Need help - freaking out a little bit

[MarcinXP]

So few months ago I started getting the same symptoms I had in 2006. Back in 2006 I would get nausea, cloudy headed, little anxious, tingling sensation in feet (like gas bubbles), pain in upper abdomen especially when hungry and pain was unbearable like something that would eat you from inside. I got diagnosed with H Pylori via blood test and got a Prevpac (Amox-Clat+Prevacid) or whatever standard prevpac is like. After 14 days everything was smooth and I have not experienced any symptoms, not even a little bit of pain and basically forgot about it until this year.

Started of with little nausea at first, little anxiety, feeling tired, new symptom (lump in throat feeling but nothing physically there) and progressed 2 weeks ago to upper abdomen pain especially when hungry just like last time. Went to the doc who is just a regular doc, explained to him the symptoms, my past history, what was given to me, etc..complete history. he had me lie down, pressed on my belly, you know typical doc stuff. told me that I MIGHT BE RIGHT and it might be just H PYLORI coming back or ulcer and gave me prescription for Prevpac (Amox+Clath+Prevacid).

So i did a lot of reading and it seems that I shouldn't just take Prevpac on blind faith that it is H Pylori without knowing if it really is or not without being tested. At this point I'm already well into taking Prevpac so I don't want to stop it either. My symptoms on Prevpac are actually worse or better depending on the day. I get tingling in feet like last time in 2006 but I did not have that 2 weeks, while it seems nausea and pain stopped and I havent experienced any pain since being on Prevpac. My ultimate worry is that if I don't have H Pylori and it was just ulcer acting up, I might do some damage with the prevpac or somehow make a stronger bacteria come back or even worse have H Pylori come back with a vengenace. So I guess I have some questions.

My Plan after reading everything is to complete 10 day PrevPac treatment as I don't have a choice. Today is Day 8 so 2 more days. I also plan on getting tested 4 weeks later for H Pylori to see if i have it. My questions are;

Is it dangerous taking PrevPac if you are unsure whether you have H pylori or not?
Could I damage or make things worse by taking PrevPac. Could my symptoms be worse after Prevpac than they were before the Prevpac?
If I don't have H Pylori but had it in 2006, by taking this PrevPac can it comeback as my digestive system is more vulnerable?
I take Probiotic everyday and also eat about 4-5 yogurts per day. no vomitting, no diareha, my appetite comes and goes. My main symptoms now are little anxiety, little bit of nausea, little bit of tingling in my feet, gas like or maybe B-12 deficiency..dont know but had the same symptoms when diagonsed with H Pylori last time, but went away with prevpac, where as now tingling did not start till after prevpac.

[MarcinXP]

Also just an update. I never went back to test whether HPylori was eradicated in 2006. They told me it's not necessary if I don't have any symptoms. I have also used tetracycline for almost year and a half or so due to my Roseacea and switched to Oracea earlier this year. I stopped Oracea when taking triple therapy. About a month ago I went to this doctor that gave me a prevpaac and he gave me nexium to try out for 30 days. As it also happened I had a root canal and dentist gave me Amoxiclin for 10 days for possible infection. I've taken that and Nexium concurrently and symptoms seemed to go away with exception of one morning where stomach was just really hurting. Once Amoxicilin ran out and I stopped Nexium symptoms came back. Any helps is appreciated as to what the consequences can be. I'm going to stop takin Oracea for my skin period and after this Prevpac I don't want to take another antibiotic for a long time, but I hope I did not reverse, made H pylori even worse if there was one or worse make H pylori grow

[Helico_scientist]

First, you have to do a test to see if you are still H. pylori positive: a stool test or breath test should be easy to get from your doctor.
If you are still positive it is very likely that you are now resistant to Chlarithromicin. Taking PrevPac shouldn't make things worse, you will feel better while you are taking it but it won't eradicate the bacteria completely. So the next step is to try a new therapy with different antibiotics such as ciprofloxacin, rifabutin, bismuth.. it depends on what is available in your country. I would definitely avoid Tetracyclin and Chlarithromicin but Amoxicillin should be fine as the bacteria doesn't get resistant to it.
Once you have completed the treatment, it is very important to check if the bacteria has been eradicated (do a test 3 weeks after the end of the treatment). It will take a while for your stomach to recover after taking all these antibiotics so be patient. You can keep taking nexium to reduce symptoms.
If you still have symptoms several months after eradication or if you think you have an ulcer, you should do an endoscopy.
To answer your other question, taking PrevPac won't make the bacteria come back and the tingling in your feet and the anxiety are probablu not due to H.pylori.

So stay positive and try to seek advice from another doctor or gastroenterologist

[MarcinXP]

Thanks for a quick reply.

