Helicobacter Forums

My 10 year old daughter just took the 14 days of antibiotics and is still taking an acid blocker and has not relief at all in her symptoms. We are being told she has to wait 2 months to be retested. Meanwhile she has missed over 3 weeks of school and is quite depressed, taking her anger out on herself. She won't take any painkillers due to a fear of vomiting (one of them made her sick). I feel so helpless and am worried and exhausted. Are there any solutions other than waiting to see if the bacteria is gone?

It is most likely that the bug was not eradicated. If the H.pylori was not eradicated after the first course of triple therapy, a second course of treatment could be tried with an increase in dosage and length. Lastly, a different combination of antibiotics could be used that are specific to this infection.

The most reliable tests for diagnosis of H.pylori are urea breath test or a gastroscopy biopsy. These tests must be performed 28 days after completing the treatment (not two months), and she may take PPI's until 7 days before a re-test.
If H.pylori is eradicated, then a less specific diagnosis is likely.

Try to exclude all serious conditions and then treat symptoms if a diagnosis is not accurately made. For example: a stool test - to look for parasites; biochemistry/lab test - lactose intolerance test and celiac disease; abdominal ulatrsound, CT, MRI - to exclude any organic pathology or seek second opinion etc. Clearly you need an enthusiastic and sympathetic pediatrician.

In my case, I have tested twice after 5 months (biopsy) and nearly an year after treatment (stool antigen) with h.pylori negative. I am still struggling with the horrible aftermath, I don't see any of the moderators to have looked at my suffering....

Hi there,
I'm 24 and was diagnosed with H.pylori in Dec 2009. In jan 2010 i recieved an endoscopy which showed severe gastric erosion and a duoudenal ulcer. I recieved the triple therapy and remained on PPI's for 3 months til i had another endoscopy in early May which showed me as H. pylori negative. Throughout this time my symptoms have persisted and to this day I still suffer from dyspepsia (stomach pain) despite my stomach having fully healed.

However, not one to let up, I am still researching and finding what eases my pain. So, I thought i'd share some of my research with you and though the evidence base is fairly weak it may give hope to some people out there. If you think you still have h.pylori then do your own stool test and use a website such as http://www.oxfordscreening.co.uk/portfo ... l#hpystool (UK), to check for yourself if you still have it. Perhaps when you finally see that the problem is no longer the h.pylori then you will be able to look to other options.

To have dyspepsia for which there is no known cause is labelled 'functional dyspepsia'. This page may help you learn a little more about the condition;
http://www.patient.co.uk/showdoc/23069186/

Here are some web pages on treatment options for this;
http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/444547_4
http://dyspepsia-options.com/

Here is a 2004 study on the evidence base for treatments of functional dyspepsia. Its a very good article with a sound evidence base;
http://www.sign.ac.uk/guidelines/fullte ... tion5.html

Treatments that I myself have tried may work for some of you and for others it may not (but please understand that these may not suit everyone)
Diet - First and foremost, work out what you can and can't eat, most of you will have done this already i.e. no caffiene, alcohol, spicy foods. Tweak this as you like. However, I find that eating regularily keeps the pain away. If i don't eat for a long period of time, my pain can get quite bad.
Lifestyle - There is a resounding evidence base behind stress and the aggrivation of dyspepsia. Unfortunately for us, its a 'positive feedback' cycle, whereby the more stressed you get -> the worse your symptoms get -> meaning you get more stressed -> your syptoms get even worse etc. Take a step back from your life and perhaps see what stress in your life can be taken out and start implementing some light exercise or some meditation to improve your mood.
Anti-acids - Sometimes it relieves my dyspepsia but often not.
Motilium / Domperidone - i.e. anti-emetics, i find these work quite effective at times and have a good placebo effect, stopping me feel so nauseous.
Aloe vera juice - Am currenlty trialling this for myself, settles my stomach but symptoms still persist.
Mastic gum - on order, research shows it can be effective (I'll see for myself shortly).
Distraction - probs the best solution, if i don't think about my pain then i don't notice it. Likewise if I am enjoying myself, i quickly forget about my dyspepsia.

Perhaps others can add a few more to this list.....


Please also bear in mind that studies are always being conducted around the world on functional dyspepsia and it might be of some use to meet specialists in the field and to meet other individuals who suffer from the same symptoms.
Here is an example of a study currently recruiting (USA) ;http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT00248651
(However, please understand that this is only an option)

I hope this helps some people out there and please understand that your not the only suffering from this. There are so many others out there in the same position as you, so don't give up hope. Keep smiling, we'll get through this together

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Didicoy has symptems mirror my own problem is I had HP 10 years ago yes it was diagnosed but I never was given anything to kill the bug. I've never felt well since. I keep being ill with stomach digesting food and the symptoms that didicoy discribed I've had auto immune illness and liver/ gall stones when will I ever feel healthy or will I be healthy? Is it too late for me can they get rid of HP after all this time ?

