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Member
- Joined
- Jul 13, 2023
- Messages
- 40
Conditions / symptoms:
Main problems started a few years ago after experimenting with keto diet.
Edit: worsened a lot from taking medication.
Condition kept on deteriorating continuously until it became unbearable in 2022. Lots of doctor visits, hospital. No real diagnosis. Stool tests were clear, bloodwork all in the range. On paper I was perfectly healthy.
Digestion and pain got so bad that I went low FODMAP - which provided some relief at least.
Researched a lot and came across FMT.
Supplements / medicine:
Multivitamin, B Vitamins, Quercetin and Bromelain, anti-histamine
Diet before / during / after:
Chicken, white rice, eggs, pumpkin, bok choy, broccoli, grapes, blueberries, coconot yoghurt, honey. During/After I added flax seeds and other fruits and veggies. Tried dairy products (cheese, yogurt) but made me feel worse and stopped them
Methods and protocol:
Ordered one frozen stool (no anti-freeze), wanted to start slowly and was afraid of side effects.
Did a 5-day course of Oregano Oil (3x daily) and Wormwood to induce some die-off and clearance before starting with the FMTs.
Did both capsules (size 00, not enteric-coated) and enemas over a 4-week period with 2-4 FMTs per week.
Day 1:
Started with 3-4 capsules on an empty stomach. 1.5hr later took a cranberry capsule as food for the new bacteria. 3 hrs later first meal.
Experienced some bloating later that day, stomach/gut rumbling, and intense itch (which could be unrelated to the FMT).
Interesting effect: My breath came back. Hadn’t had bad breath in ages, which you think is a good sign, but it felt unnatural to have your breath smell like nothing and it didn’t seem healthy. Anyway, in the evening I noticed that my breath felt more normal - it wasn’t smelling horrible or anything, just had a normal neutral smell back.
Had a tiny BM of type 1 earlier in the day but seemed unrelated to the FMT.
Day 2:
3-4 capsules on empty stomach, and followed a similar schedule to day 1.
BM later in the day. Still relatively undigested and type 1. There was mucus and a tiny bit of blood. No other sign of FMT effect but again, my digestive system works slowly.
Felt itchy and sneezed a lot. Still some bloating and mild pain.
Day 3-5:
Digestion and symptoms relatively unchanged. Though digestion felt slower than usual, and I think it was caused by the FMTs and the fact that my system was working hard on changing its composition / being confronted with new bacteria.
Day 5:
Performed an enema. Guides on the web recommended 200-300ml, so I used a similar amount. Did yoga poses and massage to support distribution in bowels, was able to keep it all in until next day.
Day 6:
Change in digestion - BM was type 4 and easier to pass. Look and smell resembled donor’s stool. Looked healthier, formed, better digested and darker in color.
Days 7-30:
Followed a similar FMT schedule and experienced similar side effects (bloating, mild-moderate stomach/gut pain, mucus, had gas, sneezing, itch, and felt very tired on some days).
Stool varied. BM became irregular for a while, and after the other enemas it turned into type 4-5, unformed, somewhat green in color.
I got increasing cravings for dairy - yoghurt and cheese. Since I missed these foods I gave in and added organic dairy yoghurt and had 2-3 slices of cheese daily. In retrospect, it was a mistake and probably contributed to me feeling worse. It was too early for a change in diet I believe.
I experimented with taking flax seeds 30-60 minutes after capsule FMTs. I think it helped, but wouldn’t put too much importance on it.
Days 13-19:
After 2-3 weeks I had a few days where I finally felt alive again and more like a normal person. Better energy, and as if a weight was lifted off me. It was amazing and came along with better digestion - type 3-4 stools, digested, healthy medium-dark brown color. Unfortunately my sleep was still shit, and even though my skin looked smoother / more radiating, the itch and rashes didn’t improve.
Interestingly I dreamed a lot more than before, and I felt like listening to music again (which I hadn’t in ages).
Unfortunately, the effects didn’t last long. Digestion became worse, my energy disappeared, and I felt horrible again overall. Even worse than before to some extent.
At first I thought the donor had given me a gut imbalance. Looking back now I’m not so sure about it. While possible, I think it’s hard to pin-point exactly what had happened, and why. There are too many other factors to evaluate the effects (and side effects) of the FMTs precisely - diet, hormones, sleep, unpredictability of bacteria growth and colony-formation…
2 weeks after the last FMT I started another round of Oregano Oil which somewhat helped. But, realistically, I’m now back to Square One as far as my condition goes.
I think FMTs hold great value and can improve many conditions. I’d love to give it another go as I’ve tried so many other things and have never gotten impactful, let alone lasting, relief.
Things I’d improve next time:
Original 25 Sep 2022 (3 comments).
Main problems started a few years ago after experimenting with keto diet.
Edit: worsened a lot from taking medication.
- It led to recurring digestive issues and change in bowel habits (diarrhea and constipation, then after a while mainly constipation), along with change of stool type and frequent stomach cramps.
