Helicobacter Forums

I have posted a topic in the treatment forum viewtopic.php?f=33&t=204598

I would like to know this though my blood test came back positive but biopsy negative. I have been treated successfully for H pylori 11 years ago. My endoscopy showed mild gastritis and mild duodenitis. I'm chronically on Aciphex 20mg 2x daily and Zantac 300mg for my severe laryngopharyengeol reflux for the past 5 years and I wasn't off the meds when the biopsy was collected so I know it can show a false negative. I just started the Prevpac except Aciphex instead of Prevacid. My question is and based on my findings am I whether positive or negative. I don't think a blood test can show positive for so long or can it? I could do a urea breath test but I gotta be off the PPIs for 2 weeks and that's not an option unless really really needed this is why I'm taking a gamble and going for the treatment.

so how did your specialist determine that you are negative based on endoscopy? is it by CLOtest? histology? or Culture?

CLOtest may show negative as you are on PPI.
histology may show positive as you were told for mild gastritis. But you have to look for the word "active". it has to be active gastritis.
Culture is best if your specialist ordered it. I assume it wasnt done.

Here's what my endoscopy report showed: Mild chronic nonspecific gastritis in the antrum and body and mild peptic duodenitis. I had a biopsy taken from the antrum and body and they were stained. I assume not cultured since I hear it's uncommonly done unless the doc needs to know for very specific stuff like antibiotic resistance.

you have a very suspicious pathology report. anyway, you are taking antibiotics now. Hopefully that will help you ease your problem. Perhaps, in your next visit to your doctor, you can ask for antibiotic sensitivity test to boost your treatment success rate.

Based on my findings I too strongly believe it's H pylori related. You see 11 years ago I was treated with the Prevpac for H Pylori gastritis and a few months later I was totally healed I remember having a breath test a few years later but not the one you blow into the balloon but just small tubes and I tested negative. I know breath tests are very accurate and I was not on any PPIs back then or any meds whatsoever but could it be I never cured the infection although my symptoms disappeared. Back then I had very bad symptoms it was horrible I suffered for 2 years till I had the proper treatment. I'm worried I have never cured the infection and I'm taking the same antibiotics now and maybe it's not a good thing. I was thinking maybe to switch clarithromycin with metronidazole but I'm already on my 2nd day of treatment.

If you are confident that your old infection was eradicated, then this is a new strain infection and it wont have the antibiotic resistance as they have not been expose to the antibiotics yet. Therefore, the success rate of prevpac should be high.

However, if that's the case, you should investigate the source of this new infection. It's difficult for adult to catch H. pylori because H. pylori survived poorly outside human body and adults are generally more hygienic than children where adults dont normally and frequently put sharing toys in the mouth. So, usually transmission to adult is from someone very close by. or you handled someone else's "vomit" where there is high concentration of H. pylori.

I'm pretty sure my old infection went away I mean after 2 years of pain after the prevpac I was cured never felt better. I know reinfection is uncommon but then again I have eaten many times with dirty hands and often eat out whether its' cheap food or from buffets or diners/restaurants sushi etc. had many sex partners (not too proud of that) lol etc. and I live in NYC this is a city full of different cultures loads of people here from countries where virtually everyone has H pylori so I wouldn't be surprised. Plus I live with my mother shes been treated for H pylori a few years ago.