Shaylene
In 2008 I had a tattoo done. About three days later I started to notice an infection beginning in the tattoo. My arm was swollen and hot, pus and ink weeping from the tattoo…I knew that I needed to see a doctor.
I headed to the local ER and waited a few hours but eventually I was seen. The local hospital was in the midst of a C. diff outbreak, as well as MRSA.
The doctor immediately confirmed the infection on my arm and ordered antibiotics – 400mg of Clindamycin. The infection was serious enough he was concerned about bone damage and other side effects. I received the first (Clindamycin) dose in the hospital and went and filled my prescription, and continued with the 400mg twice a day.
I was at work two days later when it (symptoms) hit the first time. A small bomb exploded in my lower intestines. I needed a bathroom so badly, it was like watery diarrhea out of nowhere!
This got worse. My infection was starting to look better, but I was in the bathroom every hour pooping my brains out!! After four days I finally called my mom who is a nurse and she immediately said C. diff. She told me to cut my antibiotics in half and if it didn’t get better I was to go to my GP doctor.
I finished my antibiotics a week later, still suffering from diarrhea. It continued for about four weeks and then slowly I started to feel better. My general well-being wasn’t really affected and I didn’t need treatment. Today, I’m scared to death of antibiotics.
Other Stories
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Mira
In December of 2019, my husband got sick with C. diff. It was after he was prescribed antibiotics for what they thought was a case of diverticulitis. In hindsight, it’s clear he may have simply had C. diff all along. He was treated with vancomycin… -
Beth W.
My story began in 2018 when I went to see a colorectal surgeon for the incision of a thrombosed hemorrhoid. In order to ‘prevent’ an infection, the surgeon prescribed me both Amoxicillin 800mg 2x daily and Vancomycin 500mg 3x daily. Upon completio… -
Mollie Lauck
My Husband and I were expecting our first child. We were so very excited. My Pregnancy was complicated to begin with- I was considered “Advanced Maternal Age” and had Hypertension and Gestational Diabetes. Though it was a labor of love, Pregnancy … -
Ken Fredrickson
I’m 62 and generally healthy, I’ve never had an intestinal issue. I went to the ER on Jan 2, 2023 and a CT scan revealed Diverticulitis. They sent me home with a 2 week course of antibiotics. Four days after completing the antibiotics, I developed… -
Jan
I am a healthy active older woman. On March 1, 2019 I had an explosive episode of diarrhea, out of the blue, no idea what caused it. The smell was indescribable, like nothing I had ever experienced in my long life. That was the beginning of a long… -
Dr. Melissa Geraghty, Psy.D.
At the start of 2018 I was diagnosed with C. diff. I never really heard much about C. diff outside of people acquiring it in a hospital setting or people of advanced age contracting it. Oh, was I wrong. After being sick for about 8 weeks with w… -
Cassie Padilla
As a nurse for 35 years I thought I knew a lot about C. diff but as a patient I’ve discovered I knew NOTHING about C. diff. I have had 2 episodes of C. diff in my life. The first was in 2017 following (prophylactic) antibiotics after surgery. That… -
Julia
I’ve been suffering from this infection for the past few years. When I was first diagnosed, I was shocked and thought this was something that only the elderly suffered from. It’s been 3 years since my first infection, and I still suffer daily. I’v… -
Sue
I had emergency surgery for a ruptured appendix and was given SO MANY antibiotics in the hospital. I was also given Protonix for the acid reflux that resulted from all the antibiotics. Looking at the list of risk factors for C. diff, I fit every o… -
Howard
While many of us who battle C diff have quick success with the usual antibiotics, the purpose of my entry here is to emphasize the high rate of success of the Fecal Microbiota Transplant. My C diff experience was such that A) a lengthy course of V…
