Per my doc's suggestion I'm taking a 2 day break from treating C-diff. So I'll start the vancomycin tomorrow morning with breakfast. I still have nausea and horrid metallic taste from flagyl. I still have cramping pain, urgency and passing mucous from c-diff. So I know I need to take the vanco to eliminate the c-diff bacteria, but I wanted to let the flagyl induced-nausea decrease a bit, before beginning vanco, which may also cause nausea and dizziness.
The pharmacist also recommended I take vanco with food to protect my stomach. Some people get stomach irritation from Vanco. Since I already have CD and food allergy 'stomach' problems, I will take vanco with my 3 meals and a bedtime snack. I'm supposed to evenly space vanco intake. When I asked the pharmacist exactly what kind of food was best, she said 'fats'. I get fats with most meals, but usually snack on fruit, although I rarely snack before bed. So I plan to eat earlier meals so that I can be hungry for a bedtime snack. I don't want to eat something that will disturb my sleep, so I'll have ice cream. I can't think of a better high fat food, but easily digested food, than my coconut milk based, allergy free ice cream. I LOVE having an excuse to eat ice cream EVERY DAY. LOL
I've asked several friends to pray for my recovery from this c-diff bacteria. If you're reading this blog, but I have not personally requested prayer, please pray for me. I really want to eliminate this dangerous bacteria with this round of vancomycin treatment. I have no other choices besides flagyl and vanco drug treatment, except surgery to remove intestinal tissue damaged by C-diff. I hope vancomycin will prevent that possibility.
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Monday, August 3, 2009
From Flagyl to Vanco
I felt soooooo crappy this morning (chills in a 75 degree house, headache, nausea, cramping pain, bloating, awful metallic taste from flagyl) that I suspected flagyl did not control the c-diff. I planned to see how I felt after breakfast. However, in the middle of my bowl of cereal I didn't know whether I would throw up or pass out. So I stopped eating and called my doc's office to leave a message. Miraculously his assistant answered the phone. I explained my situation and was quickly connected to my doc.
We talked about my current symptoms and agreed that I should switch to vancomycin, but NOT before giving my body at least a day to recover from flagyl. Even though I took no flagyl today, 6 hours after that phone conversation, I still have the metallic taste, feel very bloated, had cramping pains while eating lunch, didn't feel well after lunch and seriously considered throwing up (since I had no flagyl to taste or lose) for the first time in 19 weeks. I thought I had just eaten too much lunch, because I didn't eat much breakfast and was starved and shaky. Nevertheless, I'm committed to keep down anything I eat and didn't throw up. If I got nothing else out of my flagyl experience, I hoped to change my belief about throwing up when I feel uncomfortably full.
The nausea has decreased now, but the reflux is beginning. I will leave to walk to my clinic pharmacy to get my vanco Rx. I'm not certain whether I want to start Vanco with possible nausea or dizziness side effects tomorrow or wait another day. If I really feel sick with c-diff like symptoms , I may risk more nausea and start the vanco. Time will tell ...
We talked about my current symptoms and agreed that I should switch to vancomycin, but NOT before giving my body at least a day to recover from flagyl. Even though I took no flagyl today, 6 hours after that phone conversation, I still have the metallic taste, feel very bloated, had cramping pains while eating lunch, didn't feel well after lunch and seriously considered throwing up (since I had no flagyl to taste or lose) for the first time in 19 weeks. I thought I had just eaten too much lunch, because I didn't eat much breakfast and was starved and shaky. Nevertheless, I'm committed to keep down anything I eat and didn't throw up. If I got nothing else out of my flagyl experience, I hoped to change my belief about throwing up when I feel uncomfortably full.
The nausea has decreased now, but the reflux is beginning. I will leave to walk to my clinic pharmacy to get my vanco Rx. I'm not certain whether I want to start Vanco with possible nausea or dizziness side effects tomorrow or wait another day. If I really feel sick with c-diff like symptoms , I may risk more nausea and start the vanco. Time will tell ...
