Slowly the cramping pain decreased over the past 3 days. That pain is in the left lower quadrant, but actually feels like the junction between the tranverse and descending colon. Because the pain got worse after meals, but slowly diminished before the next meal, I suspect it's related to vancomycin. Maybe that's the 'belly pain' which the pharmacy info described as possible (but not dangerous) vanco side effects.
Mostly my attitude changed from fear to acceptance of the cramping pain, after talking to my neighbor who's an internal medicine nurse. She's familiar with c-diff, flagyl and vancomycin. She said I should just endure soft stools and diarrhea, because that means vanco is fighting the c-diff. Although there are drugs like vicodin or bentyl for ibs like gut pain, most of those are anticholerginic, which could cause constipation, one of my original c-diff symptoms. While I'm fighting c-diff, diarrhea means the body is ridding itself of the bacteria. However I suspect that I don't get severe diarrhea, because I take probiotics, which positively affect gut motility. Those same probiotics keep me 'regular' even with hard stools.
My neighbor also reassured me that the pain could also be from vanco fighting the c-diff infection site. So I just kept drinking my peppermint tea and lots of liquids, while I ate easy to digest foods. The pain decreased even more today and was only slight after dinner today. I had more frequent stools, than pain tonight.
Best of all, the metallic flagyl taste FINALLY disappeared after a week, just like last time. Foods taste much better and I actually feel hungry for meals. I still dislike having to stay up late to take my last vanco dose. I don't seem to get my dinner dose before 7 pm. So I need to wait at least 4 hours to take the next dose. I'm tempted to eat ice cream with that dose tonight, but I want to try taking it with hazelnut milk at least once. Last night I took it after eating about 1/3 cup of ice cream and had almost no stomach sensation from the vanco.
2 more days on Vanco after tonight ... I sure hope this eliminates the c-diff. However, vanco was fairly easy to take, despite that 4th late night dose, compared to flagyl. I didn't need as much high fat foods as I was led (by the pharmacist) to believe. Or maybe my stomach adjusted to the vanco, so I reacted less. I'll see how taking it with hazelnut milk works tonight.
Sunday, August 9, 2009
Saturday, August 8, 2009
Bad Reaction to Something
After lunch yesterday I experienced cramping pain. I had eaten several (4-6) small cherry tomatoes from my garden, and a ham, tomato and lettuce sandwich with 3 rainier cherries for lunch. Then I walked to Whole Foods, where I ate another 2 grapes and 2 more small cherries. By the time I got home I still had some pain and a little bloating. I felt well enough to attend the musical ('Catch Me If You Can'), but decided to wear a looser dress, with just a slip, no nylons with sandals, because I was bloated.
For dinner I had some leftover chicken with red sauce (and vegies) from a favorite Mexican restaurant and a few tortilla chips. I also took my daily probiotic, which can cause some gas and bloating. However I need to take that to compensate for the good bacteria which Vancomycin kills along with c-diff. Sometimes eating helps push gas through my gut, but not this time. I felt even worse cramping pain on the way to the theater.
While sitting during the musical I had excruciating intestinal pain with some bloating, maybe an 8 on a 1-10 pain scale, very similar to what I used to get from gluten reactions. Sitting in the bathroom during the intermission didn't help much. So I told my husband I wanted to go home. He suggested we walk around the lobby up and down stairs to see whether walking relieved the pain. The pain increased with walking. So we drove home. I sorely regretted depriving my husband of the second half of the musical. Maybe I should have taken a taxi home. However, I knew I couldn't endure another hour of sitting to watch the musical.
When we got home I made peppermint tea, which helps relieve gut cramps. That helped a bit. Just standing helped a bit. However I still had to eat something to take my last vancomycin dose. I didn't want any solid food. So I ate about 1/2 cup of coconut mango ice cream and took the vanco. I didn't feel much better, but at least I got my last vanco dose for the day. Then I went to bed after I raised the upper and lower parts of the bed. That usually helps with gas pain and bloating. Even though pain did not decrease, I went to sleep before midnight and slept okay.
