Vancomycin + "Brigg's Protocol" helped!

Hi all,

I've been in a persistent flare for a few months now. I went on prednisone for a couple of months, tapered off, and the symptoms came back in a few weeks.

Then a month or so ago I started having a lot more D with cramps like I haven't before felt.

While we waited for our stool samples to come back, the doc started me on Vancomycin because my reactive protein (blood test) was well off the charts from my trend, and the doc suspected there might be an infection. Luckily my insurance covered most it.

The Vanco itself didn't seem to make my symptoms better, but what I have done in the past week seems to be helping quite a bit.

The process I am following sounds a lot like what a fellow Healing Well contributor posted here, which he dubbed the "Briggs Protocol": https://www.healingwell.com/community/default.aspx?f=38&m=2962573

Here are the things that helped me in what I consider to be an approximate order of impact on symptoms:

1. Create a stable microbiome distribution - Since the Vanco had likely killed off a lot of the good as well as bad bacteria, I thought this would be a good time to create a properly balanced gut bacteria distribution.

I followed the home procedure and performed a Fecal Transplant with my wife as the donor. I have done these before with small improvements, but it seems like this first one made me feel a lot better! This helped a lot with the D.

I have also started taking VSL3 in the am, and I eat greek yogurt at night.

2. Reduce the inflammation where it is most bothersome - For me this is descending colon. In addition to Lialda and Canasa which I use daily, I started using Rowasa nightly (on the nights that I don't perform an FT). This along with the FT helped a lot with the B and M in the stool.

3. Heal the epithelial tissue - I am attempting to do this in 2 ways. I take about 15g of L-glutamine daily, and I take about 1g of Phosphatidyl Choline by mouth and sneak 0.5g into my Rowasa at night. I think this has helped a lot with my ability to tolerate fiber from fruits and veggies.

4. Control my diet to reduce anti inflammatory foods - Switched to a grain free diet other than rice for the benefits of resistant starches. Very low sugar - just Honey for marinades and not super sweet fruits like melons. I eat plenty of chicken and fish, with softer, well cooked veggies. This is helping a lot with the consistency of my BM's, and reduction of cramping and gas.


For now I feel a lot better than I did last week, the B and M are gone from the stool and I am having just one BM per day, so just thought I'd share.

Cheers.

Very good to hear, brother. Keep at it!

Dr.Briggs is fairly active in some facebook groups, answering whatever lingering questions people might have about his protocol. I don't think he posts here much anymore though since his UC is cured.

Going by some of the recent studies on gluten and omega6s, It's a scientifically sound anti-inflammatory protocol.

Keep at it and eat, eat, eat. :)

Nutrition is vital during this stage IMO.

It was a 14 day course.

Guardian7 - Eating is the hardest part! I'm hungry all the time but I have to be very choosy about what I eat.

I'm adding about 15g of L-Glutamine per day as well which I think will help a lot in the long run, and also supplement my body to build back muscle as I work out.

jeanloup said...
That's very good to read that mate, really, every guy here who improved his condition makes me sing "la vie en rose" !
Could you please explain how you proceed with FTs since there are different techniques, Thanks.

Thepowerofpoop.com has everything you need, Jean Claude.

Will take a bit of time to go through but you will find the resources and videos if you have the time to kill.

Best.