The Gut: Fixing the Root of all my Problems

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douglasmich

Senior Member
Messages
311
Greetings everyone.

I am making this thread to log my healing journey and to share my experience and hopefully get some tips from other members here. I am dealing with complex health problems that i believe to be manifesting due to severe gut dysfunction.

I have had Slow Transit Constipation (STC) since i was a child and it never bothered me. I had 2 big BMs a week. However once a month i had severe stomach pain. When i was 18 i took finasteride for hairloss and i developed a rare syndrome (rare like CFS) after stopping the drug. It is called PFS (Post Finasteride Syndrome)
See here for more details: http://www.pfsfoundation.org/

To summarize, PFS is a drug induced androgen resistance. The root cause it not known yet but there is speculation that the problem is a drug induced epigenetic change or even a possible autoimmune disease with antibodies on hormone metabolism systems. The symptoms are the same as low testosterone except testosterone levels are fine in many (and in my case) hence the term "androgen insensitivity" The condition also involves HPA Axis dysregulation typically resulting in low free cortisol which lowers metabolic rate.

About 1.5 years ago i took antibiotics for a mouth infection and developed severe constipation and have been battling it ever since. I have been on a low fodmap strict paleo diet and using magnesium, vitamin C, gargling to get my bowels to move. PFS exacerbates the problem because of the HPA axis dysregulation and hormone dysfunction. So you can see i am stuck in a rut with numerous catch 22"s

I have done herbal antimicrobials and they cure the constipation when im on them but when i stop it comes back. Sadly now i have developed MCS so i cannot tolerate abx anymore

I believe all my problems start in the gut, and that my inability to recover from Finasteride lies in the gut too. The gut is always the best place to start !

I have attached my Stool Test results.

I have just done a 12 day juice/broth fast on 250kcal a day. I am slowly refeeding now to see if my gut is any better then i am planning to attack the dysbiosis from the other end.

Starting with 1/4tsp RS mixed with a probiotic in a 4.5oz retention enema. Praying that it will work and that i can slowly increase and heal my flora over time !

Stool test http://imgur.com/a/r71i2
 
roller

roller

wiggle jiggle
Messages
775
i read that we normally take all microbiota we need from food.
and correct me if wrong, even all the lacto-stuff is in vegetables.
we should be fine with this.

i dont think the gut is a 'cause'. it seems a symptom.
i was glad, that the nobel price didnt go to the gut (or alzheimers) guys.

the gut problems are annoying, and may contribute to worsening of diseases.
but otherwise there is nothing to heal by probiotics etc, imo.
 
D

douglasmich

Senior Member
Messages
311
roller said:
i read that we normally take all microbiota we need from food.
and correct me if wrong, even all the lacto-stuff is in vegetables.
we should be fine with this.

i dont think the gut is a 'cause'. it seems a symptom.
i was glad, that the nobel price didnt go to the gut (or alzheimers) guys.

the gut problems are annoying, and may contribute to worsening of diseases.
but otherwise there is nothing to heal by probiotics etc, imo.
Click to expand...

I. I appreciate your opinion but i disagree.

The fact that fecal transplants have HELPED severe neurological conditions like MS and severely reduced Parkinson disease symptoms shows the power of the microbiome.

I think you are a little misinformed
 
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5150

5150

Senior Member
Messages
360
douglasmich said:
I. I appreciate your opinion but i disagree.

The fact that fecal transplants have CURED severe neurological conditions like MS and severely reduced Parkinson disease symptoms shows the power of the microbiome.

I think you are a little misinformed
Click to expand...
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My gut symptoms were so bad about a year ago, I was reluctantly going to the local hospital ER, 4X in 6months. The pain was intense. I don't even need to say how that all worked out probably, but briefly: NOBODY in there knew a damn thing. My GI doc at the time was "head of the Dept". He seemed to take particular delight in saying to me (after I introduced the topic), "You are not a candidate for fecal transplant because the lab found no evidence of C diff ." Well, if so many are helped by fecal transplant, why not just use it as a tool that might possibly be effective? even a chance of helping this miserable condition is worthy of that trial , imo. It seems that the "C diff factor" was driving the decision to approve a fecal transplant or not. Really, is this true? perhaps @Jonathan Edwards may shed light here? Are there other important factors, or does it all depend on Clostridium difficile? After years of pain and discomfort, I would think it reasonable to do a transplant unless it could make the situation even worse.
 
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D

douglasmich

Senior Member
Messages
311
5150 said:
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My gut symptoms were so bad about a year ago, I was reluctantly going to the local hospital ER, 4X in 6months. The pain was intense. I don't even need to say how that all worked out probably, but briefly: NOBODY in there knew a damn thing. My GI doc at the time was "head of the Dept". He seemed to take particular delight in saying to me (after I introduced the topic), "You are not a candidate for fecal transplant because the lab found no evidence of C diff ." Well, if so many are helped by fecal transplant, why not just use it as a tool that might possibly be effective? even a chance of helping this miserable condition is worthy of that trial , imo. It seems that the "C diff factor" was driving the decision to approve a fecal transplant or not. Really, is this true? perhaps @Jonathan Edwards may shed light here? Are there other important factors, or does it all depend on Clostridium difficile? After years of pain and discomfort, I would think it reasonable to do a transplant unless it could make the situation even worse.
Click to expand...