Nevertheless, I awoke this morning with continued cramping pain. However elimination relieved the pain somewhat. I didn't quite have diarrhea, but I had very soft stools, compared to my usual. That happened again after drinking some tea and apple juice a hour later.
I'm concerned and confused, because I have 2 different recommendations from my HMO about vancomycin. The instructions I received from the pharmacy say that 'belly pain' (which could be anywhere in the digestive system) is 'possible side effet', but 'call healthcare provider immediately' if you have 'severe diarrhea, even after medication is stopped'. Another set of instructions from my HMO's online info about vanco say 'stop using vanco and call your doc at once if you have ... severe stomach pain, diarrhea which is watery or bloody'. Well I had the first part for the past 12 hours, but I don't quite have watery diarrhea. Also I can't reach my naturopath over the weekend, when these emergencies often occur. I could call my HMO 24 hour nurse. However, I'd have to explain the whole history with flagyl, vanco, gut problems, probiotics, etc.
I DO NOT want to stop taking vanco. My initial c-diff symptoms included constipation, bloating and pain. I prefer diarrhea to constipation. Perhaps I reacted to too many tomatoes or the probiotic (which often causes gas and bloating) along with vanco induced diarrhea. At this point, I want to wait and see. I'm also going to listen to my body and eat what sounds good. Right now bread and nut butters with very little fruit sounds good. Maybe we'll have macaroni and cheese (low fiber) for dinner tonight. If the pain increases or I actually get diarrhea, I will call my HMOs 24 hour consulting nurse line. Meanwhile I'll just keep taking vanco and see what happens.
For dinner I had some leftover chicken with red sauce (and vegies) from a favorite Mexican restaurant and a few tortilla chips. I also took my daily probiotic, which can cause some gas and bloating. However I need to take that to compensate for the good bacteria which Vancomycin kills along with c-diff. Sometimes eating helps push gas through my gut, but not this time. I felt even worse cramping pain on the way to the theater.
While sitting during the musical I had excruciating intestinal pain with some bloating, maybe an 8 on a 1-10 pain scale, very similar to what I used to get from gluten reactions. Sitting in the bathroom during the intermission didn't help much. So I told my husband I wanted to go home. He suggested we walk around the lobby up and down stairs to see whether walking relieved the pain. The pain increased with walking. So we drove home. I sorely regretted depriving my husband of the second half of the musical. Maybe I should have taken a taxi home. However, I knew I couldn't endure another hour of sitting to watch the musical.
When we got home I made peppermint tea, which helps relieve gut cramps. That helped a bit. Just standing helped a bit. However I still had to eat something to take my last vancomycin dose. I didn't want any solid food. So I ate about 1/2 cup of coconut mango ice cream and took the vanco. I didn't feel much better, but at least I got my last vanco dose for the day. Then I went to bed after I raised the upper and lower parts of the bed. That usually helps with gas pain and bloating. Even though pain did not decrease, I went to sleep before midnight and slept okay.
Nevertheless, I awoke this morning with continued cramping pain. However elimination relieved the pain somewhat. I didn't quite have diarrhea, but I had very soft stools, compared to my usual. That happened again after drinking some tea and apple juice a hour later.
I'm concerned and confused, because I have 2 different recommendations from my HMO about vancomycin. The instructions I received from the pharmacy say that 'belly pain' (which could be anywhere in the digestive system) is 'possible side effet', but 'call healthcare provider immediately' if you have 'severe diarrhea, even after medication is stopped'. Another set of instructions from my HMO's online info about vanco say 'stop using vanco and call your doc at once if you have ... severe stomach pain, diarrhea which is watery or bloody'. Well I had the first part for the past 12 hours, but I don't quite have watery diarrhea. Also I can't reach my naturopath over the weekend, when these emergencies often occur. I could call my HMO 24 hour nurse. However, I'd have to explain the whole history with flagyl, vanco, gut problems, probiotics, etc.
