posted
I know. I get that. I've had a lot of trouble with my feet and I have a friend who has come over twice now to help me make them. It's not that much harder than cooking a big meal as long as you have a food processor.
You might be able to find some fermented vegetables at a health food store or other health conscious store.
Plain yogurt might help, but it was always too much sugar for me and set me back further.
posted
I just tied plain yogurt, and my stomach was turning.
And I just got the greatest news that should make me feel on top of the world!
My daughter just had a little boy, and I feel so sick I can't get excited like I should!
I need to get better!
-------------------- RI Posts: 440 | From New York | Registered: Sep 2005
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BoxerMom
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
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posted
I just want to say I'm sorry you're struggling.
I was also low on good bacteria via Metametrix. I've upped my probiotics and fermented/cultured foods, but I have not retested.
I get a C.diff relapse on any abx that have C.diff as a risk factor. And I get Candida on the meds that treat C.diff.
I feel very limited in the abx I can take.
My Chlam Pneu and Myco Pneu titers have not changed.
Have you tested for gut pathogens like Giardia, Blastocystis Hominis, Cryptosporidium...? They all cause diarrhea/loose stools.
I'm in a bit of a trough now too. Wellbutrin, which was like an "on" switch for my brain, gave me gastritis, so I am off all meds.
Everything is flaring and my brain has zero neurotransmitters. Life is misery.
Don't give up! I was finally getting my Babs' relapse under control with Alinia. I've been fighting that dumb bug for years!
You will get through this. Are you sure your Babs is under control? The symptoms you list are Babs for sure in me. And I have all the standard co's and opportunistics.
The hopelessness, though it feels situational, can also be diagnostic for Babs. And the weight loss.
I made very slow progress on Mepron/Malarone, but I kept going because I felt I was making some progress. I finally switched to Alinia to see whether I could determine Atovaquone-resistance.
Now I am making fast progress and I feel like an idiot because I'd suspected it for years.
Then less than a month into my new program I got gastritis. Grrrr... I feel your pain.
There are always setbacks. I doubt a GI doc will be able to find gut pathogens or heal your gut. It seems like both would be in the job description, but that has never been patients' experiences.
An ND would be a good choice. They heal guts with their eyes closed!
You can get through this. Are you with a great Lyme doc? I hope so. Getting sicker is not a good sign.
Tinctures alone have never been effective for me. With abx, they are very helpful.
I didn't mean to go on and on. Just want to say "Hang in there."
Boxer said it well..."There are always setbacks. I doubt a GI doc will be able to find gut pathogens or heal your gut. It seems like both would be in the job description, but that has never been patients' experiences.
An ND would be a good choice. They heal guts with their eyes closed!"
That's why I said you would have to do natural things. GI doctors know nothing about the gut, just like ID DRs know nothing about LYME!
-------------------- --Lymetutu-- Opinions, not medical advice! Posts: 96222 | From Texas | Registered: Feb 2001
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I would normally be so ecstatic except I'm too sick that I can only moan!
I can't go visit my new grandson today bec. I'm just too ill. My IV nurse is supposed to come to give me the IV infusion and I'm supposed to start bicillin La IM.
I agree with you that the sx sound like babs.
I was on malarone for one bottle with art, and my test is negative nad the Myco plasma is very high, so he seems to think that art and zith is enough.
I really feel its babs again.
It's wierd beause yesterday I definitely had a better day than today. One time diarreah, and my head felt clear.
I couldn't sleep last night,kept on waking on with feeling like I can't breath and sweats.
I still need to continue the IV meds, right? I have to breath and get better.
There's gotta be a way to treat this lousy disease(s) and get the colitis and no flora under control.
The LLMD trained by the best in Lyme disease.
I'm concerned that he goes too much according to blood works and not symptomology. But maybe its the politics going on in Lyme.
I'm going to try to find out if anyone can make me fermented vegetables.
Maybe I will go to a naturapath. Is a regular nutritionist also good?
