Gaylynn
My story started 11 years ago at the age of 46. I was healthy, happy and had a rewarding career.
While waiting for an oral surgeon which was several months away my dentist prescribed a drug called clindamycin. I have never been allergic to any drugs before because I never took any. One month after completing all the RX I started having stomach cramps and my stools looked small and thin, I was getting dizzy and feeling sick, and hot and cold. I went to see my family doctor a week later as I was having diarrhea and could hardly get through work. My doctor had me do a stool sample test, and that he thought it could be C. diff. Three days later my test came back positive for C. diff and I was prescribed Flagyl. While on this drug I had a seizure and proceeded to get worse. I lost 60 lbs in two months and with repeated trips to the emergency as I was dehydrated. I couldn’t eat anything nor could I drink but just sips of water, After six weeks they put me on Vancomycin, the doctors said that would work. It didn’t as two days after it came back. I was back on the Vancomycin and the C. diff came back again after two weeks. I then went in for an emergency colonoscopy with confirmation of C. diff back, so I went back on vancomycin for three months taking staggered doses
I was off work for six months. It took three years to gain any normal weight back. I’ve had ear problems, acid reflux, IBS, and now fighting with Diverticulitis Pockets that have formed in my intestines.
After 11 years, I fear it’s coming back and I am scared to eat anything as there are antibiotics in our food. When I get sick I can never take anything unless it is an emergency. This is a horrible problem and will change your life forever. I was lucky it never cost me my life YET!!
Thank you so much for doing this for your mother, no one ever talks about this and if we don’t speak up and save someone’s life now, when will we? I wish I had been aware as I never heard of this before it happened to me…….
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…
