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I'm actually glad to hear I have h.pylori!

Posted , 6 users are following.

sparklypickle
sparklypickle

I never used to have stomach problems, I could drink black coffee and red wine on an empty stomach, with no problems (we are talking many years ago at uni with the wine)

I've had bouts of gastritis on and off for the last couple of years and had to cut back on coffee and stop alcohol and citrus juice even between bouts. I had two negative stool antigen tests and was just left to self adminster omeprazole as and when I needed it. It was assumed that it was all anxiety related.

A couple of months ago my stomach started to feel familiarly irritated, so I stated taking gaviscon for a few weeks and was more careful to avoid fatty and spicy foods, but it got worse rather than better, so I started omeprazole 20mg once a day, which helped a little to start with and then it got much worse, I was nauseous all the time and had pain and tenderness in my upper abdomen, the classic massive urgency to eat and gnawing feeling, followed by more nausea. I had diarrhea every morning without fail and often woke up with heartburn or reflux. After two weeks of omeprazole and no improvement I went to the Dr who told me to up the dose to 40mg daily and told me to do a stool test. On this occaission I was told not to use omeprazole for two days before the test...well I don't remember being told that the last times and so needless to say the test came.back positive this time and I'm now on a lovely cocktail of omeprazole, metronidazole and amoxicillin, which had better move working their magic because I'm pretty fed up with the constant dull headache and the gross taste of metronidazole!

I'm so looking forward to being able to relax around food and drink again and not have to worry about if something is going to trigger a GI meltdown.

After completing caffeine withdrawal I hope I can also at least start drinking green tea soon, if not coffee.

I'm halfway through the course and I'd say my tummy feels about 80% better...I managed to go horse riding without nausea (just a weird bloating gassy feeling..). Fingers crossed I'm in the ~85% who get cured on the first round of ABs.

2 likes, 34 replies

34 Replies

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  • debbie89808
    debbie89808 sparklypickle

    Posted

    The stomach usually takes some time to settle down after H Pylori and the antibiotics and doesn't always mean that the infection is still there even though it can be very resistant to treatment.  Its essential to carry on with a bland diet for some time after treatment to allow you stomach to fully heal - your body should tell you when you can eat and drink normally again.
  • vincciw
    vincciw sparklypickle

    Posted

    Hiya!

    I'm having exactly the same problem as you, I've just been diagnosed with H.pylori, and have been given Lansoprazole, amoxicillin and metronidazole tablets to cure it.

    Are you cured from it yet? I hope you are and I hope it works for me, I hate feeling ill!!

  • vincciw
    vincciw sparklypickle

    Posted

    Hi it's me again! It's the 2nd day of treatment for me, and I'm suffering from severe abdominal cramps and my intestines are moving more than ever! Also my appetite hasn't improved... More nauseated than ever.... Not sure if these were symptoms you experiences?

    • sparklypickle
      sparklypickle vincciw

      Posted

      Hi, I am indeed cured. I have had stool test and breath test come back negative. After the antibiotic course I felt pretty bad and it has taken almost a year for the nausea to subside but now I no longer have those stomach pains or reflux symptoms.

      It is quite common for people to have gastroscopy pain after antibiotics because of killing off your gut bacteria. When the course if s finished you could try taking some prebiotics and see if that helps.

    • sparklypickle
      sparklypickle

      Posted

      Sorry autocorrect said gastroscopy when I meant gastro..

    • vincciw
      vincciw sparklypickle

      Posted

      Thank you so much for replying!!! And thank you for your reassurance and positivity!! The side effects suck but I'm still hoping for the best! 😊

    • elise39020
      elise39020 vincciw

      Posted

      I was also diagnosed with H. pylori recently but I haven't really started my treatment yet, though I do have it.

      I took one dosage a couple of days ago and it really made me drowsy, even after 8 hours of sleep I still felt horrible afterwards and I didn't want to continue taking it when I had to work.

      On the other hand, my stomach has been feeling worse after taking that single dosage than it was beforehand. I wonder if it's causing this? I wasn't really sure considering I hadn't taken any more yet.

      I'm going to start taking them tomorrow so I guess I'll see how I end up feeling afterwards. It's nice to read about some other people's experiences before actually taking it for myself so I know what to expect.

    • sparklypickle
      sparklypickle elise39020

      Posted

      I'm not sure why a ppi or antibiotic would make you feel so drowsy. (I can't tell from what you wrote which drug you tried).

      The eradication combinations are not the most pleasant to take but are generally quite effective as long as you take the full course as prescribed. I hope that you are able to get rid of H. Pylori and get your stomach back to normal.

    • sparklypickle
      sparklypickle

      Posted

      It is important to take the antibiotics consistently for 7-14 days and not stop and start, otherwise the helicobacter can become resistant.
    • elise39020
      elise39020 sparklypickle

      Posted

      I was prescribed a Prevpac which consists of 30 mg capsules of lanzoprazole, 500 mg tablets of clarithromycin, and 500 mg capsules of amoxicillin.

      I know it's important to take them consistently, that's why I stopped after the 1 when I knew it would affect me when I had to work and would be home alone. Starting tomorrow, I'll have over 14 days that I should be fine to take the medicine without it impairing me somehow, so hopefully it wouldn't have built up too much resistence.

      I'm not really sure why it caused me to feel so drowsy either but I did read a few other people had similar symptoms after taking it. At least, they felt very fatigued.

    • vincciw
      vincciw elise39020

      Posted

      Hiya!

      I didn't get drowsiness/excess sleeping symptoms... I just feel nauseated 95% of the time.

      However it is a symptom with the Lansoprazole capsules...

    • vincciw
      vincciw

      Posted

      Also, taking the medication has stopped me from going out to work and uni for the past week, because I have no idea when the symptoms will arise when I'm out!!

      Better to take the meds at home where You know you're safer, and you don't get drowsy/dizzy whilst travelling smile

    • elise39020
      elise39020 vincciw

      Posted

      Yesterday was my last day at work and I shouldn't have to travel by myself at all for the next two weeks, so I'm hoping I'll be safe to take them!

      The only thing I'm afraid of is this affecting me working on packing up stuff to move, plus we're having a garage sale next week... but I'll still be home so I suppose I can take breaks as needed.

    • sparklypickle
      sparklypickle elise39020

      Posted

      I had omeprazole, amox and metronidazole and only had nausea and tiredness. I think taking prevpac while you are off work is a good idea. Good luck and fingers crossed.

      If you continue to have bad side effects though talk to your Dr.

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