Patricia
It amazes me how so few—not even medical professionals—have heard of C. diff. I am a Stand-Up Comedian, based in the Chicago area. I am also a dental assistant. I cringe every time I am asked to print out a prescription for Clindamycin.
I am all too familiar with C. diff, as my mom was diagnosed with it in 2008, and eventually lost her colon. She had an Ileostomy done in March 2009. It saved her life, but she was never the same mentally or physically. For seven years, she suffered with multiple illnesses and, ultimately, passed away on November 16, 2016.
I was diagnosed in August 2018. I am not certain what triggered my C. diff. I had not had any antibiotics for about five months prior to my diagnosis. All the docs say that they are not sure, either.
I started having GI symptoms the month before being diagnosed, but I brushed them off to stress, spicy food, and so on. You could have knocked me over with a feather when I got my results back as positive for C. diff. I was put on Vancomycin for 10 days. My GI symptoms got better, but I was left with extreme fatigue, chills, and full-body aches.
In January 2019, I tested negative for C. diff, but I really did not think the results of that test were accurate. Instead, I was diagnosed with post-infectious irritable bowel syndrome (PI-IBS). After that, I had many other tests. Two months later, I tested positive for C. diff—again!
To be honest, I am not sure that I was ever rid of C. diff.
Prior to my second C. diff diagnosis, I was on an eight-week taper of Vancomycin. Six weeks into the taper, I started to have hearing loss. I was told to stop. I immediately saw a GI doctor. He put me on 10 days of Dificid (Holy cow! is Dificid expensive! #Thankful for healthcare coverage!) At that time, I was fast tracked to see our area’s C. diff specialist. I tested negative, but that was also 3 days after the last dose of Dificid. A few weeks later, I seem to be feeling a little better. I performed Stand-Up a few times in August, which as far as I’m concerned is the best medicine for me.
I would like to see Insurance companies allow the best possible treatments to occur as a first line of treatment, based on efficacy, not cost.
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…