- Skin had lost its glow. Not wanting to sound too much like a commercial spokesperson but it wasn’t really radiating anymore. It also started itching a lot.
- Food sensitivities, histamine intolerance.
- Allergies
- Sleep issues, insomnia.
- An overall hard to describe state of “feeling shit”, basically every day.
Condition kept on deteriorating continuously until it became unbearable in 2022. Lots of doctor visits, hospital. No real diagnosis. Stool tests were clear, bloodwork all in the range. On paper I was perfectly healthy.
Digestion and pain got so bad that I went low FODMAP - which provided some relief at least.
Researched a lot and came across FMT.
Supplements / medicine:
Multivitamin, B Vitamins, Quercetin and Bromelain, anti-histamine
Diet before / during / after:
Chicken, white rice, eggs, pumpkin, bok choy, broccoli, grapes, blueberries, coconot yoghurt, honey. During/After I added flax seeds and other fruits and veggies. Tried dairy products (cheese, yogurt) but made me feel worse and stopped them
Methods and protocol:
Ordered one frozen stool (no anti-freeze), wanted to start slowly and was afraid of side effects.
Did a 5-day course of Oregano Oil (3x daily) and Wormwood to induce some die-off and clearance before starting with the FMTs.
Did both capsules (size 00, not enteric-coated) and enemas over a 4-week period with 2-4 FMTs per week.
Day 1:
Started with 3-4 capsules on an empty stomach. 1.5hr later took a cranberry capsule as food for the new bacteria. 3 hrs later first meal.
Experienced some bloating later that day, stomach/gut rumbling, and intense itch (which could be unrelated to the FMT).
Interesting effect: My breath came back. Hadn’t had bad breath in ages, which you think is a good sign, but it felt unnatural to have your breath smell like nothing and it didn’t seem healthy. Anyway, in the evening I noticed that my breath felt more normal - it wasn’t smelling horrible or anything, just had a normal neutral smell back.
Had a tiny BM of type 1 earlier in the day but seemed unrelated to the FMT.
Day 2:
3-4 capsules on empty stomach, and followed a similar schedule to day 1.
BM later in the day. Still relatively undigested and type 1. There was mucus and a tiny bit of blood. No other sign of FMT effect but again, my digestive system works slowly.
Felt itchy and sneezed a lot. Still some bloating and mild pain.
Day 3-5:
Digestion and symptoms relatively unchanged. Though digestion felt slower than usual, and I think it was caused by the FMTs and the fact that my system was working hard on changing its composition / being confronted with new bacteria.
Day 5:
Performed an enema. Guides on the web recommended 200-300ml, so I used a similar amount. Did yoga poses and massage to support distribution in bowels, was able to keep it all in until next day.
Day 6:
Change in digestion - BM was type 4 and easier to pass. Look and smell resembled donor’s stool. Looked healthier, formed, better digested and darker in color.
Days 7-30:
Followed a similar FMT schedule and experienced similar side effects (bloating, mild-moderate stomach/gut pain, mucus, had gas, sneezing, itch, and felt very tired on some days).
Stool varied. BM became irregular for a while, and after the other enemas it turned into type 4-5, unformed, somewhat green in color.
I got increasing cravings for dairy - yoghurt and cheese. Since I missed these foods I gave in and added organic dairy yoghurt and had 2-3 slices of cheese daily. In retrospect, it was a mistake and probably contributed to me feeling worse. It was too early for a change in diet I believe.
I experimented with taking flax seeds 30-60 minutes after capsule FMTs. I think it helped, but wouldn’t put too much importance on it.
Days 13-19:
After 2-3 weeks I had a few days where I finally felt alive again and more like a normal person. Better energy, and as if a weight was lifted off me. It was amazing and came along with better digestion - type 3-4 stools, digested, healthy medium-dark brown color. Unfortunately my sleep was still shit, and even though my skin looked smoother / more radiating, the itch and rashes didn’t improve.
Interestingly I dreamed a lot more than before, and I felt like listening to music again (which I hadn’t in ages).
Unfortunately, the effects didn’t last long. Digestion became worse, my energy disappeared, and I felt horrible again overall. Even worse than before to some extent.
At first I thought the donor had given me a gut imbalance. Looking back now I’m not so sure about it. While possible, I think it’s hard to pin-point exactly what had happened, and why. There are too many other factors to evaluate the effects (and side effects) of the FMTs precisely - diet, hormones, sleep, unpredictability of bacteria growth and colony-formation…
2 weeks after the last FMT I started another round of Oregano Oil which somewhat helped. But, realistically, I’m now back to Square One as far as my condition goes.
I think FMTs hold great value and can improve many conditions. I’d love to give it another go as I’ve tried so many other things and have never gotten impactful, let alone lasting, relief.
Things I’d improve next time:
- Increase frequency of FMTs in the beginning.
- Use less liquid for enemas.
- Expand the time-frame of the FMT schedule.
- Stick with my regular diet.
Original 25 Sep 2022 (3 comments).
- FMT Clinics
- I included all required info