A man stuck by a serious bowel infection has been cured after undergoing a faecal transplant , with stools donated by his daughter . Len Barnes shed three stone as he battled the life-threatening condition Clostridium difficile , suffering bouts of diarrhoea . He lost his appetite and endured continuous pain . Despite numerous courses of antibiotics during long spells in hospital , the 75-year-old was showing no signs of improvement . It was then that specialists suggested a faecal transplant . Len Barnes , 57 , from Stockton , has been cured of the severe bowel infection Clostridium difficile after undergoing a faecal transplant . His daughter Debbie , left , acted as donor . ' I 'd never heard of it before , ' said Mr Barnes . ' I thought , `` come on , you 're taking the mickey '' . 'But my doctor explained that mixing healthy poo with my poo - and transferring it back into my bowel mixed with warm water - would give someone 's healthy bacteria the chance to fight with my bad bacteria . And when gastroenterologist Chris Wells raised the issue of finding a suitable donor , Mr Barnes ' daughter Debbie stepped in . The 52-year-old 's stools were tested to ensure they were suitable and free from harmful bacteria . Mr Barnes , from Stockton , was then admitted to the University Hospital of North Tees . The procedure aims to re-balance the bacteria in the gut , by introducing bacteria from the faeces of healthy people . Once Ms Barnes ' stools were approved , they were mixed with water and filtered . The solution was then transplanted into Mr Barnes ' gut via an endoscope - a long , thin , flexible tube that has a light source and a video camera at one end . ' I had a bit of sedation but watched it all happening on the screen in the endoscopy unit , ' he said . Gastroenterologist Dr Chris Wells performed the procedure at the University Hospital of North Tees . ' I was interesting . I knew it had worked straight away . 'The next day Dr Wells said I could go home and everything was back to normal . ' Dr Wells , said : 'Faecal transplantation does n't sound very appealing but it 's a very effective remedy in patients like Len . 'Transplanting faeces from one person to another does seem a bit unusual but actually it 's using healthy gut bacteria to fight off infection . 'Our bowels are packed full of billions of bacteria and these play an important role in maintaining health . ' Dr Wells said there had been a significant reduction in the number of C-diff cases in the trust over the past few years but it was reassuring to know that faecal transplant was now an option to treat the condition . In March last year the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence published new guidelines , naming faecal transplants as a recognised form of treatment for C-diff infections . Experts deemed the procedure is 'safe enough to be used in the NHS ' . An analysis of seven studies , involving 558 patients , revealed nearly all patients were cured . In one study , the infection came back in around one in 20 patients within five weeks , compared with more than half of the patients given antibiotics . In another study , the infection came back in around one in 50 patients between 29 days and four years after faecal transplant . Nice concluded it did n't make much difference if the transplant was from a relative or stranger , or if the transplant had been frozen or not .
Len Barnes , 75 , lost three stone while battling clostridium difficile . When antibiotics failed to work specialists suggested a faecal transplant . He was given the choice of going on dialysis or having his appendix removed and he chose the latter.