Posted 11/22/2008 5:04 AM (GMT 0)
Clostridium difficile is a common bacteria in our guts, but when an imbalance occurs (due to antibiotic use, or other causes), the c diff flourishes, and beats out good bacteria for nutrients. Symptoms are very close to UC and Crohn's, but c diff is not the same as and IBD or IBS...it is a bacterial infection not unlike giardia, but much worse.
I've had c diff, and it was worse than any flare I've ever had from UC. The thing that I noticed the most was that my bms were really stinky compared to UC bms, as well as more explosive, bloody, and the urgency was horrible. Typically, c diff is treated with flagyll first, but it has become resistant to that antibiotic, so the next antibiotic is vancomyacin, which is really expensive. If the pill form doesn't knock it out after a couple of rounds, they'll try an IV form of vanco, which means you are hospialized.
For some, c diff continues to be resistant to antibiotics, which is the only reason why they would try the fecal transfer, which is not a common treatment at all. It can be really hard to even find someplace willing to do the transfer. A good probiotic to take for c diff infections is Florastor, which is a yeast which competes with the c diff bacteria for nutrients. Florastor is also okay to take with antibiotics, so while the bad stuff gets killed off, it is instantly replaced with good stuff.