On June 1, 2024 I started feeling super fatigued and just generally unwell. Sunday June 2nd I woke up with stomach pain and I had diarrhea that soon turned to yellow, stringy, mucous-y and happening way too often. It continued all night. Monday morning I knew something was wrong. I had the chills but no fever. I went to the ER which thank goodness I had a doctor who just took over and started running tests. I was able to provide a stool sample and it wasn’t long before I was told I had C. diff. We had never heard of it before. I had not been on antibiotics, I had started a PPI but only been on it for a month. I was admitted into the hospital where I was started on Vancomycin. I stayed there 5 days before being able to go home.

This disease takes a toll on you physically and mentally. The anxiety is unreal. It was so humiliating to not control my bowels and not make it to the bathroom in time and having people clean me up.

I got home and seem to get better but 2 days before I finished my vancomycin, some of the symptoms started to come back. My PCP gave me another 7 days of the medicine and upped the dose to 250mgs. I got better. 1 week after finishing the antibiotic, I was already scheduled for a colonoscopy. It all came back clear. The Thursday after my procedure my stomach started hurting and that Friday I woke up with stinking, yellow, stringy diarrhea. I had gone 5 times in an hour. I took a stool sample to my lab and I have a C. diff recurrence. This was Friday July12th. I am on a vancomycin taper and will be having the Zinplava infusion during my treatment.

This disease changes you and not for the good. I have a small portion of Barretts Esophagus so my GI doctor is pushing PPIs but I don’t want to take them if they contribute to C. diff so I’m not sue what I’m going to do. At least I’m not as bad as I was the first time.

My heart goes out to all who suffer from this.