Introduction

Hi,

I've set up this blog to inform those interested in the progress I am making after undergoing the Human Probiotic Treatment (HPI) to treat Ulcerative Colitis (UC).

After I now give you some history, explain my treatment and subsequent experiences, I will make an effort to update you monthly of my progress on this blog. I give the history for background understanding. Maybe some people will have had common experiences. You can skip straight to the treatment and results section if you prefer.

HISTORY

Ulcerative Colitis began to affect me at the end of 1988 when I was 19. I am now 36. During 1988 I remember being 80kgs early in the year, but only 70kgs by the time my symptoms started. I'm 6'3" and have always been lean. For the next year I suffered with constant diarrhoea, requiring up to about a dozen toilet visits a day. I grew up in a doctor phobic, vegetarian family, so it was a year before I was prompted by a relative to visit a doctor. After a colonoscopy I was diagnosed with UC. I was then put on a steroid treatment of Prednisone and put on an ongoing dose of Salazapirine. This brought things into much better control, though never fully resolved the symptom of diarrhoea and urgency.

The other health development I was having was that my skin and nails were becoming fragile where I was blistering easily, primarily on my hands and feet. It was later in 1990 that I was diagnosed with Epidermolysis Bullosa Aquasita (EBA). I have continued to suffer from this since then.

Over the intervening years I've had my ups and downs with UC. Luckily never bad enough to require surgery. I found that by eating well I could maintain an ok state. Though I've never been in remission. About eight years ago I turned fully vegan after attending an Anthony Robbins seminar. I already was a vegetarian who didn't eat dairy products, so it wasn't a big shift. In retrospect, I just got worse on this diet. Four years ago I was prompted to improve my health after watching a video by a vegetarian naturopath who instilled in my mind that given correct care the body was always willing to heal. I began reading books and web sites on the subject of health. In April 2002 I came across David Klein's (http://www.colitis-crohns.com) web site and tried his diet. It made me much worse very quickly. The worst effect was that with the elimination of soy products, my protein intake was almost non existent. My skin problem became so bad that just closing my fist was becoming painful. Just a few weeks earlier I had read an article by Ward Nicholson (http://www.beyondveg.com/nicholson-w/hb/hb-interview1a.shtml) which had me convinced that meat was not the evil I had been lead to believe. So I tried some, and really liked the taste of it (as I always had). Within a week my skin improved back to status quo and I have eaten meat every day since. At that time I was 69kgs, which is pretty skinny when you're 6'3”! By August, I was 80kgs. That was enough to convince me that my body liked meat! I began to learn about the paleolithic diet and the general dangers of excessive carbohydrates. I came across the Specific Carbohydrate Diet by Elaine Gottschall (www.scdiet.org). This seemed to give a good explanation for UC, but even the low carbohydrates on that diet seemed to be too much for me then. The best general health information I have so far found is by Dr Joseph Mercola (www.mercola.com). I then embarked on a diet of low carbs, mainly meat and veges. This actually caused short periods of remission, with good solid stools being formed. But I was up and down for a long time. I found that eating carbohydrate rich foods such as bread and pasta made my condition worse. After consulting a naturopath I was eventually referred to Dr Thomas Borody as a parasite had been found in a stool test. After a colonoscopy and another stool test they found one more parasite. My colonoscopy found I had active pan colitis the full length of my colon. I then embarked on three antibiotic treatments to eliminate the parasites. The first two initially gave me great relief from my symptoms, including surviving without any drugs for six months in one case, but eventually one of the parasites returned. The third antibiotic course succeeded in eliminating this parasite, and helped reduce my symptoms somewhat. But though the parasites were not found again, my symptoms became worse over time. By the end of last year I wasn't feeling well and I was experiencing both great urgency and diarrhoea. I had now been on a regular dose of Salofalk granules for awhile. So early this year I discussed the Human Probiotic Treatment with Dr Borody and decided to try it.

TREATMENT

Details of the treatment can be found on their website at:

http://www.probiotictherapy.com.au/

The clinic web site is at:

http://www.cdd.com.au/

The staff are great and the facilities modern and professional.

My treatment began with a ten day antibiotic treatment. This is to 'knock out' the bad bacteria in the gut. Then for the first two weeks of May, Monday to Friday, I turned up to the clinic every morning for an HPI infusion. The day before the first treatment you do not eat and consume several litres of liquid that clear your gut. On the first morning you cannot eat or drink as they perform a colonoscopy to ensure the colon is in a good state to perform the treatment. Positively I was found to have no active colitis, just healed scarring. While still under on the first morning they administer the first probiotic infusion right into the top of the colon using the colonoscopy tube. For the rest of the mornings, the infusions are administered while lying on an inclined mattress with the head down and tail up. This is to allow gravity to help the infusion down. The process itself is not that unpleasant. Just a little uncomfortable. We are encouraged to hold the infusion for as long as we can without trying too hard. This is the difficult part. I found that moving slowly, and spending the morning on the recliner at home while watching TV was the easiest method for me. If I'd get up and start feeling the urge I'd just go and lie down and would eventually feel better. I experienced anything from half an hour to five hours. Once I let it go I was fine for the rest of the day.

RESULTS

Bar releasing the infusion I found that my stools became more formed within about three days. They then continuously improved. I remained on two Salofalk granules twice a day. For the next three month my stools remained formed, with just the odd softening at times, and I averaged 3 to 4 motions a day. This did go up and down in cycles, including the odd urgency. Though never close to what I've experienced in the past.

In summary, the difference I felt between before and after was like night and day. I have been feeling heaps better since. I went from 80kgs at the time of the treatment to a now steady 85kgs within a few weeks. For a skinny bloke like me extra weight is a plus.

After a couple of months I visited the clinic again for a review. Dr Borody was happy with my progress and moved by medication from Salofalk granules to tablets, four twice a day.
Three more months on and I have experienced some loose stools at times. For several weeks now it seems to be running a cycle. Up and down over about a weekly schedule. Every time I start thinking of calling the clinic I start getting better again and feel like seeing how that will go. I’m not getting stools as good as in the first couple of months now though. I have been offered a 'top up' by the clinic. A one off HPI just to set things on their course again so have called the clinic and left a message with the nurse to discuss this option.

Otherwise I've been fighting fit. Doing a lot of cycling. But at times I have feel a bit tired. Especially soon after the treatment I felt pretty tired for awhile.

From the point of view of my skin, it was initially worse for about a month but then came back to the norm. So no change there.

It seems that for me the results may not last which would be a shame. I haven't given up yet though. Here is someone else's positive experience http://nexusofsteve.com/News/news_102204.html.

Come back from time to time and I will update you with my ongoing progress.

All the best,

Carl :-)