H pylori. I don't know what to do anymore...

Digestive health
1

Hello and sorry for the long post.

My symptoms started January of this year and it has been a constant nightmare of symptoms. Reflux, throat pain, lump in throat, stabbing pains and burning in the upper stomach, burping,heart palpitations, chest pain, throat clicking, chocking on nothing, nausea depression, anxiety and much more.

I was only recently diagnosed with an h pylori infection which has been a great relief as I was worried if it was worse.

It's been around two weeks since I've taken the 7 day triple therapy and I am still continuing the acid reduction medicine. However, I am still experiencing symptoms. Particularly my throat which feels like there is a lump and sometimes makes me choke or feel sick and it gets unbearable to the point where it distracts me from my daily chores.

It's getting the best of me and I am feeling like there is no way out of this. My biggest worry is constantly worrying myself I have something like GERD or LPR or whatever and I just do not want to be living with this horrible pain i have to go through every day.

It saddens me a lot worrying about what i eat, what i drink. I'm always thinking if I will get my old life back. No amount of lifestyle changes, diet changes or supplements or medications have helped me. In fact, making it worse to bear. Particularly drinking water makes it much worse. Eating makes it worse and not eating also makes it worse. It's odd because there is no particular trigger for it. it just is there no matter what.

I have lost my social life, my job and I am at a mess and all alone. No one seems to understand what I go through.

I feel depressed and suicidal just looking back I would never even think about joining a health forum and feel like I am in a body of an 80 year old. I am  21, male. Before this, I ate healthy most of the time as I am into fitness, with the occasional social drinking.That is also out of the question now. I always wonder if I'll ever get better at all. How am I supposed to carry on when all I feel is pain everywhere?

My question is what should I do? my doctor says to keep taking the PPI to let the damage heal. which makes sense to me, after all I've been experiencing there definitely must be damage inside that needs time to heal. two days ago was the first time I had absolutely zero symptoms which made me think I am finally getting better, but today it all came back for no reason and feels worse than ever. How can I keep myself thinking this is not a permanent condition? seeing other forums, people mention about how they have GERD or LPR and stuff like this really makes me depressed and anxious.

what should I do for the time being? has anyone been in this position before? how long does it take to heal? can stomach damage cause reflux or is it permanent? I want to fix this so bad and I feel like I am missing out on life. 

Thank you for all your replies.

Darren

 

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Anyone?

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Hi darren. I've had all of the symptoms you described and know exactly how you feel about getting your life back. I've had so many tests and all have come back ok except on Monday I found out I too have h-pylori and am on day 3 of the meds which are making me feel terrible (awful stomach and back pain). Much of what you describe everyone puts down to anxiety and this is what I've been told countless times! I'm desperate for the h-pylori treatment to help make a difference but we'll see (that's if I can get through taking this awful medication). The problem is, the more symptoms I have the more I worry and the more anxiety I get which makes the symptoms worse! 

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hey alison... i'm glad you got to the bottom of it. it's been a few days since I've posted and I am making  progress. slow but steady. most of the horrible symptoms are starting to vanish. i can finally drink water without my chest aching! however i know i still have a long way to go.  it's now been a month since i started taking those antibiotics and i am still taking the ppi to let the damage the h pylori has caused heal for another month.  I know exactly how it feels it's so horrible with those antibiotics but it will be worth it, don't get off them until you finish the course. it is the only way to get rid of this horrible parasite. Hang in there!

You're also spot on about anxiety. it actually does make everything 100x worse. I believe most of my healing started when I put my negative thoughts away and started thinking positive and hoping for the best. Letting the mind control the problem not the problem control me. it's hard sometimes i lose it and think this is permanent but it hopefully isn't.

Positive thoughts only. 

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Thanks for replying Darren. Reassuring to hear you also got side effects from the medication. Just frustrated that the hospital didn't mention anything about side effects before I was discharged with a whole sackful of tablets. Incidentally, what sort of side effects did you get? My stomach ache/back ache has faded a bit but I feel very dizzy (drunk feeling) and weak. And yes positive thoughts are the way forward (but pretty difficult you're feeling rough!)

