I need to vent

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Jannine
Posts: 204
Joined: Wed Jun 20, 2018 7:46 am
Location: Maryland, USA

I need to vent

Postby Jannine » Wed Oct 23, 2019 8:47 pm

I got a urinary tract infection (thanks, menopause :evil: ) yesterday and am on a 3 day course of Bactrim antibiotics. I just started my 2nd day of the pills and my gut is rebelling, I've been in the bathroom repeatedly with diarrhea. I know I didn't have any real alternatives to antibiotics for this, but I'm really worried that I'm just rolling out the red carpet for a c diff recurrence by taking an antibiotic.

I'm clinging to the hope that the diarrhea is just from something I ate, and that it will clear up. Or that it's just a side effect and I'll get through this. Positive thoughts, prayers, and any other good stuff is welcome. Sorry to take this a little off topic. Honestly at this point if I had to choose between the chemo-related neuropathy and future recurrence of c diff, I'd keep the neuropathy and tell c diff to take a friggin' hike. It needs to get out of my life!
DX: sigmoid colon cancer 5/2018. 48 F
laparoscopic sigmoid resection (24 cm removed); no stoma.
7.5cm adenocarcinoma -- mod. diff.
1 noncontiguous tumor deposit removed; 0/31 lymph nodes
T3 pN1c M0
5/18 before surgery, CEA 11.2
6/18 began FOLFOX
7/18: CEA 1.9; added neulasta post infusion
9/18: CEA 2.8
10/18: 25% chemo reduction
11/18: CEA 1.8
7/19 CT scan clear

boxhill
Posts: 789
Joined: Fri Apr 06, 2018 11:40 am

Re: I need to vent

Postby boxhill » Wed Oct 23, 2019 9:26 pm

That sounds awful. How about a big bowl of yogurt with live cultures every morning?
F, 64 at DX CRC Stage IV
3/17/18 blockage, r hemi
11 of 25 LN,5 mesentery nodes
5mm liver met
pT3 pN2b pM1
BRAF wild, KRAS G12D
dMMR, MSI-H
5/18 FOLFOX
7/18 and 11/18 CT NED
12/18 MRI 5mm liver mass, 2 LNs in porta hepatis
12/31/18 Keytruda
6/19 Multiphasic CT LNs normal, Liver stable
6/28/19 Pause Key, predisone for joint pain
7/31/19 Restart Key
9/19 CT stable
Pain: all fails but Celebrex
12/23/19 CT stable
5/20 MRI stable/NED
6/20 Stop Key
All MRIs NED

Beckster
Posts: 438
Joined: Thu Jan 12, 2017 3:01 pm
Location: New Jersey

Re: I need to vent

Postby Beckster » Thu Oct 24, 2019 4:44 am

Jannine wrote:I got a urinary tract infection (thanks, menopause :evil: ) yesterday and am on a 3 day course of Bactrim antibiotics. I just started my 2nd day of the pills and my gut is rebelling, I've been in the bathroom repeatedly with diarrhea. I know I didn't have any real alternatives to antibiotics for this, but I'm really worried that I'm just rolling out the red carpet for a c diff recurrence by taking an antibiotic.

I'm clinging to the hope that the diarrhea is just from something I ate, and that it will clear up. Or that it's just a side effect and I'll get through this. Positive thoughts, prayers, and any other good stuff is welcome. Sorry to take this a little off topic. Honestly at this point if I had to choose between the chemo-related neuropathy and future recurrence of c diff, I'd keep the neuropathy and tell c diff to take a friggin' hike. It needs to get out of my life!



I was recently on Clindamycin antibiotic for a tooth abscess, which can cause diarrhea and c diff. I was told to take a probiotic 1 hour before taking my antibiotic. I purchased Align. It was expressive, but it did not cause my gut to go into overdrive and worked great. Antibiotic can destroy the good bacteria along with the bad.
57/F
DX:(CC) 10/19/16
11/4/16- Lap right hemi(cecum)
CEA- Pre Op (1.9), Pre Chemo (2.5)
Type: Adenocarcinoma
Tumor size:3.5 cm x 2.5 x 0.7 cm
Grade: G3
TNM: T3N0M0/IIA
LN: 0/24
LVI present
Surgical margins: clear
MSS
12/27/2016 - Capeox, anaphylactic
1/2/17 to 6/9/17- Xeloda
6/17,12/17,6/18,12/18,6/19,12/19,12/20,12/21 CT Scan NED :D
CEA- 6/17- 3.6, 9/17- 2.8 12/17-2.8, 3/18-3.1, 6/18-3.0, 9/18 2.8, 12/18 2.5 3/19 3.1 6/19 3.1 9/19 2.6 12/19 2.8 6/20 3.0 12/20 2.7 6/21 2.9,[color=#000000]12/21 2.7[/color]
Clear Colonoscopy 10/17, 11/19,11/21 :D