Do I
-------------------- RI Posts: 440 | From New York | Registered: Sep 2005
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dbpei
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posted
So sorry you are going through this, Talktel! Congratulations on your new little grandson!
Kefir is much better than yogurt for replacing and replenishing colonies of good bacteria in your gut. Once you are stronger, you can make your own very easily.
Kombucha tea is a fermented tea that is also really good for this. They can both easily be made in the home for just pennies. I would probably buy them both for now and when you are feeling stronger, please PM me and I will be happy to provide you with instructions and info. Enjoy that little baby!! Posts: 2386 | From New England | Registered: Aug 2011
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RIght now I got all these new probiotics so I've got to try them.
Is HMF replete an expensive probiotic?
And this is colitis too, not just the flora.
Crazy part is that I did not hae this issue before last summer. And when I was on IV this winter it got better-not worse.
So I thought there was a Lyme component to the diarreah.
Now I'm having issues still while on IV so I don't knowif its Lyme anymoe.
Obviously these tests showed more going on.
-------------------- RI Posts: 440 | From New York | Registered: Sep 2005
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Judie
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posted
Yes, I took HMF replete after the probiotics. Apparently you can take it during, but I don't know the dosage. You'd need to talk to a Naturopathic Doctor.
I was looking at the ingredients and it does contain FOS. I didn't have a problem with it though but it can be a problem if you have certain issues. Here's info from the above link:
"Iron supplements feed unfriendly bacteria and protozoan parasites.{8} Fructooligosaccharides (FOS) also feed some unfriendly bacteria, especially Klebsiella pneumoniae, hemolytic E. coli, Bacteroides species, and Staphylococcus aureus.{9} As mentioned above, protozoal parasites �eat� bacteria, so your doctor may advise you to avoid probiotics during the course of anti-parasitic treatment. "
I read on another forum that someone was helped my cystoprotek for colitis. I've never tried it, but it might be worth looking into.
LDN has also given some people with colitis relief.
Posts: 2839 | From California | Registered: Jul 2012
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posted
I would not drink Kombucha until you have the good bacteria as Kombucha contain a yeast that are not native to our digestive tract.
If I couldn't find anyone to make me fermented vegetables, I would buy them here: www.rejuvenatefoods.com and I would try to get ones without salt in them but any are better than none. Beware that you may have die off reactions from them as the good bacteria are so potent they can kill yeast.
And I definitely would be on a no sugar diet while on antibiotics. This will help yeast from getting worse, I would hope.
So sorry you are having a difficult time! I am working on my gut, too, and no, I don't think yogurt will cut it.
You need that good bacteria in your gut to be able to digest the milk protein in yogurt.
Posts: 631 | From the south | Registered: Nov 2008
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I know there are dangers of a cytokine storm. What is that?
-------------------- RI Posts: 440 | From New York | Registered: Sep 2005
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dbpei
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 33574
posted
Cholestyramine can be hard on the digestive system. You also have to be sure to take it away from your ABX or they will not work. I would ask your LLMD about this, though. Perhaps a different binder would help.
A cytokine storm is when your body is fighting too hard and your body becomes badly inflamed trying to fight things off. That is what herxing is all about. This article describes it well:
posted
you've gotta be careful with the Cholestyramine if you have Lyme because it can cause inflammation to get real bad. Back when I took it, I first took 10 days of Actos to help counter that reaction and to block an intense herx. (And I had intense herx anyway, so it must be capable of getting *really* bad. I remember reading in a certain book, it put one person in a wheelchair the herx was so bad.)
BUT - that being said, it also helped me too.
You have to eat a lot of fats though while on cholestyramine and if you're anything like me with the lack of good flora, you may have trouble digesting fats.
Posts: 631 | From the south | Registered: Nov 2008
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posted
ps. I took the cholestyramine about 10 years ago and more recently have realized I have trouble digesting fats.
Posts: 631 | From the south | Registered: Nov 2008
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posted
really! coconut as in the original coconutfruit or another venue?
