At just 20 years old, my world was flipped upside down when I found out that I had a mysterious infection in my eyes. C. diff. I had never heard the words. After a bout of strep throat in January 2017 and a course of antibiotics, my strep was worse, therefore I was put on another round of Azithromycin. It cured the strep and I seemed to be back to my normal 120 pounds, happy and healthy self.

Two weeks later, I found myself miserably having diarrhea multiple times per day, nauseous and weak. That is when I got my diagnosis of C. diff. I immediately began a round of Flagyl. It seemed to work decently until two weeks had passed and symptoms immediately returned. At this point, I began Vancomycin. After finishing the treatment, the same occurred and two weeks later symptoms recurred. Yet another round of Vancomycin was finished.

This seemed to treat the infection for quite some time, although my world was flipped. My everyday eating and habits were no longer the same. I had bouts of diarrhea every few days, and severe stomach pain daily several times a day. For a year and a half, I was merely making it through the day, week by week. In May 2018, I had a colonoscopy and endoscopy to determine a deeper cause for the frequent stomach pain. They both had normal results. I was put on Elavil at this point, to try and soothe the upset stomach. After 45 days on the Elavil, I decided to quit the treatment due to a severe drop in energy and mood swings. I continued to hardly manage my symptoms until August of 2018 when I had a HIDA scan. It revealed that I had a poorly functioning gallbladder. Just a couple weeks later I had a cholecystectomy. After recovery, I seemed to do well for a couple of months.

In October 2018, my C. diff symptoms had appeared for the first time in quite a while. This time, after quite the hassle with my insurance company, I was treated with Dificid. Nearly the same result as the Vancomycin, after just a week or so of completing treatment, symptoms returned. At this time, I found myself picking up my second round of Dificid from the pharmacy the night before my wedding.

After completing the second round, we found that antibiotics no longer worked to battle against my infection. At this point, I was referred to another gastroenterologist. He recommended a fecal transplant. I am now two weeks of post-fecal transplant and beginning to feel better. I have been able to eat the foods that I crave, and not feel such terrible effects afterword.

Although my battle may not be over, I write this to encourage all of you to fight this horrible infection to keep preserving and in search of the best medications, doctors, and remedies for YOU. What works for someone else may not work for you. When your body tells you to rest, try to rest. It is so important to take care of YOU while trying to beat this terrible burden. Take your probiotics, stay in good spirits. We will get back to normalcy, someday, with the grace of God.