# C.Diff infections mistaken for TMAU?



## foreverparanoid (Jan 27, 2019)

*Nurses and doctors say it can smell like*: barnyard/zoo smell, rotting meat, dead rotting fish, soiled diapers, backed up sewage / outhouse. All smells used to describe TMAU. But TMAU is an extremely rare condition, so I wonder if maybe C.Diff could be mistaken for it?

I'm not sure if this odor sticks to the patient constantly, or if it lingers only after bowel movements. It's said the smell lingers and can stick to the patient for hours, and it's so offensive it can be smelled through closed doors, down hallways, etc. I've gone to a lot of doctors and not one was able to detect an odor, but I also always made sure to shower before seeing them. So I'm leaning towards it's more noticeable after bowel movements.

Antibiotics like Flagyl and Vankomycin are the only antibiotics that can cure it. Other antibiotics will make it worse, and can cause digestive problems. Sometimes more than one dose is needed... which could explain why some people report their odor going away on them, but then coming back? Also it's an extremely contagious infection, you can re-infect yourself if you don't use bleach to clean the surfaces in your home. They also say hand sanitizer won't kill it, it's part of the 0.1% of germs it can't destroy.

A person with a mild case can have it for years. Severe cases can be deadly though. But people who have had it have a higher chance of getting re-infected later in life.

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I wanted to post this here because I think I had this in the past... I had the odor and symptoms for months until I started doing water flushes and cleaning all bathroom surfaces *obsessively *with bleach. As for if I still smell? I'm not really sure because I'm always going to be paranoid now, but there is a SIGNIFICANT difference in the reactions.

I hope this post can be helpful in some way. No one should have to go through this condition and undiagnosed for so long.


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## foreverparanoid (Jan 27, 2019)

What gave me the idea was a few users on here talking about how their symptoms showed up after antibiotic use. C.Diff takes over the gut flora since both the good and bad flora was killed off by the antibiotics.

I'm going to see if I can go get tested for it. Unfortunately I think my main doctor is away on vacation... so I'm not sure if I should wait for them to get back or just go somewhere else..


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## Guest (Mar 5, 2019)

Hi,

I've done FMT which should correct C.Diff infections - no improvements in symptoms.

That being said, perhaps I needed more FMT sessions - had 12 over 3 weeks.

Some research is showing that people with UC and so on get significant improvements after more or less daily FMT sessions over 6 months.

You could go and get tested to see if indeed you have an imbalance in C.Diff populations in your system.

Good luck,

Mat


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