topic Re: C-Diff? in Wellness

C-Diff?

Shiloh09 — Wed, 09 Aug 2017 00:17:03 GMT

Has anyone been diagnosed with this? It is an infection that can occur in your gut after use of certain antibiotics. In my case, i was prescribed a Z-pack for an upper respiratory infection in late May/early June. After a couple of weeks without improvement, I was prescribed Keflex 3xday for ten days. My last day of taking it was July 14. While it took care of the respiratory infection, this past weekend I developed severe diarrhea and I mean severe! I went to the doctor today and he suspects it is related to the antibiotics---it is called, C-Difficile (c-diff). Blood work and stool sample are being analyzed. So...has anyone been diagnosed with this and would you care to share your story and how it has impacted your life. As always, I appreciate any words of wisdom and personal insight. I know every body is different....

Re: C-Diff?

SilleeMee — Wed, 09 Aug 2017 00:42:29 GMT

I'm sorry you might have this infection. @Shiloh09I have never been infected with C. diff. but I know people who have. One thing you must do is restore the good bacteria in your gut as soon as possible through diet and, if necessary, a probiotic sup.

Any time antibiotics are taken, it is important to take a probiotic before, during and after treatment. C. diff flourishes in the gut when good bacteria is has been destroyed by antibiotics. I hope you get well soon.

Re: C-Diff?

lbwshop — Wed, 09 Aug 2017 00:55:37 GMT

Two years ago, I happened to have three separate infections in a row--all unrelated, just unlucky! When the third antibiotic was prescribed, my doctor also prescribed probiotic-Florastor. I had absolutely no diarrhea after starting these, and kept taking them for a month or so after I was finished with the antibiotic. Good luck.

Re: C-Diff?

Big Joanie — Wed, 09 Aug 2017 00:55:59 GMT

My husband had a case of C-Dif ....the medicine to clear it up was

$ 1,200.00 dollars ....

We had a friend who was tested for it ...test was negative ....but the

next time he was in the hospital and they asked if he had ever had

it .. when he told them it was suspected they moved him to a

private room immediately .....oh and with a sign on his door ....

Re: C-Diff?

Nightowlz — Wed, 09 Aug 2017 01:17:37 GMT

Here are a couple of links on the QVC forums that may help. I copied & pasted some info someone posted about it because I had never heard of it. It's posted at the 1st link.

https://community.qvc.com/t5/Wellness/I-am-trying-to-find-imformation-on-the-bacteria-C-diff/m-p/3307162#M89904

https://community.qvc.com/t5/Wellness/C-Diff/m-p/1276741/highlight/true#M36836

Re: C-Diff?

jubilant — Wed, 09 Aug 2017 01:22:38 GMT

My father had c-diff last winter. He had been on antibiotics for uti's and several other things. It is contagious. The nurses wore gloves and masks when coming in contact with him. I also wore gloves when I fed him or touched him. He was put on probiotics. We caught it early and he recovered. C-diff can be life threatening so please be careful to follow your doctors orders to a tee. Do not let anyone drink or eat after you. Dad was in a nursing home and they put gloves right on his door and gowns. We didn't have to wear the gowns but it was highly suggested that we did wear the gloves or wash our hands if we touched him at all. Like sepsis it can be dangerous. Dad had sepsis just a few months before he got C-diff. This stuff is nothing to mess with.

Re: C-Diff?

ccassaday — Wed, 09 Aug 2017 02:00:08 GMT

I ended up with it right at the end of a three month hospital stay. Flagyl cleared it up. But had to go on a second round as it resurfaced after finishing the flagyl. But the second round cleared it up. The flagyl started working very quick after the first pill. Mine was from 3 months of IV antibiotics.

Re: C-Diff?

RedTop — Wed, 09 Aug 2017 04:10:34 GMT

The majority of us are carrying inactive C-diff spores in our gut right now, that have been there a long time. Like MRSA, these spores are everywhere; we come in contact with them daily. Taking antibiotics for an infection upsets the natural flora of our gut bacteria, which activates the spores, and they colonize into an infectious state.

Once the infection is diagnosed, you take more specific antibiotics to work on ridding your gut of the infection, and encourage growth of healthy bacteria. It is not unusual to take antibiotics for several months to get rid of an active infection. Once you have had C-diff, you are susceptible to have it again, and again, until the day you die. Treatment will never kill off all C-diff spores in the intestines; they will continue to just be innocent, inactive spores, until something else upsets the gut flora, and sends them into colonization and infectious mode again.