Sunday, August 2, 2009
Mayo Clinic Website
My latest good news, bad news is that I found a Mayo Clinic website which explains how I could have developed a c-diff infection. Most people get c-diff after being in hospitals (where that bacteria abounds) or after taking a strong antibiotic which kills off their good bacteria. Last summer I took an antiparasitic drug for cryptospordium and and an antifungal drug for candida. I only took the antiparasitic drug 3 days, but took the antifungal for a total of 5 months, but not continuously. The MC site says that prolonged antifungal drug use can also lead to c-diff infections. I'm definitely going to tell my doctor about that. He didn't think I needed high dose probiotics after taking the antifungal drug. I took them anyway.
The bad news is that the MC site said that most studies show that treating c-dff with vancomycin FIRST, often prevents recurrence of c-diff. However standard procedure is 2 rounds of flagyl, then prolonged vanco treatment. I STILL want to go to Maui on October 6. My orthodontist is trying to complete my invisiline work before then. I want to be WELL by October. So I hope 'prolonged' vanco treatment is less than a month. However, we can easily cancel our trip, for medical reasons, without financial loss.
Nevertheless, vanco should be easier to take in capsule form (no bad taste), even though I might get some nausea. I've read really good reports about vanco, as well as some dangerous, irreversible side effects. I just don't know how long to wait after I finish the flagyl to decide whether or not I still have c-diff. That's totally up to me. I hope my doctor finally learned his lesson after doubting me 2 years in a row when I had serious infections, which he disounted as 'stress'. He has been much more supportive lately.
I'm so glad I finally found an explanation about WHY I got c-diff. Understanding WHY these things happen gives me more hope that I can prevent recurrent infections from other bugs, once I eliminate c-diff. Nevertheless, I'm struggling to stay optimistic about eliminating this bacteria, before our planned Maui trip, if ever. So I asked for prayer support during the prayer request portion of my church service tonight.
I know God will use this experience to teach me some kind of lesson and strengthen me, but I have difficulty seeing the 'big picture' while I still suffer both nasty side effects of flagyl and ongoing c-diff symptoms. By the 4th day of my last round of flagyl, the c-diff symptoms had disappeared. I'm starting day 7 (of 10) of this flagyl treatment and still have c-diff symptoms.
The bad news is that the MC site said that most studies show that treating c-dff with vancomycin FIRST, often prevents recurrence of c-diff. However standard procedure is 2 rounds of flagyl, then prolonged vanco treatment. I STILL want to go to Maui on October 6. My orthodontist is trying to complete my invisiline work before then. I want to be WELL by October. So I hope 'prolonged' vanco treatment is less than a month. However, we can easily cancel our trip, for medical reasons, without financial loss.
Nevertheless, vanco should be easier to take in capsule form (no bad taste), even though I might get some nausea. I've read really good reports about vanco, as well as some dangerous, irreversible side effects. I just don't know how long to wait after I finish the flagyl to decide whether or not I still have c-diff. That's totally up to me. I hope my doctor finally learned his lesson after doubting me 2 years in a row when I had serious infections, which he disounted as 'stress'. He has been much more supportive lately.
I'm so glad I finally found an explanation about WHY I got c-diff. Understanding WHY these things happen gives me more hope that I can prevent recurrent infections from other bugs, once I eliminate c-diff. Nevertheless, I'm struggling to stay optimistic about eliminating this bacteria, before our planned Maui trip, if ever. So I asked for prayer support during the prayer request portion of my church service tonight.
I know God will use this experience to teach me some kind of lesson and strengthen me, but I have difficulty seeing the 'big picture' while I still suffer both nasty side effects of flagyl and ongoing c-diff symptoms. By the 4th day of my last round of flagyl, the c-diff symptoms had disappeared. I'm starting day 7 (of 10) of this flagyl treatment and still have c-diff symptoms.
Friday, July 31, 2009
Cooler Weather, Still Nauseas
Seattle temperature dipped into the 60s last night. So the house cooled enough for me to actually slip 8 hours. I had to get up to turn off the fan and close the window, because I got cold. However I still got 8 total hours of sleep. Unfortunately I spent my newfound energy posting online and answering emails this morning. I pushed myself to keep moving despite little sleep during the past 3 days, but this morning I just vegged out in front of this computer. I knew I could take a walk in the afternoon, because the weather would be cooler.
