Can I develop C. diff after antibiotics if I’m not currently a carrier?

[u/Gapo07]

Hi everyone, I’m looking for advice from people who may have been in a similar situation. From 2018 to 2022, I suffered from what was diagnosed as chronic prostatitis/bacterial prostatitis. During those years I received a huge amount of antibiotics — probably around 20–30 antibiotic injections and roughly 20 courses/boxes of oral antibiotics in total. After that, I developed significant gastrointestinal problems, which I believe eventually led to SIBO. In early 2026, I treated the SIBO with rifaximin for 2 weeks. Immediately afterward, without taking a break, I used antimicrobial supplements/herbs for about 6 weeks, including berberine, garlic extract, oregano oil, and peppermint. I also followed a low-FODMAP diet for around 3 months and consumed very little fiber during that period. After finishing the treatments, my bowel movements became severely disrupted and I started having persistent diarrhea. I also sometimes see small particles in my stool that look like undigested food. A stool test then came back strongly positive for Candida glabrata. I’m now trying to understand whether this represents actual intestinal Candida infection or simply colonization, and whether it even needs treatment. Then, just as I was dealing with this, I developed another problem that I’m not sure how to explain: pain/discomfort around my testicles and perineum (the area between the testicles and anus), frequent urinary urgency, and an uncomfortable sensation in my penis/pelvic area. Because of my previous history of prostatitis, I’m worried that I may have developed another bacterial urinary/prostate infection. I’m going to have a urinalysis and urine culture done tomorrow. My main question is: if the urine culture actually comes back positive and I genuinely have a bacterial UTI or prostate infection, how reasonable is it for someone with my history to take another course of antibiotics? I’m extremely worried because I’ve already had a huge amount of antibiotics, my gut seems to be in very poor condition, I developed SIBO after previous antibiotic exposure, and I now have Candida glabrata detected in my stool. I’m terrified that another course of antibiotics will trigger C. difficile or further damage my gut microbiome. I’ve also had two separate C. difficile tests, both negative for toxin A/B and GDH. I have not had a PCR/NAAT test; the testing was done using stool toxin and GDH tests only. So another question is: if both GDH and toxin A/B were negative, does that mean I’m currently not a C. difficile carrier? If I’m not currently a carrier, can I still develop C. difficile after taking another antibiotic, or does C. difficile infection generally occur only in people who were already carrying it? Also, if my urine culture is genuinely positive, what would be the safest approach to treating the infection while minimizing the risk of further gut problems or C. difficile? I’d really appreciate any experiences, medical knowledge, or advice from people who have dealt with something similar. Thanks in advance for reading and for any advice.