Hi.

Yes in USA FMT is only approved for C.diff

However in the UK &AUSTRALIA we have open drs that treat IBS, MS, Parkinsons etc etc

Typical protocol is 10 days antibiotics then 10 days fecal transplants.

People that can't afford this (10k) do DIY FMT.

Thepowerofpoop.com is a good resource.

In other news i took 1/8 cap of prescript assist today. I feel something going on in my gut for sure. Last time i tried this it constipated me. So let's see if it helps. Most oral probiotics constipate me
 
5150

5150

Senior Member
Messages
360
douglasmich said:
Hi.

Yes in USA FMT is only approved for C.diff

However in the UK &AUSTRALIA we have open drs that treat IBS, MS, Parkinsons etc etc

Typical protocol is 10 days antibiotics then 10 days fecal transplants.

People that can't afford this (10k) do DIY FMT.

Thepowerofpoop.com is a good resource.

In other news i took 1/8 cap of prescript assist today. I feel something going on in my gut for sure. Last time i tried this it constipated me. So let's see if it helps. Most oral probiotics constipate me
Click to expand...

Thanks for that info. What saved me from the dilemma was constant research, where I found a combo of probiotics in a product called VSL#3. It has stopped the majority of painful symptoms for me. Still need to do everything else right, with no cheating on foods/drinks.

Best to you.
 
roller

roller

wiggle jiggle
Messages
775
why wouldnt they use stool implants from babies, or the persons mother - as long as she fits the donor criteria?
they dont seem to recommend this...?
 
Last edited by a moderator:
5150

5150

Senior Member
Messages
360
roller said:
i read that we normally take all microbiota we need from food.
and correct me if wrong, even all the lacto-stuff is in vegetables.
we should be fine with this.

i dont think the gut is a 'cause'. it seems a symptom.
i was glad, that the nobel price didnt go to the gut (or alzheimers) guys.

the gut problems are annoying, and may contribute to worsening of diseases.
but otherwise there is nothing to heal by probiotics etc, imo.
Click to expand...

If you say gut problems are only "annoying", then my immediate conclusion is that you have not truly experienced the havoc that comes from an out-of-balance gut microbiome. I wish you do not ever have that life threatening experience, although if it were to happen you might change your thinking.

As for probiotics, The right ones can do great benefit. This is my experience, after stopping the revolving door pattern I was in by doing frequent trips to the hospital emergency room. The probiotic I am using works by overpowering the worse & stronger bacteriae by sheer numbers. 450 billion live cultures will force out , or deny space, on the receptors that usually is occupied by the big bad ones, like C diff. I accept that your experience may be different. We are unique in most ways, but also similar in many. That's why we come to this forum.
 
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douglasmich

Senior Member
Messages
311
Amyway i took 900mg of NEEM LEAF today and no insane reaction like i got from berberine. Seems like i tolerate it ok.....

I think i need alot of power to knock out these pathogens. No way am I going to risk more damage from pharmaceuticals so i need to find a natural way. Resistant starch seems promising
 
D

douglasmich

Senior Member
Messages
311
Very bloated. Got my enema ingredients today and if i dont have a BM i will do an enema then follow with retention enema. Starting with 1/4tsp RS. Prey it helps.

fleet.jpg
 
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douglasmich

Senior Member
Messages
311
Well just did a standard water enema to clean my system out one last time. Then i attempted my first implant enema. I didn't quite get the whole 133ml in (first time using fleet enema) but i think i got the mixture in my colon haha! 50 billion probiotics and 1/4tsp RS. Planning to retain it overnight.

I have virtually zero parastalsis which is veey concerning. Enemas and laxatives are bad so i need to get my gut online. Hormones are ruining it the most but that's out of my control so bacteria is all i have to work with.

I will continue on oregano oil and neem and update on the effects of the retention enema.

I have also gotton word from the second best gastrointestinal dr in Australia and he will do a phone consult after March. All bulk billed. Likely he will send me antibiotics to eradicate what ever is causing the constipation, then advise on how to restore the flora. He is 9hrs away and with my current status its simply not possible to travel that far. Not to mention all the risks of colonoscopies.

My ideal situation would be to eradicate the pathogens causing constipation then restore the microbiome with home FMT eenemas once a week with a high fiber high resistant starch diet.

I believe doing so will result in recovery
 
K

kangaSue

Senior Member
Messages
1,896
Location
Brisbane, Australia
douglasmich said:
I have also gotton word from the second best gastrointestinal dr in Australia and he will do a phone consult after March. All bulk billed. Likely he will send me antibiotics to eradicate what ever is causing the constipation, then advise on how to restore the flora. He is 9hrs away and with my current status its simply not possible to travel that far. Not to mention all the risks of colonoscopies.
Click to expand...
Who's the second best G.I. doctor in Australia, I'll happily settle for that too.
 
D

douglasmich

Senior Member
Messages
311
Going to bed soon and since im feeling ok im doing to do another with 3/4 tsp RS. Colon feels the same pretty bricked still. Tomorrow i will be upping my neem & oregano doses.
 
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