I had thought of choletromyne because it did bulk me up when I was between docs summertime to November and having the diarreah.
Lymetoo, I don't know when the gut flora became nil because I just had the stool culture test results recently.
I had diarreah before I started the IV Zith this past winter, and it became better, so I thought the colon issues were related to Lyme and co.
I don't know if I had then the flora issues, oris this new.
I gotta get cocnut flour but I have no energy to bake. Unless I can find coconut bread.
-------------------- RI Posts: 440 | From New York | Registered: Sep 2005
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Catgirl
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posted
Congrats on your grandson!
It does sound like you have babs and parasites. Those parasite tests miss more parasites than they find, IMO.
Go for the kimchi. It will heal your gut. I would pass on the kombucha for now though (too much sugar for what you're going through).
-------------------- --Keep an open mind about everything. Also, remember to visit ACTIVISM (we can change things together). Posts: 5418 | From earth | Registered: Mar 2011
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beaches
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Member # 38251
posted
I didn't read all the responses.
What SIBO test did you have? Did your doc prescribe xifaxin? If he/she didn't you might want to contact the office to inquire.
If you're having diarrhea, you need to get tested/treated for C-diff.
And ignore parasite testing. That's a joke as far as I'm concerned b/c the testing is not reliable in the least, even when you submit a sample of things that are moving around in the toilet. How could THAT be negative?
And going to a GI doc expecting him/her to "get" GI issues associated with tbd is like trying to find a needle in a haystack.
Posts: 1885 | From here | Registered: Jul 2012
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what is xifaxin? IS it a pharmeceutical or a supplement?
My doc didn't prescribe it.
I don't think I have c. diff, because I was put on oral vancomycin and for the first two days it was fine and on the third day I got terrible diarreah.
it got better when I stopped the vanco. (I was told by the docs office to stop it because of my colitis issue)
If it was C. diff, vanco would help- not hurt. correct?
Also, I don't necessarily have diarreah all day; another reason I don't think its c. diff.
It just feels like it can go at anytime, especially if I eat the wrong thing.
I just don't know what to eat anymore.
I asked my LLMD about parasites, even though the tests came back negative. He didn't feel it was inaccurate. At any rate he wouldn't treat me for it.
I'd go to a GI doc just to find a drug that an stop the diarreah. And look to fix the gut elsewhere.
I need relief because I am not functional with this at all.
-------------------- RI Posts: 440 | From New York | Registered: Sep 2005
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I want to visit my new grandson tomorrow, hopefully I'll be functional enough to do that.
-------------------- RI Posts: 440 | From New York | Registered: Sep 2005
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Razzle
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 30398
posted
quote:Originally posted by Talktel: really! coconut as in the original coconutfruit or another venue?
...
I gotta get cocnut flour but I have no energy to bake. Unless I can find coconut bread.
Yes, the real thing. Can be shredded, powdered, whatever. But has to be real coconut. Throw some in a quick batch of cookies, stir some in cooked quinoa, sprinkle coconut over baked veggies, use coconut flour to thicken sauces & gravies, etc.
-------------------- -Razzle Lyme IgM IGeneX Pos. 18+++, 23-25+, 30++, 31+, 34++, 39 IND, 83-93 IND; IgG IGeneX Neg. 30+, 39 IND; Mayo/CDC Pos. IgM 23+, 39+; IgG Mayo/CDC Neg. band 41+; Bart. (clinical dx; Fry Labs neg. for all coinfections), sx >30 yrs. Posts: 4166 | From WA | Registered: Feb 2011
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I find it so confusing. My LLNP gave me a candida print out and some of the foods that it has listed as safe are not according to this list.
Posts: 1748 | From United States | Registered: Dec 2011
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I 'm taking brand new probiotics and maybe my gut was a touch better today?
The runs stopped after the morning.
DDare I hope?
I'm trying trying to avoid gluten to see if that will work. Although I did have toast this morning.
