# Dealing with IBS-D for over a decade



## vinny321 (Nov 29, 2016)

Hello folks, fellow sufferers,

I'm new to this board. I'm a 37 year old male from Belgium.

Here's my story :

IBS runs in my family (father side). I must have had IBS-D all my life, but symptoms became more apparent since my early twenties.
So I've been dealing with this for over 15 years, with ups and downs, but things are gradually getting worse the last few years.
Here's what it's been like for me :

-Usually D at least once a week. Sometimes daily. Especially in the morning (hence I'm not a morning person







)
-Very varying stool patterns : ranging from perfectly normal stools to downright D, most often anything between (pencil thick stools or way too mushy, loose stools).
-When I have a few good days : 1 bowel movement a day. On bad days : up to 3 bowel movements.
-My doctor and a gastro-entrologist both say I have IBS without doing much testing since they both say my symptoms are so obvious for IBS-D.
-I'm very easily stressed (perfectionist and highly sensitive overall). I'm also in a high stress job. 
-I have anxiety issues (but they have toned down a lot through experience and growing older)
-I tried eating gluten free for over 2 months : things were slightly better but not remarkable
-I smoke cigarettes in moderation AND cannabis in moderation (the GP literally said he thought it was a good thing I used pot, as it calms me down. He also said "You need to change your entire life style or it will only worsen" whatever that means, specifically in regard of stress)
-Nonetheless I have a fairly good condition : I going running 2-3 times a week, I eat healthy
-I've been trying the low FODmap diet for about a month, though not extremely strict, and things are only slightly better
-I've been taking calcium supplements with Vit D, with no clear indicative success
-I will keep up with the low FODmap and calcium for at least a few months to make a conclusion
-I've been on antidepressants for about 2-3 years. Quit last year. It made no difference for IBS (or my mild depression).

The worst part is that when I have bad D I feel very lethargic and need to drag myself to work. I also think I look like I smoked crack all night when I have episodes of D for a few days straight, but close ones say that's in my head. It's impossible to tell which comes first : psychological distress or IBS. But it seems it is a vicious cycle.
For some reason 2 weeks ago I had a full week without any symptoms. Best week in ages. But I can't pinpoint what made the difference, eventhough I've been keeping a detailed journal for 5 weeks now.
I'm doing the best I can to stay positive but that's practically impossible when I feel drained during a bad flare up.
I have not found any medication that seems to work, but my dad swears "Buscopan" helps "normalize" stuff so I take that when it gets bad.
Some foods I'm confident to say are safe for me : bread, oranges, potatoes, carrots, bananas
Some foods I'm confident to say are not safe for me : fresh tomato sauce, peppers, cabbages and generally high FODmap stuff

I have no idea where this leaves me on the IBS severity scale. I guess somewhere around mildly severe. I really feel for the people who have it even worse than me.

What particularly interests me of other IBS patients is what do you consider to be the ratio between food/stress triggers. Because that seems so hard to tell. Sometimes I'm convinced it's 100% caused by food, other times 100% stress. Perhaps in reality it's a 50-50 thing ? Or both can cause it independant of one another ?

Thanks for reading.

Vinny


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## rawfoodvegan (Mar 25, 2012)

from another thread i posted in :

