Today I’m sharing something extremely unconventional. It’s a Gutsy story with FMT.

But it’s nothing like what you might be thinking.

After I wrote, “What is C. Diff?” a woman by the name of Kelsi responded. She said it was the worst experience ever, and I told her I’d love to hear more about it. She responded,

Unfortunately FMT isn’t a medical option in my country yet, but I did my research, tested my donor and proceeded with DIY. After multiple failed rounds of antibiotic treatment and being very sick for a long time, FMT cleared it up within 24 hours. That was 2.5 years ago and I’ve been great C-Diff wise ever since! 

(For reference, Kelsi lives in New Zealand. FMT stands for Fecal Microbial Transplantation.)

So I asked if she wanted to share her story here. And this is it.

A Gutsy Story with FMT

Click HERE to save this A Gutsy Story with FMT for later.

I don’t look like the “textbook” C-Diff patient.

I’m young, fit and healthy. And although I do have underlying gut problems, I don’t have a large history of frequent antibiotic use or contact with care facilities, but it still happened to me.

Sinus Infection

My son was 8 months old and I had been battling a sinus infection for weeks. I eventually decided to pursue antibiotic treatment. Since I am allergic to penicillin, I was prescribed a broad spectrum sulphur-based antibiotic.

My sinus infection cleared up quickly. However about a week later I woke during the night incredibly anxious and nauseous with severe back pain and vomited. This was very odd for me because I don’t often vomit, even when I’m sick, but assumed I’d picked up a tummy bug somewhere.

The days continued and my bowel was just shedding nothing but lots and lots of mucus. My stomach had the most incredible bloating and distention I’ve ever had. It was very sore to touch, and I had lots of issues with gas, fatigue, brain fog, indigestion and nausea.

C. Diff

I felt terrible, could hardly leave the bathroom for mucus incontinence, and the smell of a C-Diff infection is also undeniable.

So I returned to my doctor for stool samples. More antibiotics were prescribed to “kill off” the C-Diff and medication to help calm my bowel spasms.

Weeks and months passed by and more antibiotic prescriptions were given. I saw a naturopath and started a gut healing protocol using Saccharomyces boulardii then hitting it hard with probiotics. With a tiny bit of relief, we’d also tried activated charcoal dosing with no real avail.

(AGG note: I have mentioned Saccharomyces boulardii HERE, and have written about Activated Charcoal HERE.)

The months kept turning and I wasn’t responding to treatment. I felt very sick and was rapidly loosing weight; I was a skeleton.

FMT

I had heard about FMT or fecal microbial transplantation. However, it wasn’t available as a medical procedure in my country. So I crawled the Internet for information and research papers. And I spoke to medical professionals that I knew and joined groups to learn more about the procedure. I needed to know about the good, the bad and the ugly, understanding the risks and benefits thoroughly.

By this point, I was so desperate, I chose to DIY my FMT. 

My husband was a good candidate, no history of antibiotic use, great mental health (very important with FMT!) , great physical health and no underlying health conditions. I had his stool tested for parasites, and he was in the clear.

If you venture into DIY groups there are very specific protocols on DIY FMT.

I couldn’t reach it all 100% but what we did do I will share. My husband placed a fresh sample into a sterile container. I had him mix this with sterile saline solution from the first aid kit to a dose-able consistency. He then drew up into a large 20ml syringe.

I laid on my left side in the bath tub to apply my FMT slowly but surely, and then stayed there as I could. I had no issue “keeping in” the FMT which is a very important step. People can experience various physical and emotional responses to FMT, sometimes worse before it gets better. However, I experienced no unwanted side effects.

Often, people also require more than one FMT and sometimes from more than one donor for more microbial diversity. But I only had one shot and within 24 hours of FMT I felt my bowel start to calm, my nausea diminish, and the absolute gastric distress fade to comfort.

Today

That was 2.5 years ago and I’ve been very fortunate not to relapse with C-Diff. Although it didn’t help my existing gut problems, FMT saved me from a living nightmare with C-Diff.

— Kelsi

AGG Note: Thank you so much for sharing, Kelsi. In no way, shape, or form am I suggesting that anyone go out and attempt this procedure on your own. If you have C. Diff, you must work with your doctor to arrive at the best option for you. If you’re in the United States and qualify for a FMT, it can be done in many medical facilities. As Kelsi noted, a sterile environment is critical. If this procedure is not done correctly, it can turn ugly. 

Interested in sharing your OWN Gutsy story? We welcome submissions HERE.

To read more Gutsy stories, click HERE.

Xox,
SKH