I think I have C Diff: Now what?

To be tested for C. Difficile infection, you must be symptomatic. When I was diagnosed in January 2020, doctors would not test me for C. Difficile bacteria unless I had at least 3 loose stools per day (diarrhea).

​​The two main types of testing in Ontario are the GDH by EIA, and the PCR test. The GDH by EIA is the most common. A third type of test is more accurate, but is not offered as a general rule.

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The GDH by EIA (a lab test of your stool sample (poop)) is the most common C Diff test and has two parts:

1. Is the C. diff protein detected in your stool?

​        a. If Yes go to 2.

        b. If No, the toxins A/B text (or in Toronto, the toxin B test) will not be performed.

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2. Are the C. diff toxins A/B (or toxin B) detected in your stool?

        a. If yes, this is indicative of C. difficile infection (symptomatic).

        b. If no, you might be a "carrier" or have dormant C. difficile bacteria.

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More information about diagnosing in Ontario.​​

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Author experience:

- Hospitals generally would not test my stool sample unless I was experiencing symptoms.  

​- The lab will generally not test a sample unless it is watery.

​When I was first tested for C Difficile in 2020, the doctor's office requested a stool sample. The test result on January 8 had two lines. C Difficile was "detected" as reported on the first line, so the lab tested for toxins. Toxins were reported as "detected" on the second line. Based on the test results + my symptoms, the doctor diagnosed me with a severe C. difficile infection.

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More information:

Laboratory Tests for the Diagnosis of Clostridium difficile

My primary doctor was my "GP" or family doctor. I had a good GP and I could talk with him throughout the process. 

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Later I learned that I should have a "GI" (Gastroenterologist) and/or "IDD" (Infectious Diseases Doctor). Your GP, GI, and/or IDD may ask you to perform various tests or try different treatments.

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I became sick after taking antibiotics when I probably didn’t need them, so I did a lot of research about any treatments or procedures that were recommended to me.

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Tips for working with your doctor:

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1. Be prepared - make a list of your symptoms and your questions

2. Ask "what else could it be"?

3. Ask, "what do you think it is?"

4. If you are scared of a certain treatment explain why. For example, you could ask the following:

I don't want to have a colonoscopy yet because I seem to be getting better and I don't want to flush my system while I am recovering. -Patient experience

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I started taking Cipro and Flagyl to treat the unknown irritation in my bowel, and my stomach hurt so much that I stopped taking it. -Patient experience

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There are both things that I had to explain to my doctors, but might not apply to your situation.

I remember at a lunch buffet next door to my doctor's office, eating chicken and greasy potatoes. It was delicious. However, I could tell that my digestive system wasn't working properly. I knew then that it was the last meal I was going to eat out for a long time. If I wanted to get better, I had to put the work in.

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Diet was an important part of my recovery, including the following habits:

• no sugar, fat, salt, or spice

• no caffeine or alcohol

• ⁠get a dietician

• join a food support group (if appropriate)

  • I did because I thought, “If I don’t eat, the bacteria don’t eat” – so I was starving and sometimes binged on various foods and therefore needed help knowing how, when, and what to eat.

• Manage diarhea

• ⁠Overwhelm the C Diff with an army of good bacteria

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To manage diahrea, I used sweet potatoes and oat bran. Sweet potatoes are soothing on the gut and a prebiotic. A prebiotic enhances the effectiveness of a probiotic. Oat bran has both soluble and insoluble fibre - soluble is the kind you want to help stay more regular as opposed to runny. Apples might help because they have soluble fibre, but I found they were too sweet for me.

Army of probiotics - I overwhelmed the C Diff with an army of good bacteria. I understood the C Diff as a strong enemy in my colon, and probiotics of various kinds as the soldiers that would overwhelm it by sheer numbers. I drank a lot of kefir, and tested various kinds to find the lowest sugar content - the one that tasted the least sweet to me.

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Highlights of the food I ate - Cooked spinach, chicken soup made from homemade vegetable broth (no salt), a little eggs, a little salmon, and a traditionally cultural food (beets) were all foods that helped me along the way. Find what is soothing for your gut and put the work in to obtain and prepare that food. I am grateful for my dad who also found frozen beets for me – during Covid some foods were hard to find!

- Existing treatments

- Treatments being developed

- Only one has been called a "cure" (FMT)

​[Work in progress.]

The information in this web site is based on the research and experience of the author, who recovered from C Diff at home in 2020.