H. Pylori, 6 months after diagnosis still unwell

Hello all,

I try and be brief with my story:

I started feeling nauseous around December and January I spoke to a doctor who had me take a blood test and ultrasound. Apart from some mild anaemia due to Thalasimia , nothing strange and ultrasound came up with just a fatty liver. Still, nausea persisted and called again, sent for another set of blood tests and got a call back that I tested positive for H. Pylori. I was put on triple therapy for 2 weeks (worst experience) and then afterwards was told had to wait 6 weeks or so for a follow up test. During that interval I'd made more calls to the doctor as the nausea and stomach pains persisted. I was sent to do more blood tests and was referred to a Gastroenterologist which gave me a phone appointment in Mid April.

I started get chest pains on my heart section and went to the hospital in mid March, x-rays came out all clear but they sent me to do a stress test on my heart just in case. I ended up doing 2 stress tests, both perfectly fine. At that time I'd gotten a new family doctor as I hadn't seen my old one in 15 years and she sent me to do a stool test, which came back positive for an unrelated bacteria. I did a 10 day therapy for that and nothing else. Otherwise, she hasn't sent me to do any analyses for anything.

In early April I started getting lower left stomach pains which alarmed me and went back to the hospital. They did a CT Scan of my abdomen, results which came out perfectly fine.

I got my phone appointment with the gastro doctor and after a lengthy conversation, asking me questions about weight (I've had no weight loss during the whole time) appetite, which I have little to none, smoking (which I've smoked 30 years and half that time about 20 cigarettes a day, but the last two years about 12 a day and the last month about 4-5 cigarettes a day on average) I had tried to quit suddenly cold turkey when I got the results from the CT Scan but after 5 days of no smoking, I gained 3 kilos in weight. The doctors, while they suggest I quit smoking, have also been supportive that I slowly wean off it to my target quit date which I set on Aug 31st. With this info, the gastro doctor is convinced I have nothing serious that will eventually go away but due to COVID here, cannot give me an appointment for an endoscopy as my symptoms are not considered serious (as of April, now things are opening up) but sent me to do a UREA breath test, which the labs aren't doing right now due to COVID. I ended up doing the stool antigen test which came back negative. The gastro doctor's office though is adamant they wanted the breath test so they won't move forward until then.

I'd called back the doctors that referred me to the gastro doctor as I've since been having pains in my lower middle chest/upper abdomen with a sore throat the won't go away. I've since gone twice back to the emergency room for this and both times was dismissed, after blood tests, EKG and feeling around my abdomen, that I have nothing serious and is quite likely I have this now due to H. Pylori.

I spoke to a doctor today which said they will send the antigen test and a message to the gastro doctor for an endoscopy now that things are opening up so I'm hoping I can finally do this and end my anxiety once and for all.

Has anyone here had these mid chest pains and sore throat with H. Pylori? I never threw up once since all this began, my stools have never shown a strange dark color, I haven't lost any weight, if anything I've gained a little as I still eat to keep a schedule. Despite this, I have little appetite, bouts of sweating and back pain as well. I also have headaches that come and go all from the left side although I'm not sure that's related.

I can't stop thinking I have something worse than this bacteria or the damage this left and needs to heal. My anxiety is all over the place and I feel I just don't have a confirmed answer to what's wrong with me, despite my initial diagnosis and basically all tests I've done until now (chest x-ray, abdominal ultrasound and CT scan, numerous blood tests, stool tests) all came back normal and no doctor ever suggested I may have something sinister.

0 likes, 1 reply