Technically, most of us have C-diff; the difference is whether it has colonized into a full blown infection, or not. Everyone I know personally who has had C-diff had to be treated twice with Vancomycin to get rid of their active infections. For each, it has been anywhere from 2-5 years, and they have not had another colonized infection.

Re: C-Diff?

lulu2 — Wed, 09 Aug 2017 20:10:42 GMT

In early 2016 I had a terrible case that was (believed) the result of heavy duty antibiotics. Over the course of a few months I did 2 rounds with different meds hoping to remedy the problem. Neither worked and eventually I was hospitalized. (at that point I was under 90 pounds)

Re: C-Diff?

Shiloh09 — Fri, 11 Aug 2017 15:41:51 GMT

Thank you all! I am waiting for results of tests which may take several days. Doctor told me to take a dose of Imodium after gathering the sample. This has slowed things down, but still don't feel quite right...hard to pinpoint. I pray that it is not this super bug. Fortunately my blood work was within normal limits. Drinking a lot of H2O, Kefir and yogurt....not sure about which probiotic to take, but after test results come back, I will seek a referral for nutrionist. THANKS AGAIN.

Re: C-Diff?

Gracies Mom — Fri, 11 Aug 2017 17:07:55 GMT

I acquired C.Diff two years ago after taking Levaquin for a skin infection---the C.Diff started TWO MONTHS after I stopped the antibiotic!! I felt horrible and had to force myself to stay hydrated--my GI doctor had me take a drug called Alinia--needed to take it twice to clear up the C.Diff--I was sick for two months (I also have cancer, so my immune system is not the best).

Last month I had to take Cipro for a UTI--but I also took a probiotic during and two weeks after finishing the Cipro--so far so good--hopefully I won't come down with C.Diff again.

And yes, it is very CONTAGIOUS---I used one bathroom all the time and had my husband used a different one--I kept using bleach on the toilet and sink--we were extremely careful--and my husband didn't catch it.

If you think you are getting dehydrated---see your doctor or go to the ER---it is very easy to become that way and once you are, you need to be hospitalized for IV hydration---your kidneys could be compromised if you are dehydrated and that's a whole other serious problem!

Good luck and feel better!!!!

Re: C-Diff?

SaRina — Sat, 12 Aug 2017 21:19:16 GMT

@Shiloh09 wrote:
Thank you all! I am waiting for results of tests which may take several days. Doctor told me to take a dose of Imodium after gathering the sample. This has slowed things down, but still don't feel quite right...hard to pinpoint. I pray that it is not this super bug. Fortunately my blood work was within normal limits. Drinking a lot of H2O, Kefir and yogurt....not sure about which probiotic to take, but after test results come back, I will seek a referral for nutrionist. THANKS AGAIN.

@Shiloh09, I had a life-threatening case many years ago, also the result of taking an antibiotic.

Regarding the Imodium, I am not your doctor..... However, I am surprised s/he prescribed Imodium. Perhaps s/he suggested just one dose to see if yours was a simple case of diarrhea, but the last thing you want to do with a C.diff. infection is "slow things down", keeping the bacterial toxins in your gut. I would question your doctor about that. Also, talk to your pharmacist about that.

In addition to the diarrhea, you may experience a "cranky" feeling in your stomach and also bubbling.

Many people are able to recover from C.diff. infections with their own body's defenses. Others require antibiotic treatment -- either metronidazole (Flagyl) or vancomycin (Vancocin), or a combination to eradicate the bacteria. There are at least a couple of other newer drugs that have shown great success, so I'd ask my doctor about those if you test positive. One is fidaxomicin (Dificid).

If you have an infection, it is critically important for you to be taking a good probiotic now and probably for the rest of your life. People who have gotten C.diff. infections are more prone for repeat occurrences than the general population. I have been taking Culturelle, which contains Lactobacillus GG, which has been shown to be highly effective against C.diff. Florastor is probably good too, but my research pointed me to Culturelle.

Yes, it is infectious. Use soap and water to sanitize. Do not share dishes, towels (keep towels separate in the bathroom). Launder your clothes, sheets separately at the hottest temperature.

