After 3 1/2 years of ulcerative colitis, then doing a home
fecal transplant that has began healing my digestive system, I was encouraged to post this
on the Internet, so others suffering from this horrible condition may also find
healing.
About 6 months ago, I found some information online about
the Specific Carbohydrate Diet. I read the book "Breaking the Vicious
Cycle" and then, the day after Mother's Day 2012, I gave up sugar, starch,
yeast, lactose, and gluten hoping that would heal my UC. It gave me a great head start, but I don't believe I really began healing until I did a home fecal transplant.
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I know my UC was brought on from antibiotics for a sinus
infection in Feb 2009, as I started having more gurgling and gas for the months
after that antibiotic (some sort of Z pack antibiotic). Then in April 2009 I
had knee surgery for torn cartridge and the very next day I had explosive gas
and diarrhea. I had never experienced that type of gas and diarrhea before.
I ended up at a GI who said I had UC. He said that no one knows the cause or the cure
and that I would have to be on medication for the rest of my life. It has been
an up and down roller coaster for 3 years, then I started the SCD (Specific Carbohydrate Diet) diet in May
of 2012. Things got better for the first 3 months however, in August and September were absolutely horrible months with the 3-month flare. It is when a large number of bad bacteria begins to die off, which can make symptom worse. I felt as I had the flu for 8 days. During that time I almost lost my will to live - blood, mucus, gas, cramps, couldn't hardly leave home - it was awful. I
was down to 95 lbs, from 116.
After that flare I started getting better little by little
but still had good days and bad days. I was desperate to try anything that
might help me. I was only eating eggs, squash, cooked green beans, bananas and
meat.
By October, I became desperate. There was an article in our
local paper about how someone was healed from c-diff by doing a stool
transplant (fecal transplant), which gave her an infusion of stool from a donor with good bacteria to restore what had been killed off by the c-diff. She fully recovered.
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I read this article below in early October and it made me
very interested in trying it, as I was becoming desperate. If antibiotic
created this issue causing colitis, by killing off the good bacteria,
maybe transplanting bacteria back into my colon would work to start the healing
process.
This article linked above is about a nurse who does her own home
fecal transplant and has recovered from chronic diarrhea.
About two weeks ago (mid-October), I did the same fecal transplant that the
nurse in this article did, with my husband being the donor and I feel I am suddenly healing faster. I am gaining weight
again, no blood, no mucus. My energy is back. My ability to concentrate is
beginning to come back. No cramps, no diarrhea. And solid, normal stools - the
best part!
I am still following the SCD diet but I am able to eat more
variety of those SCD foods that would have double me over a month ago.
I still have a bit of gas, but that may be because I am
eating more fruits and vegetables that contain more fiber and my body is still
adjusting.
For the last week or so I have been eating about 2 cups of
24-hour yogurt a day and there are no cramps, no blood.... it is amazing. I
know how I felt before my 'experiment' - horrible.
My husband and I went on a bicycle ride today, which I
couldn't do last month as I was too weak.
I feel this FT has really helped me, however it was really an unpleasant
processes - I didn't use a blender like the nurse in the article, just a bottle and shook it up really good
with a bit of filtered water, also
adding some fiber emptied from fiber pills, then used a turkey baster for the
transplant. But once the fiber has been added it got thick pretty quickly so I know I needed to move fast to get the transplant done.
If you look up Dr Borody Fecal Transplants online, there is a lot
of information out there on the Internet about how this doctor in Australia
uses a similar process with a very high success rate.
Some recommend taking antibiotics to kill off everything,
then do a bowel prep first, but I didn't go that route. I am not sure I would
want to kill off what I have worked so hard to gain back over the last few
months. (I think I will be staying far away from any antibiotics unless it is life and death.) I felt I was desperate and need to do something to try to feel better.
I would be willing to do this again, if I had to, as I feel
it has made a huge difference in how I feel and what I can eat. I am not saying
I am totally healed at this point, as I am not sure yet, but I physically feel I am getting
better and stronger each day - again still on the diet and really afraid to
veer from the diet.