zephyr
Posts: 363
Joined: Thu Aug 18, 2016 7:31 am

Re: I need to vent

Postby zephyr » Thu Oct 24, 2019 9:14 am

I had a chronic UTI for about a year, probably the result of clustering and sitz baths. At one point I was refusing to take an antibiotic because diarrhea was a known side effect and I just couldn't do it anymore. The pharmacist persuaded me to try taking a probiotic 1-2 hours before taking the antibiotic. It worked. My primary care physician, naturopathic oncologist, and gastroenterologist all recommended VSL#3; you can buy it OTC but you have to ask for it at the pharmacy counter because they keep it in the fridge back there. It will run about $50.
Nov-2009 Early stage CRC, routine colonoscopy
2010-2014 F/U colonoscopies, all clear
Jun-2016 CRC during F/U colonoscopy, surgery, Stage 4, KRAS, MSS
Aug-2016-May-2018 Folfox, 5FU, Folfiri & Avastin
Aug/Sep-2018 YAG laser surgeries (Germany), 11 nodules removed
Nov-2018 clean CT scan
Mar-2019 New lung nodules
Apr-2019 Dec-2020 Xeloda/Avastin, SBRT, cont. Xeloda/Avastin
Mar-2021 Forfiri/Avastin
Mar-2022 Ablation & Thoracotomy
Feb-2023 Folfiri & Avastin
Nov-2023 Xeloda & Avastin

Punky44
Posts: 498
Joined: Mon Oct 01, 2018 4:29 pm

Re: I need to vent

Postby Punky44 » Thu Oct 24, 2019 12:05 pm

Positive thoughts for you—been through a c diff nightmare with my daughter before and it is no fun.

Probiotics and more probiotics.
Caregiver to my amazing mom (68 at dx)
10/1/18 DX with rectal cancer; CEA 17
T3N2M0
Total neoadjuvant therapy:
8 rounds Folfox 11/5/18 - 2/11/19
Short course radiation 3/14/19 - 3/20/19
Robotically assisted laparoscopic LAR 3/21/19
Pathology report says yT2N0M0 with 0/38 nodes
6/28/19 Reversal and port out
CEA 2.1; 1.9; 2.6; 2.8; 2.3; 2.4; 3.0; 3.4; 3.1; 3.4; 3.0; 3.1; 2.6
Latest update: 8/21/23 Clear CT with CEA 2.6!

Me: 34, first colonoscopy 11/16/18—normal! Come back in 5 years.

Jannine
Posts: 204
Joined: Wed Jun 20, 2018 7:46 am
Location: Maryland, USA

Re: I need to vent

Postby Jannine » Fri Oct 25, 2019 9:37 pm

Thanks, all; the words of encouragement and suggestions helped a lot. I was able to grab Align and am taking that. Nobody around here had VSL#3 or visbiome in stock (I called a LOT of pharmacies), and apparently if you buy it direct they only ship Monday-Wednesday. But I'll take the Align for now, and put in an order for the stuff that's actually refrigerated so I'll have it sometime next week.

My gut seems to have settled down, for now; I'm feeling a lot better than I did yesterday. Hopefully it'll stay that way. Phew.
DX: sigmoid colon cancer 5/2018. 48 F
laparoscopic sigmoid resection (24 cm removed); no stoma.
7.5cm adenocarcinoma -- mod. diff.
1 noncontiguous tumor deposit removed; 0/31 lymph nodes
T3 pN1c M0
5/18 before surgery, CEA 11.2
6/18 began FOLFOX
7/18: CEA 1.9; added neulasta post infusion
9/18: CEA 2.8
10/18: 25% chemo reduction
11/18: CEA 1.8
7/19 CT scan clear

