Still feel unwell after Helicobacter Pylori Treatment

Welcome onboard. Skin problems are linked to H. pylori but after treatment it will be gone soon. I had too but very soon disappeared. The reply when you feel better is very individual and even if I am 39 took long time. (one of my friend who is around 70 felt better after 2 weeks), so it is not linked to age. As I seen there are 2 types: 1 is feel better very soon and second who needs long time (months) to recover. Keep diet, move as much as you can (walk is enough), find activity in your life not to think of this every time, drink green tea, eat foods helps stomach and avoid bad food and time will help you too! If you need any help we are here for you.

Thank you for your note! Nice to know others have dealt with this (misery loves company?). I do take an excercise class, an hour 3 x a week, have always been very active but am spending lots of time doing a lot of nothing lately. I'll look forward to following all the info and advice on this site! Thanks again. 😊

I've been done with my antibiotic course since 2 weeks, everything was fine up to few days ago, i get abdominal pain, diarrhea, nausea (right after food) , no matter what i eat.. and i never know when it will hit, as i can go 1 day with no pain then the next day with severe pain.. im missing lots of work days and just feeling miserable.. im wondering is it IBS or colitis or its just H-pylori aftermath!! I have an ultrasound scheduled for Saturday to check my stomache, and will re-test h-pylori in a month or so.. dr is telling me it is (dyspepsia) and he gave me Librax 3 times a day which really calms my stomach but makes me drowsy.. anyone facing the same issues currently?

I had the same symptoms after hpylori treatment, suffered for months after eating any type of food. I tried mastic gum, slippery elm, munuka honey etc. It helped ease the symptoms and pain. But never resolved it.

Ironically I started doing the root cause protocol for chronic fatigue. I was drinking the adrenal cocktail made from real whole foods vitamin C, natural sea salt( celtic salt), water and cream of tarter. Within 2 and a half weeks my stomach pains went away. My symptoms got better.

I researched and read that whole food vitamin C and natural salt kills hpylori naturally. Might be worth a try. My stomach pain has never returned, thank God.

I finished my antibiotics in (early to mid May?) and was doing okay "for a bit." (I need to keep a journal or write what's going on, on a calendar.). Yes, I still feel queezy in my stomach, too, not long after eating, and occasional bouts of diarrhea. When the bug was active, I had frequent face-flushing, felt feverish, hot face; it could last hours, every day. Doctors told me they don't often te-test to see if bug is gone, but if I think I'm not feeling well, I can check back with them. I sounds like many have problems for several months even though the bacteria isn't showing up in tests. Since my tummy-lining photos from the endoscopy looked like a bad case of tummy-measles or burns, I'm guessing it takes time to heal up all those hot spots. The face flushing quit after the antibiotics was finished, but if it returns, I plan to go back to get re-tested. Hope you get better soon. I wonder if you might use pepto-bismo instead of the Rx to see eliminate the drowsiness? You might ask your doctor.

Hi,

I know it. Since 11 months I have this issue. Sometimes better, sometimes worse. I have left gastritis after H. pylori and heal very slowly.

"im missing lots of work days and just feeling miserable.." I know it, I lost my job because of this even if I was working there for 11 years. I feel with you.

Ultrasound shows nothing only really serious issues due to stoach has air inside. It takes a long time and MUST avoid to fall back. If you feel bad get medicine against acid or protects stomach. It is a very long way to heal I know.

Already gone the pain and symptoms? vitamin C and salt can not kill pylori, but without medicine 1-2% of the cases is gone by the body immune system. But the rest 98% can not leave without medicines.

Bismuth can protect stomach is it good but can not take for long time due it is bad for kidneys.

". I sounds like many have problems for several months even though the bacteria isn't showing up in tests." Two of my friends suffered for 2 years. It takes long time to recover damaged parts of stomach and must be protected by any means from acid. Usually they don't retest because the reinfection rate is about 1-2%. I made a retest after 6 months and is gone but stomach issues still has. Wish you the best.

Hi sandy43947,

I got diagnosed with Hypylori in early June. I had to take antibiotics for 2weeks and they made me feel like garbage. I didn't start to feel better until the begining of July and I didn't really start to feel more like myself until August. My stomach was extremely tempermental all summer long. Right now it feels about the best it has felt since I got sick and everyday I continue to get better and better. I had a endoscopy in mid July that confirmed the Hpylori was gone and that I had no stomach ulcers.

You just have to take every day as it comes. Know that some days your stomach will feel worse than others but over time you will get better. I hope this helps. It just takes time to get better.

Hi, Sandy, I started on and I biotics back in April and thought I was over H pylori by about last of June. But now I feel like it may still be there. I don't want to go back on antibiotics. I'm going to try the manuka honey for a couple of months and see if that helps. I had two tests, one was a stool sample that showed negative, and the other a blood test that showed positive. I understand a positive blood test doesn't always mean h pylori is still there. It can mean that I have had H pylori. Has anyone else had those results with a positive blood test later? Before I started on antibiotics, my tummy look like it had dozens of hot, red spots, and one of my symptoms was my face felt very flushed, off and on, every day. After going on antibiotics, the flushed hot face totally stopped for a couple of months. Now, it's flushing again but not as bad as it did before. It makes me think that I may still have some bugs trying to re-establish their home in my tummy. Yes, symptoms can hang on for quite a while because your tummy needs time to heal, and that will take time. Hoping you will feel better before long.