20 years ago i went vegan which caused me to start studying nutrition in order to make the conversion . this caused me to get interested in diet , natural healing methods , medicinal herbs , etc . ends up ive a 50 book health library and have spent past 10 years on internet most nites reading and conversing with others on the topic of our health while all along tinkering with medicinal herbs , suppliments , raw foodism , fasting , juicing , etc . and the opinion ive developed on our gi tract issues is two fold : 1 - our consuption of processed foods and a diet very high in cooked void of nutrition meals has made us very ill , ecspecially damaged are our gi tracts , 2 - living in a fast moving car based society with all kinds of craziness being flashed into our minds via the tv / radio has put our minds in a confused and over loaded with information to digest state leading to a condition of mental exhuastion and paranoia . all previous human history before this past 50 years of fast moving cars and fast moving tv images and big mouths on radio our minds did not have to analyze such gigantic amounts of info , it has mentally exhuasted millions of us which leads to our voluntary body processes such as gi tract function getting out of whack . and the cure is getting gigantic amounts of raw plant foods in our diet plus quiting tv / radio and calming mind with meditation . juicing helps build up our blood faster than just eating whole foods - raw sprouts and micro greens are most nutricious foods possible - home made nut and seed milks are potent protein sources - to meditate watching vids like below helps . in closing i add my neighboors a 90 something scotts women and life long extreme gardner who like me has not watched tv in decades and only listens to short wave radio while reading books every nite , and upon developing cancerous tissue back in 1960s she started reading health books to the point she now has a library of 100s of health and gardening etc books . so when i went vegan in 1993 i started a huge garden and she took me under her wing and started giving me books to read . this condition of her just spending 50 years reading the books of earths past century put her in a position to then give to me the books she decided which were best from all her reading = dont under estimate this factor ! and the book she calls one of her favorite was by a scottsman named norman walker . and i INSTANTLY first chapter became a giant norman walker fan and ended up reading all walkers stuff . and it was walker whom made me believe in raw foodism , i was already vegan on an ethical basis , but it was walker whom made me realize raw plants are the only substances that can bring our cells to their healthiest state and that without them at a rate of ast minimum 50% of our diet were quickly doomed to an unhealthy state and early death of our current body . his books raw fruit n vegi juices plus vegetarian diet and salad are at amazon and very cheap and ARE PURE GOLD . now after 20 years reading myself on health topic walkers still the opinion on our health that i hold highest . hail norman walker . i'll bring back links to his books . heres a good relaxation vid imo :






i also am a fan of jay kordich whom was taught back in the 50s by norman walker , yes jay kordich the juice man . he speaks zero malarky ands been studying natural healing over 50 years while traveling to meet whom he decided were earths brightest healers . i'll post some jay stuff later but for now off to work

https://www.amazon.com/Fresh-Vegetable-Fruit-Juices-Walker/dp/089019033X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1480083997&sr=1-1&keywords=norman%20walker%20raw%20vegetable%20juices&tag=vs-health-convert-amazon-20

https://www.amazon.com/Vegetarian-Guide-Diet-Salad/dp/0890190348/ref=pd_bxgy_14_img_2?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=0890190348&pd_rd_r=32RN4A690RT3YD1PS8NK&pd_rd_w=XXiJs&pd_rd_wg=DdNKV&psc=1&refRID=32RN4A690RT3YD1PS8NK&tag=vs-health-convert-amazon-20

* READ EM OR REGRET IT !


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## rawfoodvegan (Mar 25, 2012)

jay kordich knows what hes talking about and should have had a world wide tv show decades ago but big food companies , ranchers , governments have too much riding on all the garbage they push us to eat so jay dont get pushed by the tv because it would cost all those other groups . but jay , like walker , should be taken dead seriously as were all dying and getting sick from not consuming enough raw plant foods :

https://www.amazon.com/Fresh-Vegetable-Fruit-Juices-Walker/dp/089019033X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1480428057&sr=8-1&keywords=norman+walker+fresh+vegetable+and+fruit+juices

also if i didnt speak of it above , raw micro greens and sprouts are healthiest foods possible plus cheap to grow . heres a great site on it -

https://sproutpeople.org/seeds/microgreens/

THE ONLY THING GOING TO HEAL YOU IS THE ADDITION OF HUGE AMOUNTS OF RAW PLANT FOODS AND THEIR JUICES ALONG WITH HOME MADE RAW NUT AND SEED MILKS !

