My C. diff Story + Tips for Thanksgiving with C. diff

Sponsored by and developed in part with support from Ferring Pharmaceuticals.

November is C. diff Awareness Month. You might be wondering what C. difficile infection, or C. diff, is, and you’re not alone if you’ve never heard of it. C. diff is short for Clostridioides difficile: bacteria that can cause a rarely talked about gut infection. 

I contracted a C. diff infection about 10 years ago. At the time, I had never heard of C. diff. After experiencing the physical and emotional roller coaster of having C. diff, I’m proud to partner with Ferring Pharmaceuticals to raise awareness of C. diff. 

In this post, I’m sharing basic information about C. diff because I don’t think it’s talked about enough. I was totally in the dark about C. diff when I contracted it, and I’m just lucky that I sought medical treatment for it early on. 

I’m also sharing tips in this post for coping with C. diff during Thanksgiving. The Thanksgiving holiday revolves around food, but if you are dealing with C. diff, you know that C. diff limits what you can eat. This post includes tips for enjoying the Thanksgiving holiday and planning your menu if you are coping with C. diff. 

If you or a loved one have a C. diff infection or think you may have one, you can also click here to learn more about C. diff. 

What is C. diff?

C. diff is short for Clostridioides difficile, the bacteria that causes the infection that I discuss in this post. C. diff bacteria is very contagious. 

We all have both good and bad bacteria in our gut and usually, they are in balance. People may wind up with C. diff in their gut and don’t develop any serious health issues. 

An imbalance in the gut microbiome may give bad bacteria, like C. diff, the chance to take hold and grow. This can lead to a C. diff infection and can be a serious health threat.

What are the main symptoms of a C. diff infection?

The main symptoms you may experience if you have a C. diff infection are diarrhea, stomach pain or cramps, nausea, and loss of appetite. 

Who can contract a C. diff infection?

Anyone can get C. diff. However, the risk of getting a C. diff infection is higher if you:

• Are taking or have recently taken antibiotics (this is how I got C. diff),
• Have spent time in a hospital or long-term care facility,
• Have a weakened immune system, or
• Are aged 65+.

No matter how you caught C. diff or how old or young you are, it’s important that you seek medical treatment right away. I was 27 when I contracted C. diff and am truly grateful that I sought medical help early.

Without medical treatment, a C. diff infection can become very serious and even be fatal. 

Can you get C. diff more than once? 

Yes, you can get C. diff more than once. If you develop a C. diff infection, it’s highly possible that you will have a relapse of the infection 2-8 weeks after the first infection. 

This is called having recurrent C. diff. Up to one-third of people get recurrent C. diff.  I was lucky in that I only had a C. diff infection once and did not relapse. But that’s not the case for many people.

Is C. diff contagious? 

Yes. C. diff is very contagious. It can spread by direct contact, indirect contact, or through surfaces. 

How can I prevent the spread of C. diff to others?

To prevent spreading C. diff to other people, you should:

• Wash your hands frequently with soap and water.
• Use a separate bathroom, if possible.
• Shower with soap and do laundry frequently.
• Disinfect surfaces with chlorine bleach (typical alcohol-based disinfectant products don’t kill C. diff)

How I got C. diff + My C. diff story

About 10 years ago, I was working an extremely high-stress job, sleeping very little, and not taking great care of myself. Work always came first and my job frowned upon taking sick days. So, whenever I was sick, I would try to “power through it” and work through my illness. 

That summer, I contracted a bacterial infection (a urinary tract infection where E-Coli was detected) that required treatment with an antibiotic. I didn’t think anything of it. I just took the antibiotic as directed, and kept working day and night at my job. 

About a week into taking the antibiotic, my stomach and digestive system started feeling off. I was nauseous, my stomach was cramping and I was running to the bathroom a lot. I tried to power through these symptoms for a couple of days. But, it was very embarrassing to be dealing with this while working 12+ hour days at my office. 

Then, my symptoms got so bad that I couldn’t ignore or hide them any longer. 

I met a friend for dinner at a high-end, vegan, Japanese restaurant. The food served was extremely unprocessed and healthy, yet I spent most of my time at the restaurant in the bathroom.  I realized I was going to have to take a few days off work to try and get these symptoms under control.

