Currently undergoing H Pylori treatment
Posted: Fri Jul 20, 2018 3:35 am
I'm 32, living in Spain and relatively healthy - I cycle a lot, eat well and don't smoke and don't drink excessively.
Since March I've been struggling with a dull/burning pain in my upper abdomen - always from the centre to just under my ribs on the right had side as well as general fatigue, feeling full and bouts of diarrhea and constipation. On top of this I've had plenty of anxiety due to the symptoms.
When I went to hospital they initially thought I had pancreatitis due to high Amylase count, but after blood tests, urine test and CT scan I was given a diagnosis of Gastritis, although I haven't yet had a scope.
Despite taking PPI and levogastrol by July I was fed up with no improvement and went back to the hospital where I requested to be tested for Helicobacter - unsurprisingly enough it came back positive (stool test).
I've now been put on Pylera (12 per day for 10 days), a PPI twice a day and a probiotic 1x per day. As I type I'm on day 8, so almost finished.
It hasn't been easy, and reading through these forums its comforting to know that I'm not the only one to suffer side affects - more abdomen pain, tiredness, nausea. My stools have been regular but a strange green/black colour.
My hope was that I'd complete this course of antibiotics and feel fantastic and get on with my life. But its starting to dawn on me that this won't be the case, at least in the short term. My doctor told me that if keep having issues then the next step will be to have a scope to have a look. I've scheduled a breath test for 6 weeks to check that the h pylori has been eradicated.
One of things I'm not clear about is what to do after I've finished the Pylera. Should I go back to normal diet, no medication and wait for an improvement? I don't really want to keep taking any medication that might affect my retest result.
Since March I've been struggling with a dull/burning pain in my upper abdomen - always from the centre to just under my ribs on the right had side as well as general fatigue, feeling full and bouts of diarrhea and constipation. On top of this I've had plenty of anxiety due to the symptoms.
When I went to hospital they initially thought I had pancreatitis due to high Amylase count, but after blood tests, urine test and CT scan I was given a diagnosis of Gastritis, although I haven't yet had a scope.
Despite taking PPI and levogastrol by July I was fed up with no improvement and went back to the hospital where I requested to be tested for Helicobacter - unsurprisingly enough it came back positive (stool test).
I've now been put on Pylera (12 per day for 10 days), a PPI twice a day and a probiotic 1x per day. As I type I'm on day 8, so almost finished.
It hasn't been easy, and reading through these forums its comforting to know that I'm not the only one to suffer side affects - more abdomen pain, tiredness, nausea. My stools have been regular but a strange green/black colour.
My hope was that I'd complete this course of antibiotics and feel fantastic and get on with my life. But its starting to dawn on me that this won't be the case, at least in the short term. My doctor told me that if keep having issues then the next step will be to have a scope to have a look. I've scheduled a breath test for 6 weeks to check that the h pylori has been eradicated.
One of things I'm not clear about is what to do after I've finished the Pylera. Should I go back to normal diet, no medication and wait for an improvement? I don't really want to keep taking any medication that might affect my retest result.