I would be interested to know if anyone else has tried this
approach and if it worked for them.
Teri
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Steps I took in doing a home fecal transplant:
I have to say it was really NOT fun, but I feel SO good now
that I would do it again in a heartbeat if I had to. My husband might not feel
the same way.
He collected about 2 tablespoons by going in a clean ice
cream bucket and using a plastic spoon, put some stool into one of my old
prescription bottles (from a 3 month supply). He was wishing the opening was
larger. : )
Then he handed it off to me and I added about 1/4 to 1/2 cup
of warm filtered water and I had already emptied about 4 or 5 psyllium fiber
pills into a container and added that in and shook it up really good. Move quickly once the fiber has been added as it turns to gel pretty quickly.
For future FMTs I used a large zip lock bag and added water right into the bag and massaged the mix until it was about the consistency of a milk shake. Cutting a hole in the corner made it much easier to strain any chunks out.
For future FMTs I used a large zip lock bag and added water right into the bag and massaged the mix until it was about the consistency of a milk shake. Cutting a hole in the corner made it much easier to strain any chunks out.
Then the rest is to use a turkey baster, enema bag, enema bottle or oral syringe and get
all the mix or as much of it as you can, into your colon. One site said 50 ml is about
all someone can take of liquid and stool. I squirted in as much as I could. (After the first FMT, I used a larger size oral syringe and kept refilling it, which was not near as messy as the turkey baster.)
It is quite a smelly process. Someone said they put some Vicks under their nose and that really helped disguise the smell a bit. (For future FMTs I used a respirator like a painter uses and it was pretty much smell free.)
I was using gloves and then washed really good afterwards then went and laid down on the couch for about an hour, turning from one side to the other, to hopefully, distribute the transplanted stool. There was some gurgling initially but I was really amazed that I was able to retain it for almost 2 days before I felt the need to go. That was a miracle in itself, not having to go 5 or 6 times in a day as I had been over the last 3 1/2 years.
I was using gloves and then washed really good afterwards then went and laid down on the couch for about an hour, turning from one side to the other, to hopefully, distribute the transplanted stool. There was some gurgling initially but I was really amazed that I was able to retain it for almost 2 days before I felt the need to go. That was a miracle in itself, not having to go 5 or 6 times in a day as I had been over the last 3 1/2 years.
I then cleaned everything good with bleach, including my
turkey baster, in case I needed it again (no longer for kitchen use). I put the
lid on what was left of the 'stuff' in the bottle and tossed it out. I wasn't
about to clean that out and then recycle it.
I then took a couple of Immodium AD pills to help slow down my digestive system to give the transplant more time to become established.
I then took a couple of Immodium AD pills to help slow down my digestive system to give the transplant more time to become established.
I was so desperate that I knew I had get past the grossness
of what I was doing (and the smell) and just keep my sites set on hoping it
would be worth it.
I think it has been 2 or 3 weeks now and I feel better every
day, but again, I am not ready to stop the diet as I want to give myself more
time to heal first. I know I will never go back to eating like I did in the
past. I know that complete healing can take time.
I made my husband promise not to tell anyone as I am not
sure how it would be be received.
I wrestled with posting it but I want others to feel better
and feel it might help someone else out there. Reading that article about the
nurse doing it at home, really encouraged me to try this. I felt I had nothing
to lose.
My husband had gone through some stool tests a few years ago
as he had colitis brought on from taking ibuprofen for shoulder pain. He never
changed his diet but is good as long as he stays away from ibuprofen. I felt he
was still in pretty good shape and worth the risk for me to use him as the
donor.
So far, I am so glad I did it and thankful my husband went
along with it.
If you Google home fecal transplant there are others out
there who have tried it and other sites with instructions. Video I found on YouTube showing preparation for a home fecal transplant - http://youtu.be/xLIndT7fuGo
I felt I had nothing to lose. So far, I feel great.