I'm glad the weekend is finally here, but I'm sad that I don't feel up to doing anything special or going anywhere to enjoy more temperate weather. I need to eat all my meals at home. So that eliminates day trips or restaurant meals. I'm okay starting about 2 hours after a meal, but then I feel nauseas again just before I need to eat. After a meal I need a strong tasting beverage to wash down the flagyl pills. I decided to try pineapple juice, rather than hazelnut milk to take flagyl. The milk is thicker and worked okay, but it's rather expensive. I need that milk for cooked cereal, which gives me a break from eating peanut butter and fruit on a muffin for breakfast. (I can't eat eggs because of my allergy.) So I'll see how the pineapple juice works after dinner, when I take my next dose of flagyl.
I'm glad the weekend is finally here, but I'm sad that I don't feel up to doing anything special or going anywhere to enjoy more temperate weather. I need to eat all my meals at home. So that eliminates day trips or restaurant meals. I'm okay starting about 2 hours after a meal, but then I feel nauseas again just before I need to eat. After a meal I need a strong tasting beverage to wash down the flagyl pills. I decided to try pineapple juice, rather than hazelnut milk to take flagyl. The milk is thicker and worked okay, but it's rather expensive. I need that milk for cooked cereal, which gives me a break from eating peanut butter and fruit on a muffin for breakfast. (I can't eat eggs because of my allergy.) So I'll see how the pineapple juice works after dinner, when I take my next dose of flagyl.
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Not Much Cooler, More Nausea than Ever
After a record high of 103 degrees yesterday, Seattle's temperatures only got up to the mid 90s today. Tonight was cool enough that I actually could do some pruning and make a bouquet of gladiolas for our dining room table. I hope the upstairs cools enough to sleep well tonight. I haven't had more than 5 hours of sleep for the past 3 (very hot) nights. I usually try to nap in the afternoon, but don't nap more than an hour or so.
The combination of heat and flagyl made my nausea much worse last night. I had to work hard to distract myself from nausea after a salmon salad dinner, which I couldn't even finish. I sat up dozing on the sofa watching tv until 11:30pm, because I was afraid to lay down and get so sick I threw up. I do NOT look forward to meals, because I have to take the flagyl after every meal. If I don't eat as soon as I feel a hunger pang, I soon get so nauseas that I don't want to eat at all. Maybe the flagyl levels in my blood rise higher as my blood sugar drops between meals. I'm learning to grab a bite of fruit and drink ginger tea to decrease the nausea enough to convince myself I need to eat. The nausea makes me NOT want to eat or think about food. However, I know from experience that eating will decrease the nausea. Nevertheless, when I'm intensely nauseas, because I haven't eaten for awhile, I can't believe eating will make me feel better.
I really hope this flagyl treatment will eliminate the C-diff. However, if the flagyl does nothing else, I will have totally eliminated any urges to overeat. I can't eat very much before I feel too full, even when I take the flagyl after meals. Just as I can't imagine eating past comfort, I also can't imagine purposely throwing up after overeating. Maybe flagyl should be recommended treatment for bulimics. LOL If I did throw up when I felt nauseas, I would really taste even more of that horrible metallic flavor of the flagyl. I taste it enough when I take the pills with hazelnut milk.
I hope this experience doesn't make me dislike hazelnut milk. I tend to dislike foods I associate with painful or negative experiences. My experience with fighting nausea after eating a salmon salad made me not want salad for dinner tonight. We need to eat salads almost every night to use the fresh lettuce in our garden. Maybe tomorrow night I'll try chicken salad with no oranges or tomatoes (citrus and tomatoes can cause reflux).
As soon as the weather cools, I'm making french fries for dinner. I constantly craved french fries during my last course of flagyl. However, we do 'oven fries' and I don't want to heat up the kitchen. Maybe this weekend ... I crave really bland food when I feel nauseas, like ham and cheese sandwiches for lunch and cooked cereal for breakfast. Really starchy foods, like bread, cereals, rice and potatoes, appeal to me when I feel nauseas, but not as much when I'm well. Even in this hot weather, I don't enjoy eating more than 1-2 spoonfuls of ice cream. I may get my ginger cookies from the downstairs freezer. I lost interest in those after I stopped taking flagyl. Those cookies could let me eat ginger and starchy food at the same time.