And white rice instead of whole grain rice. I don't think fiber is good for me now.
Do you think its safe for me to start the bicillin IM injections (together with the IV).
Does that do a number on existing colon/gut issues?
BTW, does anyone know if the product trufiber (a natural fiber with digestive enzymes) is good for me to take or not?
I used to take it, but now, I don't know if its good to take or not.
-------------------- RI Posts: 440 | From New York | Registered: Sep 2005
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beaches
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posted
Talktel,
xifaxin is an abx given to ppl dx'ed with SIBO.
xifaxin stays in the small intestine and is not systemically absorbed.
Pls note that testing for SIBO (typically a breath test) is not reliable (what else is new?). So it might be worth your while to ask for a trial of this med.
What exactly were the results of your CDSA test? (Sry if I missed that previously...I didn't read all the other posts).
Vanco is used to treat C-diff. But don't forget, vanco is also an abx and can cause diarrhea.
Technically, yes, vanco should help with C-diff. But you might need something else, especially since you had diarrhea while taking the vanco.
Ask your doc to fax a requisition to your local lab to evaluate you for C-diff. You might have to submit a few samples.
And even then, you might still turn up negative for C-diff.
If your sx continue, your doc should continue treating you for it.
C-diff is VERY serious. It has nothing to do with what you're eating and has nothing to do with parasites either.
Call your PCP and your LLMD. Ask to be evaluated for C-diff ASAP. And ask either one to be proactive and put you on a med for C-diff in the meantime.
Posts: 1885 | From here | Registered: Jul 2012
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beaches
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posted
And FWIW, it can't hurt to go gluten-free. It's not that hard to do.
Posts: 1885 | From here | Registered: Jul 2012
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xifaxin stays in the small intestine and is not systemically absorbed.
- That drug finished off what little GOOD bacteria I had left in my gut. Still angry that my GI doctor did that to me. I didn't even have the test for SIBO. He was guessing and he guessed WRONG. It was YEAST all along.
--just a warning--
Ellen, the diet I posted is a very strict one. One that you begin with. Phase I, I guess you could say.
-------------------- --Lymetutu-- Opinions, not medical advice! Posts: 96222 | From Texas | Registered: Feb 2001
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posted
right now, I feel so confused and weak and brainfoggy. I'm eating ricecakes.
Maybe I had veggies this morning and that's what did it? I don't know. I've never had it like this before.
I have such a busy week coming up with my daughter's new baby. I'm supposed to go away for the weekend to her and MON and Tues have to be there. I don't know how this wil work out.
and I feel so horrible and weak.
I'm waitning now for the LLMD and for the PCP to call.
The strange part is that when I was off abx in May, my issues were just as bad.
-------------------- RI Posts: 440 | From New York | Registered: Sep 2005
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dbpei
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posted
I'm glad you called your PCP. I hope he will order test for C-Diff and advise you of the right foods/meds to take just in case. I don't have experience with this, but please listen to your friends here who have been through this.
So sorry you have to go through this right now. Sending prayers and positive thoughts your way with the hope that you will feel much better when it is time to meet your new grandson.
Posts: 2386 | From New England | Registered: Aug 2011
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I'm wondering if I should try to get into a GI doc today because they can get the results of a c. diff test right away.
I have an appointment for next week wednesday, but that's a long time away.
Maybe I should just go to anyone.
-------------------- RI Posts: 440 | From New York | Registered: Sep 2005
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TF
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 14183
posted
I had c diff a few months ago, so let me tell you the little I know.
Oral antibiotics kill gut flora the most. Of the oral antibiotics, some are worse than others.
IV and IM antibiotics are the least worrisome as they do not go directly into the gut. So, you CAN recover while on IV and IM. At least, that is my understanding. And, a girl on LymeNet pmed me when I was going through my c diff experience. She stayed on her IV meds while treating c diff. So, it can be done. If you need the IV and IM, then you first do your best to recover while still taking the IV and IM.
