Wife of Light/Mod UC sufferer - possible C. Diff Pseudo?

Hi, I happened upon this forum while becoming angry at noticing one of the potential side effects of my husband's UC medicine (Lialda, one 1.2g/day maintenance) is ULCERATIVE COLITIS! How absurd is this, really.

Anyway, this is my first time on a forum like this. I am trying to find ways to make my hubby's life a little more comfortable. He is only a light/moderate sufferer (thank everything for that). He(we are) is 27, diagnosed when we first met each other about 7 years ago. I want to touch upon two questions in this post, one being ways to help him, and possibly advice regarding a case of c.diff and pseudomembranous colitis.

When I met my hubby (D), he was a bit underweight (5'8" 128lbs) and from what he says he was basically having bloody BMs and lots of abdominal pain and weight loss. He had a colonoscopy (I think? we weren't together at this point) and was diagnosed with UC.

However, the part that concerns me: about 6 weeks before he started showing any symptoms, he visited a local (ill-reputed, though he was unaware) walk-in clinic for a common UTI. He was given Cipro as a first treatment. For three weeks (and three courses of Cipro) he didn't feel any better until the end of the third round. This was almost definitely because sulfa treats 3 of the 4 common UTI causes while Cipro generally one, and his wasn't that one. After he completed three full rounds of Cipro, within a few weeks to a month is when he started moving blood and having symptoms. Had I known him better at the time, I (the med-nerd that i am) would have done research and suggested that maybe it was Cipro/C.Diff causing his problems, but unfortunately I was unaware as well. He has rare flare-ups, and honestly the gas, BMs, cramping and discomfort he gets from his medicine seems worse than the UC sometimes.

Is there anyone out there with knowledge, advice or experience with C.Diff, Cipro/heavy antibiotics, and Pseudo-UC? Now that we have moved back into Massachusetts we hope to obtain health care again and get him a full workup and a serious doctor who will actually listen to him about this possibility.


The above issue aside, I am wondering how much of the gas and discomfort is being caused by the medicine he takes? He started on Asacol 400mg 4x/day, then 2/4x/day, then reduced to 1.2g/2x/day and moved to Lialda because his GI office gives him a bag of sample boxes for free (we cannot afford health insurance). He has needed only 1.2g/1x/day for the past 2 years or so. Are there any foods, herbals, treatments that can help relieve his constant stomachaches? How much is the UC and how much is the actual drug? Every morning he comes out of the bathroom exhausted, though there is minimal blood (usually) for years now, thankfully. One thing he has found extremely helpful is xxxxxxx, which I smoke medicinally (and recreationally) anyway due to an undiagnosed age-13 post-CMV/Candaisis symptoms (vertigo, nausea, vomiting, extreme motion sickness, no appetite), and which apparently (and almost instantly) relieves his stomach symptoms and allows him to eat.

I apologize for the lengthy and meandering post. Any advice for a long-time gf/new wife/med-nerd trying to help the love of my life feel just a little bit better. Thanks!

Post Edited By Moderator (sherbear46) : 4/20/2013 6:09:40 PM (GMT-6)

Hi Sherbear,

When hubby was on the higher dose, his symptoms at the time were worse than they are now, but that was also in the first couple of years after diagnosis. He has moved downward in medication as his symptoms have allowed it. He takes the 1.2g as a maintenance to prevent any issues. He can sometimes go a day without it (not on purpose, he occasionally forgets) and remain the same, though occasionally he won't feel good by the next day. He was originally taking 2 1.2g lialda, but they started making him sick. In fact, about 2 years back he took a pill in the morning, forgot and took one later that afternoon; about 6 hours later he was in pain, nauseous, with a shock-reaction (pale, dizzy, lightheaded).. after about 20mins he vomited up a whole pill, not even dissolved. So that was the last time he took two, even purposefully. Neither of us are really sure why it happened that way.

He hasn't flared seriously in some time, only lightly where he will feel badly for a couple of days but then feel better. He watches his diet and is generally healthy otherwise so I am just thankful a serious flare-up hasn't happened in years.

He hasn't reported any blood in some time, the BMs are mostly loose, cramping and uncomfortable, usually in the mornings (he will go 2-4 times each morning normally, very exhausted afterwards), so i am not sure there is a flare-up occurring.

The gas issue has been constant, whether feeling ill or well. He farts pretty often, which isn't as uncomfortable for him but is embarrassing for him, but more uncomfortable for him will be when burping, he will often have 3, 4 sometimes 7 or 8 long belches in a row, one right after the other, and its clearly all just air. I swear this guy has a hole poked in him somewhere.

Another symptom?effect? he has is he will cough a certain way, very sharp and loud, for maybe 15 mins at a time and he says it is related to nausea, and that it makes him feel like he has to cough that way in response to it, and its obviously very uncomfortable for him.

I may have been misleading in my post, I am not sure, but neither of us have/have ever "had" doctors (which is why im still undiagnosed).. the GI who diagnosed him has seen him once in 7 years to change his meds, and he will visit the office receptionist to get more samples when we run out of medicine. Other than that there has not been any medical care or treatment, aside from the medication. If the doc's office ever runs out, we will be pretty screwed in that department.

I have been looking into probiotics for some time and looking for a good one for him to try, as he's pretty open to those types of things, so we will be starting that fairly soon.

As for the c.diff, my thoughts are that this may be what has initially caused any ulcer/damage etc in him and sparked an inflammatory reaction, and maybe he never even had UC in which case a serious doc willing to listen as well as the stool sample and a heavy course of antib's is required, which is what I was recommending he discuss with a doc for years now, but we have not had a doctor to discuss it with nor the financial means to pay out of pocket, so we pretty much get by however we can.

I actually wonder at this point if he is in remission, if the medicine causes more problems than it helps, but then if he doesn't take it for a few days, he starts becoming more uncomfortable. My head is a little all over the place, sorry for the long reply!

Hi Tedd,

You know, it never occurred to me to look up what mesalamine intolerance would look like, and it seems that it could be some factor in this, or perhaps he is simply on too high of a dose for his low-level UC condition? Most of the intolerance symptoms match with what he experiences, and this also gives more weight to the idea that he may not have UC at all but pseudo antib-induced. Do you have personal experience with this? I'd hate to see him try and switch and have a sulfa reaction. His dosing though has been consistent (my posts were long and jumbled, apologies), and he has been taking thr 1.2g/1x/day for about 2-3 years with same effects (and only one minor flare up which may not have actually been) the entire time. Any advice re: sulfas is very welcome! thanks much.