I need to stop posting about food here. Even writing about food makes me feel nauseas ... it just never goes away ... until after I finish 10 days of flagyl. 3 days done, 7 to go. SIGH
The combination of heat and flagyl made my nausea much worse last night. I had to work hard to distract myself from nausea after a salmon salad dinner, which I couldn't even finish. I sat up dozing on the sofa watching tv until 11:30pm, because I was afraid to lay down and get so sick I threw up. I do NOT look forward to meals, because I have to take the flagyl after every meal. If I don't eat as soon as I feel a hunger pang, I soon get so nauseas that I don't want to eat at all. Maybe the flagyl levels in my blood rise higher as my blood sugar drops between meals. I'm learning to grab a bite of fruit and drink ginger tea to decrease the nausea enough to convince myself I need to eat. The nausea makes me NOT want to eat or think about food. However, I know from experience that eating will decrease the nausea. Nevertheless, when I'm intensely nauseas, because I haven't eaten for awhile, I can't believe eating will make me feel better.
I really hope this flagyl treatment will eliminate the C-diff. However, if the flagyl does nothing else, I will have totally eliminated any urges to overeat. I can't eat very much before I feel too full, even when I take the flagyl after meals. Just as I can't imagine eating past comfort, I also can't imagine purposely throwing up after overeating. Maybe flagyl should be recommended treatment for bulimics. LOL If I did throw up when I felt nauseas, I would really taste even more of that horrible metallic flavor of the flagyl. I taste it enough when I take the pills with hazelnut milk.
I hope this experience doesn't make me dislike hazelnut milk. I tend to dislike foods I associate with painful or negative experiences. My experience with fighting nausea after eating a salmon salad made me not want salad for dinner tonight. We need to eat salads almost every night to use the fresh lettuce in our garden. Maybe tomorrow night I'll try chicken salad with no oranges or tomatoes (citrus and tomatoes can cause reflux).
As soon as the weather cools, I'm making french fries for dinner. I constantly craved french fries during my last course of flagyl. However, we do 'oven fries' and I don't want to heat up the kitchen. Maybe this weekend ... I crave really bland food when I feel nauseas, like ham and cheese sandwiches for lunch and cooked cereal for breakfast. Really starchy foods, like bread, cereals, rice and potatoes, appeal to me when I feel nauseas, but not as much when I'm well. Even in this hot weather, I don't enjoy eating more than 1-2 spoonfuls of ice cream. I may get my ginger cookies from the downstairs freezer. I lost interest in those after I stopped taking flagyl. Those cookies could let me eat ginger and starchy food at the same time.
I need to stop posting about food here. Even writing about food makes me feel nauseas ... it just never goes away ... until after I finish 10 days of flagyl. 3 days done, 7 to go. SIGH
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Record High Temperatures
Seattle is having an unusual heat wave (90-100 degrees) this week. Unfortunately those high temperatures coincide with my flagyl side effects. I don't know whether this nausea is heat related or flagyl related. As I suspected, I didn't have enough flagyl in my system to create really intense side effects. I DO NOW!!! However, I learned enough from my last round of flagyl to drink ginger tea for nausea and take the pills with hazelnut milk. Unfortunately ginger tea increases body temperature. So I need to make ginger iced tea and only drink what I need to control nausea.
Rather than take the pills in the middle of my meal and have stabbing stomach pain and metallic taste during the rest of my meal, I'll try taking them at the end. Then I'll have a spoonful of ice cream for dessert. I tried putting each pill in a spoonful of ice cream and swallowing the ice cream. However, that's like swallowing a whole chocolate chip cookie without chewing or tasting. I felt cheated. I prefer to swallow the pills with milk and then slowly savor a spoonful of ice cream.
Here we go again. I never lost the 2 pounds I gained by eating so much ice cream during my last round of flagyl. I thought people LOST weight when they took flagyl. LOL Unfortunately, I still want to eat when I feel nauseas, because eating decreases my nausea. However, I quickly learned that overeating also increases reflux and nausea. So I still have to carefully listen to my stomach cues. Fortunately I have NOT lost my hunger cues yet during this course of flagyl. Maybe that loss of appetite will come later. Despite those extra pounds, I do NOT want to lose my hunger cues. If I never feel hungry, I can easily eat for nausea and then overeat, because I don't know when I've eaten enough, other than from uncomfortable fullness.
Doubts are replacing my previously positive attitude about taking flagyl. I keep reading comments from other people who had c-diff. Some people don't eliminate the c-diff even after several courses of flagyl treatment. Others swear vancomycin is the most effective drug. I already committed to this round of flagyl. So I won't know for another couple of weeks whether flagyl eliminated the c-diff. If not, I'll request a course of vancomycin. I could still get side effects of nausea and dizziness from vanco, but I won't have to endure this awful metallic taste.
