Trying FMT for healing

[tex]

If that procedure is going to work for anyone who has an IBD, it should surely work for pediatric patients whose immune system may still be in the process of being developed and programmed. It should work even better for younger patients.

I'm guessing that someday that procedure will either be routine, or at least be offered as an option for any babies delivered by C-section.

Tex

[ObsessedMrFixit]

OK, folks, time for one last update. I was on vacation last week, and didn't have internet access, else I probably would've posted from there.

I'm pretty sure my last FMT was #11. I don't remember exactly because my computer ate my log. The travel and slightly different food while on vacation (more meat, less veggies; I can't have any starches so no change there) showed me that I digest meat pretty well, and the veggies not as well. Also, the FMTs taught me that my colon can produce a normal poo, if presented with good material to start with. So, I'm thinking my problem is not in my colon, but further up. Yeah, Yeah, I know that MC is a colonic disease. I'm convinced my mucosal layer is weak and insufficient. It needs to be built up, and it needs the right nutrients to do that.

So, long story short, I don't think FMT has changed anything. Mind you, if I kept it up for more than a week straight, that might change. But, for now, a week straight is enough to show me that my primary problem probably isn't a bacterial imbalance, or missing bacteria. After all, I'm in remission on diet alone.

So, I'm hitting "pause" on FMT for a while, and going to give my upper GI some help.

[Zizzle]

Interesting. I'm sorry FMT didn't produce the intended results. Then again, we know mucosal healing can take a long time, so maybe by improving your gut flora balance, perhaps you're on a faster road to full recovery? We do know MC can affect any part of the digestive tract, not just the colon.

[Zizzle]

Oh man, the FDA is regulating fecal transplants now.

http://www.medpagetoday.com/InfectiousD ... 2013-05-15

The reason the FDA is stepping into the "poop" involves the way in which the agency interprets existing regulations that cover biologic drugs. Fecal microbiota, it said, meets the definition of a biologic product and such products require an IND before they are tested in humans.

FDA spokesperson Curtis Allen told MedPage Today that the FDA has not issued a new rule covering the fecal transplants, but going forward physicians will need an IND if they plan to use the treatment.

In an emergency situation, the agency said, researchers can request to use fecal microbiota for transplant over the phone or by "other rapid means of communication," to which the FDA can respond immediately.

In a non-emergency situation, however, the IND for use in individual patients must be reviewed by the FDA before the transplant can begin.

Researchers at centers performing fecal transplants said they were informally notified by the FDA about the need for IND approval relating to their work in February, and that they should expect further direction following a 2-day hearing, which was convened 2 weeks ago.

"The FDA has been clear for some time now that for fecal transplantation, ... it is necessary to have an IND for some type of regulation and oversight," said David Rubin, MD, of the University of Chicago, who is involved in a trial of fecal transplant for ulcerative colitis. Rubin attended the FDA hearing.

Many researchers and clinicians expect the rule will have a significant impact on their practice or research.

[tex]

That's probably because it hurts the sale of prescription drugs, so the FDA has to look out for it's Big Pharma partners, doncha know.

Tex

[Zizzle]

That's probably because it hurts the sale of prescription drugs, so the FDA has to look out for it's Big Pharma partners, doncha know.

Except there is no drug to treat C. Diff infection, is there? I've wondered whether fecal transplant can transmit diseases like HIV, Hep B and others. Does anyone know if these infections are active in the intestinal lining and therefore the stool?

[tex]

Except there is no drug to treat C. Diff infection, is there?

Sure there is. Many strains still respond to antibiotics, and those that don't are likely to be bombarded with even more antibiotic treatments in a futile effort to treat them with antibiotics. Trust me, Big Pharma doesn't want to see the increasing popularity of treatments that side-step the use of prescription drugs, whether the drugs actually work or not.

Tex

[tex]

I've wondered whether fecal transplant can transmit diseases like HIV, Hep B and others. Does anyone know if these infections are active in the intestinal lining and therefore the stool?

All you have to do is look at the initial pandemic of HIV and it's association with homosexual practices to answer that question.
Tex

[Zizzle]

Getting graphic here...I figured the anal sex risk was from the stretching and bleeding of rectal tissues and the sharing of infected semen, not necessarily stool, but I'll take your word for it.

[tex]

I thought that any body fluid could transmit the virus, including mucus.

Also, the mucosal surface of the intestines is extremely delicate. I've had both a colostomy and an ileostomy, and in both cases, merely gently wiping the mucosal surface of the stoma with a soft tissue was/is enough to cause a tiny amount of blood to flow. IOW, delivery/application of the treatment is almost certain to have a similar effect, even though it would probably not be obvious.

Tex