Helicobacter Forums

Hello. I have been suffering from gastritis on and off for a couple of years. I was tested twice for h.pylori and both teats came back negative. I had a third test a few weeks ago that was positive.
I think the first two were false negative because I was taking a ppi at the time and I only gave a tiny stool sample because it's kind of a gross thing to have to do. The third test I gave a decent sized sample and I stopped the ppi for two days beforehand.

I was given metronidazole and amoxicillin to take along with omeprazole for 7 Days and 5 Day into the treatment I felt amazing.. Totally better. Two days after the course ended I started to get symptoms again so I went to my GP. She asked me to do a stool sample a week after the antibiotics finished (no ppi for two days beforehand) and I'm currently waiting for the result. If negative I will retest in a further month.
I'm frustrated because I felt so amazing for a few days and then degenerated again into constant nausea and Abdominal pain. I'm so tired and fed up. I just want to feel normal again and be able to eat and drink the things that I love. Coffee is but a distant for memory.

If the test is positive I will be offered either a 14 day course of metronidazole and amoxicillin again, or a course of different antibiotics. I don't know what would be best...I don't want to take drugs that might not work, but also don't want to take loads of different antibiotics unless it's necessary. :S I'm scared of side effects of every new tablet I'm given. Ranitidine was terrible...I was so dizzy, drowsy and on the verge of throwing up that it scared me.

This is truly a vile bacterium. But anyone being tested by stool sample...make sure you give enough poop or you might suffer for months or years needlessly...

I wonder whether there is a link between lactose or dairy and h.pylori induced gastritis? When I first got gastritis it was after a Dietician told me to dramatically increase my dairy intake in order to gain weight. At the same time I appear to have become lactose intolerant (though this was never a problem before in my life). Are there others with gastritis and /or helico that suddenly became intolerant of milk at the same time as getting other symptoms? I'm not allergic to milk apparently but I get terrible cramps and gas if I have milk or cream but hard cheese seems OK.

After gastritis finally heals, how soon can you start having stomach-unfriendly deliciousness like coffee, chocolate and wine again? Three favourite things currently banned

be optimistic. let's assume that you have been cured. the after effect of antibiotic treatment is just temporary. We'll wait till the test result come back and then decide what to do next.

If you are indeed positive, you must never use the same antibiotics again.

lactose intolerance is different to gastritis. it's the build up of lactose in the guts that other bacteria uses incorrectly. anyway, you can buy lactase from pharmacy to solve lactose intolerance problem.

Thanks for taking the time to reply. I do have lactase tablets to take I just find it strange that both conditions started at exactly the same time.
Ok. In the event of a positive test result I will ask for different antibiotics. I guess tetracycline plus amox or metronidazole would be a good idea next?

If as you say I am clean from helicobacter then why do I still have symptoms? How long does it take to feel better usually and is it common to feel normal for a few days then go back to nausea, pains and soreness? I did try having coconut yoghurt with live cultures in but that didn't seem to help. Last night I felt much worse again and spent some time in the bathroom deciding if I was going to be sick or not and I'm borderline phobic about vomiting so contant nausea is driving my anxiety levels up.

If the test is negative I might try a couple of valium to check whether the apparent rebound effects are actually all anxiety-related.

normally we get infected by H. pylori when we are young. So your stomach is very used to having H. pylori around. So, some people's stomach may take longer time to adjust to a bacteria free environment. Hopefully through time, you'll feel better. meanwhile, you can try talk to a dietitian or immunologist to find out what other food you may be allergic to.

Thanks helico expert.I appreciate the reassurance as my brain is beginning to go off on pancreatic and stomach cancer tangents( HIGHLY unlikely I know)...At this point I think I will ask for a dietetic referral because my weight has dropped a few pounds below the limit that we previously agreed (I'm a recovered anorexic) so I really need help to stop the unintentional weight loss and start to regain again. I was tested for milk and soy allergy but they were negative. I'll try to stay calm and be a bit more positive! It can only make things better I guess!

keep up the good and positive energy!

Is there anything else I can do to alleviate the symptoms I have while I wait for the next test result (and beyond if it's negative)
I have constant nausea,no appetite, abdominal tenderness, intermittent abdominal pain, heartburn and bloating (plus a bad case of fed-up-itis) oh and a dull headache (thanks omeprazole....)
So far I have done the following:
Stop all tea, coffee and alcohol,
Stop chocolate and fatty foods
Stop acidic foods and drinks, so no juice, no citrus (haven't had citrus for about a year)
No ibuprofen (not had for two years)
Drinking water, chamomile tea and ginger tea only
Eating liquorice occaissionally,
Omeprazole 20mg twice daily on an empty stomach
Taking 10ml of Pepto-Bismol if Nausea gets really bad

The only annoying factor is that I take a liquid form of fluoxetine that is a known gastric irritant and I can't just stop it due to withdrawal issues. I've been tapering off for 6 months but still have another three or four months until I'm totally off it.I always take it after food.

Any other hints?

i am not expert in probiotics. but i constantly see people write about it. maybe it's something you can try.

Thanks helico_expert. I can't see it hurting.

I Actually have another couple of questions if you don't mind...
1. I work in a lab with bacterial, yeast and Mammalian cells that are grown in various antibiotics. Now, obviously I don't go around drinking lb broth or DMEM, but I wonder if researchers working with antibiotics see a higher prevalence of antibiotic resistant infections in themselves? I hope not, otherwise I might have an ampicilin, kanamycin, hygromycin, zeocin, blastocydin, neomycin, streptomycin, penacillin-resistant critter hiding somewhere :S.
2. I had low iron a month ago and want to take supplements but am afraid of further irritating my stomach, I'm feeling really tired so I think I'm on the verge of anemia but until gastritis clears up I guess I should avoid iron supplements?
3. In your lab what antibiotics do you find helicobacter strains are typically resistant and susceptible to?
4. I took oxytetracycline for years for acne, could this have been keeping h.pylori in check (as I believe that it doesn't really become resistant to tetracycline?).

If my test result doesn't come in by tomorrow (or is negative) I'm going to take some valium and see if it helps. I'll be peeved if it turns out the bug wasn't doing the damage and I was causing it all myself...