I still have symptoms after treatment.

[Bernard]

Hello,

I first noticed I had several swollen lymph nodes in my groin about 7 months ago. Then about 4 months ago I started to get pains in my stomach and abdomen. The pains started off very light and I hardly noticed them. I had a full abdomen ultrasound which confirmed my swollen lymph nodes but didn’t show anything else suspicious. Last month I had a lymph node taken out for biopsy which I was the told wasn’t cancerous but was just reacting to something.

Then just after the operation I got really bad acid on my stomach and was berping all the time. I was put on 30mg Lansoprazole (1 per day) and sent to get a camera put in my stomach and also get some samples. They didn’t find anything visible in my stomach but said I had a positive test for Helicobacter Pylori (this was just over a week ago). At this point my stomach pains had gotten worse, not excruciating but noticeably worse. I was glad to get a diagnosis and some treatment.

I was put on 2 Amoxicillin (500mg) twice a day and 1 Metronidazole (400mg) twice a day for a week. That was as well as increasing my 30mg dose of Lansoprazole to twice a day. That week of treatment is now up and while my stomach pains have improved, they’ve only improved to my initial stages of stomach pains. They are still there and very noticeable. The pains can be anywhere in my abdomen even on occasion going round into my back and sometimes as low or just below the belly button. The berping has reduced but not stopped either.

It seemed to me over the first few days of treatment my symptoms dropped to about 10% of what they were, but now at the end of the course I’d say they were about 50-60% of pre treatment levels. I took the course exactly as described only missing one 30mg Lansoprazole after falling asleep before I was due to take it.

I just don’t know what to expect. Should I return to the hospital for further testing to see if it has gone? Does it sound like the bacteria not been eradicated? Do these pains sound like they are related to the bacteria or more likely something else?

All advice would be welcome,

Thank you.

[Helico_scientist]

Hello,

Sorry for the late reply.
Since your last treatment, I hope your symptoms are gone. It usually takes a bit of time after the eradication, IF eradicated.
So Yes, you do have to check if H. pylori has been eradicated after your treatment. If your H pylori is resistant to one of the antibiotics, the treatment will fail and you will have to take another treatment more appropriated.

Even if you are feeling better, I advise you to do a quick Urease Breath Test to check your treatment has been succesful.

Regards