I was so embarrassed. I felt so ill. I was scared to eat anything because something was wreaking havoc on my digestive system. I had no idea why I was feeling so sick. I could tell it wasn’t food poisoning because I wasn’t getting better. But I didn’t know what was causing these embarrassing gastrointestinal symptoms. 

I was also worried about missing too much work or even having to explain to my stern and unsympathetic boss why I couldn’t make it into the office. There was no way I was going to make it through my commute, let alone a full workday at my desk.

That’s when I made a follow-up appointment with my doctor and learned that I had C. diff.  

It was stressful to learn that I had a seemingly mysterious (to me) gut infection that was causing these uncomfortable symptoms. If I’d heard of C. diff before, it wouldn’t have been so scary. But, at the time, I was living alone and had no family living nearby. So, I was completely on my own and feeling very alone while I was coping with an illness that was completely unfamiliar to me.

Food limitations with C. diff

In the first couple of weeks of my C. diff infection, pretty much anything I ate made me ill. It quickly got to the point where I was scared to eat.  

And although my treatment for C. diff lasted less than two weeks, it took me about another 6 weeks to fully recover from the infection. 

My digestive system was super sensitive, and I had to be very careful to avoid foods that triggered my C. diff symptoms.  But, of course, I had to eat and ensure I was getting enough nutrition to support my recovery and rebuild my gut health. So, I stuck to a limited diet and tried to avoid anything that would cause a flare-up of my symptoms.

These are some of the foods + beverages to avoid with C. diff:

• Fatty and fried foods
• Dairy
• Spicy or heavily seasoned foods
• Raw vegetables
• Cruciferous vegetables (like broccoli, cauliflower, or brussels sprouts)
• Processed foods
• High-fat foods
• Caffeine
• Alcohol 

These are foods + beverages to eat and drink with C. diff:

• Easy to digest protein like chicken, turkey, and eggs
• Cooked non-cruciferous vegetables, like carrots, zucchini, and green beans. 
• Soups made with non-cruciferous vegetables and vegetable, chicken, or beef broth.
• Starches like rice, potatoes, pasta, bread, bananas, and crackers.
• Lots of water.

These are just suggestions. Make sure to ask your doctor about what you can eat during and after C. diff.

Tips for Thanksgiving with C. diff

People with C. diff may struggle with finding foods that they can eat during the holiday season. With Thanksgiving approaching, I know it can feel daunting to plan a menu with things you can actually eat, without triggering more C. diff symptoms. 

Some ideas for enjoying Thanksgiving while you’re coping with C. diff are: 

• Focus on easy-to-digest proteins. While this could be an entire turkey, you may not be feeling up to cooking all day. Instead, you can roast or grill turkey breast or chicken breast for your main course. Be sure to leave out any heavy seasonings, spices, or sauces.
• Whip up a non-dairy soup.  Vegetable soups are easy to make, nourishing, comforting and easy to digest. I use my blender to blend up soups with cooked vegetables, like carrots or squash, with chicken, beef or vegetable broth.
• Skip the raw salad, but cook up some veggies. Roast, grill or boil some in-season fall vegetables, like carrots, squash, and green beans to give your meal a Thanksgiving touch. You can use fresh or frozen veggies.  
• Round out your plate with starches. When I had C. diff, starchy foods made me feel so much better. Include white bread, white rice, crackers, and/or dairy-free mashed potatoes in your meal to make it more filling.
• Have fruit for dessert. Regular desserts can irritate your stomach, so fruit like peeled apples and bananas are a better choice. For a more festive dessert, try baking or sautéing a peeled apple with a tiny bit of cinnamon.
• Skip the alcohol. It will only irritate your digestive system. Stick with water or herbal tea. 

Wrap up + Resources

That wraps up my experience with C. diff, and my tips for celebrating Thanksgiving while you are coping with C. diff.  

If you or a loved one have a C. diff infection or think you may have one please consult with your doctor. Click here to learn more about C. diff and your treatment options. 

The effects of a C. diff infection can also go beyond the physical, especially if you’re dealing with recurrent C. diff. If you are struggling with depression or other adverse mental health effects due to C. diff, please talk to your doctor or a mental health professional for guidance and support.