Fecal Transplant - My DOC said NO....

My GI doc said same thing when I asked him after reading about HPI on internet. He said I don't have the right type of colitis, so it won't work.. I didn;t know it was all different for different people... wierd, I thuogh it was just inflamation of colon, but I guess there is all these names like pancolitis and stuff... I think you can do it on your own if you have a healthy donor? there was a way to do it on-line I read, you need antibiotics and stuff though...

-V

I think it will be very tough to find a doctor in North America who is willing to do it. I tried to find one in Canada, but no luck. I eventually went to Australia and had the procedure done last year. Unfortunately, it didn't work for me. I still think the procedure has a lot of merit and I may try it again on my own. One of the toughest parts of the procedure was they want your UC to be as non-existent as possible, so this means pred and imuran. I didn't take the imuran, but I took the pred and I kind of wonder what if...

Hmmmm, I think saliva and sperm initially started out as being a natural thing to swap with other people, I don't think swapping poop was ever intended to be a natural thing...don't know if I'd call it evolving or de-volving at this point...I know swapping sperm and saliva isn't as safe as it used to be but afteall kissing and having sex pretty much was the goal for procreation.

I'm certainly not against anyone doing the fecal enema because with a chronic illness most would want to do what ever it takes to be healthy again, but on the same hand I personally don't think I would go that route, for me it's just a gut instinct thing and besides I don't have access to young enough donors even if I did, I don't think I would do it (just a personal preferance no other reason).

:)

Judilyn said...
I've seen a lot of anecdotal conversation and blogging word-of-mouth, but I haven't seen any scientific reports on the effectiveness of the procedure.

There are a few studies out there if you google fecal bacteriotherapy. Here's one of the most well know, in which each of the patients were cured (completely free of symptoms for 13 years after the study...).

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12811208

"Complete reversal of symptoms was achieved in all patients by 4 months post-HPI, by which time all other UC medications had been ceased. At 1 to 13 years post-HPI and without any UC medication, there was no clinical, colonoscopic, or histologic evidence of UC in any patient."

I wish I could try it.

The study cited did show that the treatment was effective for the six people included. I haven't seen any follow-up studies at all, wish someone would publish.

Of course you're free to use whatever technique you want on your own, but very few M.D.'s will prescribe something that hasn't been adequately tested or approved. The liability is too high, and there are way too many people out there just waiting to help you sue if something goes wrong. It's sad but true, because of all the lawsuits they tend to practice defensive medicine sometimes.

Christine1946 said...
</b> fecal transplantation, nor did my GI doctor ever mention it. He is a firm believer in probiotics though, so I don't know why your GI doctor poo pooed that. By the way, I live in South Jersey, across the river from Philly. There should be some pretty decent GI doctors in Philly, but I remember seeing one before being diagnosed. He was at Temple Univ and I can tell you...he was lousy! Did a sigmoidoscope on me, told me it looked ok...this was over ten years ago and I had diarrhea, blood, mucus and had lost 15lbs in one month. That same evening my husband drove me to the ER to Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Camden and they admitted me. Spent eight days there....this after seeing that quack at Temple who told me everything looked fine to him..ugh! So, get another opinion. One more thing...my GI doctor sees me every three months, even while in remission.

Hi Christine,

I used to live in Jersey and Pennsylvania (Levittown, Yardley, Princeton, Philadephia, Mount Holly, Piscataway,...). I haven't been back since 1985. I'm sure a lot has changed since then. I still remember the bridge, "Candem Makes, the World Takes." Is it still there?

Dear subdued, I would love to hear from you. Please let me know how you did the at home fecal transplant. Did you use antibiotics first? How much poo and saline per treatment?

debdee

debdee said...
Dear subdued, I would love to hear from you. Please let me know how you did the at home fecal transplant. Did you use antibiotics first? How much poo and saline per treatment?

debdee

I didn't use any antibiotics. My issues are all from overuse of antibiotics; so I preferred not to go this direction. Plus, I was diagnosed as having UC, not C-diff. So my GI did not prescribe antibiotics for my condition. When I mentioned to my GI that I had done it and that was the reason for my remarkable recovery, he kind of shrugged his shoulders. He seemed interested but did not know enough to make a decision.

I did not use saline. I used luke-warm tap water.

As soon as my granddaughter went poo, my daughter gave me her diaper. I used all the poo in the diaper. Surprisingly, it was less than a syringe worth. I mixed half luke-warm water from the sink with half poo. The poo dissolved very quickly. My granddaughter was breastfeeding at the time so her poo was a gooey mixture that easily dissolved. I then put the mixture up my butt with a syringe. I was able to get about one and a half syringes worth. It took about five minutes from her going to my putting the mixture up my butt. I did this three times over three days each time after she went poo.

killcolitis said...
If my daughter (with UC) was 16, I would take her to Syndey to have it done by Dr. Barody himself. The Centre for Digestive Diseases is very reputable, has produces nobel prize winners. The procedure seem to have about a 50% success rate for UC. I think the problem is that most Drs are too "grossed out" to consider it. This is unfortunate. My daughter's pediatric GI feels it makes good scientific sense but didn't say yes either. She didn't say no. Iexpect she wouldn't try it - it's very experimental and she's a child. I wouldn't try it at home because I'd want to have the donor screened etc.
PB4 - it's my understanding that children aren't usually used as donors because their gut flora isn't as diverse as that of adults. I could be wrong but I'm pretty sure I came across that on CDC's site somewhere.

Yes. There is the gross factor, although I consider having UC to be far grosser than doing fecal transplantation. Also, most GIs don't know enough about it to recommend it, and their insurance probably doesn't cover it.

Yes. That is what Dr. Barody says: children don't have all the diverse gut flora that adults have. However, children who haven't been on antibiotics will still have the gut flora that those who have been on antibiotics for a really long time, like me, won't have. I wasn't concerned about getting all types of gut flora, just getting the kinds that have been killed off by my prior use of antibiotics. This was one reason I choose to use poo from my six-month-old granddaughter. She had never been on antibiotics. Plus, I couldn't afford and did not have the time to wait to be able to go to Syndey or get my donor's poo tested for diseases. This was the second reason I used my granddaughter's poo.

The fecal transplantation was a success. I immediately went into remission when I was pred dependent. However, I wasn't "cured." A couple of years later, I had to be on antibiotics again. It must have killed off good bacteria, because I got another flare.

Just remember that the people with C diff who were treated with fecal transplantation were treated with antibiotics before the feces were "introduced." I don't think it would work unless you at least killed off most of the C. diff first.

http://www.jinipatelthompson.com/phpBB3/topic309.html
You might find this interesting. It includes what I believe is the full protocol.

Be sure to check the other thread on this topic, it's long and very informative.

https://www.healingwell.com/community/default.aspx?f=38&p=1&m=1612467

I'm planning on trying an FT myself in the next week or two. I don't have UC but have IBS issues caused from too many antibiotics. I got my Mom tested per Borody's instructions, and she passed. I'll let you know how the procedure goes, there's sure to be some trial and error involved. I plan to water fast a couple days first to clean out my system.

Post Edited By Moderator (Lonie) : 5/20/2010 4:19:04 PM (GMT-6)

Thanks debdee! I posted the directions for a DIY Fecal Transplant on this blog, http://coolinginflammation.blogspot.com/2010/04/antibiotics-gut-flora-food-intolerance.html
Just scroll down the comments towards the bottom. In the instructions it lists the pathogens that you should test the donors stool and blood for. Mom's regular primary care doctor signed off on the tests, there's a Labcorp next door to the doc's office. Not sure what it cost.
Health to you!