Just started H. Pylori Treatment...

[newhpyloridiag]

Interesting, well im keeping my doses pretty equally spaced. I may shift up to an hour here or there, but never more than that. I have to eat before I take the first dose, and I dont eat breakfast until around 9am shortly after I get to work. I dont like eating dinner that late though, so I may take the evening pill around 8pm. My chest pain has returned the last 2 days to great frustration on my part. This is the original problem that sent me to the Dr. in the first place. My chest pain had been gone for a good week and I thought whatever it was had passed on, but its back now, out of the blue. No idea what is causing it. If it is due to acid reflux Im not feeling any heartburn or reflux. Ive been careful not to ever lay down 3 hours after eating. This is now over 3 weeks Ive had these wierd problems that came out of no where. I could eat anything and lay down or do whatever I wanted prior to this and never had any symtpoms of anything. One day I was fine, then the next I had chest pain, and so began this saga. Ive read and read and researched until Im tired of it at this point. Im afraid my next stop will be a GI doctor for an endoscope which I really wanted to avoid. If the chest pain doesnt go away though, its the only way Im going to find out whats actually going on. Im beginning to wonder if H. Pylori has played a roll in any of this at all. I had no stomach problems before being found positive by blood test. I wonder if it is the root cause of the chest pain, but I have no way of knowing. It all comes and goes as it pleases it seems. I notice If I lean forward and put my head in my arms at a table or something the chest pain goes away. Im not sure why this is the case. That could suggest a heart condition Ive researched but I really dont feel this is heart related.

Im going to just power on through the H. Pylori treatment and then see how my body reacts when I'm done with the treatment. Its all starting to take a mental tole at this point. I find it hard to just relax and not think about it. I'm feeling increasingly melancholy most of the day. Part of my mind wants to ponder that this could be something serious, like esophagus cancer. Yet I know that isn't likely. Having a constant low level chest pain though seems to cause a natural reaction of anxiety. The pain is not severe at all, its somewhat mild, but its a nonstop discomfort 24/7 when its here, and seemingly persists whether I eat or not, leaving me to believe its not acid reflux, but perhaps inflammation or worse in the esophagus. The sensation is similar to what you feel when you accidently swallow a piece of hard candy or something, and it kinda lodges in your esophagus, causing a feeling of pressure.

Today is tuesday and I will finish the antibiotics on sunday, and I cant wait to be done with it. Praying it works, and I dont end up in the 30% of those who fail. Hopefully my post's can help someone in the future who may have similar issues and happen across here. Really glad I found this site and decided to post. The replies have been very helpful and appreciated from everyone. I think it is great that you respond to posts here helico_expert. I assume you are a Dr. (are you the Dr. Marshall that is mentioned at the top of the page?) and you must be very busy, but taking the time to respond to peoples discussions here is greatly appreciated.

EGD scope is very easy procedure. Get it done so that you can feel confident from the thoughts running in your brain. It is just a 15 minute thing and you wouldn't even know it was over. They will give you a light sedative. Go for it, especially if the treatment fails. That way you can get a biopsy or histology and can get the right anti-biotics the second time.

Regarding your symptoms, you haven't finished the treatment yet, just don't expect the symptoms to go away. It may take few weeks after the treatment.

Pains usually will bother you more, if you start to concentrate on it. It is the mind, that plays games and the more and more you read, the more and more you will be bothered and the more and more you will start suspecting serious conditions. So just try to keep yourself occupied with something else. I know it is easier said than done, but there are no other options.

Treatment failure is not the end, you can get a different treatment. The anxiety can disturb you more.

[tornado82]

You are 100% correct newpyloridiag. Anxiety has always been a down fall of mine, since I was about 12 years old. When everything is normal and life is smooth I am completely fine and normal. When something comes out of no where that I cant control I have trouble coping with it though. I over think things, I over analyze everything. Im an INTJ personality type, so I know part of the way my mind processes things is directly linked to my personality, but I think I have some generalized anxiety disorder that goes on as well. You are 100% right that the more you think about whats going on, the discomfort becomes magnified due to psychological factors. Anxiety can itself cause chest pain. When I talk to people they blow it off as acid reflux "Oh I have that a lot, I have to take zantac for it" or whatever. A normal person would put it down as simple acid reflux and move on, but I sit and dwell on it, and disect it to the point I let my mind believe that it could be something serious, or life threatening. Once you allow the mind to begin considering such things, it can become morbid in its thoughts, where you daydream about how devastated your loved ones would be and such if you died. Anxiety is a terrible affliction. Luckily its not nearly as bad as it was in my teens, where it nearly crippled me to the point of having to pull out of school.

