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Although sinus issues have bothered me since taking Cipro around 1997, and I developed ulcerative colitis in 2000, I've had CFS since 2008 when my microbiome was destroyed by Levaquin IV antibiotics. So far, the best I've felt since was after a series of fecal transplants in 2012. Not only did this reverse CFS, along with hyperadrenergic POTS and some food intolerance, but I also felt joyful, creative - much like my "old self" but perhaps even... better.
This is interesting because I was born premature, not breastfed, and had a family dr who gave us antibiotics for anything, whether it was a mild cold or flu, bronchitis, etc. By the time I was a teenager, I'd probably had antibiotics 30 times.
The microbiome is very fragile and damage from antibiotics can surface years after the initial assault.
New research is suggesting it's often far more effective to crowd out pathogens with healthy stool (which contains about 400+ strains of bacteria plus a "virome" that is still poorly understood), rather than blasting away with antibiotics, whether they're synthetic compounds, or naturally sourced herbals.
After 14 fecal transplants (aka FMT) over a few weeks, I enjoyed about 6 months of relief. I gained weight, began walking again, was no longer anxious, sound-sensitive, I was able to work long hours, creatively, I felt happy and productive.
Then I began to slowly relapse, and now 4 years later I'm back to where I started, so my plan is to use high doses of VSL#3 probiotic (which also helps keep me ulcerative colitis-free) until I can do FMT again, and THIS time I'll do regular "top offs" of healthy stool, so my microbiome won't regress.
1/3 of my daily VSL#3 dose I'm doing via retention enema, straight into my colon, 1/3 orally, and this is to avoid aggravating SIBO. I'm also doing daily saline/probiotic sinus flushes with 1 capsule Culturelle and 1 tsp raw sauerkraut juice, to boost lactobacillus sakei. This seems to keep the staph in my sinuses under control and curbs post-nasal drip, which (others here mentioned) allows bacterial infections of the gut to persist.
If I sense my sinuses need a break from irrigation I take a few days off, sometimes I use plain hypertonic saline instead of my probiotic mixture. When done early in the day, I find by evening my sinuses are free of excess moisture and I'm more likely to breathe well during sleep.
I'd appreciate hearing from anyone who has done bacteriotherapy for their sinuses and/or general microbiome via FMT, and the impact this has had on fatigue and overall health. Hopefully, in the not too distant future, custom blends of beneficial flora will be developed to target and curb pathogenic overgrowth.
For a more scientific assessment of fecal transplants and CFS, there's at least one study indicating good success rates. If I recall it's around 71%, but this is deceptive because I'm pretty sure patients were only given one treatment. For me, this never would have been enough to affect a cure, or even remission, but repeated treatments over weeks were revolutionary.
One caveat: fecal transplants should be done with only a healthy, tested donor. While "FMT" is legal in many countries for a variety of applications, the FDA only approves its use for life-threatening c. diff infections. Some people may react poorly to a healthy microbiome if it isn't the bacteria they need, or can tolerate, so I would suggest going very slowly, and shifting quickly to a new donor if desired results aren't obtained. Microbiomes are like fingerprints. No two of us have the same collection of gut flora, so (despite studies indicating broad success with CFS) finding the right donor is likely to be important.
This is interesting because I was born premature, not breastfed, and had a family dr who gave us antibiotics for anything, whether it was a mild cold or flu, bronchitis, etc. By the time I was a teenager, I'd probably had antibiotics 30 times.
The microbiome is very fragile and damage from antibiotics can surface years after the initial assault.
New research is suggesting it's often far more effective to crowd out pathogens with healthy stool (which contains about 400+ strains of bacteria plus a "virome" that is still poorly understood), rather than blasting away with antibiotics, whether they're synthetic compounds, or naturally sourced herbals.
After 14 fecal transplants (aka FMT) over a few weeks, I enjoyed about 6 months of relief. I gained weight, began walking again, was no longer anxious, sound-sensitive, I was able to work long hours, creatively, I felt happy and productive.
Then I began to slowly relapse, and now 4 years later I'm back to where I started, so my plan is to use high doses of VSL#3 probiotic (which also helps keep me ulcerative colitis-free) until I can do FMT again, and THIS time I'll do regular "top offs" of healthy stool, so my microbiome won't regress.
1/3 of my daily VSL#3 dose I'm doing via retention enema, straight into my colon, 1/3 orally, and this is to avoid aggravating SIBO. I'm also doing daily saline/probiotic sinus flushes with 1 capsule Culturelle and 1 tsp raw sauerkraut juice, to boost lactobacillus sakei. This seems to keep the staph in my sinuses under control and curbs post-nasal drip, which (others here mentioned) allows bacterial infections of the gut to persist.
If I sense my sinuses need a break from irrigation I take a few days off, sometimes I use plain hypertonic saline instead of my probiotic mixture. When done early in the day, I find by evening my sinuses are free of excess moisture and I'm more likely to breathe well during sleep.
I'd appreciate hearing from anyone who has done bacteriotherapy for their sinuses and/or general microbiome via FMT, and the impact this has had on fatigue and overall health. Hopefully, in the not too distant future, custom blends of beneficial flora will be developed to target and curb pathogenic overgrowth.
For a more scientific assessment of fecal transplants and CFS, there's at least one study indicating good success rates. If I recall it's around 71%, but this is deceptive because I'm pretty sure patients were only given one treatment. For me, this never would have been enough to affect a cure, or even remission, but repeated treatments over weeks were revolutionary.
One caveat: fecal transplants should be done with only a healthy, tested donor. While "FMT" is legal in many countries for a variety of applications, the FDA only approves its use for life-threatening c. diff infections. Some people may react poorly to a healthy microbiome if it isn't the bacteria they need, or can tolerate, so I would suggest going very slowly, and shifting quickly to a new donor if desired results aren't obtained. Microbiomes are like fingerprints. No two of us have the same collection of gut flora, so (despite studies indicating broad success with CFS) finding the right donor is likely to be important.
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