Saw a gastroenterologist today about my C. diff infection. He wants to put me on vancomycin, which still only has a 50% success rate. We also talked about doing a fecal transplant which has a 90% success rate. The downside is insurance won't pay for it until all other options are tried. Then he sent me down the street to the infectious disease center. They are currently involved in several clinical trials for C. diff treatments. Apparently the CDC is very concerned with the rise in cases. .. They are calling it the new MRSA. Basically a result of over-prescribing antibiotics. Used to be limited to hospital and nursing home patients, but now it's everywhere. This clinic alone sees 10 cases/week. I am eligible for one of the trials, but I would have to wait and get diarrhea again before they could start treatment and the clinic is an 1 1/2 hour drive from my house. Not something I really want to do since diarrhea = dehydration = feeling like shit = more IV fluids and Travel logistics would also make it hard for me to comply with all the followup visits.

I talked to my PCP about the options and he thinks I should just go with the fecal transplant and pay for it myself. He offered to do it himself and volunteered his wife as the donor. "All we need is a blender and an enema bag!" But that's a story for another thread

So I am starting the vancomycin (2 weeks) and looking at the costs for a fecal transfer. My deductible is so high I would probably end up paying for it all myself anyways after waiting weeks for insurance to finally approve it.

Sorry if I am asking the obvious and I have not been paying attention, but what was the root cause before the antibiotics? What have you c diff? Just curious. Sounds like a real serious condition and I hope you get the treatment covered from insurance without obnoxiously high deductibles.

Edited March 12, 201412 yr by Fiddleman

Clostridial difficile can be part of your "normal" flora, but when you take antibiotics, they often kill off your good bacteria, and the C. diff overgrows. The toxins it gives off is what actually destroys the lining of your colon, resulting in watery diarrhea. Extreme, untreated cases can even result in colon erosion and perforation. In my case, I was on 5 days cefexima antibiotic (routine postop treatment) and then I got a tooth abscess 1 week later and was put on 10 days Clindamycin. The infectious disease doc I talked to said clindamycin is one of the main culprits of C. diff outbreaks.

To make matters worse, I am a vet tech and animals carry the same Clostridial strain that makes us sick. I have no doubt I've been exposed multiple times through the years, thus setting up the C. diff flora in the first place. Ironically, we have Clostridial vaccines and anti toxins available for cows, goats, etc., because they will literally drop dead from the infection if they get it. The clinical trials I talked about are for developing the same types of drugs for people.

It's a nasty bug. I hope you get well soon. I've read about the fecal transplant - fascinating stuff but not seen it done at my small community hospital. Its really a cool concept though! I work on a cardiac telemetry floor. We usually have outbreaks in spring and summer. I've seen a few bad outcomes but most recover with vanc. But vanc is scary too. I feel for you! I'm having surgery Thursday and I'm scared of a lot of things, c-diff is definitely on my list! Good luck either way. My tummy cramps for you in sympathy!