BUT ITS A LONG SEVERAL YEARS LONG PROCESS SO THE VAST MAJORITY DONT MAKE IT . BUT EVENTUALLY IT'LL BE REALIZED AND ONCE NUMBERS HAVE DONE IT IT WILL GIVE

OTHERS THE STRENGTH TO FOLLOW THROUGH AND IT'LL BECOME KNOWN FACT !


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## letsgo (May 26, 2016)

Hi Vinny,

Not sure how much this will help, but here's my experience.

My IBS is triggered by both alcohol and travel anxiety separately. It started pretty much overnight. One day I didnt have any IBS symptoms, then I had a big flare up on a long coach journey with no available toilet, after a night of drinking. Since then I get bad flare ups the day after I have a few drinks. I also get bad flare ups when I am travelling, even if I havent touched alcohol in weeks. I work for the merchant navy and do not consume alcohol for the time I am on board, which is usually 6 weeks. The anxiety about travel is solely related to IBS - im anxious that I will have a bad attack at a time that it is not possible to get to a toilet. On board I rarely have any flare ups as there is no alcohol and no anxiety about not being able to get to a toilet.

Despite this, the anxiety related to travelling home from the ship (bus ride and at least 1 long haul flight) gives me really bad IBS. I pretty much sit on the toilet for a couple of hours in the morning forcing myself to go, followed by taking 2 immodium instants and 4 normal immodium. Not a healthy routine but it works for me.

In short it could just be your anxiety that causes your flare ups rather than anything food related.


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## vinny321 (Nov 29, 2016)

letsgo said:


> In short it could just be your anxiety that causes your flare ups rather than anything food related.


Yeah, that's definitely what the doctors told me as well. Certain foods or drinks seem to aggrevate it (like coffee, soda & alcohol), but stress is probably the cause in my case.

I actually wish it was caused by certain food/drinks cause that would make the remedy more straightforward. Since it's probably stress I feel like I have to change my whole persona, give everything up and become a Budhist monk or something to tackle this.

Thanks for your reply letsgo


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## Maria S. (Jan 5, 2016)

As you said, both stress and diet can trigger ibs symptoms. Even if stress is the main trigger, we have to pay attention to our diet. In my case since stress was the main trigger, I realized really late that some foods caused me problem too. So we have to find ways to deal with it in every aspect. Meditation, exercises and breathing exercises can be helpful too!


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## celestin (May 20, 2004)

Hello from....Belgium!

Have you been checked/treated for: Giardia? Blastocysyis hominis? Other parasite?

Ask an appointment with Dr. Jef Van den Ende, Instituut voor Tropische Geneeskunde,.Antwerpen.

He wil verify these -important- points.

And forget the 'stress explanation'..


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## minimalizer (Jun 8, 2014)

Hi, I've had hard ibs-d for 16 yrs, occasionally during stress for 18 yrs or so before that. At 40 when stress got worse, foods then started to affect me too and ibs became daily, especially if I don't eat small, frequent and slower chewed meals. I've done a low tricyclic antidepressant prescribed for ibs at 25 mg. Was so drying, I'm on 12 mg now. I stay on it thinking the serotonin balancing effect will help anxiety and some inflammation. I might go off it. I do cbd oil (cannabis), that doesn't prevent the harder spasms caused by stress or not being use to larger stools (time to eat more insoluble fiber now). If I don't have 2-3 bowel movements, the stools get too large to handle, then the hard spasms. For those harder spasms I've taken 3 ml of valarian drops/tincture, glycerine based. I do a low residue ibs diet, which is low soluble fiber mainly foods, but not too high amounts of soluble fiber. Taking methylcellulose fiber caplets supplements that help keep stools that prevent diarrhea. The Rome criteria testing was done on me at the 18 yrs ago point to rule out other things. First GI found an inflammation in the ilium, put me on anti-inflammatory pentasa for one mo., felt better, but then he stopped it, didn't say what it was and sent me back to reg. doctor. Very unprofessional. The second GI opinion I got just called it ibs-d. I also have bad acid reflux and got off prescribed omeprozole proton pump inhibitor,after 10 yrs. Preventing spasms makes more sense for preventing reflux that follows. BTW, Bentyl antispasmotic was extremely drying and made me more dry and drowzy than enough spasm help. Lately have been using licorice root and a distilled George's aloe that don't cause diarrhea and have helped my ilium and upper GI (reflux) inflammations, but take my probiotics 2 hrs away from them because they're antibacterial. Feel really good! I think the low grade but can flare very painful ilium inflammation came first and just got worse and encouraged the spasms and reflux. I don't like the medical doctors other than to rule out things. Reading alot really helped. Hope to some day feel consistent enough with manageable symptoms to work, even if part time to start. Hope this helps.