Get to a gastro to be tested for c diff. Or, you can go to an ER and be tested. I went to my primary and she sent me to the ER because I had had diarrhea for 8 days straight and my temperature was something like 101.5.
The ER understood why I was there. They said that at the ER I could be diagnosed that day. If you go to your PCP or gastro, it will be at least 3 days before you get diagnosed. So, it is your choice.
I took a stool sample to the ER because, like you, I could have long periods in which I had no diarrhea. If you are going to go to the ER, then collect a stool sample and refrigerate it until you can take it to the ER. They will accept a refrigerated sample, but not one that has sat at room temperature.
I collected mine in the middle of the night and then went to the ER in the morning.
You can still get diarrhea on vancomycin even if you have c diff. It always took about 48 hours for the vanco to stop my diarrhea.
My gastro told me that vanco can actually cause diarrhea in some people with c diff.
If this diarrhea has been going on for months, and you have tried the vanco, then a good gastro will likely go directly to a fecal transplant.
There is a short questionnaire the donor has to answer to make sure they are not ill or have any viruses, etc. I was going to have my husband do it.
Then, the doc sends you to one of the few hospitals that have a protocol for a fecal transplant. Many don't do it.
I understand the fecal transplant is 95% effective. So, it usually ends the saga.
I understand you must try to hold in the donated stool for at least 6 hours. It populates your gut with all the normal gut flora and case closed.
If you don't have a donor, the gastro should be able to give you one. He told me the process is simple. One patient was a nurse, so he gave her the instructions and she did it to herself at home.
Seems that you put the donated stool in a special blender that the doc can give you and you mix it with water and then you give it to yourself like an enema.
Maybe if you know a nurse, the gastro will let her do it to you.
Anyway, the first step is to be tested for c diff either through the ER or by having a doctor order the test at a local lab. If using a lab, after they get the doctor's order you have someone pick up the necessary containers, you put in the stool sample, and then you wait the 2 days or so to get the answer.
When I went to the ER, it had the added bonus of them giving me an IV bag that really helped with my dehydration. Made me feel good! (Of course, the lab is the cheaper route to go.)
If you already have a good gastro, then call them and ask to have them fax the request for c diff test to your lab of choice.
If you don't already have a good gastro, in your spare time you want to find one. The wait to get in can be long, so start now in case your c diff test comes back positive.
Since you will likely want to go right to the fecal transplant, you are going to need a gastro who does/orders these. When you call for gastro appointment, ask if they order fecal transplants for c diff patients.
The good gastro I went to said that if the first round of vanco (3 weeks, with the final week tapering down the dose) didn't work, he was going to go straight to the fecal transplant for me.
Fortunately, in my case, that wasn't necessary. But, with the cost of vanco, I like the fecal transplant route, especially if you can get a nurse to do it for you at home.
This gastro had me take Florastor twice per day. Plus, I took probiotics on my own also.
My lyme doctor also advised me to continue taking the Florastor for about 6 weeks after finishing the c diff treatment. I think that is good advice.
To me, the definition of c diff is that your flora in your gut is destroyed. C diff is a normal inhabitant of the gut, but it takes over when the normal gut flora is killed by oral antibiotics. You have to get the balance back to get rid of the c diff diarrhea.
Posts: 9931 | From Maryland | Registered: Dec 2007
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posted
so what you're saying is that I have c. diff?
The LLMD didn't tell me that! I think it was ocovenient to blame it on colitis?
Do I tell the LLMD this?
I'm still waiting for any doc to call me back. So far none did.
-------------------- RI Posts: 440 | From New York | Registered: Sep 2005
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TF
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 14183
posted
I am no expert. As far as I know, it takes a positive c diff test for a doctor to tell you that you have c diff.
I also believe some folks can get a negative c diff test and still have c diff. I have heard of that.
So, a good gastro may be able to separate all of this out and figure out whether it is really c diff or not.
