I took human whipworms in June and again in. . . September. In June, I was going to the bathroom 8-12 times a day, all loose, urgent, mucus-y, and very bloody. Now, I go once, maybe twice, a day. There's no obvious blood, no urgency, no pain, a bit of mucus. There are some twinges of discomfort here and there. If this is not full remission, it's pretty close.
I have noticed that there's a deep red blood patch on my a small part of my stool. Right now, I'm not concerned by it, as both the hepatic and spleenic flexures were extremely bloody on colonoscopy. I figure my colon is healing, and I'm willing to give it time before I become actively concerned. My energy has not yet returned to, say, March 2007 levels when this flare started.
On the upside, I can now have a beer or two, something I never was able to do while flaring. And I can fart without worrying that I'll soil myself. I was constantly vigilent when flaring and had gotten to the point that I had to visit a toilet if I wanted to pass gas. The boyfriend is less enthused by that development. . . .
From what I understand, a number of people have found human whipworm beneficial for ulcerative colitis, and there are major studies underway. The FDA has even re-classified human whipworms as a medical device, which does put a wrinkle in obtaining specimens immediately, but I also understand that they will be available again in the coming months. I would not, however, hold my breath waiting for insurance companies to cover them.
They've been great and I'd do it again without a second thought.
As Suebear points out -- and I have always deeply valued Suebear's opinion -- they don't work for everyone. But they're worth a try. And, fortunately for us, the treatments for ulcerative have set a pretty low bar. I once had a doctor exclaim, "Imuran is effective in 60-70% of patients! Of course it works!" He didn't appreciate my comeback: In my line of work, we grade that outcome a D.
Best of luck in whatever you choose to do. For further reading, you might check out this month's copy of Mental Floss. There's an article on helminth therapy and an interview with the go-to guy for helminths.