Rick Kolow
On April 23, 2024, I had a Colonoscopy at Gastro Health in Florida at the Outpatient Center of Delray. Prior to this, I was absolutely fine with no health issues at all. Over the next 2-3 days, I began to have very bad diarrhea and stomach cramps that would not go away. I contacted the doctor after it got bad and he wanted to wait a little bit to see if it subsided. It did not. After 2 weeks of this, I was directed to bring a stool sample for testing.
I was diagnosed with CLOSTRIDIUM DIFFICILE TOXIN/GDH W/REFL TO PCR – (C.Diff). I was then given vancomycin 125mg to be taken 4 times a day for 14 days. I finished these but still had symptoms. I had a 2nd appointment with Dr. Kaplan for a follow up. He put me on a double dose of vancomycin 250mg. This medication costs $60-$80 per prescription. This was followed by an infusion of Zinplava after day 8 of the 2nd course of vancomycin. The appointment for the infusion was June 11, 2024.
This all has completely changed my life and my future plans over the next many months. The doctor told me if it does not get better I may need a bowel transplant or removal of part of my colon. So far, I have not received a call from anybody with help or guidance on what I should be doing. The doctor originally prescribed a medication called Dificid which would have cost me a $2000 co-pay. I learned from Peggy Lillis Foundation that the Dificid medication may be a better alternative than the vancomycin as they said: “Dificid is a narrow spectrum antibiotic that specifically targets the bacteria for C. diff whereas vancomycin is broad spectrum and kills all the bacteria in your gut. The difference is that Dificid allows you to maintain some of your gut health which makes recovery easier. Outcomes of Dificid for treatment of C. diff are slightly better than the outcomes of vancomycin.”
I started my 3rd course of vancomycin June 16, 2024 – vancomycin HCl 250mg – 3 capsules 3 times a day for 3 days, 2 capsules 3 times a day for 3 days, 1 capsule 3 times a day for 3 days Orally as directed for 9 days. I went for a regular physical and the doctor called me regarding my Liver test on 6/25/24 which shows very high levels: AST = 53 & ALT = 144. I stopped Rosuvastatin for 3 months and no drinking. Will repeat liver test and have ultra sound 1st week of Sept 2024. Liver levels is caused from taking the Vancomycin. So far I have not yet had a recurrence. My system is still not back to normal after multiple months but I seem to be on the mend. Phew. Time will tell…
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…