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## acureisoutthere (Jun 28, 2014)

Hello Vinny,

If you study the Human Microbiome, you will realize that your IBS symptoms are connected with loss of bacterial species and/or imbalances of this ecosystem. This dysbosis as it is often called, has also been linked to anxiety.

The first thing I would suggest since you are in Belgium is to go to clinicaltrials.gov and do a search for : FMT

I'm pretty sure one of the last times I was on this site, I had found a trial for IBS in Belgium. If I were in your shoes, I'd be really looking into it.

Something for you to also consider when you think about this trial ; Dr. Thomas Borody, at the Centre for Digestive Diseases in Australia is reversing IBS-D with an 80% success rate. Of course he is the best in the world, and has been doing this procedure for 30 years. Still, his success rate is very encouraging, and we can hope that the doctors in Belgium are following his latest protocol. Avoiding exposure of the sample to air is critical. Finding a good donor is a real challenge.

I also would like to encourage you to go to YouTube and do a search for : The Human Microbiome This will help you to understand the nature of your symptoms, if watch enough videos.

Books; I like "The Microbiome Solution" by Dr. Robynne Chutkan, she has good dietary advise with one caveat; for many with IBS symptoms these dietary recommendations may not work well. If, you have reversed your IBS, as I have, then her recommendations are quite good.

A food elimination diet may be the only way to find the 'trigger' foods that affect you. Everyone has a different microbiome, so what works for one, doesn't always work for the next person. The FODMAP diet has been found to be helpful for around 50% of patients with IBS, in reducing symptoms. But, it doesn't work for everyone.

For some, stress does seem to trigger symptoms. Worth noting : dysbosis of this ecosystem of bacteria has been associated with neurological functions. ADD, ADHD, Autism, MS, Depression, Anxiety, Parkinson's, and Alzheimer's have all been associated with a disrupted and or damaged microbiome. So clearly, stress is associated with the microbiome. Interestingly, I have read of Autism, Depression, and MS being reversed by an FMT.

I would : limit my exposure to chlorinated water, rarely use mouthwash, re-consider using toothpaste, avoid all processed foods, avoid all types of sugars, avoid GMO foods, avoid NSAIDS, PPIs, and antibiotics whenever possible. Still keep brushing and flossing, daily with water. If you understand the microbiome clearly and have done your homework you will be able to understand these recommendations. I've been constantly trying to better understand this microbiome for the last three years. To me, it is very clear how loss of species and/or disruption of normal balances of good and bad bacteria are leading to IBS symptoms.

Other books I like; "10% Human" by Alanna Collen and "Missing Microbes" by Dr. Martin Blaser. Of course, you can learn so much by just Googling The Human Microbiome, or The Human Microbiome and IBS, or The Human Microbiome and many other diseases.

Best wishes on the trial in Belgium Vinny.


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## celestin (May 20, 2004)

LOL if that could be true...

>>>>Dr. Thomas Borody, at the Centre for Digestive Diseases in Australia is reversing IBS-D with an 80% >>>>success rate. Of course he is the best in the world, and has been doing this procedure for 30 years.


