My story - looking for advice and support
Posted: Mon Sep 17, 2018 3:28 am
Hi all, I have been reading some posts on here and seeing that everyone is quite responsive. I have been going through quite an ordeal with H pylori and wanted to share my story and get some advice.
It all started for me a few months ago, when I was feeling some pressure above my belly button and lower right abdomen (thought it could've been appendicitis). I have been an IBS sufferer for about 6-7 months, so I went to my GI doctor and said it was likely just an IBS flare up. Symptoms were pretty common abdominal pain, nausea, the works. I had been on a low FODMAP diet for about 2 months and largely hadn't been feeling too bad before.
He ordered an H pylori breath test, and it came back positive. I was hesitant to go on antibiotics at first, but then felt quite bad pressure in my lower abdomen and figured I'd just do it.
I started on tetracycline/metrodinazole 4x a day (+omeperazole 2x a day) for about 5 days, but had a really hard time tolerating the dosage. I was opening pills/capsules due to inability to swallow pills and the taste was so nauseating and difficult. It felt so disgusting and irritating to my esophagus almost. After 5 days, I switched over to clarithromycin/tinidazole (continued with omeperazole) and I tolerated much better and took for 5 days (10 days total). During the last phase of the antibiotics I felt OK with minimal symptoms.
After finishing the antibiotics, I wasn't instructed by my doctor to "wean myself off" of the omperazole and I stopped it cold turkey. 2 days off of the antibiotic I suffered from horrible abdominal pain, stomach aches, loose stool/diahrrea and major acid reflux. I immediately went back on the omperazole as per my doctor's instruction, but it hasn't gotten better. I barely have any appetite at all and am eating 3 small very small meals and not hungry at all. I had trouble breathing which I assume was related the acid reflux (never had this before) and reverberating pain in different spots of my body (face, jaw, neck, etc). The breathing has gotten better since going back to the omperazole 2x a day since Friday, but all other symptoms seem just as bad.
I can't fathom that after the antibiotics I feel so much worse than I ever did before. It is now 6 days post antibiotics and I feel miserable and very hopeless. Could going off the omperazole cold turkey have really screwed me over that much? Or is my gut just not back to normal? I would appreciate any advice because I don't know how I will ever get back to feeling good again and its hopeless. Does this seem like something more serious?
It all started for me a few months ago, when I was feeling some pressure above my belly button and lower right abdomen (thought it could've been appendicitis). I have been an IBS sufferer for about 6-7 months, so I went to my GI doctor and said it was likely just an IBS flare up. Symptoms were pretty common abdominal pain, nausea, the works. I had been on a low FODMAP diet for about 2 months and largely hadn't been feeling too bad before.
He ordered an H pylori breath test, and it came back positive. I was hesitant to go on antibiotics at first, but then felt quite bad pressure in my lower abdomen and figured I'd just do it.
I started on tetracycline/metrodinazole 4x a day (+omeperazole 2x a day) for about 5 days, but had a really hard time tolerating the dosage. I was opening pills/capsules due to inability to swallow pills and the taste was so nauseating and difficult. It felt so disgusting and irritating to my esophagus almost. After 5 days, I switched over to clarithromycin/tinidazole (continued with omeperazole) and I tolerated much better and took for 5 days (10 days total). During the last phase of the antibiotics I felt OK with minimal symptoms.
After finishing the antibiotics, I wasn't instructed by my doctor to "wean myself off" of the omperazole and I stopped it cold turkey. 2 days off of the antibiotic I suffered from horrible abdominal pain, stomach aches, loose stool/diahrrea and major acid reflux. I immediately went back on the omperazole as per my doctor's instruction, but it hasn't gotten better. I barely have any appetite at all and am eating 3 small very small meals and not hungry at all. I had trouble breathing which I assume was related the acid reflux (never had this before) and reverberating pain in different spots of my body (face, jaw, neck, etc). The breathing has gotten better since going back to the omperazole 2x a day since Friday, but all other symptoms seem just as bad.
I can't fathom that after the antibiotics I feel so much worse than I ever did before. It is now 6 days post antibiotics and I feel miserable and very hopeless. Could going off the omperazole cold turkey have really screwed me over that much? Or is my gut just not back to normal? I would appreciate any advice because I don't know how I will ever get back to feeling good again and its hopeless. Does this seem like something more serious?