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H pylori culture and sensitivity test to antibiotics

Posted , 3 users are following.

Leni75
Leni75

Hi everyone,

Has anyone had a gastroscopy where they took samples of tissue to be sent to culture and do a sensitivity test to find out which antibiotics the bacteria is sensitive to in NHS Uk?

 H. pylori positive in Jan 16 (in gastroscopy)

4 treatments later H pylori negative. Symptoms disapear gradually.

6 months later symptoms back again (h pylori positive confirmed with a stool test.

Now I saw a specialist which want to do the culture and grow the h pylori and do a sensitivity test before trying more antibiotics that don't work.  But I don't think my insurance (Bupa) will cover that so I would like to know if someone has done it through NHS and how was the results.

Thank you.

 

0 likes, 6 replies

6 Replies

  • Susie100
    Susie100 Leni75

    Posted

    Hi, 

    I’m in the uk also.  I’ve had a few bouts of the “curse” and that sounds like common sense.

    Surely it would save money in the long run!

    Good luck, hope they can carry out the test.

  • val40792
    val40792 Leni75

    Posted

    Once you get H Pylori you have to have a endoscopy/biopsy test to check if it's back again. It's no good just having a blood or breath test as some people say, because the H Pylori will always be in your system, so a blood test or breath test is uninformative and in fact useless. 

    • Susie100
      Susie100 val40792

      Posted

      Hi Val,

      Are you in the UK too?

      I do know that if you go for endoscopy they test for H-pylori, I’m guessing they may know from that which antibiotics are needed, not sure.

      I’ve always been re-tested via stool sample and it takes a few days for the results to come back.

      I’ve never been sent for an endoscopy as a re test.

      Endoscopy for me has always been to see what’s going on in my upper GI if I’ve been having persistent problems. Although I did have my first one after I had just finished treatment for H-pylori. My GP sent me for reassurance because my brother had stomach cancer.

      I wonder if it’s to do with costs to the NHS.

  • val40792
    val40792 Leni75

    Posted

    An endoscopy in itself will not show H Pylori but will show damage. They take a little sample from the infected area along with the enoscopy and then test this for the infection. A blood or breath test taken again after you have had the H Pylori is useless as you will always have the antibodies of the infection in your system. I have no idea if taking a stool sample will show the H Pylori as having returned. No, i'm not in the UK.

  • Leni75
    Leni75

    Posted

    Hi A quick update I Did a gastroscopy on the 23 rd Oct and they took biopsies to test for sensitivity to antibiotics ( h pylori). Just to remind I ‘be been treated many times before with antibiotics and the last time I got a normal result only for my symptoms to return 6 months later with a positive stool test for the bacteria. In September when I started having symptoms again I had a one week course treatment with same antibiotics I used the previous time that seemed to had killed the pylori. So in October I had the endoscopy with biopsies and found out this week that there’s NO HPYLORI!

    How accurate is the biopsies from stomach? I don’t want to think again it’s gone to only grow back again and give me prolblems. I feel a dull ache in the stomach few times but I think it’s because of the gastritis ( inflammation). Are the biopsies really accurate?

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