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## acureisoutthere (Jun 28, 2014)

celestin said:


> LOL if that could be true...
> 
> >>>>Dr. Thomas Borody, at the Centre for Digestive Diseases in Australia is reversing IBS-D with an 80% >>>>success rate. Of course he is the best in the world, and has been doing this procedure for 30 years.


If you read the book, "10% Human" by Alanna Collen, you will find where she reports this success rate.

I have no reason to disbelieve her statements. I have reversed my own IBS-D by the same procedure, an FMT. If you look deep into medical research, you will find that Dr. Borody has/is reversing more than just IBS-D. Without his pioneering work, this procedure may have been buried in medical literature. But, thanks to his early efforts we now can reverse the deadly Clostridium Difficile infections with 98% success rates. In medicine you rarely see such a success rate. Hundreds of gastroenterologists across the US are now doing these FMTs for refractory C. Diff. right now and saving lives. There have been very, very few problems reported from the transplantation of this ecosystem. Of course they thoroughly screen and test donors. Clinical trials are starting in the US for using an FMT in conjunction with several different disease states to include C. Diff. Chron's, IBS, obesity and others. You can go to clinicaltrials.gov and do a search for FMT to learn more.

Glen Taylor, at the Taymount Clinic, UK is also pioneering this science. In the US; Dr Colleen Kelly, Dr. Rubin, Dr. Brandt, Dr. Grigleone, Dr. Khrotus, Dr. Khanna, and Dr. Arondias are just a few of the doctors doing this procedure.

Dr. Borody reports higher success rates, the more infusions,via enema, that he does after the initial transplant. We must consider that he has the proper equipment to do this procedure such as a chamber to prepare the sample anaerobically, and a colonoscope to ensure coating the entire large intestine with the new flora. He 'knocks down' the existing flora with an antibiotic for 5 to 7 days, then the patient does a clean-out just that same as for a colonoscopy. Dr Borody then does a colonic lavage to make sure the colon is very clean and then infuses the new flora via the colonoscope. Top-off infusions via enema are performed, one per day, over the next 5 to 10 days. Donor selection and their diet is a critical step in the procedure.

Now, if only the FDA would let US doctors perform this procedure for IBS, outside of a clinical trial.........................


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## acureisoutthere (Jun 28, 2014)

rawfoodvegan said:


> jay kordich knows what hes talking about and should have had a world wide tv show decades ago but big food companies , ranchers , governments have too much riding on all the garbage they push us to eat so jay dont get pushed by the tv because it would cost all those other groups . but jay , like walker , should be taken dead seriously as were all dying and getting sick from not consuming enough raw plant foods :
> 
> https://www.amazon.com/Fresh-Vegetable-Fruit-Juices-Walker/dp/089019033X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1480428057&sr=8-1&keywords=norman+walker+fresh+vegetable+and+fruit+juices
> 
> ...


You are on the right track, rawfoodvegan, but please remember that for some people with IBS certain vegetables and raw foods can cause problems. While I quite agree with the raw, fresh food concept for people without IBS, this approach has it's limitations for sufferers of IBS. While I had my IBS I found that following the FODMAP diet helped me, thus I had to avoid some fresh produce to find relief from symptoms.

It seems each person with IBS has different symptoms to some degree, and have different foods that cause problems. For those that can tolerate certain fresh vegetables and certain fresh fruits, then these are definitely a good idea, because they feed our good bacteria. Resistant starches, if one can tolerate them, are especially good.

An elimination diet to find which foods are 'trigger foods' is helpful for some.