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they don't seem to tell you anything apart from taking the tablets. initially, i felt fainty, dizzy spells, always fatigued, burning stomach, heartburn, back ache and a funny taste in my mouth. all those symptoms have gone except there is still a bit of burning stomach lingering, particularly after a bout of spicy food. it is constantly improving. also i'd advise to eat smaller more frequent meals, takes a lot of pressure away from the stomach since it is already dealing with a lot. all the best!

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Thanks Darren, that's exactly how I felt last week. Now I'm off the tablets things have started to ge a bit better, although felt rough last night after a meal out with a glass of wine. How are you feeling now? 

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I made the mistake of eating out and drink too, felt like i went back a few steps.

currently a lot of burping, nausea, stomach burning and pain and a choking feeling at times after food. some of these tend to apparently be side effects of the omeprazole. i feel like getting off because i improved a lot it but i'm unsure...are you still on medicationi?

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No not taking anything anymore. Feel slightly better but time will tell. Ultimate aim is to be able to go out have a meal and not feel awful for the whole night long! 

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I too have been having similar symptoms. I was diagnosed with H. Pylori about two weeks ago and have almost completed my antibiotics. I'm living in fear everyday feeling lightheaded and brain fog every single day. I feel disoriented to the point where I mentally break down sometimes in front of friends and family and I feel like a hypochondriac. Have your symptoms resolved? I am feeling more comfortable knowing that orhers who have tested postive for H. Pylori have had similar symptoms. I feel completely alone and I hope that once this is cured all these terrible symptoms will subside. Not just for me but for everyone who's been dealing with this! 

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Hi Katie. I’d love to say my symptoms have cleared. The bloating has gone but the rest are still with me (fast heart rate, palps, chest and back pain etc). I’m having more tests for gerd after Christmas. 

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Please let me know how it goes! I wish you the best of luck. I'm happy I found this forum because I am starting to feel alone and depressed as well. My head has been feeling fuzzy and I'm getting more weak after two weeks of antibiotics. A few days ago I started having cold or flu like symptoms such as congestion. I'm hoping that someone can shed some light on this bug because I feel like my quality of life is decreasing. 

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I had the dizzy/stuffy head feeling for a couple of months. Now it’s not everyday. Will keep you updated! 

14

Hi Darren and Allison I have same problem with yours since June last year.. I'm not that bad but I'm not feeling any better.. I have 2 good days and 3 bad days... How are you doing now plus do you have any idea on how long it takes to heal the stomach after H.Pylori effects? I'm dying please reply

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Hi Ahmad. Sorry to hear you’re the same. The side effects of hpylori meds disappeared after about 3/4 weeks and I no longer get bloating or a really uncomfortable stomach after eating but since then I’ve had another endoscopy which suggests I’ve got a hernia and maybe Barrett’s oesophagus. I’m having a third endoscopy again soon to double check as this wasn’t picked up on the first. I still get back pain, and chest pains  but have cut out spicy food drinking alchohol and fatty food in the meantime which helps. 

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Are u better?

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I to would like to know how everyone is feeling after months have past.

18

Hello.. i know its been a long time since this thread has started.. but I just want to know that how are you all feeling now? very eager to know as I am suffering the same since past 1 year. Will my acidity, slight burning sensation, bloating ever go away? i am feeling lot better than last year but I still have some symptoms as I stated above..so will these ever go away?

19

Hello.. i know its been a long time since this thread has started.. but I just want to know that how are you all feeling now? very eager to know as I am suffering the same since past 1 year. Will my acidity, slight burning sensation, bloating ever go away? i am feeling lot better than last year but I still have some symptoms as I stated above..so will these ever go away?

20

Hello.. i know its been a long time since this thread has started.. but I just want to know that how are you all feeling now? very eager to know as I am suffering the same since past 1 year. Will my acidity, slight burning sensation, bloating ever go away? i am feeling lot better than last year but I still have some symptoms as I stated above..so will these ever go away?