I was diagnosed at the age of 42. I woke up one morning with stomach pains and couldn’t eat or drink for twelve days before going to hospital. They did all kinds of tests, and ultimately said that I had Colitis. They prescribed Flagyl, but I just continued to get worse and was admitted to hospital. During my stay at the hospital, the doctors performed all kinds of test–colonoscopy, endoscopy–but nothing was found.

I started feeling a little better, so my doctors released me. Two days later, I was peeing blood and back to lying in the fetal position. I was sick again. I kept going to the hospital to get hydrated and have EKGs done because my heart rate kept going up. I thought that I was dying.

Finally, an ER doctor suggested that I see an Infectious Disease doctor. Numerous tests showed that I had C. diff. So, they put me back on Flagyl, and again, I continued to get worse. I was admitted to the hospital for a second time, and I was put on Vancomycin and Flagyl together. I finally felt better only to have it come back three more times after numerous tapers of Vancomycin.

I found a doctor who performs fecal microbiota transplants, and I was successfully cured in December of 2014. I still live in fear every day of C. diff coming back. I lost 30 pounds, and the disease affected so many parts of my body and mind. I can no longer eat red meat, and I still get nauseous from time to time. I also still deal with headaches every day.