NHMike
Posts: 2555
Joined: Fri Jul 21, 2017 3:43 am

Re: I need to vent

Postby NHMike » Sun Oct 27, 2019 7:46 pm

Bactrim is really strong stuff and there are other alternatives but I think that Bactrim is commonly used for UTIs. I'm sure that you're aware of how dangerous some particular side-effects are that affect a small percentage of people. It doesn't sound like you have any of those though.
6/17: ER rectal bleeding; Colonoscopy
7/17: 3B rectal. T3N1bM0. 5.2 4.5 4.3 cm. Lymphs: 6 x 4 mm, 8 x 6, 5 x 5
7/17-9/17: Xeloda radiation
7/5: CEA 2.7; 8/16: 1.9; 11/30: 0.6; 12/20 1.4; 1/10 1.8; 1/31 2.2; 2/28 2.6; 4/10 2.8; 5/1 2.8; 5/29 3.2; 7/13 4.5; 8/9 2.8, 2/12 1.2
MSS, KRAS G12D
10/17: 2.7 2.2 1.6 cm (-90%). Lymphs: 3 x 3 mm (-62.5%), 4 x 3 (-75%), 5 x 3 (-40%). 5.1 CM from AV
10/17: LAR, Temp Ileostomy, Path Complete Response
CapeOx (8) 12/17-6/18
7/18: Reversal, Port Removal
2/19: Clean CT

Jannine
Posts: 204
Joined: Wed Jun 20, 2018 7:46 am
Location: Maryland, USA

Re: I need to vent

Postby Jannine » Thu Oct 31, 2019 7:56 pm

I had no problems with the Bactrim, fortunately.

I took Align for a week, until my shipment of Visbiome arrived yesterday. (This is the rebranded original formula of VSL#3, apparently.) It came in a big 12" square refrigerated box, along with a sensor that turns red if it got too warm at any point during shipment. All that for a smallish jar of probiotic pills, which is now nestled in the fridge.

So far so good; my bowel movements are holding pretty steady and I don't feel like I'm in the days-long decline of c diff invasion at this point. Hopefully everything is going to be fine. I'll take the Visbiome for a full month, at least, to try to give my gut flora time to get reestablished.
DX: sigmoid colon cancer 5/2018. 48 F
laparoscopic sigmoid resection (24 cm removed); no stoma.
7.5cm adenocarcinoma -- mod. diff.
1 noncontiguous tumor deposit removed; 0/31 lymph nodes
T3 pN1c M0
5/18 before surgery, CEA 11.2
6/18 began FOLFOX
7/18: CEA 1.9; added neulasta post infusion
9/18: CEA 2.8
10/18: 25% chemo reduction
11/18: CEA 1.8
7/19 CT scan clear

DarknessEmbraced
Posts: 3816
Joined: Sat Nov 01, 2014 4:54 pm
Facebook Username: Riann Fletcher
Location: New Brunswick, Canada

Re: I need to vent

Postby DarknessEmbraced » Wed Nov 06, 2019 12:07 pm

I'm glad you're doing better! :)
Diagnosed 10/28/14, age 36
Colon Resection 11/20/14, LAR (no illeo)
Stage 2a colon cancer, T3NOMO
Lymph-vascular invasion undetermined
0/22 lymph nodes
No chemo, no radiation
Clear Colonoscopy 04/29/15
NED 10/20/15
Ischemic Colitis 01/21/16
NED 11/10/16
CT Scan moved up due to high CEA 08/21/17
NED 09/25/17
NED 12/21/18
Clear colonoscopy 09/23/19
Clear 5 year scans 11/21/19- Considered cured! :)

Jannine
Posts: 204
Joined: Wed Jun 20, 2018 7:46 am
Location: Maryland, USA

Re: I need to vent

Postby Jannine » Tue Nov 19, 2019 9:58 pm

Back on antibiotics. This time I had a tooth that was going bad. It had a root canal 18 years ago but has looked suspect at the root for quite a while. Last month they x-rayed it and there was definitely infection going on at the root. So today I had it pulled, with the intent of adding an implant in a couple months. Well the tooth came out cleanly despite the expectation that it was fractured, and my bone looked good; no need for a bone graft. So they asked me if I wanted to go ahead and get the implant now. I said sure. It was super easy and I'm not having any pain. But they did put me on Amoxicillin while it heals. I guess if I'd done this in two stages it probably would've been two rounds of antibiotics? But at least this way I didn't have to get numbed up again, and I get the crown sooner.

I'll keep taking my probiotics in the mornings and keep my fingers crossed that the Amoxicillin doesn't mess with my gut too much. Things have been holding steady so I'm hopeful that I'll get through this round without any problems cropping up.
DX: sigmoid colon cancer 5/2018. 48 F
laparoscopic sigmoid resection (24 cm removed); no stoma.
7.5cm adenocarcinoma -- mod. diff.
1 noncontiguous tumor deposit removed; 0/31 lymph nodes
T3 pN1c M0
5/18 before surgery, CEA 11.2
6/18 began FOLFOX
7/18: CEA 1.9; added neulasta post infusion
9/18: CEA 2.8
10/18: 25% chemo reduction
11/18: CEA 1.8
7/19 CT scan clear


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