I Love Vancomycin

After only one day on vancomycin, my c-diff symptoms all but disappeared. I had normal regularity, almost no dizziness or nausea, but I still felt tired. I also experienced some cramping gut pain late yesterday afternoon. However, that disappeared by evening. The flagyl induced metallic taste lingers. Nevertheless, I have much less c-diff and flagyl related symptoms.

The most challenging part of vanco is scheduling 4 meals a day, because I need to eat enough fats, protein and fiber to prevent stomach irriation from vanco. Eating those balanced meals means I don't get hungry as quickly. I can eat every 4-5 hours, if I don't overeat at my meals. I also quickly learned (from burning stomach sensations) that I need to eat more than ice cream before I take vanco. Last night I had a slice of fresh baked zucchini bread with butter and some hazelnut milk before I took my bedtime dose of vanco. I STILL got a little dizziness and nausea just before I went to bed, but felt okay in bed and much better this morning.

So I know I need to eat enough to prevent the vanco from causing stomach irritation. That explains why some patients complain of stomach pain or nausea and others don't. Those side effects all depend on what you eat when you take vanco. Of course eating enough to prevent side effects means I won't be hungry for at least 4 hours, maybe 5. So I'm back to trying to squeeze in 4 doses of vanco and still be hungry for meals. (I don't feel good if I eat when I'm not hungry and can easily get reflux if I eat when I'm not hungry or even overeat.)

I also fear that I'll gain even more weight while on vanco, because I have to eat 4 meals, rather than my usual 3 meals plus snacks. However, not feeling nauseas and dizzy all the time, makes me less motivated to eat outside my 4 meals. Knowing I HAVE to eat in another 4-5 hours makes me want to eat just enough to protect my stomach. Nevertheless, I'm staying OFF the scale until after I finish the vanco. More important than weight or appearance to me is my health. Having a potentially fatal bacterial infection gives me a different perspective on my body's health and well-being. So I focus more on how I feel and how my body functions, rather than how it appears.

This morning I tried on several very fitted dresses to decide what to wear to the musical ("Catch Me If You Can") tonight. Amazingly all of those (which I bought when I weighed a few pounds less) fit fantastic!!! Despite my larger (more toned?) biking butt, my stomach is much flatter without the c-diff bloat. I used to have just the opposite problem, bloated tummy and flat buns. I enjoy looking normal now. I'm also trying to tone up my upper arms, by lifting weights and doing special arm strengthening exercises. Slowly but surely, I'm losing my 'bat wings'. LOL

My experience with vanco makes me hopeful that I'll finally eradicate c-diff from my intestines. However, I've been disappointed too many times before to get really optimistic. Nevertheless, I'll just keep eating my four meals and taking my vanco, while I enjoy normal regularity and a flat stomach.