Jessica S.
In May 2020 I got strep throat. So I was prescribed antibiotics. After 10 days, my strep seemed to have cleared up. While on the antibiotics, I started to develop diarrhea. I wasn’t too concerned because this had happened to me before. Usually, once I finished the medicine, it would go away. However, 3 weeks went by and it hadn’t stopped. I was thinking perhaps I had an allergy to something like lactose. So I started cutting dairy out.
This next part may sound crazy, but a few days later I was watching Grey’s Anatomy, an episode about a woman contracting C. diff and eventually dying. It had mentioned that she developed Toxic Megacolon, which sounded really bad! I was simply curious as to what C. diff was. After a Google search, I suspected I might just have this. So I went to the doctor, did a stool sample, and within a couple days found out I did indeed have C. diff. The doctor was surprised, he wasn’t even going to do a stool sample because he figured that wasn’t the issue. Thank goodness I pushed it further and directly asked him to still check. (Always advocate for yourself!)
The next 5 months were the worst months of my life. I was so sick. I was hospitalized many times and visited the emergency room for IV hydration on many occasions. I lost about 25 lbs because I couldn’t keep anything in me. I was constantly in pain. I felt so hopeless. Thankfully that season did pass but now I have IBS as a result. I’m honestly grateful that is all that happened. It was a traumatic time. I wouldn’t wish that on ANYONE.
Other Stories
JULIA W.
In February 2020 I was prescribed both clindamycin and cefalexin for a breast abscess. Three weeks after I finished my course of antibiotics, in March 2020, I started to have severe, painful abdominal cramping and diarrhea. Each day became worse and worse until I was up through the night and couldn’t be away from the toilet for more than half an hour.
Ken
It started with a rash on my back that I suspect started from the barber I was seeing. Scratching it made it worse. I went to the doctor’s office and was tended to by a PA. It was decided that this infection should be treated with a broad-spectrum antibiotic.
JULIA W.
In February 2020 I was prescribed both clindamycin and cefalexin for a breast abscess. Three weeks after I finished my course of antibiotics, in March 2020, I started to have severe, painful abdominal cramping and diarrhea. Each day became worse and worse until I was up through the night and couldn’t be away from the toilet for more than half an hour.