I DO NOT want to stop taking vanco. My initial c-diff symptoms included constipation, bloating and pain. I prefer diarrhea to constipation. Perhaps I reacted to too many tomatoes or the probiotic (which often causes gas and bloating) along with vanco induced diarrhea. At this point, I want to wait and see. I'm also going to listen to my body and eat what sounds good. Right now bread and nut butters with very little fruit sounds good. Maybe we'll have macaroni and cheese (low fiber) for dinner tonight. If the pain increases or I actually get diarrhea, I will call my HMOs 24 hour consulting nurse line. Meanwhile I'll just keep taking vanco and see what happens.
Thursday, August 6, 2009
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.
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.
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Weight Gain During Nausea?
Most people with c-diff, especially those who took flagyl for c-diff, LOSE weight. The nausea makes them not want to eat. The awful metallic taste of flagy permeates everything they eat. Their stomachs hurt after taking flagyl. They throw up from flagyl-induced nausea. I also experienced all those symptoms, although I only threw up once during the middle of the first night 6 hours after I took flagyl. I'm so adamant about NOT throwing up, because I want to overecome a longterm binge/purge habit. Of course, throwing up from illness nausea totally differs from choosing to throw up after overeating. I also didn't want to throw up flagyl pills, which tasted horrid going down, because they would taste worse when coming up.
So HOW did I manage to GAIN 3 (maybe 4) pounds during my 17 days of flagyl and several months (4 now?) of fighting c-diff? First of all, I realized this morning that I usually equate dizziness and light-headed sensations with low blood sugar. Since took a 2 day break from flagyl (or any treatment) for c-diff, symptoms of that bacterial infection returned. I felt very spacey, dizzy, cold, achey, even like I had the flu or maybe a bacterial infection. LOL So after 2 days off flagyl I became convinced that I STILL needed to treat C-diff. However I reacted to that dizzy, light-headed sensation by eating to raise my blood sugar, because I didn't realize c-diff, not low blood sugar, caused the dizziness. So I 'fed' the dizziness.
I also read comments from many flagyl users and medical info sites that eating many small meals or snacks would help decrease nausea. Even though the thought of eating was disgusting, when I was nauseas, I soon learned that I did feel better after eating, even when I had to take flagyl with meals. However I relished snacks when I could enjoy food without adding more flagyl. So I 'fed' the nausea.
Despite the awful metallic taste of flagyl, which permeated my system and changed the taste of everything I ate, I found foods that still appealed to me and tasted okay, despite flagyl. I loved high fat foods like ground lamb patties, ham and cheese sandwiches with dairy/soy free butter spread (same calories as butter), french fries (bland and oily), and coconut milk ice cream. Bland foods didn't taste as metallic. Almost any meat or vegie (which are basically bitter tasting) did not taste metallic. High fat foods, except peanut butter, didn't taste metallic. So my husband cheered when I craved and prepared his favorite foods like fatty meats, french fries, hot dogs with cheese, and anything with that butter spread (which he sometimes eats with a spoon from the container). I never 'graduated' to baked potatoes with butter (another of my husband's favorites), but I really got hooked on french fries (actually oven fries with lots of olive oil and salt). I 'covered' the metallic taste from flagyl with high fat, high calorie foods. That changed my normal diet from balanced low/high fat, low/high glycemic, low/high carb to high fats, carbs and glycemic foods. I suspected I might gain a few pounds but I felt too awful to care.
Finally I fed my discomfort, frustration and misery with food. I never binged. I never purged. However I ate snacks (usually fruit or nips of peanut butter) when I was not hungry. When I ate meals I seldom stopped when I felt full. Previously I stopped when I felt satisfied and full. However the metallic taste kept me from really feeling satisfied by anything but bland, high fat foods. I even overate those, because they tasted so good. Basically I stopped caring about hunger/fullness eating. I just ate to cope with physical discomfort from nausea, metallic taste, fatigue, etc. Most importantly, I ate to cope with emotional frustration, hopelessness and fear that I would never recover from c-diff.