Rather than take the pills in the middle of my meal and have stabbing stomach pain and metallic taste during the rest of my meal, I'll try taking them at the end. Then I'll have a spoonful of ice cream for dessert. I tried putting each pill in a spoonful of ice cream and swallowing the ice cream. However, that's like swallowing a whole chocolate chip cookie without chewing or tasting. I felt cheated. I prefer to swallow the pills with milk and then slowly savor a spoonful of ice cream.
Here we go again. I never lost the 2 pounds I gained by eating so much ice cream during my last round of flagyl. I thought people LOST weight when they took flagyl. LOL Unfortunately, I still want to eat when I feel nauseas, because eating decreases my nausea. However, I quickly learned that overeating also increases reflux and nausea. So I still have to carefully listen to my stomach cues. Fortunately I have NOT lost my hunger cues yet during this course of flagyl. Maybe that loss of appetite will come later. Despite those extra pounds, I do NOT want to lose my hunger cues. If I never feel hungry, I can easily eat for nausea and then overeat, because I don't know when I've eaten enough, other than from uncomfortable fullness.
Doubts are replacing my previously positive attitude about taking flagyl. I keep reading comments from other people who had c-diff. Some people don't eliminate the c-diff even after several courses of flagyl treatment. Others swear vancomycin is the most effective drug. I already committed to this round of flagyl. So I won't know for another couple of weeks whether flagyl eliminated the c-diff. If not, I'll request a course of vancomycin. I could still get side effects of nausea and dizziness from vanco, but I won't have to endure this awful metallic taste.
Monday, July 27, 2009
New Attitude About Flagyl
I took my first 2 flagyl with dinner tonight. Actually I stopped eating in the middle of my salmon salad and swallowed the 2 pills with some hazelnut milk. Then I went back to eating my salad. I noticed a little bitter metallic taste, but not so much that it ruined the salad taste. I also drank ginger tea with my meal to control the nausea. With all those precautions, I didn't suffer much discomfort (nausea, etc.) after taking the first 2 flagyl pills.
Maybe my observations are premature ... maybe I don't have enough flagyl in my system to cause really bad reactions ... maybe the worst is yet to come. However, when I noticed the metallic taste tonight, I just thought, "Yes, that's flagyl. That's the drug which will kill my c-diff bacteria and improve my gut motility (regularity). That's the drug which will eventually eliminate my gut cramps, gas and bloating." Rather than feel sorry for myself for enduring those side effects of nausea and strong metallic taste, I'll let those side effects remind me that flagyl is WORKING to fight the c-diff.
My attitude may deteriorate overnight, especially if I wake up very nauseas. However, I remembered to NOT eat pizza the first night I took the flagyl. LOL I won't soon forget my experience of getting sick several hours after eating pizza for dinner and taking my first 2 flagyl pills a month ago. SIGH Nevertheless, with full knowledge of my previous side effects, I chose to take flagyl for another 10 days. I CHOSE this treatment to eliminate C-diff. I'll probably need to remind myself of that choice, if the side effects become really uncomfortable, but I chose this treatment.
Maybe my observations are premature ... maybe I don't have enough flagyl in my system to cause really bad reactions ... maybe the worst is yet to come. However, when I noticed the metallic taste tonight, I just thought, "Yes, that's flagyl. That's the drug which will kill my c-diff bacteria and improve my gut motility (regularity). That's the drug which will eventually eliminate my gut cramps, gas and bloating." Rather than feel sorry for myself for enduring those side effects of nausea and strong metallic taste, I'll let those side effects remind me that flagyl is WORKING to fight the c-diff.
My attitude may deteriorate overnight, especially if I wake up very nauseas. However, I remembered to NOT eat pizza the first night I took the flagyl. LOL I won't soon forget my experience of getting sick several hours after eating pizza for dinner and taking my first 2 flagyl pills a month ago. SIGH Nevertheless, with full knowledge of my previous side effects, I chose to take flagyl for another 10 days. I CHOSE this treatment to eliminate C-diff. I'll probably need to remind myself of that choice, if the side effects become really uncomfortable, but I chose this treatment.
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