What should I do about antibiotic-associated diarrhea and possible C. diff?

[JerryR]

I’ve been on a long course of antibiotics for a stubborn infection, and now I’m dealing with what my doctor calls antibiotic-associated diarrhea. It’s really uncomfortable and persistent, and I’m worried it might be something like C. diff, even though the test hasn’t come back yet. Has anyone else gone through this while trying to clear up a bacterial infection?

[Hannah_L]

I went through a similar thing after a long round of antibiotics for a stubborn sinus infection. The diarrhea lingered after I finished the meds and I kept worrying about C. diff even when tests came back negative. Bland meals, fluids, and giving it time helped a bit, but it stayed uncomfortable for several days.

[WilliamGM]

One thing that helped me was keeping a tiny diary of when the stools were loose and what I ate. I noticed a pattern around dairy and heavy meals, and fluids were easier to keep up on days with more diarrhea.

[Zoey65]

I started to doubt that anything would fix it fast and wondered if the real problem was the gut flora getting thrown off by antibiotics rather than a new infection. Some days I felt hopeful, other days not so much.

[Samuel_D]

Not sure if this is the real issue or if something else is going on like a short term digestion change after the meds. Do you think repeating the test or trying a different plan could help?