tldr: 32(f) with severe chronic illness looking for a fecal transplant donor to save my life; I would compensate you if you fit the criteria/are healthy; I'm only asking here because I'm afraid I'm going to die without it. All it requires would be providing a stool sample - I know its gross, but if you read the research on the gut microbiome and it's connection to every aspect of health, it's fascinating; and is the only thing that would save my life.
Edit: I've had bad experience using male donors in the past and would prefer to use a woman if possible. Bonus points if you eat a vegan/fiber heavy diet because fiber = best way to grow good gut bacteria.
Long Version: I don't know if posting about something like this is allowed here, but out of complete desperation and being afraid that I'm going to die, I thought I would try and ask. I have a severe medical condition called mast cell activation syndrome, which causes me to have an autoimmune reaction every time I come into contact with things that should be benign. Usually it is things like chemicals or strong smells, but after undergoing a major surgery in January for an ileostomy, which led to losing 70% of my microbiome (normally located in your large intestine), I became a lot more susceptible to the side effect of most medications, which is that they change the diversity of your gut bacteria. As a person who already had gut microbiome dybiosis, who then lost 70% of their gut bacteria, and then tried 6 different medications for other conditions that all depleted my bacteria even more, and worsened my mast cell disease (which developed due to gut dysbiosis), I am not at a point where I cannot even drink water or eat any of my safe foods, without my body reacting and being in agonizing pain.
Fecal transplants are the only thing that have saved my life in the past when I've had to go on antibiotics that killed my gut bacteria. Fecal transplants aren't FDA approved yet in the US, but there is a tremendous body of research highlighting the connection between the gut microbiome and everything from mental illness to health conditions to weight to metabolism to acne. The reason it's not FDA approved is because, according to the research, and my own trial and error, you get whatever your donor has - mental illness, obesity, acne, health conditions, etc - and it's difficult to find someone who is thin, eats healthy, doesn't have any chronic disease, doesn't have severe acne, and doesn't have severe mental illness (I've used people with anxiety and depression and been okay though I do experience an increase in those symptoms when taking pills).
I have scoured my social media and the friends of friends and everyone I might know or have a connection with, to try to find a new donor. My current donor just developed a severe infection that caused her to go on very strong antibiotics, so using her would be counterintuitive/cause more damage. I am truly afraid I'm going to die if I have to continue to choose between eating food/drinking and agonizing pain. My doctors are all aware that I use fecal transplant to manage my condition - they just can't be a part of the process because it's not legal/FDA approved.
I know this might be met with scrutiny and judgement, and I understand and respect that. Again, only asking out of complete terror and desperation and fear that I will die, because no medications for this condition have worked for me and I have exhausted literally every treatment option.
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