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Thread: Help! :( Pretty sure I have C. Diff - need reassuring experiences

  1. #1
    Join Date
    May 2017
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    41

    Help! :( Pretty sure I have C. Diff - need reassuring experiences

    Good morning,

    I always come here when I'm about to completely fall apart and all of you help hold me together.

    Recently I took a course of Clindamycin for a sinus infection. I had completely normal, formed stool while on it and on the last day had a few bouts of diarrhea. I was fine for about a week and then started developing stomach/intestinal cramps, very mucousy diarrhea, horrific heartburn, etc.

    I went to my doctor and she had me do a rectal swab. The problem is, the first time I swabbed, I messed it up by accidentally pouring some of the liquid out of the little vial so I asked for another kit and did another swab. This came back negative for ALL parasites, bacteria, C. Diff, etc. She said she thought it was an IBS flare. I was so relieved but my symptoms didnt go away.

    So on Friday I messaged her asking her if swabbing that area twice would have affected the test results and she said it could have so she had me do a stool sample this time. I turned it in that same day and now am awaiting the results.

    I am losing it today because I noticed in the mucous there was blood. It doesn't feel like IBS at ALL and the WORST part of all of this is that I am a teacher and my first day back to work is TOMORROW!!!! We meet our students and parents. This is my first year teaching and I am also in school this year as well. This is so horrible. I've had the entire summer to deal with something lilke this but it's happening now.

    My question is, does anyone have an experience with C. Diff where you ended up being ok and healing ok? I need to know that if it IS this, I can continue working while taking medication and that I will come through this ok. I am so horrified by the internet stories and every time I read the words "life-threatening," I feel like I'm going to throw up.

    I need some comfort y'all. I can't be taking time off of my brand new job the very first week to see the doc again or have more tests run. Help. Crying over here right now.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jul 2018
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    231

    Re: Help! :( Pretty sure I have C. Diff - need reassuring experiences

    My boyfriend had c.diff show up in some stool tests he had done a while ago. He’s fine. Don't google, it sounds like you probably don’t even have it anyway.
    __________________
    "Make your choice adventurous stranger, strike the bell and bide the danger,
    or wonder till it drives you mad, what would have followed if you had"

    - C.S. Lewis, The Magician's Nephew

  3. #3
    Join Date
    May 2017
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    41

    Re: Help! :( Pretty sure I have C. Diff - need reassuring experiences

    And now running a low grade fever of 99. My temp is usually 97.8 this time of the day. Freaking OUT!!!!!

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Aug 2013
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    24,667

    Re: Help! :( Pretty sure I have C. Diff - need reassuring experiences

    If you were truly that concerned, you wouldn't be here posting and waiting for reassurance. I know in every case that I was seriously ill (heart attacks, bad colitis attack etc.), I went to the hospital or doctor and the thing is, I knew something was wrong. It wasn't Google, a mild raise in temperature or anything of the sort. I was in bad shape!

    Positive thoughts
    __________________
    "Eat. Drink. Enjoy the work you do. Be thankful for the blessings God gives you in this life. Live, love and seek out the things that bring your heart joy. The rest is meaningless... Like chasing the wind." King Solomon

    The best help is the help you give yourself! http://cbt4panic.org/

  5. #5
    Join Date
    May 2017
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    Re: Help! :( Pretty sure I have C. Diff - need reassuring experiences

    I don’t want to just rush off and expose myself to more germs and bacteria in a hospital setting. I emailed my doctor but it’s Sunday so I most likely will not receive a response today. AND I have a million things to do as we start school tomorrow - just can’t seem to focus and trying to get through this day. Was hoping people had some positive stories when it came to fighting off C. diff.

  6. #6
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    Aug 2013
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    24,667

    Re: Help! :( Pretty sure I have C. Diff - need reassuring experiences

    Quote Originally Posted by Bmom View Post
    Was hoping people had some positive stories when it came to fighting off C. diff.
    Darkside had a bout with that. He got pretty sick. He was treated and recovered. Like I said, if you were that ill, you wouldn't be wondering about it. You have your hands full with back to school prep so why not use that as a distraction and push through?

    Positive thoughts
    __________________
    "Eat. Drink. Enjoy the work you do. Be thankful for the blessings God gives you in this life. Live, love and seek out the things that bring your heart joy. The rest is meaningless... Like chasing the wind." King Solomon

    The best help is the help you give yourself! http://cbt4panic.org/

  7. #7
    Join Date
    May 2017
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    41

    Re: Help! :( Pretty sure I have C. Diff - need reassuring experiences

    Update:

    Still freaking out. This has been a week from hell. Last Sunday I posted because I had started to run a low fever and was having lots of diarrhea, gas, loose stools. If you read post above, I’m terrified of C. diff because I took clindamycin last month and it started 10 days after I finished the clindamycin.