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## rawfoodvegan (Mar 25, 2012)

the key to raw foodism with ibs-d is large amounts of the raw plant foods that dont upset your stomach , ecspecially seed n nuts milks for their energy providing protein and fat . it get monotonous so people dont follow it but finding your array of raw plant foods / milks / juices that your tract accepts well then staying on it long term is the cure . what helps get their is regular short term fasting , its why i started years ago what i call the monday fasting club . which is every sunday at 6 after eating all weekend you do a liquid diet for 48 hours . week after week , month after month . eventually you develop better control of your appetite which is huge . then with better appetite control your able to get going on a strict and very nutricious raw diet , never cheating . eating only the raw solid foods your tract handles well along with the raw liquids . this is when you start making progress and get up and running . your tracts like a knee you scrape up , if you keep falling on the knee it'll stay raw . if you keep making wrong eating choices , even here n there the wrong choices are like scraping the knee again so it never heals . it takes LONG TERM COMMITMENT . as in a few years not just months . then when you get there you have to realize your tracts been damaged by our terrible modern processed diet laiden with toxins and that its going to be decades if ever before you can eat stuff you used to like . you have to grasp that fact that you cant ever go back to your old diet and that you have to take all the little tiny steps day after day year after year such as quiting coffee , quiting french fries , etc . your no longer able to cheat , all the freebies are over with . but you know how difficult that is to do !!!!!!!!! but i guarantee its the way because there is NOTHING better for our cells than raw plants and onlt they provide what our cells need to heal . what is needed on this planet is for the tv to quit pushing trash slow poison psuedo foods and start putting in peoples minds raw foodism and strict dietary control . but the ruling class has too much at stake to allow the way of eating thats developed in this kingdom to be so seriously challenged so they keep using the tv to brainwash people into eating their slow poison products so very very few can shuck the mind control and take the needed steps . bottom line is its terrible leadership in this kingdom thats preventing people from healing this ailment just like is the case with other ailments such as cancer where in order to clear it one must realize that even though theyre fed fat they are in a state of malnutrition becase of lack of enough raw plant foods over their life time and their malnourished cells are prone to the cell rot which cancer is and to fend it off they must consume huge amounts of raw plant liquids to provide their cells whats needed to fend off destruction


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## celestin (May 20, 2004)

acureisoutthere said:


> acureisoutthere said:
> 
> 
> > I But, thanks to his early efforts we now can reverse the deadly Clostridium Difficile infections with 98% success rates. In medicine you rarely see such a success rate.


Right, this success rate is very rarely seen in medicine >> first good reason to say that it cannot be believed!


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## acureisoutthere (Jun 28, 2014)

celestin said:


> Right, this success rate is very rarely seen in medicine >> first good reason to say that it cannot be believed!


The Mayo Clinic is reporting 90% success rates in this article : "FMT demonstrates consistently high success rates for recurrent CDI"

http://www.mayoclinic.org/medical-professionals/clinical-updates/digestive-diseases/fmt-demonstrates-consistently-high-success-rates-for-recurrent-cdi

I know I have read of 98% success rates with two infusions to reverse C. Diff. I'll look through my stack of papers, later today.


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## acureisoutthere (Jun 28, 2014)

This paper reports a 90% success rate with one infusion for treating C.Diff.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4836576/

I know I've read of the 98% success rate, after the second infusion. Still looking.


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## vinny321 (Nov 29, 2016)

celestin said:


> Hello from....Belgium!
> 
> Have you been checked/treated for: Giardia? Blastocysyis hominis? Other parasite?
> 
> ...


Hi !

Thank you.

I have not been checked for parasites. 
But this seems like such a longshot.

Also, the fact that I can go without issues for 10 days occasionally or the fact that it usually gets a lot better during holidays makes me thing stress really IS a factor.

Anyway, I'm changing jobs soon. From a high stress job to a more reasonable one. I'll see what this does and keep your suggestion in mind if it doesn't get better.

Thanks again. Vinny


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## acureisoutthere (Jun 28, 2014)

This paper reports an overall 94% cure rate after a second infusion.

http://www.jiac-j.com/article/S1341-321X(15)00030-6/pdf


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## vinny321 (Nov 29, 2016)

acureisoutthere said:


> If, you have reversed your IBS, as I have, then her recommendations are quite good.