I urge everyone to do your research whenever you are prescribed a drug. I also urge everyone never to take an antibiotic unless there is absolutely no alternative. Too many people do not understand that when the population, at large, takes too many antibiotics, that's exactly how these antibiotic-resistant bacteria develop. Scientists are now in a race to develop newer treatments to eradicate these super-bugs. If only people would stop taking antibiotics irresponsibly, we wouldn't be in this dire situation.

There is actually a pecking order of antibiotics that are safer to take.

Safe and Unsafe Antibiotics:

LIKELY TO CAUSE C. DIFFICILE:
Clindamycin
Keflex
Ceftin
Ceclor
All other cephalosporins
Amoxicillin
Augmentin

MIDDLE OF THE ROAD:
Cipro
Levoflex (also Levaquin)
Tequin
Avelox
Bactrim
Erythromycin
Biaxin
Zithromax

SAFE TO TAKE:
Macrodantin (Macrobid)
Sulfa
Aminoglycoside
Flagyl (metronidiazole)
Oral and IV Vancomycin

As someone else said, this is not an infection to fool with. You can lose your life.

Re: C-Diff?

Tissyanne — Sat, 12 Aug 2017 21:14:27 GMT

Hand sanitiziers DO NOT kill C-Diff germs. You must wash with soap and water.

Re: C-Diff?

Vivian — Sun, 13 Aug 2017 19:02:25 GMT

In 2008, I had surgery to remove my thyroid because of cancer. I stayed at the hospital for one night. The ward where I stayed was filthy. This was a teaching hospital that obviously did not adhere to professional sanitary practices. When I went to the bathroom, I was appalled, but what could I do? When I was diagnosed with C-dff, I wasn't surprised. Fortunately, I was cured quickly. Ironically, I did not contract C-diff due to antibiotic therapy. I had been on NO antibiotics. Rather, I contracted the bug because of the hospital's awful practices. I am probably going to have knee replacement this year. I have a choice of hospitals. I will definitely NOT return to that previous hospital.

Re: C-Diff?

SaRina — Mon, 14 Aug 2017 01:06:38 GMT

@Vivian Florimond, most C.diff. infections occur in health care facilities (termed nocosomial infections) such as hospitals, rehab facilities, nursing homes, because of poor health care practices, and inadequate personal hygiene. The bacteria can be found on thermometers, stethoscopes, medical equipment, on linens, bed rails, everything. C.diff. spores can live on surfaces for months and so they are easy to ingest if you touch an infected surface.

Whenever you see a healthcare professional, if you do not see them putting on gloves in front of you before they come into contact with you, you need to ask them to wash their hands. Doctors, nurses, technicians are rushed and can be lazy when it comes to patient-to-patient hygiene. We need to be vigilant.

Re: C-Diff?

Financialgrl — Fri, 08 Sep 2017 13:01:59 GMT

BF has had it - has Alzheimer's and is in a memory care unit. One of the problems about that - C-Diff spreads more quickly in these close quarters type facilities. Has his own room and once diagnosed he was given meds and quarantined in his room - which is very hard for someone with no memory to understand. All meals were brought to him and he was not allowed to return to the social rooms until cleared by a physician.

Re: C-Diff?

CelticCrafter — Fri, 08 Sep 2017 13:51:48 GMT

@Vivian - that's how my sister contracted it - either through a hospital stay or from a colonoscopy.

When she was admitted to the hospital for it, I had asked that they humor me and check for it. No one would listen until 2 weeks later and then all he!! broke loose putting her into quarantine and trying to get it cleared up...

Re: C-Diff?

adelle38 — Fri, 08 Sep 2017 14:16:04 GMT

The best thing you can do is wait for test results and closely consult with your doctor. If I were you I'd contact the doctor now and ask for a recommendation on a probiotic. My doctor recommends Align. Others recommend Culturelle or Florastor.

Re: C-Diff?

Q4u — Fri, 08 Sep 2017 14:44:14 GMT

I was on some serious antibiotics for about a year on and off and my doctor was amazed that I didn't develop problems because of it. Unknown to him, I was eating yogurt every day, and when we finally discussed this (I love yogurt and eat it a lot), he said to keep it up, that the active cultures in the yogurt need to be replaced in the gut daily when on antibiotics (which is what a probiotic does)j..... and yogurt is so tasty!

Re: C-Diff?

Snoopp — Fri, 08 Sep 2017 16:06:05 GMT

@Shiloh09 Take vsl3...doctor recommended this to someone with cdiff in our family. It is strong. A good pharmacy or health food store may stock it or can order it. Keep refrigerated.