But, first get the test. If it is positive, then you have c diff for sure.
If you have been diagnosed with colitis in the past, then that could also be a player in the current situation.
I would not expect a lyme doctor to be an expert in gastrointestinal issues. Gasto is a specialty all its own.
Doesn't SIBO stand for small intestine bacterial overgrowth? If so, did the test of the small intestine really tell you something about your colon, which is the large intestine?
If by "colon" you mean large intestine, then that is why, to me, a person with no good flora in their large intestine (colon) is a person with c diff. I think that is what c diff is.
Why not google c diff and see if this is correct.
Posts: 9931 | From Maryland | Registered: Dec 2007
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"Clostridia are anaerobic, spore-forming rods (bacilli)."
-------------------- --Lymetutu-- Opinions, not medical advice! Posts: 96222 | From Texas | Registered: Feb 2001
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Judie
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 38323
posted
My ND recommended Blackberry Leaf Tea to stop the diarrhea.
Also she wanted me to drink salty broth. I have had blood pressure and she said it was more important at this point to get salt and electrolytes into me because I was losing fluids so fast.
I had some cartons of organic chicken broth in the cabinet and drank that.
"I'm still waiting for any doc to call me back. So far none did."
---Call again, ask to speak to a nurse and tell him/her that you're having unending diarrhea.
I've had C diff symptoms and it was actually norovirus. They are really similar with symptoms and the treatment plans are completely different.
You NEED to go to ER or urgent care or find a GI doc that can work you in ASAP to get properly diagnosed.
OR, perhaps your LLMD can order a test and you can pick up the test kit for C Diff from the lab bypassing a doctor visit.
Unending diarrhea isn't something to mess around with if home remedies aren't working after a few days.
When I had the diarrhea problems (and I didn't know the cause), my LLMD had me stop ALL antibiotics until my gut got back in shape and we had a diagnosis (this was all handled through phone conversations with the nurse, no appointment necessary).
It was unending diarrhea and my body hurt EVERYWHERE. I could barely walk and had to lay down for 3 days because I just didn't have the energy to move.
Someone else went to the lab to pick up the stool sample kit for me. Driving (or even being a passenger) was out of the question.
TF
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 14183
posted
Here is a more extensive quote from the link Lymetoo gave you:
"C. diff", is a species of Gram-positive bacteria of the genus Clostridium that causes severe diarrhea and other intestinal disease when competing bacteria in the gut flora have been wiped out by antibiotics.
Clostridia are anaerobic, spore-forming rods (bacilli).[2] C. difficile is the most serious cause of antibiotic-associated diarrhea (AAD) and can lead to pseudomembranous colitis, a severe inflammation of the colon, often resulting from eradication of the normal gut flora by antibiotics.[3]
In a very small percentage of the adult population, C. difficile bacteria naturally reside in the gut. Other people accidentally ingest spores of the bacteria while they are patients in a hospital (where 14,000 people a year in America alone die as a result),[4] nursing home, or similar facility. When the bacteria are in a colon in which the normal gut flora has been destroyed (usually after a broad-spectrum antibiotic such as clindamycin has been used), the gut becomes overrun with C. difficile. This overpopulation is harmful because the bacteria release toxins that can cause bloating and diarrhea, with abdominal pain, which may become severe. C. difficile infections are the most common cause of pseudomembranous colitis, and in rare cases this can progress to toxic megacolon, which can be life-threatening."
I was told by my first gastro that c diff can be life-threatening--if it blows up your colon. If that happens, then they have to remove your entire colon. That's why folks are advising you to get the test as soon as possible.
The ER gave me a week's worth of flagyl since I tested positive. That was a killer! But, it IS the first drug they try. You'll see that said at the above link also.
Posts: 9931 | From Maryland | Registered: Dec 2007
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posted
I have an appointment to a gastro doc this monday.
none of the other docs called back to discuss this with.
I know about the dangers of C.diff, and I don't know if I should take the IV zith now.