How long did I feed my feelings and my discomfort? Amazingly, about as long as I have abstained from bingeing and purging ... or almost 5 months. My c-diff symptoms were troubling in April, but I didn't get a stool test till mid May. After my doc previously discounted my cryptosporidium symptoms as 'stress', I doubted my still undiagnosed c-diff symptoms. Then I had to wait 3 weeks (almost 4) for the test results, which arrived when my doc was out of town. By the time my doc saw my test results, he called in my prescription, and I started flagyl, another month passed. I spent another 10 days taking flagyl while suffering those horrid side effects. Then I spent a week taking high dose probiotics to replace good bacteria which flagyl killed. Then I felt good for about a week, before the c-diff symptoms slowly returned, first irregularity, then bloating and finally cramping pain after every meal.
After I emailed my doc about my recurrent symptoms, he again prescribed flagyl, which I began immediately. However, the 2nd round did not immediately alleviate the c-diff symptoms. So I had c-diff cramping intestinal pain, bloating, and irregularity along with flagyl induced nausea, metallic taste, stomach pain. I could have endured the flagyl discomfort if I would have noticed some improvement in the c-diff symptoms, but those got worse until nausea from both c-diff and flagyl made me call my doc and ask for vanco a few days ago. I only took 7 days of the second round of flagyl, for a total of 17 days of flagyl treatment.
I'm not surprised that I didn't gain more weight from comfort eating over 4 months ... a pound a month seems pretty reasonable. LOL However, I did refrain from bingeing and purging, despite all that I experienced. I had committed to abstain from b/p no matter what happened. So that commitment carried me through flagyl induced nausea.
So now I'm on the vanco. Timing and taking the pills is the most difficult part. I have to take them with a high fat meal and full glass of water. Then I need to evenly space out each of 4 pills daily. I can do 3 with meals, but getting the fourth before I go to bed may require staying up a little later and suffering through some high fat ice cream or peanut butter on crackers bedtime snack. LOL Side effects from vanco so far? ZIPPO!!!
I had nausea and bloating from c-diff before I started vanco. So I don't think I experienced any vanco induced nausea. I actually felt better as time passed after taking the vanco. Maybe it's finally killing all those c-diff spores. I still get gut cramps after eating, one of my c-diff symptoms, but those cramps disappear after a few hours ... yeah, just before I get hungry and have to eat another meal. However, I suspect as the vanco eliminates the c-diff I will have less and less gut pain, irregularity, bloating and nausea. I don't know how long the metallic taste from the flagyl will hang around. Last time I quit flagyl I tasted bitter metal for a week after I quit.
Only time will tell, but I already feel more optimistic about vancomycin. I wish I had insisted on vanco the first time, but those scare stories about horrible, irreversible side effects scared me. I suspect those occurred in patients who were already hospitalized with underlying conditions, rather than basically healthy people like me.
So HOW did I manage to GAIN 3 (maybe 4) pounds during my 17 days of flagyl and several months (4 now?) of fighting c-diff? First of all, I realized this morning that I usually equate dizziness and light-headed sensations with low blood sugar. Since took a 2 day break from flagyl (or any treatment) for c-diff, symptoms of that bacterial infection returned. I felt very spacey, dizzy, cold, achey, even like I had the flu or maybe a bacterial infection. LOL So after 2 days off flagyl I became convinced that I STILL needed to treat C-diff. However I reacted to that dizzy, light-headed sensation by eating to raise my blood sugar, because I didn't realize c-diff, not low blood sugar, caused the dizziness. So I 'fed' the dizziness.
I also read comments from many flagyl users and medical info sites that eating many small meals or snacks would help decrease nausea. Even though the thought of eating was disgusting, when I was nauseas, I soon learned that I did feel better after eating, even when I had to take flagyl with meals. However I relished snacks when I could enjoy food without adding more flagyl. So I 'fed' the nausea.
