It took Towradgi’s Kerryn Barnett some time to come to terms with the ‘’yuck factor’’ of undergoing a faecal transplant.
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But after being told by specialists that the only other option to treat her rare condition was to remove her large intestine, she made the decision to go ahead.
The mother-of-three had colonic inertia – or paralysis of the large intestine – which saw her hospitalised four times last year with serious bowel obstructions.
Two specialists recommended major surgery, so she sought a third opinion at the Centre for Digestive Diseases at Five Dock, Sydney.
Doctors there suggested faecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) – where healthy human donor faeces is infused via colonoscopy or enema into the patient’s unhealthy bowel.
Successfully used on patients with conditions like Crohn’s disease and irritable bowel syndrome, Ms Barnett was the first Australian to undergo the procedure for paralysis.
‘’I have a condition known as gastroparesis – paralysis of the stomach – and had a gastric pacemaker implanted in 2015 to manage that,’’ she said.
‘’However the paralysis can track and unfortunately for me it moved down to my large intestine, and because that wasn’t contracting the faeces was getting stuck.
‘’I didn’t want to undergo major surgery to remove the large intestine and then attach the small intestine directly to the rectum, so while I was horrified by the idea of the faecal transplant at first, it was my best option.’’
The 38-year-old underwent the initial transplant via colonoscopy at the Sydney centre on May 16, with smaller infusions by enema each day for the next fortnight.
‘’The aim is to reintroduce and repopulate the gut with good bacteria which creates a healthy gut flora,’’ she said.
It’s early days but specialists are thrilled with her progress – and she’s feeling much more comfortable.
‘’Previously I was using four to five medications a day to try and go to the toilet, and even then would sometimes be constipated for up to 12 days,’’ she said. ‘’Last week I went to the bathroom every single day unmedicated.’’
Ms Barnett is raising awareness to help others with digestive conditions.
‘’I was a little nervous about sharing my story due to it being such a personal experience and because of the yuck factor, but I know that if it helps even just one person it will be worth it.
‘’I’m sure people may be judgmental or will find it a horrible thought but if it works – and all indications so far are positive – and it can be used to help fellow gastroparesis sufferers or promote further research into the use of FMT as a treatment then I think it’s well worth it.’’