Helicobacter Forums

Hi,

I've had some stomach issues and very bad heartburn for three or four months, since a vacation I went on.

A couple months ago, I had the H.Pylori blood test twice (two weeks apart). Both times it came back equivocal.

I couldn't take the breath test because I was on antibiotics for something else. So I did the stool antigen test 10 days later. It came back negative.
But I'm still having some burning and ulcer-like symptoms.

Should I get re-tested? What are the chances of me having H.Pylori?

telling us where you are may help us guess your chances of being H. pylori infected.

in developed countries, the infection rate is about 15% whereas, >70% among the developing countries.

stomach problem can be very complex and we hope to point finger to H. pylori because it's easy to treat.

you have conducted 2 independent tests and all came back borderline. your stool test result was not accurate as you have been taking antibiotics.

I would do a final and proper breath test. Try not to have any medication (eg. antibiotics and drugs that can reduce stomach acid) that may affect the sensitivity of breath test.

Discuss with your GP what would be the best and efficient strategy to treat your stomach problem.

Thank you!
I am in Canada but recently travelled to Cuba, which is when my problems started.

I was off antibiotics for 10 days before taking the stool test. Do you think my result would still be inaccurate? If so, I could do the breath test. Two years ago, I had a blood test for H.Pylori and it came back negative.

First of all, it's not easy for an adult to catch H. pylori. It's more common among children because they just put things in mouth. Although the route of transmission is not confirmed, we believe it is via the oral route.

Nevertheless, it is still possible for adult to catch H. pylori if the water system is contaminated, or sharing contaminated food.

blood test is pretty accurate. since you were shown negative for h. pylori via blood test 2 years ago, it is most likely true.

if you want a definite answer, i suggest you to see a specialist to get a endoscopy done. Get some biosies for histology test and CLOtest. if your specialist is good enuf, you can ask him to measure your stomach pH too.