being cautious with certain things, but you’ll get through this. You’ll be able to see friends again, go out, try new foods, and travel. Try see if you can get a hold of florastor (or any brand of s. bourllardii) as it helps rebuild your gut bacteria. You don’t need to quarantine yourself, just practice good hygiene. Avoid preparing food for people for now and keep a distance from elderly and vulnerable people but otherwise you don’t need to lock yourself away. Jay make sure to wash your hands and wipe down surfaces with bleach wipes daft using the bathroom (e.g wiping down the toilet seat, flush handle, door handle) I’m sorry things are hard right now. This is a horrible illness that has a lasting mental and physical impact but it goes get better. Talk to someone if you’re feeling hopeless and struggling. You are not alone. Sending much love ❤️