What Are The Most Promising Options (besides 5-asa's, immunomodulators and biologics)??

I am interested in techniques that are being proven effective as an actual potential fix, rather than a day to day way to lighten symptoms up a little. I have kept a food journal as well as a symptom journal now, both for half a year. I am pretty aware of the ways my body reacts to both experiences and food.

I tried the Specific Carbohydrate Diet recently, but was declining in health and thus have halted that... for now. My weight was dropping much too quickly, to the point where it was better to keep eating some of the illegals rather than waste away. I have a serious problem with weight loss it seems. I am being proactive about that, as much as I can be.

The two promising things that I've read more into in the last day are: Fecal Transplant and Combination Antibiotic Therapy. Both methods have medical doctors somewhere in the world supporting them, and show promising results. I intuitively feel Fecal Transplant would be a better choice, but it is pretty intense. I am considering the antibiotic therapy and then the FT. What do you guys think? What other options are showing good results?

Before anyone chimes in with suggestions about normal UC meds, please stop. I've tried all of them that I want to. I've been told by multiple specialists that the biologics are my only option left. I'm not going to take them right now.

My present symptoms:
-3.5 BM's per day (average)
-Some blood recently. Had not been having any until the last week, except for an odd day here and there.
-Urgency is on the increase, but still not terrible. I can drive places and enjoy activities still... I just sometimes need a couple Lomotil. Urgency increases quickly with foods high in sugar, as well as with protien mix/rice milk mixed together.
-Insomnia... bad.
-Pain in colon is increasing.
-Slight feelings of being too cold.
-Weight loss due to under-eating.
-Slight intermittent joint pain in fingers.

This is my life I'm trying to heal. It's a wonderful thing to be alive. I have a business I love running, good friends, and even just recently a woman that I started dating. UC is often an immobilizer, a blockade to the life I wish to live. I would give most anything to heal, and am trying as hard as I can to learn what I need to learn. I know it's often suggested to live with the disease and enjoy life, and I do... but my personality and intuition are driving me to find more answers. I'm involved in an IBD support group, read books on digestive health, and ceaselessly search the internet for answers.

Any suggestions are welcome and appreciated... but I definitely prefer constructive comments!

InSoFla... I forgot about LDN already, lol. I've read tons of posts that you've participated in on this forum about LDN. From what I understand LDN boosts your immune system. Since my memory is failing me, tell me, what success rate does LDN have long term... once the patient has quit taking it? Can you sum up within a few sentences what the theory is behind it?

Thanks!

I think you already know what your choices are, they are the same as mine because I too won't go on biologics.
Sorry your flare doesn't work with SCD, I've been there also in years past.

I have one suggestion for adding good calories without sugar: fats in the way of oils and butter. Add good oils in whatever and wherever you can as long as it doesn't cause D. Butter has butyrate which is good for our colons. Even though I can't tolerate dairy butter seems OK. I also recommend coconut oil, olive oil, walnut oil and any other "good" oil out there. Oils can be hidden in a non-dairy smoothie (use coconut cream) as well as almost any cooked dish and of course salad dressing.

Wild salmon has lots of good oil and is good for you too.

Another idea remembered: My doc suggested 14 mg. nicotine patches when I told her I was not satisfied with being 80-90% normal and am planning on going to Rochester for FT later this year. Several of her patients have gotten success with them. Some people here also use e-cigs for the same reason. I might give that a try soon.

The thing I most like about FT is the possibility of being med-free in the future as well as being 100% normal.

Imagardner2... Thank you so much for your helpful replies. I cannot express enough gratitude for how thankful I am for insightful advice time and again from forum members such as yourself. I am very dedicated to healing to near 100%, and believe that it is possible. I hope to one day be on here helping people as much as you and others have contributed to my healing journey thus far.

alinus... I'm still above high school weight by just a little bit, but not much. I am down 30 pounds now from spring 2010. I'm at 153 pounds right now, and am not going to let things slide further. I am making it a goal to get back to at least 175 pounds, and find a way to maintain that weight. I'm not usually superficial about things like this, but for some reason this is just important to me... and I can't change the way I feel about it.

In regards to Fecal Transplant, I just got off the phone with my sister. She doesn't know much about what I have to deal with, UC wise, but she's always been supportive of me and my health issues. I am just intuitively thinking she would be the person I'd go to for a donor sample should I choose the FT route. There was a little bit of rambling on, on my part, while we were talking. It's weird to ask someone if you can have some of their poop. Thankfully she's a really great younger sister and she said she'd do anything for me. Thank God for that.

Hi Thoreau - I did a fecal transplant and have been symptom free for a little more than a month. I did it via a colonoscopy. I was lucky to find a doctor willing to do this for me. It was his first one.

There is a thread on here called fecal transplant via colonoscopy if you want to read about my experience.

Good Luck!
Stacy

Thoreau

I don't know why or how nicotine patches work and my GI didn't go into it, we had a long talk and covered many areas. She had 3 suggestions for me: combo anti-b therapy, Entocort or nicotine patch. The patch is my first choice (non-smoker) but I fear nausea. Only trial will tell. Done Entocort already don't see the point there.

I bought the 14 mg. patches and will start next week. I'm trying out psyllium seeds the next few days and only try things one at a time. Psyllium is not a cure per se but I'd like to try it.

Re: the fish oil. It was OK for a while but the flavoring disagreed with me (my husbands choice lol) so I dropped it, happier colon. If I started it again I'd get unflavored. Oh and watch the urgency using fish oil, it's a traditional laxative treatment, don't take a spoonful and dash out the door or OMG. Any oil can do the same really but I still think oils are very good.

Yup, I concur, when you kick out the usual meds that have worked for years, you're pretty much left with:

- LDN
- SCD
- FT
- Some special other strict diet.
- Apple pectin or other herbs
- Nicotine patches
- Probiotics.
- Prayer
- yoga
- etc.

Good luck to you.

Babe... thanks for the comments. I had my vitamin D level checked a month ago. My level was 43, which qualifies as normal (being in reference range of 30-100). Insufficiency levels are 20-29, and deficiency levels are less than 20. Still... I bought a supplement of vitamin D and took it up until yesterday. I'll probably begin it again soon, but I'm trying to figure out what's going on with my body presently, so I wanted to rule it out as a cause.

Also had a celiac disease test. I don't have that either.

Kiwi44... thank you. That list is exactly what I was looking for. Just trying to make sure I'm not missing something.

Thanks!