Not everybody has an immediate improvement in symptoms because not everyone has symptoms caused by the bug!
But, After treatment we can guarantee that Helicobacter related symptoms will stop getting worse and deterioration in the lining of the stomach will cease. After that, symptoms of nausea and bloated feelings usually improve quite quickly. Acid levels, if they are high, decrease by 50% after 6 months. If acid is low, it may improve (younger people) or not (>50 year olds who have atrophic gastritis caused by Hp). Generally, digestion is more natural and comfortable.
HOWEVER: remember that cure rate with antibiotics is about 85% so that one in 7 people will still have Hp after treatment. In that case - improvement is not so great (the antibiotics have just stunned the bacteria but the Hp bug gradually returns to a high level).
SO DO THIS:
1. Take H2 blockers such as Zantac - as you need them - after the treatment. May be required for a few months.
2. Have a follow-up breath, test one month later, to prove the bacteria has gone.
3. If you are not improving, consider seeing your gastroenterologist - if you have acid reflux symptoms (GORD) you may still need long term acid pump blockers (Nexium etc.). That is because the problem is mechanical - i.e. leaky oesophageal sphincter - not a bug in the stomach.
GOOD NEWS IS: Even if symptoms of acid persist, these can easily be treaed as above; most people feel that the antibiotic was still worth it.
OVERALL EFFECT: 50% of people are 100% cured of symptoms, 25% are quite a bit improved but not perfect, 25% are unchanged but not worse.
(This note will be added to the FAQ).

Hi, I have been diagnosed with H. Pylori and Erosive Gastritis and my doctor has given me the Triple theraply. Currently I am on my 3rd day of taking the triple theraphy and I am still feeling abdominal pains. Does anyone here know when will the abdominal pain ease when taking the Triple therapy?

if you feel terrible, you should see your local gp and ask for alternative.

Hello,

I have read the email from the system administrator about the persistance of some symptoms (the ones that are not associated with HP infection) after HP treatment (among them, the triple treatment). I am fully aware that a breath test should be done 1 month after the triple treatment to establish whether HP has been eliminated. I have however some questions about my case and I will start by providing the diagnosis of my upper GI endoscopy dated May 16th, 2011 as follows:

Stomach, antrum (biopsy): gastric anthral mucosa with chronic active gastritis and intestinal metaplasia; negative for displasia

Stomach, body (biopsy): Gastric body (oxyntic) mucosa with active gadstritis. Bacteria consistent with Helicobacter pylori are present.

Gastroesophageal junction (biopsy): Fragments of cardiac-type mucosa with intestinal metaplasia; no dysplasia identified. Active esophagitis.

I visited a GI due to a sort of bitter taste in my mouth after waking up in the morning for the last 1-1/2 years as well as an ocassional headache only on the left side of my head, both of which dissapear after I start walking around in my home. I also had occassional discomfort on my right abdominal side and lately on my left side below the ribs. I always associated those symptoms to excess eating certain foods or having a heavy meal (refined carbohydrates and dairy fat) an hour or so before going to bed.

The GI recommended a sonogram to check for digestive organs and I also had a colonoscopy. Both were reported with minor abnormalities (lesion and begin tumor in liver and benign polyp in colon).

I am a breast cancer survivor from 1996, 60 years old with a family history of digestive problems and a mother that had terminal cancer in the pancreas. I also suffer from rhinitis and I just realize that I have pollen and weed allergies. I take supplements (600 mg of Calcium and 1,300 IU of vitamin D) and I do regular nasal irrigation with a warm salty water without Iodine or I use a (I can breath easy)-mask. I am also very gear into organic foods, fish at least 3 times/week and occasional red and chicken meat, high in cooked beans and salads or fruits. I might add that I am beginning to exercise daily again and the stress associated to a year-gut home renovation has decreased enormously. Otherwise, I have a healthy lifestyle.

In light of my medical history and the occurrence of undesirable symptoms after HP treatment in some patients (HP aftermath), I have a few questions.

1-Do I have a high acid or low acid situation or how can my acid level be established?

2-I understand that having intestinal metaplasia may end up getting stomach cancer (according to medical epidemiological studies) without undergoing the HP treatment?

3- Will 14 days of Prevpac [amoxicillin (penicillin), clarithromycin (macrolide),
Lansoprazole(PPI)] be a reasonable treatment in my case?

4-How does the acid reduction using the PPI help the antibiotic's effect to kill HP in the above mentioned treatment?

5-Looking at my reports, medical history and symptoms, would I be likely to have acid level problems after the 14 day treatment with Prevpac?

Thank you very much