Hi Mary,

I’ve been through the horror trip with H Pylori as well.  Believe me ... it’s extremely unlikely that you still have the H Pylori.  Your doctor should have known that it is pointless to do the blood test after you had HP :  it will ALWAYS show positive directly after the infection as there are Antibodies in your blood which will stay there for quite a long time.  The stool test is pretty reliable and yours showed negative.  I was so ill from the HP and also, after the AB eradication treatment, it took a long long time until I felt better.  Like you I was very worried 😟 that the H Pylori might still be there.  My GI Consultant told me that most people don’t feel better after the antibiotics, 90% don’t ... only 10% feel great afterwards.  It took me 7 months to be finally better.  

Hi Sandy

there is no fixed rule how long it takes afterwards.  Only 10% of people feel instantly better after taking the antibiotics.  For 90% it takes ‘longer’ ... some people weeks .... some people months.  But you WILL get better.  Your stomach is damaged and irritated.  The best thing I found is to be careful with what you eat.  I’ve been through all this and it took me 7 months ... but then I got better.  Also don’t fall into the trap to take any additional pills to speed up the recovery.  My experience was :  the more drugs .... the worse I got .... the best advice is to be kind to your stomach and be careful not to eat anything to upset 😡 it even more...

Thanks, LCat, I appreciate your info, and it's nice to know we aren't battling this alone. Antibiotics are prescribed much too often. I don't understand why more drs. don't tell their patients about it taking time to heal. I finished antibiotics back in early May, I think. Is there a web site that lists foods to avoid? Tried no tomatoes/onions but didn't seem to make a difference. I don't drink coffee, alcohol, eat spicy foods and don't smoke. I was taking Manuka honey until I finished a 17 oz jar, was feeling somewhat better, so maybe going back on it will help. $$.

Thank you, the most depressing thing I have read up to now is not to eat tomatoes, guess what my favourite food is??? 😊

Hi Mary I would get retested again if I was in your position. The most horrendous thing is the nausea for me oh and the antibiotics, awful. I didn't have any red spots but my stomach was bloated. I have also had sweats. Unfortunately I I blamed nearly all these symptoms on the menopause so I think I have had this bug for a while. I am going to take some time off work and concentrate on myself a little bit more. I can honestly say it feels like a wake up call to start taking better care of myself. I hope you feel better soon xxx

Hi everone, I am went also trhough a long and desperate journey with HP. It took me a year to feel better. Now I eat almost everything without problems, no stomach issues only for exceptionally acid foods. It takes long time, but generally nobody feels better after antibiotics. It works as follows: antibiotics kills HP but stomach has injured and it takes long time to recover. I had nausea for months could not eat many things without punishment. The blood test after HP shows antigenes in blood so the best test is stool test after antibiotics. I believed never be the same again but after a year it get almost as before. Avoid foods what makes acid: tomatoe, onion, drinks with gas, alcohol, wine, coffee. Time helps if you take care of you.

Hello, when you say it took you one year to get better what symptoms were u having during this year? Because ive been off the antibiotics for 3 months now and still not feeling well. I cannot digest food properly and its difficult for me to eat something not grilled. Ive been on a bland diet and whenever i get the urge to eat something such as a sandwich i feel unwell, like bloating and stomach pain. It just feels weird.. and acid reflux and abdominal and chest pain.. is this normal? And how long will it take im suffering!

Hello, it was a long and terrible year. It was a slow motion, generally I felt better after 7 months but it was not everytime good. I kept a bland diet, rice, grilled chicken, fish almost every day with green tea or water...after 8 month was normal but even after a year if I eat bad or some food what is not good for my stomach, half day I feel it a little bit, but not so intense as was earlier. I had the same symptoms for me as you have now. Stomach pain almost every day, sometimes if I touched my belly I felt pain in my stomach, was horrible. I really believed that never leave me this. Depends on the person how long it takes to healty again and how long HP destroyed your stomach. Some people get healthy weeks, some months but others 2 years. Keep diet, drink lot of water and time heals you too. Keep your head up, it is normal what you are going through.

Thanks for your reply, Tamas, I do need to work on eating more bland foods. I love fresh fruits, big salads with lots of veggies, cheese, nuts, seeds, and I eat chicken, very little beef, lots of water throughout the day. Have you tried Manuka honey? I started that as I was finishing up antibiotics in early May, used until the 17 oz jar was gone. Seemed to be fine, so I didn't buy another jar. I just recently ordered two jars and I'm waiting for them to arrive. Thanks again, Mary

You are welcome. Take care with seeds, it is not good for stomach, I'd avoid it. Manuka honey is not on sales in my country...also take care with cheese, avoid too fat cheese. Take care

All the stuff I love...cheese, granola with lots of crunchies...sigh.

Thanks, though, for good advice, whether I like it or not.

do you still take any medication? since i started the ppi its looks impossible to stop it . and the pain is always there