Thank you acureisoutthere.
You mentioned quite a few things there.

Very glad to hear you were able to reverse your IBS. Can you pinpoint what was key in your own reversal / recovery ? Did you do an FMT ? Thank you.


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## acureisoutthere (Jun 28, 2014)

celestin said:


> Right, this success rate is very rarely seen in medicine >> first good reason to say that it cannot be believed!


Here you go. Dr. Brandt, 2012, reports a secondary cure rate of 98%. "Long term follow up of colonoscopic fecal microbiota transplant for recurrent Clostridium Difficile infection"

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22450732

I highly doubt that Dr. Brandt would make the statement of "98% secondary cure rate" in peer reviewed literature (NCBI), unless he had the science to back it up.

Celestin, I hope this is helpful. I know that not everyone reads as much research as I do. I have this inquisitive nature I guess. I'm always trying to learn more about this human microbiome, and how we can reverse disease via an FMT. Granted, it is an emerging science and researchers are trying to determine the best protocol, that will give the best results, as we speak. In my opinion, Glen Taylor at the Taymount Clinic, UK, and Dr. Thomas Borody at the Centre for Digestive Diseases, Australia, are leading this effort.

Dr. Colleen Kelly, USA, among others in the US, are also working on perfecting this procedure. She is a gastroenterologist in Providence RI. To date, there seems to be very few problems associated with the procedure (FMT), as long as one does proper screening and testing of the donor, which our medical professionals do follow.

In case anyone is interested : There is a trial for treating IBS, using an FMT, that is recruiting patients in Boston, MA. It is at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. Information can be found at : clinicaltrials.gov search: FMT trial record #83 of 137 for FMT. for more information.


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## acureisoutthere (Jun 28, 2014)

Vinny,

One more thought this morning; if you join the trial, try to first eliminate all of the foods that cause you symptoms, thus reducing the state of inflammation in your bowel. This has been shown to increase that rate of success for FMTs.

Avoiding processed foods and gluten, plus all of your 'trigger' foods would be a good approach, in my opinion.


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## acureisoutthere (Jun 28, 2014)

Hi Vinny,

Yes, I did an FMT to reverse my IBS-D.

Some key points ; avoiding contact with air (air kills these bacteria), donor selection is critical, IMHO, controlling/eliminating 'flare ups" before the procedure, avoiding gluten, avoiding processed foods, and avoiding all sugars are just a few factors to start with.


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## celestin (May 20, 2004)

acureisoutthere said:


> In case anyone is interested : There is a trial for treating IBS, using an FMT, that is recruiting patients in Boston, MA. It is at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.


A trial , a trial ? Why?? Success rate is, minimum, 98% ....Strange


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## celestin (May 20, 2004)

vinny321 said:


> Also, the fact that I can go without issues for 10 days occasionally or the fact that it usually gets a lot better during holidays makes me thing stress really IS a factor.


?? Believe me, forget the 'stress explanation'...


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## vinny321 (Nov 29, 2016)

celestin said:


> Hello from....Belgium!
> 
> Have you been checked/treated for: Giardia? Blastocysyis hominis? Other parasite?
> 
> ...


Hi Celestin,

Meanwhile I've read that it's hard to get a diagnosis on Blasto for instance, because practically everyone has at least some amount of this parasite in their systems, usually without issues.

Could you care to elaborate why you made me this suggestion ? Do/Did you have similar symptoms ? Did you get a check and it turned out positive ? Thanks again.

V


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## rawfoodvegan (Mar 25, 2012)

just re emphasizing home made raw seed milks , the more the better because as a liquid they rest tract from work plus still provide needed fats and protein for energy . sesame - hemp - sun flower - flax - etc - etc . can make with any cheap blender quickly .