    On Monday night we had our meet the teacher night at school where I teach kindergarten. I felt awful all day long and barely made it through but managed to put a smile
    On my face and push through. By 6pm when I got home I felt TERRIBLE. I went up to urgent care and they did a flu swab but it was negative and they said all they could
    Do was give me something for the diarrhea. So on to the ER I went!!!! It was so traumatic. I missed my kids who I hadn’t seen all day and say in the waiting room crying because I just couldn’t believe I was sitting there going through this. I hate that place, but I was freaking out because I felt so terrible and needed answers. When I told the admitting doctor all of my symptoms he was concerned it was C. diff and told me “if it is, that’s not a goood thing.” :( it ended up being negative. AGAIN.

    Finally, I found out I had been dehydrated. Which doesn’t surprise me because I could barely stomach to eat or drink anything all day. I couldn’t produce a stool sample
    For a C-diff culture, so the NP had to do a fecal swab and boy was that fun. :( Luckily the fluids helped a bit but I didn’t get home and to bed until 2am and have been going non-stop all week until last night and today, i’ve been trying to rest. All week long though I have felt horrible, even though I’ve been pushing Gatorade and water. I feel like I have the flu. My face will get really hot, my eyes red, my body cold and shivering but my temps hasn’t gotten over 98.7. I feel terrible and I don’t know what to do. I’ve had three tests all come back negative for c-diff or parasites/bacteria, but I could argue that none were great samples to test. My bloodwork was all ok except for the dehydration and my platelets had dropped a lot which my doctor said was probably due to how the blood was processed. (But of course in my head I think Leukemka!)

    I am crying in my bed feeling terrible, still having chills, while my husband takes my little boys out to have fun today. I have a giant bruise on my arm from where the iv was the other night and I just feel like an ill and depressed person when all I really want is to be playing with my kids and having fun with my family. I’m not noticing any more blood in my stool, I started a probiotic called florastor, and mostly my stool is semi-formed, give or take a few, but I’m still worrried I have C. Diff or some infection that’s not being addressed that’s causing all of these symptoms and making me feel so ill. Please talk to me. I’m in such a bad place.
    Last edited by Bmom; 11-08-18 at 17:10.

  8. #8
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    Jul 2017
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    Re: Help! :( Pretty sure I have C. Diff - need reassuring experiences

    Sounds like a really bad HA episode and you’re in the middle
    Of it. I went through this a few months ago. Not the fear of cdif but loose stools. Mucus in my stool. Frequent stools. I mean I was convinced I needed a colonoscopy. I had a host of stool samples done and all was negative. My father had cdiff and he was horribly sick. I really DO NOT think you have that. You’re just caught in the viscious cycle of paranoia and getting yourself worked up about it which is resulting in panic and depression. I’m certai. You are fine but mentally you need to get yourself in a better space, and I say that with kindness. Go outside and take a walk or clean or take the kids to the park. Try to distract yourself. It will help. Wishing you well

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Jan 2017
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    1,832

    Re: Help! :( Pretty sure I have C. Diff - need reassuring experiences

    This sounds awful, I'm so sorry. I know from people who have had c diff that your diarrhea is actually completely liquid - like not a bit of solid poop to be seen. I know people whose doctors have refused to even test if it wasn't 100% liquid, since there's no way it's c diff in that case.

    Sounds like antibiotics messed up your stomach plus anxiety.

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Dec 2013
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    612

    Re: Help! :( Pretty sure I have C. Diff - need reassuring experiences

    My father had c.diff when he was recovering from a heart surgery (he had to take a multitude of strong antibiotics because of the surgery wound). Mind you, he was over 60 (he is 70 now and fit as a fiddle, btw) and he was very, very weak because of the surgery - it was the beginning of his recovery. Even in that state, doctors said it was absolutely nothing to worry about and would resolve within ten days. That was exactly what had happened-they gave him some sort of antibiotic that specially targeted this bacteria and after couple of weeks the diarrhea stopped.

    Now, he was an individual with a bad heart just recovering from surgery - he had a large stitched hole in his chest. If he managed to survive c. diff you will definitely manage it too. You might not have it in the first place and even if you do - you will be fine in a couple of weeks. Still, whatever the case, you need to work on your anxiety since it is a proven fact that anxiety can also cause diarrhea.
    __________________
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    Margaret Thatcher

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