I have oral vancomycin at home (or what's left of the dose) but I don't think I can tolerate it.
My LLMD is not returning my call- as of yet. I called them twice already.
I ha vent had darreah thhis afternoon. Does that mean anything or not?
-------------------- RI Posts: 440 | From New York | Registered: Sep 2005
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TF
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 14183
posted
Notice that the above quote says that c diff is the most common cause of pseudomembranous colitis. So, the term "colitis" includes c diff, evidently.
Here is wikipedia on the term "colitis":
"colitis (pl. colitides) refers to an inflammation of the colon and is often used to describe an inflammation of the large intestine (colon, caecum and rectum).. . .
In a medical context, the label colitis (without qualification) is used if:
The aetiology of the inflammation in the colon is undetermined; for example, colitis may be applied to Crohn's disease at a time when the diagnosis has not declared itself. . . "
So, it appears correct for a doctor to say you have colitis. That is just saying that you have an inflammed colon and the cause is yet to be determined.
Posts: 9931 | From Maryland | Registered: Dec 2007
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TF
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 14183
posted
Not having diarrhea this aftenoon doesn't mean anything. Before I was treated, I had many days where the last episode was at noon or 1 p.m., then no more episodes until the middle of the night.
That's why I collected a stool sample in the middle of the night and refrigerated it. I was planning on going to the ER early in the morning. I let my husband sleep as long as I could, and then I woke him and had him take me.
I didn't have any diarrhea when he took me or while I waited for hours in the ER.
That's why I advise you to not go to the ER empty-handed, so to speak. You don't want an ER visit to be a total waste of time. So, if you go, go with a recent stool sample that has been refrigerated.
Posts: 9931 | From Maryland | Registered: Dec 2007
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TF
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Member # 14183
posted
Do NOT take the vacomycin. If you do, it could cause a negative c diff test when you actually have c diff.
Also, don't take Imodium or similar product if there is a possibility that you have c diff. The ER doc was very emphatic about that when a nurse wanted to give me some!
We are both posting at the same time!!
Posts: 9931 | From Maryland | Registered: Dec 2007
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Judie
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posted
"none of the other docs called back to discuss this with."
Ask to speak directly to a nurse.
You might get a quicker response from one of them.
Posts: 2839 | From California | Registered: Jul 2012
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posted
I just spoke to my llmd. He wants to start me on Flagyl because it might be a rare form of c. diff if I had diarreah from vancomycin.
But I didn't give a stool speciment so I don'tknow for sure.
He says to try to give a stool speciment now before I start the flagyl which he wants me to take at 6:30.
Ironically, I can't give one now.
So if I start flagyl, the stool specimen won't b e accurate.
I think I'm dying.
Flagyl gives a huge herx, and I have so much going on, and I feel so weak as it is.
-------------------- RI Posts: 440 | From New York | Registered: Sep 2005
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TF
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 14183
posted
What is his reason for wanting you to take flagyl at 6:30 p.m.?
Is his reason more important than getting a diagnosis?
If the diagnosis is more important (and it would be to me) I would not start the flagyl until I collected a stool sample and took it to the ER.
Posts: 9931 | From Maryland | Registered: Dec 2007
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When I'm better, I'm really a productive animated person. I can be alot of fun.
I'm just so down now.
I have to eat dinner. I hope the'sample' doesn't come now because its worthless anyway!
I hope I can climb out of this mess.
-------------------- RI Posts: 440 | From New York | Registered: Sep 2005
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beaches
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 38251
posted
Flagyl is a great med for c-diff. Hopefully that'll do the trick for you.
It's good you didn't take the IV zith today. Whenever c-diff is suspected, all abx should be avoided (except vanco in certain circumstances).
If you think you'll herx from it, drink lots of lemon water.
And don't be so hard on yourself. I'm sure you're a lot of fun when you're feeling well!
Just get through this episode as best you can and then go from there. That's all you can do.
Posts: 1885 | From here | Registered: Jul 2012
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