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Help with Severe C Difficile related Chronic Diarrhea and Food Malabsorption


91e970d0

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91e970d0 Newbie

I'm trying to get my Mom help. She has been suffering with chronic diarrhea for several years. She contracted lymes disease and thus was prescribed antibiotics for treatment. Because of this treatment she contracted C Difficile for which she was treated I believe with antibiotics and other medications.

Ever since she contracted C Difficile, she is completely intolerant to even the smallest amount of dairy, fruits, and most vegetables. This is on top of the very rigid diet she was following for more than 20 years due to the fact that she has Celiacs Disease. 

It seems that she is only able to reasonably tolerate meat but even that does not go very well sometimes. It is terrible because she literally can't eat more than a couple of berries or she will have have painful cramps and diarrhea. I feel terrible because this is a daily struggle for her and I am worried about the long term health effects of her nutrient malabsoption.

She has gone to many doctors, nutritionists, and specialists but none of them have been able to help her. The most frustrating thing about it is that several of them, including specialists at the Mayo Clinic, have basically disregarded her symptoms and told her that "everyone has a sensitivity to fruit". While that may be true if you overindulge in them, my Mom cannot tolerate even the smallest amounts of pretty much all food now whereas she was fine before the C Difficile.

This has made everyday life very uncomfortable and difficult for her. Any help from people who have experienced similar situations or intolerances would be greatly appreciated.
 


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Irene Joanne Explorer

Could this be a Salicylate sensitivity or allergy? That's something I'm dealing with now and most fruits are high in this. 

91e970d0 Newbie

Thanks for the reply. She has been tested for so many allergies but I do know that Salicylate was one of them. I will let her know. 

This is just so frustrating because she was fine before the incident with antibiotics and c diff. It is like her whole digestive system got destroyed in that process. 

  • 2 weeks later...
nutritionguy Rookie

Have any of the doctors talked with her or you about a fecal (stool) transplant?  This basically repopulates the gastrointestinal tract with normal (noninflammatory) bacteria.  For c. difficile, fecal transplant has a very high success rate of putting the infection into remission.  I think that at Johns Hopkins, they may be doing this--as well as some other major medical centers.

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