So far today, my chest pain seems to be backing off again (knock on wood) Its extremely mild today, suggesting that it is going away again. Maybe this is all just acid reflux irritating the esophogus. Even though Im on 2x prilosec OTC per day, maybe acid is still getting up into my esophogus somehow and causing irritation and perhaps inflammation. Perhaps it is "silent reflux" which Ive researched; Reflux that is occuring but doesnt have the typical symptoms of heart burn. I also noted I had lost another pound this morning from my last check a few days ago. Im still not eating enough calories to keep my weight up. I used to snack on stuff (cookies, chocolate, candy, etc) at work all day and have totally cut that out now. If 2 weeks from now (1 week after antibiotics) im still having chest pain I will be heading to a GI for likely an endoscopy. The thought of having a tube put down my throat isn't a pleasant one, but Ill definitely do it before I sit and have chest pain all day. Have you had an Endoscope before newpyloridiag? I imagine if they sedate me ill go out completely. Im very sensative to sedatives.

[newhpyloridiag]

I worry a lot like you too. But we must take it easy and the only method to take it easy is, to get out there and do something and keeping yourself busy.

Like you have been worrying about weight, I was losing weight everyday and it used to freak the hell out of me. Like you, I am also a snack person, I snack a lot and now I am not eating any snacks.

Yes, I got the EGD scope exactly 2 days prior to H-Pylori diagnosis. I was a total mess by the time I got a gastro appointment.

I was terrified, how EGD scope would turn out. Trust me, I didn't even know what happened.

This is how it goes.

You have to stop eating/drinking 6 hours prior to the procedure.
They will ask you to come with a driver.
Take you inside.
Check weight and temperature.
Take you to the preparation room and ask you to change into a gown.
Hook you up with IV fluid (mostly half a litre), O2 monitor, etc.
After 20 minuters or whenever the Doc is ready, take you to the procedure room.
The Doc will explain you the procedure and ask you to sign a form.
Then they will give you a gel kind of thing, which you have to goggle a bit and swallow, this make your throat little numb.
Then they will place a plastic mouth guard in your mouth and tell you that they are giving you a sedation through the IV.
You will be knocked off.
After 20 minutes you will wake up to find yourself in the preparation room.
The Doc will tell how it went( Esophagus, Stomach and Duodenum) (whether he saw any inflammation, ulcers, growths) and if he had to take some biopsies, etc.
Your driver will drive you home.

Yes, everyone will be knocked out completely but only for like 15 to 20 minutes. They wont give a whole load, may be if you are sensitive, they may decrease the amount a little bit.

[tornado82]

Yea, trying my darndest to relax. The chest issues really stir the anxiety though. I find that I am swallowing carefully, and with smaller bites. As soon as I swallow I pause to see if I feel like its sticking or something. My mind is so aware of it and focused in on it that, like you say, it amplifies itself somewhat. Every little sensation now is noted, where normally Id eat and not even realize that I burped, or had to swallow twice for something. Its like a hyper awareness and sensitivity. Aside from that, there is the reality that I am having chest pain, and it does seem slightly amplified when eating, and having food pass over the area where the pain seems to be originating. The fact that the pain is there 24/7 and not just related to eating is what is worrisome. If it came and went with eating I could easily write it off as a definite reflux issue.

4.5 more days of treatment and im done with this stuff. The medicine is seemingly causing next to no side effects on my stomach anymore. Attention has completely shifted now back to my chest pain which has returned. I'm counting the days to be done with the antibiotics so I can kinda move to the next phase.

[newhpyloridiag]

I guess u need to get an abdominal xray (or even better a CT of abdomen and pelvis with contrast), ultrasound to rule out gall bladder issues, EGD scope to rule out inflammation, ulcers, etc.

I am guessing, if these 3 will come normal, your mind will be at ease.

Also some blood work like LFT (Liver Function Test), Lipase.

Looks like at this point of time, what you need most is the assurance that comes with testing. I, myself calmed down a bit after these tests were done and the results were normal.

[tornado82]

Yea, Im going to have to get some stuff done if it doesnt improve. Im trying to hold out at least until im done with all these pills. I was fine last week when the chest pain had went away, I was focused a lot on the h. pylori and eradication, but last 3 days my mind has shifted entirely back to this chest pain and its cause. The hypothesis up until it came back was that H. Pylori had likely caused the stomach to generate more stomach acid than usual, and had caused acid reflux into the esophogus which had irritated and inflamed the esophogus causing the pain. When the pain went away after many days of being careful and altering diet, I felt pretty confident that this was what happened. Now that the pain has come back though, in the middle of treatment, while Im on a PPI, it has brought a lot of worry. I dont see any logical reason why my esophogus would be inflamed or in pain. Im not having acid reflux that I can tell. My stomach has actually calmed down a lot it seems since I first started treatment. All I can do is stick it out and get in to a GI as soon as I can. I end treatment sunday, and Monday morning if Im still having discomfort Im calling my doctor. I just worry what all these tests will cost, and whether Im going to have to wrestle with the insurance company - thats another reason why I hadnt gone to a GI doc already, is I worried about cost. I think im at the point though now where I dont really care, as finding an answer in order to ease my mind is becoming very important. Its killing my appetite and I know I cant sit for days with a poor appetite or I will become a skeleton pretty fast.


