Vegetables give me the diarrhea

[sickofbeingsick2]

My primary concern is that vegetables give me diarrhea.

Background:
I have been dealing with chronic diarrhea for the past 2 years because the initial c. diff. test was falsely negative, so my doc diagnosed me with IBS (a sign of a bad doc). After a long while of stupid IBS treatments, I got fed up and switched to a new doc, who tested me again and it was positive for c. diff.; he gave me Flagyl. I was much better on Flagyl, but my symptoms returned within a week. Now I tested negative for c. diff., but my doc put me on 10 days of Vancomycin anyway, because he said the test will not be accurate that soon after the antibiotic. The Vanco had absolutely no effect.

Question:
I cannot eat spicy food, fried food, dairy, nuts, flour products, caffeine, alcohol, or mostly any vegetables, or "heavy" meals (there is no way to objectively describe a "heavy" meal...). I can eat potatoes but not the skin... Most interestingly, I cannot eat late at night, I guess about 5 hours before bed is the cutoff, otherwise I get diarrhea that same night or, if not, then in the morning. Also, sometimes certain food early in the morning gives me trouble, too (who am I kidding, everything gives me diarrhea, lol!).

My question: are these symptoms typical of c. diff. as opposed to anything covered under the IBS umbrella? The vegetables and late night/early morning intolerances are particularly strange to me, I cannot find ANY mention of these symptoms anywhere but some posts on this forum. Why would vegetables give me diarrhea?

I have no underlying health problems, I am 24 years old, powerlift, and probably know as much as certified wellness educators about life, health, and nutrition. What I eat every day: plain wild rice or sweet potato without skin, some steamed spinach to keep me functioning (too much is trouble for me), and sardines, chicken, or eggs. I have tried eating no fat, it does not change anything.

Thanks so much to everyone here.

[AllisS]

OUR STANDARD INTRO: Welcome to the site. Read the first forum, All Users Read This First, and the subtopic, Guidelines for Posting to Our Discussion Boards. (Note limit on posting length.)Read Dr. Borody’s article and topics in CDI -- C. Diff Info –- Formerly FAQ, including Tests, Hygiene Tips, and Nutrition. Also read The C. Diff Bible at http://apic.org/Resource_/EliminationGu ... fFinal.pdf.

The majority (about 80%) recover with one or two rounds of Flagyl or vancomycin. A small percentage do not. Most people eventually recover unless there are factors such as advanced age or other severe health problems. New treatments include fecal infusions and Dificid. (See FMT Information and Treatments.) Other drugs and treatments are in the pipeline, and there is increased recognition of C. diff.

If antibiotics contributed to your C. diff, be careful about taking them again. (See CDI –- Antibiotics Most Likely to Cause C. Diff/Antibiotic Resistance.) Some people tolerate them; some develop C. diff again. (See Dr. Borody's article.) Don’t take medications for C. diff unless you are tested. (See CDI –- Tests.)

For further information, see http://www.peggyfoundation.org/ and several other support groups on Facebook. Also, visit reputable medical sites, such as www.mayoclinic.org and www.webmd.com.

This is a support site, not a medical site. We can’t give you medical advice, but we can tell you what did or did not work for us. No one will understand exactly what you're going through unless they've had this unpredictable disease. The best protection, for you and others, is thorough hand-washing and good overall hygiene.

Although we know how devastating C. diff can be physically, mentally, and financially, this is not a fundraising site. We rarely ban posters unless they are verbally abusive, combative, or insulting; use inappropriate language consistently; or attempt to sell something through the site, in which case we usually issue a warning first.

Again, welcome. Remember, the odds are in your favor.

END OF INTRO.

Hi sickofbeingsick2, I'm not entirely clear on whether you currently have c. diff or if it's resolved. However, many people develop food intolerances after having had c. diff, and a number seem to suffer from what some GI drs. call post-infectious IBS, though the latter doesn't usually continue for as long as two years after c. diff. (I realize IBS was the wrong diagnosis initially.) Dairy post-c. diff is an irritant for many; ditto heavy meals, fried foods, caffeine, alcohol. Again, I'm talking about the post-IBS period; all of the foods you listed would be likely irritants during c. diff. The problem you're having with vegetables is something I've no answer to; maybe others will have ideas. Are the vegetables raw/uncooked or frozen/canned? Sometimes vegetables/fruits are too much roughage/fiber depending on what else is going on with the GI tract. I've also no clue about the problem with eating as much as five hours before bedtime.

Sorry I can't be more helpful. As mentioned in the intro note, we are a support site vs. a medical site, and you should consider exploring some of these questions with a GI dr. if you have one whom you've got some confidence in.

The site is going to be down for maintenance over the next few days, so if others haven't weighed in soon please check back later.

[getwellsoon]

I think because your CDiff went untreated for so long it is going to take that much longer to heal the colon. I was untreated for about 6 weeks and had a very severe case and wound up in hospital. I proceeded to relapse for a year and was on Vanco most of this time. I finally took Dificid and it seemed to make me Diff neg. but I had horrendous IBS. I had colitis and a host of food intolerances. It is two yrs. post the dificid and I still am around 80% back to normal. I still have a hard time with red meat, dairy and some veg. My point is it really takes a long time to heal the gut after such a major infection. I don't know if I will ever be like I was but I pray I will. Eat what doesn't cause you symptoms and leave the rest out. I do take a probiotic but only one a day. I hope you can finally begin to feel better soon. Let us know how you do. Carol

[sickofbeingsick2]

Thanks for the helpful info. What I get from your responses is that I may not have the infection, but my digestive system is going haywire. I would also like to point out that I had an MRI of my gut post-Flagyl treatment which revealed absolutely no inflammation, so I guess it is, like you said, food intolerance rather than irritation. Would FMT help with this post-infection IBS? Would they even consider trying it if I am negative for c. diff., anyway?