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## Trudyg (Aug 16, 2002)

Ok, rawfoodvegan, if you will tell me what raw food doesn't bother my belly I'll try it. Good luck finding ANYTHING raw that I can tolerate. I've had ibs-d since I was 5 and am 59 now. I am very disciplined and can give anything a good, solid try. I cannot eat raw. Period. not even a raisin. I"m glad that it works for you, but we are all different.

As for the fmt, I'd give that a shot in a minute. I think my troubles are due to huge amounts of antibiotics, radiation treatments, and a mom who had no clue about food. I don't remember ever getting anything but cocoa puffs for breakfast in the morning--cocoa puffs in and then came right back out! My mother had cancer & chemo while pregnant with me, another factor. I had peanut butter and jelly for lunch every day until I moved away from home. Supper was things like boiled potatoes and beef tongue. Rarely any vegetable and any fruit was usually in jello. When I first started working as a babysitter as a young teen was the first I ever heard of people eating balanced meals like on the food pyramid. It has taken me a lifetime to get as well as I am now and I still take immodium every single day. At least they sell it now! I used to drink pepto or kaopectate by the bottle when I was in college.

Also, when we learned that my DH had cancer, my bowels turned to liquid. So, don't tell me stress doesn't have anything to do with it. Again, we are all unique and have to find what works for us. My son had what I thought was starting to be ibs-d and got right onto a better diet (as a teen) and hasn't had issues since.


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## acureisoutthere (Jun 28, 2014)

Hey Trudy,

My heart goes out to you. I just wish there was a way I could help.

Maybe we can encourage more clinical trials for IBS, using an FMT, near where you live ?

If only this were more available, and cheaper, so it was within reach of more people. Maybe some letters to the FDA would help. Maybe, if enough people write the FDA asking for them to relax the rules for FMTs that someday, just maybe they might change. I think they overlook how for some people with IBS that the disease affects their life so very, very much.

In my own local area, I have tried my best to encourage gastroenterologist's to do FMTs, for C. Diff. When I started two years ago, none of them nearby, knew anything about it. Now, there are gastroenterologist's in quite a few places that are doing FMTs for C.Diff. It's a step forward at least. I've tried. Perhaps, you can find the gastroenterologists in your area that are doing FMTs for C. Diff. and ask them one by one, if they will consider a trial for IBS ? We have one trial for IBS using an FMT right now in the US. It would be nice to change this, so that we have 6 to 12 of them. It would put us that much closer to a treatment for everyone with IBS. We have to accept that successful trials are the path to make this more available I guess. Together, Borody and Taylor have done 1 or 2 thousand of these FMTs (estimate). So maybe if the FDA will look at their followup data fro m one year post treatment using FMT, they might have a better understanding of long term outcomes.

Wishing you any success possible Trudy.


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## Desma74 (Jan 1, 2017)

Hi Trudy,

I fully understand your pain and suffering. I have suffered a lifetime with Constipation and pain and now the last 4 year with consistant swelling and pain in the abdomen. Greatly increased in the morning after BMs. Wake up feeling a little better but then after several BMs the swelling and pain increases all during the day. It improves if I lie down or recline. Have just had an Allergy test done which revealed Wheat to be the problem and after 9 Colonic Irrigations I KNOW for sure there are worms and parasites in there. Have been taking a Parasite Homeopathic/Herbal remedy to deal with them and will continue with the Colonics. Into my 5th day of no Wheat but suffering from withdrawal I think. Pain is extra bad today......


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## origin46 (May 10, 2009)

I have had IBS off and on for more than 45 years starting in my 20s. Have had it go into "remission" for a couple of years when I was able to do cardio exercise. Running was a godsend, felt like I was running away from IBS. Back problems ended that. I still have good periods for up to 3 months or so, but inevitably it returns. Certain food intolerances regardless. Stress definitely a contributing factor. No true cures have been discovered. Acceptance of IBS is difficult, second guessing is bound to happen over time as symptoms change subtly or drastically. It doesn't have the public awareness that it deserves.


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