After H Pylori Eradication

[Pixiepen]

I was diagnosed with H Pylori in mid June after experiencing abdominal issues for several weeks. I took triple therapy antibiotics for two weeks, then completed a stool antigen test 4 days later that came back with negative results. The primary symptoms I had experienced were gone, but my stomach and intestines were sensitive to some foods for about 2 weeks after finishing the antibiotics, and I still had intestinal gurgling, extra gas, and occasional mild abdominal discomfort. After that I began to feel pretty normal, eat most anything, and the residual intestinal issues disappeared. This lasted about 12 days, then one evening after having a small bowl of ice cream I noticed some stomach gurgling, extra gas, and the mild sensation of movement (air? food?) in the intestines. It was as if the same symptoms I experience immediately after finishing the antibiotics had returned. This has continued on and off for the last 3 weeks.

I know it can take a few weeks for the stomach to normalize after eradication, but is it normal to feel fine for a couple weeks then have issues again? It has now been 6 weeks since taking antibiotics. Could the H Pylori have returned? I have not experienced any other symptoms such as burning sensations, acid reflux, or diarrhea that I experienced during the infection. Until now I've chalked up to what I'm experiencing to the healing process, as it seems fairly mild, or slightly uncomfortable and annoying at most, and I am not really in pain. I've been trying to eat healthy and I've been taking probiotics since finishing antibiotics.

I haven't been back to the doctor since the test came back clear, as I've wanted to give my body time to heal and my complaints seem vague and minor, but something is still not normal. Is it common to experience these issues on and off for quite awhile after eradication? Could I still be healing? Or does it sound like there might be something else going on?

[newhpyloridiag]

The stool test has to be taken 30 days after the anti-biotic treatment. Otherwise false negative can happen. Since you took after 4 days, better take another test to see if its really gone. If you are on PPIs then stop talking PPI for atleast 2 weeks before the test.

Coming back to your issues, yes it will take time, may be few months to return to normal. Get checked to see if you have any food allergies.

[Pixiepen]

Does anyone know if taking a strong probiotic can suppress H. Pylori and skew the results of a stool antigen test?

[Helico_expert]

Anything that reduce H. pylori bacteria load will lead to false negative testing. So, if you are taking probiotic and got a negative result, you probably would need to repeat the test one month later without probiotic. If you are taking probiotics and still got positive results, that means your probiotic is not working at all.

[Pixiepen]

I am currently taking a probiotic, but was planning to retest later this week. Should I stop taking it now? Would not taking it for one week be enough or would I need to wait longer?

[newhpyloridiag]

Helico_expert,

I thought only PPIs and AntiBiotics alter the test results. Do pro-biotic pills alter the test results too??

[Helico_expert]

I would think anything that reduce bacterial load will alter the test results. Of course, antibiotics and PPI significantly reduce the bacterial load and we know a lot about the mechanism. But for the herbal medicine, home remedy, probiotics and etc, the mechanism is unclear. If they truly have the effect of killing H. pylori, then they should be stopped before the breath/stool testing.

[newhpyloridiag]

Regular pro-biotic pills don't claim/talk about killing HPylori bacteria. They just claim that they add good bacteria to the gut. I think such pills won't alter the results. If they did, then I have to re-take the test as I was on pro-biotic pills during the time of the test.

[Helico_expert]

I dont think there is any probiotic that can ERADICATE H. pylori. Most of them just claim that they reduce H. pylori activity. Which I think is good enough to give false negative breath or stool test.

For example.
http://www.wjgnet.com/1007-9327/full/v18/i43/6302.htm

Probiotics may inhibit residual H. pylori and mask UBT tests as ‘false negatives’, similar to the effects of PPIs. Further long-term studies are needed to determine if H. pylori eradication is true and permanent.

http://www.thaigastro.com/book/file/Tha ... 287226.pdf

results indicated that probiotics generally do not eradicate H. pylori but decreased the density of colonization, thereby maintaining lower levels of this pathogen in the stomach.

[Pixiepen]

I had a second H. Pylori stool antigen test done last week and the results came back negative, but I'm still having food sensitivities and a lot of gurgling and gas in the digestive track. Is it strange to feel fine for several weeks after treatment then have these symptoms reoccur? Could It be an overgrowth of bad bacteria in the intestines?