Trying to stay positive, and everything tells me that it is H Pylori as I have same symptoms, but not sure why it came back (or at least symptoms came back) 6 years after treatment. Never went to check back then to see if I still had it since I was told if I feel fine just not to comeback. In-fact I felt fine within 3-4 days of Prevpac last time, while not I'm on day 9 and while pain symptoms are gone, nausea and tingling in my feet are still here, especially after I eat. Its not even tingling, it feels like gas in feet (same feeling like stomach gas and movement). Doctors told me in 2006 that no way that can be a symptom and no way gas can be down there (I kinda joked that maybe I have a tiny hole in my stomach), but they told me it could be something else. Anyway after 4 days on prevpac last time, all symptoms went away including tingling and nausea where as now they are still with me. I hate taking antibiotics but you are right though I need to feel better because Gas and Nausea are really aggravating, although I lost some weight and need to lose a bit more, so its helpful LOL. Tomorrow night PM dose is my last one 10 full days. I will take Probiotics and B12 along with Multivitamin for next 4 weeks to see if symptoms improve while checking to see if I still have Pylori. If I do get some pain I will take nexium, but I've heard that it can make your test false positive if taken to close to the test so not sure if I need to stay off it as well.

Thanks for telling me that PRevpac will not make things worse. I was surprised that I was not tested and doctor just handed them out to me like nothing saying that I was right H PYLORI is probably what I have. I should have told him I want my copay money back if he is just going to agree with me. But I was wondering in your expertise are there any other digestive issues (non-H Pylori) related that can be aggrevated because I took the prevpac. It won't make H Pylori worse, but can it flare something up, especially if that something is the reason for symptoms instead of H Pylori

Thanks for your help.

[MarcinXP]

It seems I'm doing better today. The gas or tingling sensation i feel in feet just appear after I eat something for a bit. Honestly I don't think its even tingling in the feet. i think it might be something with my digestive system that I feel like its moving or vibrating that is felt in my feet when i'm sitting down or lying down, not when i'm standing or walking..

Anyway - last question. My prevpac inlcudes 2 (AMOXICILINE) X 500mg - 1 (BIOXIN) or Clarith something and 1 Prevacid. I want to take it for 10 days, but have enough for 14 days. In your opinion is it worth taking it extra 4 days? Is there a major difference betwen 10 and 14 that will provide higher cure rate or even a chance that it will really be killed or is 10 days good enough and if its not dead by then it's time to move on to another treatment.

Thanks
Marcin

[Helico_scientist]

What you have to know is that antibiotics are used to kill bacteria. Your hole body (but mainly your intestin) is made of plenty of bacteria, most of these bacteria are good for you and help you digest food for example. This is why, when you take antibiotics, your digestive system is disturbed. Some people feel even worse after taking antiobiotics. But if you have a good and healthy diet (lots of vegetables, fibers, yogurt, probiotics...) it will go back to normal after some time. Some people think that H pylori is still there after the treatment because they feel uncomfortable but this is why it is important to do a new test 3 to 4 weeks after treatment to check the bacteria has been eradicated properly.
As I told you before, I doubt PrevPac will work for you as you have taken it before. However, if you have a 14 days prescription you should finish the treatment until the end. But remember to get tested in 3 to 4 weeks. Again, seek advice from a specialist if your symptoms don't disappear after a few months.
None of our patients complain about tingling in their feet so I'm not quite sure how to help you with that. Maybe it is just a nerve? Have you try to massage it?

[Helico_expert]

It seems like you have tried prevpac at least twice? You might need to speak to your doctor about the possibility of having a resistant strain after so many trials of Prevpac. I would recommend a different combination rather than keep trying the same antibiotics.

[MarcinXP]

Thanks so much for your help. I really appreciate it and it's calming me down. Yes I took PrevPac in November 2006 which would be exactly 7 years ago, so even though it's not taken back to back could it still be resistant?

Also you know tingling is a wrong description and no wonder doctors looked at me weird when I say that now and before. The feeling I have is like my whole body is full of gas and moving around. When I drink water or eat something I feel like my digestive system goes into overdrive...I don't feel any pain or moving in stomach but when I place my feet down on the floor it seems like my body is vibrating. If I'm sitting down and place my feet off the ground, the sensation is gone, when I place my arms on the table I can feel that vibration...it seems like my stomach could be doing all the movement and digestive system doing crazy things and I can feel it only when touching something else, sort of like a dryer...inside it's moving and u can't feel it unless you touch it. The feeling is more like cellphone vibrating.

[Helico_expert]

It is possible that the resistant revert back to sensitive since there is no selection pressure to maintain the resistance gene. However, i wouldnt risk it. there are other antibiotic choices, eg. metronidazole and tetracycline. Should give them a try.

[MarcinXP]

Thanks, hopefully it's not needed, but if I go get tested in 4 weeks and H Pylori is still active then that might be an option I will discuss with the doctor. I've used Tetracycline almost 6 months back in 2007 and 2008 for my skin, I hope it's not resistant to that.