Wellness

[Shiloh09]

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....

[SilleeMee]

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.

[lbwshop]

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.

[Big Joanie]

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 ....

[Nightowlz]

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/330...

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

[jubilant]

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.  

[ccassaday]

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.

[RedTop]

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.   

[lulu2]

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)

[Shiloh09]

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.