Weightloss, heartburn after H. Pylori treatment

[Juan78]

Even one of my friends got this H. pyroli treatment for losing weight but even after couple of months, his breath test showed traces of it. He is quite upset and tensed due to it as he is one among people with scoliosis, so already had medical issues.

[txon]

Alright, so I saw my doctor today. He thinks that it's perfectly normal to still have symptoms after taking the antibiotics (even if we make the assumption that the antibiotics really killed the bacteria). He also thinks that it's normal that my heartburn has increased a bit since I finished the triple therapy, mainly because I also stopped taking the PPI medication. So, here's the plan: he prescribed me with 40mg of PPI a day for two weeks, and then 20mg a day for two more weeks. If, after that I still feel the symptoms have not improved, I'll be taking a stool test two weeks later (so, six weeks from now) to make sure that the bacteria is truly gone. If H. Pylori is still there, then we'll do a second round of antibiotics. If it's not there, then we'll do an endoscopy.

It seems pretty reasonable to me. My doctor also thinks that it's extremely unlikely that this is something serious (aka cancer)... Considering that my weight loss is not very much and is primarily due to the fact that I've been following a very strict/bland diet (plus my blood work is totally fine), he claims I should not worry.

What do you guys think?

Thanks for reading!
-J

[Helico_expert]

i agree with your doctor. I must admit that what we'll normally do too. It takes a long time to investigate and many people give up half way. Please stay positive and keep us posted with your treatment.

[Kordax]

I was treated for H Pylori about 2 to 3 years ago and it took me about 2 years to get to where I feel like I am 100% back to normal. For the longest time after treatment I still felt stomach pain and especially random bouts of nausea, especially after a meal that contained a high level of fat such as wings, etc. It takes a long time to recover after the treatment so don't think you will suddenly feel back to normal immediately after treatment. I wish I could tell you that you will but that would be a lie. After treatment, get retested and if it comes back negative, you have to trust that you will eventually get back to normal. I should note though, that during my endoscopy after treatment it was determined that my stomach is actually tilted back and therefore holds food longer. So needless to say, I am not normal to begin with.

[Helico_expert]

thank you for your supportive feedback.

[txon]

It has been almost two weeks since the end of treatment. I'm still taking PPI's. Generally, I would say there has been an improvement—I feel quite will for most of the day. However, I totally agree with what Kordax said: if I eat greasy foods, I will feel nausea and stomach burning for some time. Yesterday I had pizza for dinner and this morning I woke up with nausea. Diet seems to be crucial.

[Helico_expert]

I think you are doing good. Make sure you do a follow up breath test to confirm your treatment works.

[txon]

Thanks, Helico_expert. I will be doing a stool test in two weeks. I'll keep you posted.

For the past couple of days, I've noticed that the stomach burning pain is practically gone, but now I have a bit of nausea after eating. It's quite mild, so I'm not overly concerned. Never vomited. Definitely though, I cannot reiterate the importance of following a diet. And definitely not alcohol. I've been struggling with this since mid-March, so it's been around two months... And again, I'm 27, very healthy, so I'm not used at all to struggling with health issues.

I also want to thank you and those of you who read this. It really helps being able to share my symptoms with people who have been there.

[Helico_expert]

I am happy that you have regained your quality of life via a simple treatment. do update us with your test result later on.

[txon]

Okay, so I'll do the stool test next week. So far I can tell you that I finished my antibiotics course a month ago and haven't been taking any PPIs for almost three weeks. I need to be very careful about what I eat. Definitely cannot drink any alcohol. Bland foods, etc. No weight loss (on the contrary, I gained some weight), no bleeding, no vomiting. Occasional nausea and stomach burning... Today is Thursday and I've been struggling with mild nausea (it comes and goes) and burning sinces Tuesday—I think it has to do with the fact that I made alfredo sauce and had it for lunch and dinner on Tuesday. It's generally very frustrating...