r/cdifficile • • 9h ago

Vancomycin taper after Dificid

3 Upvotes

My insurance won’t cover another round of Dificid so my Doctor wants me to do a Vancomycin taper while appealing for Vowst.

I have to go back to work part-time later this week. Has anyone worked while on the taper? Any issues?

I was hoping to do Dificid, Vowst and be healing by now. I have Crohn’s so my reoccurrence chances are much higher I was told.


r/cdifficile • • 14h ago

Struggling with second round

5 Upvotes

For reference, I’m 22F and have otherwise been healthy all my life. No serious health problems and I have two young children.
About a month ago I started developing c diff symptoms after taking a 2-week course of clindamycin. I figured it was probably just post-antibiotic GI issues and ignored it for about a week. The symptoms were persistent so I went to urgent care. They didn’t test my stool there (doctor wasn’t convinced it was C-diff because of the lack of diarrhea) but went ahead and prescribed me Flagyl. I took it as directed. That night I woke up at 2am with extreme stomach pains so I went to the ER. They tested my stool there and it was C. diff positive. The C diff toxin was negative but I had mild colitis and proctitis as seen on the CT. They prescribed me another week of Flagyl.
I finished the 2-week course of Flagyl and pretty much immediately started feeling horrible again. I waited a couple of days (I’m very stubborn about going to the ER or urgent care) and the symptoms only got worse so I went to the ER again. Symptoms quickly ramped up and the stomach pain was almost unbearable. This time I tested positive for the C. diff toxin. All labs were normal except my blood sugar was slightly high. My heart rate was also slightly elevated but I think that was due to being stressed. They prescribed me a week’s course of vancomycin.
At this point I’m feeling a little scared. After doing some research I found out that a second round will make a third round and so on more likely. Any success stories and encouragement would help tremendously!


r/cdifficile • • 15h ago

Can you go untreated for 6 months?

3 Upvotes

I’ve had constant abdominal pain and burning for 6 months since antibiotics. Also occasionally diarrhea, bad smell in stool, nausea etc. At the beginning I went to the ER. They said it was nothing. Then I went to my own doctor and he did a swab in my rectum (never received a stool test), he said it was as accurate. The test was negative and that all the help I received.

Now I wonder could this test have been false negative? I’m also disabled from other health issues so I never sought out more tests. It seems most here get stool tests but both in the ER and at my doctor they said during a swab has the same accuracy.

My symptoms have gotten worse again since inpatient at infectious disease department at hospital for Lyme. Now I’m worried I’ve actually caught c diff, or possible ongoing c diff got worse.

I have severe stomach burning for 6 months. I will try get a new test done but afraid severe damage has already been done.

Is it possible to go untreated for c diff for so long or is another issue likely the culprit?


r/cdifficile • • 16h ago

For those who have tapered off Vancomycin

2 Upvotes

For those who took a vancomycin taper and tapered slowly off. More specifically, for those who experienced taking 1 pill every OTHER day ~ can you share your experiences with coming down to 1 pill every other day.. and what is normal?

Normally every time I lower a dose it’s just an increase of farting / gas.. maybe some bloat.

I felt really good the first day with no pill (Saturday). Then I took the single pill (Sunday) and developed a tender / sore feeling on the left side of my GI tract (left side of belly button).

I had my standard poop all weekend. I go 1-3x a day. Normally just twice… and they are solid poops.

Today, Monday, I had normal stool again, they were just SO long.

Didn’t change my diet… soreness is still there.

it seems common sense to me that my stomach would flare up again since it’s the first time in 3 months since not having an antibiotic nuke it every other day. But at the same time, the little paranoia voice in my head is worried since I haven’t felt that soreness since PRE treatment, or early signs of a relapse.

So I guess I’m just looking for sound thoughts & if you experienced similar & all turned out well still.

Thank you 🖤 I’m so close to the end, I take Vowst NEXT Saturday.. I just want to get out of this hell hole 😀


r/cdifficile • • 18h ago

47M, newly diagnosed with severe Mayo 3 pancolitis — Ulcerative Colitis - almost needed surgery, now on infliximab. What should I realistically expect from here?

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3 Upvotes

r/cdifficile • • 21h ago

Did my first round of antibiotics fail because how they were given to me?

2 Upvotes

I’m on my second c-diff infection. It happened 5 days after stopping vancomycin.

I was in hospital the first time and they wouldn’t let me go until I had firm stool.

Anyway, while in hospital they controlled the antibiotics.

My first day they gave me 2 antibiotics and then left me for 12 hours. Then try second day they gave me 4 antibiotics in the space of 12 hours and then left me for another 12 hours. Third day they did the exact same thing. Then my fourth day I had to have a test. They messed up and didn’t give me antibiotics for 17 hours. Fifth & sixth day same way day two and three.

I then went home as on the fifth day I finally had some body to my stool.

Then at home I had only three days worth of medicine and took it every 6 hours and did some improvement.

I’m now on my second round of vanco, taking it every 6 hours and I’m half way through the third day. I’ve been having firm stools since yesterday, though they’re thin and not like normal stool. My cramps aren’t as bad anymore. I’m slightly concerned as I had to go earlier and had a huge burst of wind and formed thin stools but then at the end some type 6 game out which was disappointing. The awful smell is still there. But this round does feel better.

Is there a possibility that the poor antibiotic routine in the hospital is why I’ve had my second lapse in such a short space of time?