Hi All,

I'm posting this because Fecal Transplantation helped me. (See
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fecal_transplant
for more information about fecal transplantation.) Although Fecal Transplantation might not be the answer for everyone with Colitis, there is a possibility that it could help others like me.

I took Antibiotics for some two years about 10-15 years ago. I didn't think Antibiotics had anything to do with my Colitis. I believed my colon problems were due to poor eating habits: I had an addiction to milk chocolate and fructose milk teas.

I was diagnosed with Colitis in late December (2006). At the time, my colon was so inflamed, my doctor could view only a small portion; however, it was enough for him to make a diagnosis. He prescribed Colazal and Prednisone (40 mg). My symptoms gradually improved with the medication. I was no longer weak and dehydrated. I could leave the house long enough to go shopping. The diarrhea and bleeding subsided. So my doctor decided to wean me off the Prednisone. The problem was that my symptoms gradually worsened each time I reduced the dosage, and I wanted to get off the Prednisone as soon as possible. I had read about some of the horrible side effects of Prednisone--primarily that of aging the body and losing bone mass. I became desperate. So I tried Fecal Transplantation when my daughter and her baby came to visit about a month and a half ago.

I did the fecal transplantation once a day for four days. I scoped up the feces from the baby's diaper with a spoon immediately after she had a bowel movement. I put the feces in a plastic bowl and mix it with the same amount of water. I then put the (half-feces half-water) mixture in a syringe that had a 2 1/2 cm removable plastic tip at the end of it. And I then used the syringe to put the mixture inside my rectum. I think I was able to get one syringe worth of mixture the first time, one the second time, two the third time, and two the fourth time. The mixtures took effect immediately. I stopped bleeding after the third time, and the bleeding has not returned. I was able to get off of the Prednisone in about a week and a half, which was a little too quick, because I did suffer from some Prednisone withdrawal symptoms: painful joints, stiff joints, weak muscles, sore muscles... I also gradually stopped taking the Colazal.

I just had a colonoscopy. The ulcer is gone and my colon is 98% better. My doctor says my condition is remarkable. He still wants me to take the Colazal (or some similar anti-inflammatory medicine) though, because he feels that having to take Colazal far outweighs the risk of getting another flare up and having to get surgery.

Of special note:

1) I think it's important to do the fecal transplantation immediately after the baby has a bowel movement so the bacteria are intact as much as possible. Don't worry about having to go to the bathroom. The effect was immediate: the newly implanted bacteria kept me from having to go to the bathroom so quickly.

2) I am not a doctor. Fecal transplantation may not help you, and there could be complications that I don't know about.

3) It is very dangerous to get off Prednisone too quickly. (http://arthritis.about.com/od/prednisone/f/withdrawaltaper.htm and
http://adam.about.com/encyclopedia/000357.htm)