When I was first diagnosed with C. diff, I was relieved to finally have a diagnosis, but had no idea the slow recovery I had in store for me. I was dismissed several times by my primary doctor and at urgent care clinics for about two weeks as having the stomach flu. I asked several times for testing. All of my bloodwork came back okay and x-rays showed no issues, but no one would offer to do a stool sample test.

I finally visited a doctor thorough enough to request a stool sample in October 2015. Three days later, I was diagnosed with both toxin A and toxin B C. diff. I finally came to the conclusion that I developed C. diff through the recent treatment of a urinary tract infection with ciprofloxacin (five-day treatment). I was placed on Flagyl and only made it four days until I was hospitalized. I was severely dehydrated, and that caused me to have atrial tachycardia (which, unfortunately, has stuck with me ever since).

I found myself an Infectious Disease (ID) specialist and armed myself with knowledge from cdiff.org and other community boards. I was then switched to vancomycin and responded much better. After my two-week treatment I started to feel better. Then three days after stopping the vancomycin, I relapsed. I was then placed on another two-week vancomycin treatment. I was assured that since I am young, I will recover quickly. I completed the treatment, but continued to feel sick and lose weight.

I was referred to a gastroenterologist and underwent a colonoscopy and endoscopy on Christmas Eve; both had negative results. I was released two days later, but just ended up back in the hospital. Afterward, I read that having a colon prep done so close to this kind of treatment was not the best idea. I revisited my ID specialist loaded with questions and concerns. Just because I am “young” does not mean that I can necessarily beat this. I received a new diagnosis of Selective immunoglobulin A deficiency (SIgAD) which makes me prone to infections (splendid). I was then told by my ID specialist that I am one of his youngest patients, and he still had faith that I can beat this with vancomycin. If not, he will perform a fecal microbiota transplant (FMT). This still does not put me at ease, but he is the best in my area at treating C. diff.

At this point, I was ready for the FMT and tired of trying antibiotics. Tired of feeling exhausted and nauseous. Tired of losing weight and being told how sickly I looked. After my hospital admit, I was prescribed a six-week vancomycin treatment and assured again that since I am young, I will beat this quickly. Twelve days after completing treatment, I relapsed again and found out another little surprise: I’m pregnant. I’m no longer a candidate for an FMT until after delivery. I will be on a tapered dose of vancomycin for my entire nine months to prevent relapse.

Even though my story is nowhere near being finished, I thought I would still share my journey. This site and others have given me emotional support that I could not find from my family/husband/healthcare providers. I still feel blessed to be here every day and cherish my good days. Good luck to everyone and keep fighting!

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