Helicobacter Forums

Hello,

I first started with symptoms in 3/2015; simple tummy aches which would come and go. In 4/2015, I went on a family trip and upon arriving to the house we rented, I had a fever that evening which I took ibuprofen (101 F). Over the next 24 hours I continued to not feel well and have a fever at night. I also developed loose stools and tummy ache was more prominent. For 2 more days I had fever, by the 3rd day I was feeling horrible with tummy aches, diarrhea, headache, sinus pressure and back ache. I went to the ER, had blood work and urine analysis. I tested positive for a UTI and they stated my sinus pressue is the beginning stages of a sinus infection. I was given Bactrim DS for 10 days. I did the full course of antibiotics. During the treatment I had diarrhea. Once I was done with the treatment the diarrhea and stomach subsided and my stools return to a normal pattern.

Until......now, beginning of July 2015, I went on a camping trip. Upon my return I developed loose stools and some tummy ache. Within a week, I was have stronger tummy aches and frequent stools. I also would start with a headache, lower back pain (coccyx area), nausea, feeling malaise which then followed by a few bowel movement which were loose and at the end diarrhea. Once I had finish my bowel movements, headache would subside.

I then had a couple of nights which I woke up due to a severe pain above my belly button followed by a sudden urge to have a bowel movement which was loose/diarrhea. Once I was done again the pain subsided. I would wake up with this pain in the morning also.

I finally went to see my doctor after 2 weeks of these symptoms. She tested me for H Pylori, CDiff and Giardia. I was positive for the IGA H Pylori Antibody but negative for IGG. My stool was negative for helicocampter Pylori. Cdiff and Giardia was negative. I have never been treated before for this condition.

Since I am positive for the igA antibody but negative in the stool, should I still do the triple treatment of 2 antibiotics and a PPI?

Also, change in bowel movement, is this expected with H Pylori? You would think so, since there is a bacteria in your stomach changing the enivornment in general.

Thanks

I also wanted to state, I did CBC which was all normal. Magnesium and Vit D was optimal.

Thank you for sharing this very interesting story.

Now, IgA (or IgG) can stay in your blood for a year (or even more). They are the memory immunity. Therefore, serology is never the selected method to test for H. pylori infection status. It only tells you if you had been infected within the last 12 months.

Stool test on the other hand, tells you if you have the antigen in your stool. Since it is negative, there is a slight chance that your previous treatment with Bactrim might have killed the H. pylori. Anyway, I would recommend you to try a breath test (if possible) to see if your H. pylori is truly gone before trying any other antibiotics.

If you have no H. pylori, then your IBD problem may due to the imbalance of microbiota. You may want to try some probiotics to see if that helps.

Thank you kindly for your prompt response. You confirmed what I was thinking which the blood test is not a good indicator. I suspect my first exposure to this bug was in April 2015 and since then I have not been the same. You mentioned probiotic, I have been taking a vegetable probiotic (maybe not the best quality)for months. I did notice both times I had the event is when I was vacationing and forgot to take the probiotics while I was on vacation. I went last night and bought one with prebiotic and probiotic at 15 CFU with 8 different strains.

For the past 7 days, I have been on a PPI which has eliminated the pain. I still have mild cramping in my intestine especially after meals.

Since I am positive for the antibody and the fact that I am symptomatic, shouldn't I do the treatment? They have prescribed Flagyl and Clarithromycin with the PPI.

SHOULD I wait for the breath test to confirm if it is active in my stoach to start the treatment? Can this bug colonize in your intestines?

ALSO..........is it normal to have a change in bowel movement from this bug? On the Bristol stool chart, I went from Type 4 to between 5 - 6.

I will follow up with my GP for a breath test or GI specialist.

Thank you kindly for your thoughts/opinion.

So, when you did your stool test, had you been taking PPI? if so, the PPI may affect the stool test result.

I think you should wait for the breath test result before taking the antibiotics. Why? because the antibiotics will kill off all your good normal flora. I think it is better to find out if you are positive of H. pylori before killing off everything.

Other information
H. pylori will not colonise in the intestine.

You will need to stop PPI for 2-4 weeks before breath test.

if you need the PPI to control your symptom, you can take other PPI before the breath test. Please find the guideline below
http://www.helico.com/PYtest_guide_2013.pdf

Thank you for the link.

As for my test, I was not any type of medication at the time of my test results.

Also, you may have missed this but does H Pylori change your stool?

Thank you again....

no. H. pylori doesnt change the stool. At least not directly. Not sure if H. pylori has effect on the microflora and then change the stool.

This is very interesting story. I am very glad to read this story.

jalvarez1010 wrote:Hello,

I first started with symptoms in 3/2015; simple tummy aches which would come and go. In 4/2015, I went on a family trip and upon arriving to the house we rented, I had a fever that evening which I took ibuprofen (101 F). Over the next 24 hours I continued to not feel well and have a fever at night. I also developed loose stools and tummy ache was more prominent. For 2 more days I had fever, by the 3rd day I was feeling horrible with tummy aches, diarrhea, headache, sinus pressure and back ache. I went to the ER, had blood work and urine analysis. I tested positive for a UTI and they stated my sinus pressue is the beginning stages of a sinus infection. I was given Bactrim DS for 10 days. I did the full course of antibiotics. During the treatment I had diarrhea. Once I was done with the treatment the diarrhea and stomach subsided and my stools return to a normal pattern.

Until......now, beginning of July 2015, I went on a camping trip. Upon my return I developed loose stools and some tummy ache. Within a week, I was have stronger tummy aches and frequent stools. I also would start with a headache, lower back pain (coccyx area), nausea, feeling malaise which then followed by a few bowel movement which were loose and at the end diarrhea. Once I had finish my bowel movements, headache would subside.

I then had a couple of nights which I woke up due to a severe pain above my belly button followed by a sudden urge to have a bowel movement which was loose/diarrhea. Once I was done again the pain subsided. I would wake up with this pain in the morning also.

I finally went to see my doctor after 2 weeks of these symptoms. She tested me for H Pylori, CDiff and Giardia. I was positive for the IGA H Pylori Antibody but negative for IGG. My stool was negative for helicocampter Pylori. Cdiff and Giardia was negative. I have never been treated before for this condition.

Since I am positive for the igA antibody but negative in the stool, should I still do the triple treatment of 2 antibiotics and a PPI?

Also, change in bowel movement, is this expected with H Pylori? You would think so, since there is a bacteria in your stomach changing the enivornment in general.

Thanks

I guess it would be better to go with the triple treatment of 2 antibiotics and a PPI. Since I have never been treated for this condition I’m not sure about the best treatment that suits you. I had severe pain around my buttocks regions and my physiotherapist in Mississauga helped me to relieve the pain with some exercises and activities. It helped me a lot to get better. Other than taking medications you can also try something like this for your back pain.

Thanks for your valuable tips