Despite the awful metallic taste of flagyl, which permeated my system and changed the taste of everything I ate, I found foods that still appealed to me and tasted okay, despite flagyl. I loved high fat foods like ground lamb patties, ham and cheese sandwiches with dairy/soy free butter spread (same calories as butter), french fries (bland and oily), and coconut milk ice cream. Bland foods didn't taste as metallic. Almost any meat or vegie (which are basically bitter tasting) did not taste metallic. High fat foods, except peanut butter, didn't taste metallic. So my husband cheered when I craved and prepared his favorite foods like fatty meats, french fries, hot dogs with cheese, and anything with that butter spread (which he sometimes eats with a spoon from the container). I never 'graduated' to baked potatoes with butter (another of my husband's favorites), but I really got hooked on french fries (actually oven fries with lots of olive oil and salt). I 'covered' the metallic taste from flagyl with high fat, high calorie foods. That changed my normal diet from balanced low/high fat, low/high glycemic, low/high carb to high fats, carbs and glycemic foods. I suspected I might gain a few pounds but I felt too awful to care.
Finally I fed my discomfort, frustration and misery with food. I never binged. I never purged. However I ate snacks (usually fruit or nips of peanut butter) when I was not hungry. When I ate meals I seldom stopped when I felt full. Previously I stopped when I felt satisfied and full. However the metallic taste kept me from really feeling satisfied by anything but bland, high fat foods. I even overate those, because they tasted so good. Basically I stopped caring about hunger/fullness eating. I just ate to cope with physical discomfort from nausea, metallic taste, fatigue, etc. Most importantly, I ate to cope with emotional frustration, hopelessness and fear that I would never recover from c-diff.
How long did I feed my feelings and my discomfort? Amazingly, about as long as I have abstained from bingeing and purging ... or almost 5 months. My c-diff symptoms were troubling in April, but I didn't get a stool test till mid May. After my doc previously discounted my cryptosporidium symptoms as 'stress', I doubted my still undiagnosed c-diff symptoms. Then I had to wait 3 weeks (almost 4) for the test results, which arrived when my doc was out of town. By the time my doc saw my test results, he called in my prescription, and I started flagyl, another month passed. I spent another 10 days taking flagyl while suffering those horrid side effects. Then I spent a week taking high dose probiotics to replace good bacteria which flagyl killed. Then I felt good for about a week, before the c-diff symptoms slowly returned, first irregularity, then bloating and finally cramping pain after every meal.
After I emailed my doc about my recurrent symptoms, he again prescribed flagyl, which I began immediately. However, the 2nd round did not immediately alleviate the c-diff symptoms. So I had c-diff cramping intestinal pain, bloating, and irregularity along with flagyl induced nausea, metallic taste, stomach pain. I could have endured the flagyl discomfort if I would have noticed some improvement in the c-diff symptoms, but those got worse until nausea from both c-diff and flagyl made me call my doc and ask for vanco a few days ago. I only took 7 days of the second round of flagyl, for a total of 17 days of flagyl treatment.
I'm not surprised that I didn't gain more weight from comfort eating over 4 months ... a pound a month seems pretty reasonable. LOL However, I did refrain from bingeing and purging, despite all that I experienced. I had committed to abstain from b/p no matter what happened. So that commitment carried me through flagyl induced nausea.
So now I'm on the vanco. Timing and taking the pills is the most difficult part. I have to take them with a high fat meal and full glass of water. Then I need to evenly space out each of 4 pills daily. I can do 3 with meals, but getting the fourth before I go to bed may require staying up a little later and suffering through some high fat ice cream or peanut butter on crackers bedtime snack. LOL Side effects from vanco so far? ZIPPO!!!
I had nausea and bloating from c-diff before I started vanco. So I don't think I experienced any vanco induced nausea. I actually felt better as time passed after taking the vanco. Maybe it's finally killing all those c-diff spores. I still get gut cramps after eating, one of my c-diff symptoms, but those cramps disappear after a few hours ... yeah, just before I get hungry and have to eat another meal. However, I suspect as the vanco eliminates the c-diff I will have less and less gut pain, irregularity, bloating and nausea. I don't know how long the metallic taste from the flagyl will hang around. Last time I quit flagyl I tasted bitter metal for a week after I quit.
Only time will tell, but I already feel more optimistic about vancomycin. I wish I had insisted on vanco the first time, but those scare stories about horrible, irreversible side effects scared me. I suspect those occurred in patients who were already hospitalized with underlying conditions, rather than basically healthy people like me.
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
2 Day Break from Treatment
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.
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.
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.
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