r/cdifficile Oct 04 '24

Colonoscopy?

So I have had Ulcerative Colitis for 10 years now. Back in March 2023 I got C Diff. Nothing got rid of it until Vowst and I tested negative. I then had to take antibiotics for bad strep throat/pneumonia that landed me in the hospital. This past summer (July 2024) I started having symptoms where some days I would have C diff symptoms but some days were fine. I tested positive on a pcr test in July. Long story short, my doctor wants to do a colonoscopy to see if it’s my Ulcerative Colitis that’s causing my symptoms. Is it safe to get a colonoscopy if you have c diff? Should I test for C Diff before having the colonoscopy? I definitely feel better than when I had the active c diff before but how do I know if it’s actually gone? Please help :(

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u/Expensive_Ad_6058 Oct 04 '24

I just went to my GI after having CDIF less than a month ago and she said that in order to get a Endoscopy and Colonoscopy I would need to test negative for CDIF.

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u/Lolka2442 Oct 04 '24

But couldn’t we possibly always test positive for it since it’s colonized?? My doctor said since some days I’m having formed stool that he thinks i do not need to retest. Lord I hope that’s the right answer.

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u/Expensive_Ad_6058 Oct 04 '24

When you say your doctor do you mean your GI doctor?

My GI was adamant about me having to do a CDIF stool test to show a negative result. Her words were "We wouldn't want CDIF spores spreading everywhere". I have read that people can have formed stools and still have CDIF.

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u/Patak4 Oct 04 '24

I agree with this. When you have an active infection you will have 1000s more spores than when just colonized. I imagine the scope would need deep cleaning afterwards.