Yes, I forgot to mention that raw vegetables give me really bad problems (watery stool) but I can have limited amounts of cooked, low-fiber vegetables. I have found that fibrous foods like potato skins, or too much sweet potato for that matter, give me problems. However, too much of any vegetable gives me problems, even steamed spinach if I have a lot (spinach is relatively low-fiber).

However, I would encourage everyone to have steamed spinach with every meal, or another green leafy low-fiber vegetable (I can't think of any others), because it is so very important for your physical and emotional health. Eat as much steamed spinach as you can handle every meal and I sincerely promise you that you will have more energy, focus and will be happier. You will notice these effects within the same day. I can usually handle about a half cup plain steamed spinach and a plain microwaved sweet potato, skinned, with each meal. Please take my advice. If you don't want butter for the potato, unsweetened apple sauce goes great with it, and Earth Balance organic no-soy butter substitute/spread is also delicious.

Thanks.

[getwellsoon]

No, they will not consider a FT with a neg. CDiff test. Don't know if it would help or hurt, I have never had one. Some on here have been greatly helped, others still relapsed but most people do finally get cured after a FT, it has the highest cure rate. Just because the colon doesn't show inflammation doesn't mean it is all healed. Things were not normal for me for a long time and the Dr. said my colon looked fine. I still have to watch what I eat. If you have tested neg. than you do not have CDiff, if you are having problems like you have a CDiff infection it usually is PI IBS. It is fairly common after a gut infection. You'll feel better eventually, just take it one day at a time. Hope today is a good day. carol

[pinkangel]

I could not eat very much with cdiff but I have found I can eat a lot more after fmt. I am still left dairy and gluten intolerant and I did not have Cdiff as long as some people here. I find spinach is one of the only veggies that irritates me. I can eat beans no problem and eat them to feed the good bacteria. I have tried canteloupe bananas, chickpeas, broccoli, asparagus and have tolerated them ok. I have issues with chocolate but found a chocolate that is fine at whole foods. Enjoy life bar which is gluten , dairy nut and soy free. You could try FMT via enema to see if it would help with tested donor. I am not advocating it but I know some try it for food intolerances and IBS and have had some success.

[beth22]

When I had a colonosocopy FMT, I got the food intolerances, but it could be because I was on vanco for so long. I could not eat any fruit and very few vegetables, no dairy. Red meat, or any meat, does not give me problems. Neither does gluten in normal amounts. What I tested positive for was SIBO - very high on breath test. My folate levels are also too high, another indicator of bacterial overgrowth of the small intestine. More often, I have been told, the food intolerances are because of a problem in the small intestine, and not the colon. About 6 weeks ago I had to take an antibiotic for a URI and my doctor told me to take vancomycin along with it. The whole time I was on the combo antibiotics, I had D. It continued even after and my food intolerances got much worse. I did some home stool enemas and the D stopped, but it did not do much for the food intolerances. Gradually those are getting somewhat better to pre-antibiotic levels. I did not test positive for c diff - the damage this time was from the antibiotics, vanco, I suspect because that is what did it to me before. You might ask your doctor about getting tested for SIBO.

[sickofbeingsick2]

Really great info, thanks a lot everyone.

I was negative for SIBO, pre-antibiotic.

When I had c. diff. (but didn't yet know that it was the cause of my symptoms) I tried the clean cleanse: . It is totally safe by the way, nothing crazy like the master cleanse which can kill you. My symptoms were totally gone. But after it was over they came back. This could have been because of the fact that the diet does not allow dairy, gluton, eggs, red meat, processed food, processed vegetable oils, sugar, caffeine, alcohol, or most grains. Or it could be because I was on a mostly liquid (smoothies and soups) diet, or it could be both of these things. I am going to do it again soon, and I will make a post about it if it does not already exist.

[AllisS]

sickofbeingsick2, the type of idiosyncratic diet that you describe has no bearing on either preventing or curing c. difficile, regardless of whether you might perceive it as playing some role. For that reason, no specific diets are endorsed or recommended on this site, as that falls into the medical realm and departs from our mission as a support site only.

[sickofbeingsick2]

AlisS, your post is quite aggressive, and you didn't even read my post in its entirety. I was just encouraging everyone to do what they can to feel better overall, adding spinach to my diet gives me energy and without it I feel very drained, so if anyone feels tired and like they can't focus while they are on a very restricted diet, they should add try to add it in. Nowhere did I say that it would cure C. diff.

Also, I never said that a cleanse would cure C. diff., either, I was posting my peculiar experience in case it was indicative of something that I didn't know about...and that someone could advise me about. But you pretty much turned that around on me. Plus, it is not "idiosyncratic" but I guess you might not know anything about foods that you should and should not be eating, or about cleanses. Again, I never said that it would cure anything...

What would be more supportive than working towards a cure for the thing you need support for? Just saying. You have an entire section for treatments! What ever could you mean by "that falls into the medical realm and departs from our mission as a support site only."

Go ahead and cover your basis, just do it more intelligently, please.

[AllisS]

Sorry you didn't find my reply useful or intelligent. You are right, I did not absorb your entire lengthy post; therefore, I didn't notice whatever you said about cleansing, and I made no comment on it. "Idiosyncratic" in the sense that I used it meant "individual." I do not have an encyclopedic knowledge of foods and made no claim to. Finally: it is the site's position -- not mine in particular -- that we provide support vs. medical advice, as we're not equipped to offer the latter. What is "aggressive" is the tenor of your reply to my post. Maybe others on the site can be more helpful to you.