3.5 more days to go on treatment. Come on sunday....

[tornado82]

2.5 days to go now. Chest pain is making me go batty. My appetite is as bad now as its been the past 3 weeks, and Ive lost now a total of about 7 pounds since this all started 3-4 weeks ago. My calorie intake has simply fallen off big time. Some meals I am only able to force down a few bites. The anxiety is really the root cause of the diminished appetite though rather than the chest pain. I dont even feel interested in food, even when I havent eaten in 5 or so hours, and this is entirely because of the anxiety Im fighting. For dinner last night I ate and sipped on chicken noodle soup, and that was about it. I followed the soup with some Chamomile tea, and the warm tea really seemed to sooth my chest pain, almost until I went to bed without feeling it. I may continue this from now on in the evening. If I could push my anxiety back I would do myself a world of good, but its so difficult to get around it. Chest pain however is still present today, perhaps a bit more mild than it has been.

I decided yesteray to go ahead and call a GI doctor now. Im not going to wait until next week as I had wanted to do. I need to get some answers and Im not going to get them until I have some tests done to ease my mind. Will be calling the GI this morning to see when I can get in. Hopefully its not like 2 weeks out.

EDIT: called GI doctor and they said they could see me TODAY, in just 2 hours. I lucked out and they had an opening. Im heading that way now to speak to the GI. Hoping this puts my mind at some ease this weekend.

[Jessetaylor]

Let us know how it goes.

I am on Day 5 after treatment and my symptoms are still there, just a little subsided. I spoke to a nurse at the Office and said getting off anti's don't make you better instantly. She said some nurses here that just got over H Pylori had symptoms after treatment as well and did not need a second treatment, just wait it out. I'm hoping that's my case as well. The gas, nausea, have subsided mainly, but now I have more stomach burning and slight gas.

I'm talking to the Dr on Monday. I also stopped Nexium today so I can get a breath test, EGD if necessary sooner rather than later.

Will Pepto Bismol help, and if so, how much should I take?

[tornado82]

Well went in to see GI today. Got an EGD Scheduled for late August. They will be checking for the cause of the chest pain and also checking to see if H. Pylori treatment was successful. So, I may not be doing a breath test I don't imagine.

I felt good about the GI doc today. He was very attentive and seemed competent and concerned. I run down my story and told him also of my anxieties that Ive been struggling with, fearing the prospect of Esophogus Cancer. His response was that esophagus cancer would be at the bottom of his list of possible causes, and he instead said that based on what I had told him, that he would suspect Eosinophilic Esophagitis. He explained that it is common in young men like myself who have never had symptoms of heart burn, but who develop chest pain in the middle of the chest. His 2nd item on the list would be silent reflux that is occurring and Im just not getting the typical heart burn associated with it. He said esophagus cancer would be highly unlikely, but he added that it is of course in the realm of possibilities, but at the bottom of his list. I really hope he is right. My research suggests that Eosinophilic esophagitis is often caused by allergens, either food or airborne. I'm not sure why it would pop up now at age 31 given ive never had problems with allergies, but the GI explained that it is potentially caused also by an auto immune response. Research is still being done on this form of esophagitis.

The chest pain is still around today, right smack dab in the middle of the chest. I keep hoping that it will just fade away again like it did before and then stay gone. If the pain would go away it would be much easier to calm down and relax the anxiety. Ill be waiting for many weeks before I get answers, so all I can do now is wait. The guy I saw today is under the actual GI doctor who will perform my endoscopy, but Ive been told by several people that he is a top notch GI doctor and very good with endoscopies. I feel at least that I am in good hands so far. Heading into the weekend now. Treatment ends Sunday and im ready to be done with all these pills.

I would also add that I am beginning to feel that the Chest pain that came out of no where 3-4 weeks ago and the H. Pylori diagnosis are unrelated. I think I just happened to find H. Pylori because I requested the blood test be done. I don't even know that I had much of an active infection with H. Pylori as I had not had any stomach related issues. I cant be certain of course, but its really starting to look like the two are unrelated issues at this point.

[Helico_expert]

I'm talking to the Dr on Monday. I also stopped Nexium today so I can get a breath test, EGD if necessary sooner rather than later.

Will Pepto Bismol help, and if so, how much should I take?

In regards to Pepto Bismol, it will help. You'll need to discuss with your local GP for the dosage.

and for your Nexium, you can refer to this list and find out replacement for your PPI before breath test. So you wont feel too disgusting with the reflux.
http://www.helico.com/sites/default/fil ... ne2013.pdf