What Causes Recurrent C Diff Inspite Of Taking Flagyl?

Hi there and thanks for sharing your question with us on HCM. Susie is lucky to have such a caring sister and caregiver. Clostridium Difficile is a very common and potent bug that is found virtually everywhere because 10% of the population carries this bug without suffering ill effects. It is most common in hospitals and long-term nursing facilities - despite cleaning and disinfection protocols, it is still difficult to eradicate this nasty infection. From your question, I assume that she is still at home with you? 1. I am sure you know the drill where hygiene is concerned. As her care giver, ensure that her environment is very clean - use separate bathrooms if this is possible in your set up. Never let guests use Susie s bathroom. If possible, work yourself up to see if you are a carrier. If so, get yourself treated so that you cannot transmit the bug to her. Keeping her out of hospitals is your best bet to prevent reinfection physically. 2. You are right - antibiotics wipe out healthy bacteria that grow along the gut, giving C-diff easy access. Therefore, you can question your doctor as to whether Susie really needs antibiotics. Always weigh the benefits versus the risks with him or her. Remind them of C-diff. 3. Get Susie (and if possible, yourself) on probiotics. Saccharomyces boulardii works well when given with the antibiotic vancomycin and lactobacillus plantarum works well with flagyl. Probiotics will help Susie replenish healthy gut flora. The rationale of giving the probiotic with flagyl is that the antibiotic will wipe out the bad bug and the probiotic will populate her gut. There will be an improvement in digestion as well and probiotics have been shown to boost immunity. A healthy immune system is very important for Susie. 4. There can be future recurrences as C diff is very resilient and stubborn. However, daily supplementation with probiotics can help reduce this risk. I hope this helps. Good luck Dr Shabnam