FMT - 3 months later - questions

We spend a lot of time talking about the bad news in this discussion group - here's the spot for the good news. If you've had c-diff and are now well, please tell us about it here.
jlr627
Contributor
Posts: 66
Joined: Sat Jun 16, 2012 12:00 am

FMT - 3 months later - questions

Postby jlr627 » Mon Dec 02, 2013 1:16 am

Hi everyone,

I had an FMT via colonoscope almost 3 months ago and am doing pretty well - MUCH better than before I had it.

In the past few weeks though I have been having some IBS symptoms with a variety of foods that I have tried to re-introduce. Sometimes I am fine and other times not so much. I get some bad BM's, urgency, cramping, major gas and what not after eating certain things. I've been keeping a food diary but it's a bit wonky. I was having 2 solid BM's per day (1 morning, 1 night) and now I'm going 2-3 times a day. Some are good quality, others not so much due to the IBS. I was wondering if anyone else had this happen.

The foods in questions are:
Onions, coffee, chocolate, artificial sweetener, too much salad and dairy (with which I have a cow's milk allergy anyway)

I would love to hear from you.

Thanks!
Jen

Bobbie
Administrator
Posts: 12688
Joined: Sat Aug 06, 2005 8:00 pm

Re: FMT - 3 months later - questions

Postby Bobbie » Mon Dec 02, 2013 1:40 am

Jen, everything you mentioned is implicated in IBS for some. Try leaving these out of your diet and see what happens. Not having chocolate will be a bummer - especially during the holidays. I finally worked out an "everything in moderation; nothing to excess" method. Works for me, but you might be cautious for a couple of months after FMT. Dairy products affect many who have any type of GI upset - let alone a major infection like C. diff.

Some do develop IBS after C. diff. & any type of treatment including the FMT - but usually not as much as after other treatments.

Keep us posted.

amyc
Long Time Contributor
Posts: 2084
Joined: Thu Nov 10, 2011 8:15 am

Re: FMT - 3 months later - questions

Postby amyc » Mon Dec 02, 2013 1:46 am

Nothing on that list surprises me. It took over a year for me to be able to tolerate dairy. I had to avoid lots of protein bars that contained whey protein and even milk chocolate would set me off. Raw onions and salad were the same. I can now eat almost anything with only minor issues, if any, the next day. I do take colestipol tablets once a day to keep things slowed down and probably always will. The good news is that my cholesterol is now in the 170s, which made my doctor happy.

So give it time and read labels. Avoid whey protein and casein because those are the trigger for dairy intolerance for lots of people. Even some semisweet and dark chocolate products have it. Artificial sweeteners act as laxatives too, so you will probably want to stay away from those too. I found I could tolerate plain soy lattes most days and have come to prefer the taste, especially at Starbucks. They can do half caf as well.

ncmimi4
Regular User
Posts: 51
Joined: Sat Jul 20, 2013 8:44 am

Re: FMT - 3 months later - questions

Postby ncmimi4 » Thu Dec 05, 2013 11:05 am

I sure wish someone would start a section just about food on here. I am in the middle of 3 days of FT and was told to eliminate all dairy and gluten. Also nothing with caffeine, decaf tea is ok. I asked for how long and was told to wait until I was in really good shape and then start a tiny test of dairy and probably stay off gluten for good. I wonder if anyone has had trouble with eggs. It would be so nice to have some egg salad or scrambled egg with my rice cake for breakfast but they really seem to bother me. Anyone else? Thanks to the good information from a lot of you I was already off dairy.

jlr627
Contributor
Posts: 66
Joined: Sat Jun 16, 2012 12:00 am

Re: FMT - 3 months later - questions

Postby jlr627 » Thu Dec 05, 2013 11:12 am

I am so frustrated. Although I still have 2-3 BM's a day, the quality has declined and I now have enormous amounts of gas and feel like something(things) are irritating my GI tract. I cannot for the life of me figure out what the offenders are. I have been keeping a food journal for a month and NOTHING has changed in my diet. This started like 10 days ago. I went from pooping 2x a day to 3 and everything is irritating me. I don't do dairy or alcohol or artificial sweeteners. Does anyone have an idea as to what may be going on? I am about to start on VSL3.

amyc
Long Time Contributor
Posts: 2084
Joined: Thu Nov 10, 2011 8:15 am

Re: FMT - 3 months later - questions

Postby amyc » Thu Dec 05, 2013 4:27 pm

Sorry to hear you are struggling. A few people need a second FMT to become cured, so if things continue to go downhill with your symptoms you may want to request a C diff test. Otherwise, the VSL # 3 works well for me. I take one of those along with an AOR ProBiotic3 capsule a day, and have for about a year. I don't know if that regimen is what helped to eliminate my food intolerances or if it just happens over time no matter what, but I am happy with my results.

The good thing about the Probiotic-3 is that it has 2 spore-forming species, which I hope will help to crowd out any remaining C diff bacteria that may be lurking in my gut. Here's a link to a US site for the Probiotic-3:

http://www.iherb.com/Advanced-Orthomole ... =null&ic=1

jlr627
Contributor
Posts: 66
Joined: Sat Jun 16, 2012 12:00 am

Re: FMT - 3 months later - questions

Postby jlr627 » Thu Dec 05, 2013 4:30 pm

Thanks, Amy. I tested for C Diff a few weeks ago and was negative. It feels like IBS - not C Diff this time around. At this point I think I can tell the difference :) If this continues, I will get another test though.

Bobbie
Administrator
Posts: 12688
Joined: Sat Aug 06, 2005 8:00 pm

Re: FMT - 3 months later - questions

Postby Bobbie » Thu Dec 05, 2013 8:19 pm

ncmimi4,
See CDI - Diet for a list of offending foods and tips on gaining weight.

Also see CDI - Three Day Rule and CDI - IBS.

ncmimi4
Regular User
Posts: 51
Joined: Sat Jul 20, 2013 8:44 am

Re: FMT - 3 months later - questions

Postby ncmimi4 » Sat Dec 14, 2013 12:02 pm

Thanks Bobbie, just read this and went and looked at all the info.

Bobbie
Administrator
Posts: 12688
Joined: Sat Aug 06, 2005 8:00 pm

Re: FMT - 3 months later - questions

Postby Bobbie » Sat Dec 14, 2013 2:23 pm

How did your FMT go? What did your doctor say about putting the transfer into the small intestine? Did he/she mention eating fiber after the procedure? Many experts think fiber "feeds" the new good bacteria.


Return to “Success Stories”



Who is online

Users browsing this forum: Google [Bot] and 11 guests