Severe Upper Abdominal Pain: Gastritis, Pancreatitis, Hernia, or Ulcer?

Digestive health
1

Hello everyone,

I pray that those who are suffering may find relief. Here is my story please help me diagnose what it could be.

So I went to doc few months ago for a routine checkup, I did not have any pain or any other symptoms of, but doc ordered H.pylori test and it came positive. He prescribed tripple therapy for 7 days. Now I dont take medicines at all I eat healthy and was physically fit but upon reading that hpylori can cause cancer and stuff I decided to give tripple therapy a go. 2nd day of my treatment I developed strong upper stomach pain and severe bloating, I went to doc and told him that I am in unbearable pain because of the meds he simply told me it would be better if you could complete the 7 day course so I gained all my strength and completed 7 days course, I felt like I was dying during the course the pain was unbearable.

It has been 3 months or more since I took my last dose of tripple therapy, I completed the course but hpylori was not eradicated, instead I am left with this severe pain. Its unbearable, following is the condition I am suffering from:

Severe upper stomach pain its more focused on left side under ribcage, its always there unbearable pain but moves towards back but sometimes its so painful I feel like I am going to die. I am a guy and strong but this pain is unbearable, I have lost my appetite, My bowel movements are ok, I dont feel burning or acid reflux well ocassionaly maybe when the pain gets really unbearable I may feel some acid reflux. Slight nausea as well. Stomach feel sore and feels like upper stomach wall is bruised. I was always a healthy eater I dont eat junk food and I dont drink, smoke or do drugs not even meds.

I am not sure what it is but during the day or sometimes at night it gets so painful that I feel like I am going to die. And even slight physical activity like tightening a nut aggravates it so much that my upper stomach feels shredded and stiff painful stomach wall can be felt when moving. I am not doing anything from the past 3 months I just either sit or lie on bed or walk in the home. I have lost my strength because of eating so less and because of bearing the pain it makes you exhausted.

My ultrasound, lipase, amylase, iron levels,complete blood picture/count, lfts, rfts, c reactive protein, stool test (blood/mucus and other major intestinal bugs) all came back clear. I want to avoid doing endoscopy for obvious reason, plus the pain I am suffering from added to my fear of not doing endoscopy.

- Based on my symptoms what do you people think it is? Its almost like pancreatitis, could it be gastritis, ulcer, hernia or something else. Remember I am suffering from this pain only after tripple therapy (Esomeprazole, Clarithromycin, Clarithromycin).

- I am thinking about using natural remedies (Mastic Gum), I tried nexium yesterday and it aggravated the pain so I think I have become allergic to to esomeprazole.

- Does Mastic Gum help in Ulcer healing and Gastritis?

- Can Gastritis or Ulcer cause severe pain only, without any burning?

2

Hi Human Being,

I think it is not pancreagitis considering that youtultrasound lipase and amylase cami in clear. Whether it is an ulcer or gastritis, u will never know if u dont undergo endoscopy. Being positive on H pylori can explain the abdominal pain. I have undergone endoscopy and was positive for h. Pylori and had triple therapy but i didnt feel pain upon taking it. I think i havent eradicated the hm

.pylori too because i still havr the gastritis symptoms even after 4 months .. i suggest u undergo endoscopy juat to get rid of your anxiety and u will have clear diagnosis

3

Mistyped: Tripple therapy consisted of (Esomeprazole, Clarithromycin, Amoxicillin)

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               

And forgot to add that my pain moves around upper middle and left side, sometimes left side pain can be felt in the heart (heart is helalthy according to tests), back, and shoulder blades. Muscles around my back, behind stomach area and shoulder blades are stiff. I can feel the pain pushing to back when its on the left side.

4

thanks sweetie5. But even if I had hpylori before I did not have any symptoms. The pain now after tripple therapy is unbearable, its not some normal pain its severe. Now I am not really sure whether gastritis and or ulcer can cause so much pain and pain alone without burning. As I have read people experience burning when they have ulcer or gastritis where as I only have pain but a severe one.

5

Another thing to add. I can feel the stiffness and pain when taking deep breath on the upper left side stomach and back.

6

I have been reading about upper stomach spasms. Does anyone have any knowledge regarding that. Could the strong combo of ppi and antibiotics irritated my stomach to the point that I am in constant stomach spasm state?

When I get severe pain it feels exactly like I have been punched in the stomach. I am actually really confused and worried how can antibiotics/ppi combo cause so much severe pain. And if it is stomach spasm why has it not calmed down in 3 months.

7

Your doctor should have changed your antibiotics when you told him that your were reacting so badly.   However, your continued symptoms could be because the h pylori didn’t clear up and the medication could also have irritated your stomach.  Both these things can ravage your gut.  This is more likely than any other condition since your symptoms began after the antibiotics..Go back to your doctor and get retested.  You may need more antibiotics, but tell your doctor that you cannot tolerate the ones you were first given.

It is important to eradicate h pylori because it can lead to ulcers or gastritis.  Take yoghurt and other probiotic foods after finishing another round of antibiotics if your doctor gives you more h pylori treatment.  This will help to restore your gut flora.

8

So sorry to hear your terrible problems. I have been suffering for about 5 years now. Mines started with h pylori and was given the triple therapy but time after time it came back it was really awful. Was constantly given anti-biotics but what i noticed was the more i was taking the sooner it would come back. Eventually after 2-3 years i done my own research. I tried mastic gum but it never done much for me but its worth a try. I found a herbal tablet called carnosoothe it kills the bacteria with the liquorice root contents. After my 2nd endoscopy i got the all clear though they did find a hiatus hernia. Was feeling much better about 18 months ago but i always watched what i was eating. I stopped spicy, food cut down alcohol, slept more upright etc .

But October 2017 i had a really bad flare up i put it down to too much alcohol after a weekend away. I was ill til about December short of breath, chest pains, banging sore heads i felt the same like i thought i was dying. Ive got an ultrasound scan this week and im waiting on gastroenterology appointment but im worried which is why i came on this forum. Im a 40 year old fairly fit man but ive really struggled and so depressed. The only think thats helping me just now is probiotic yoghurts i still take ppi (lansoprazole) but not sure if its helping. Im still not great and most nights i struggle to sleep it really is awful. Ive started taking protien/vitamin shakes to try give me some sort of a boost. If its just down to the hiatus hernia i hope mines can be fixed i wonder if you have something similar. Maybe an endoscopy would confirm things better for you. Good luck i honestly feel your pain.

9

Honestly speaking the pain that I am suffering after antibiotics is so severe that I dont think I would be able to even survive another dose of antibiotics. I do still have hpylori I was asymptomatic but tripple therapy ruined me. I am in excruciating pain, as told earlier its really severe and sometimes I feel like dying like getting punched in your upper stomach. I can understand that antibiotics have irritated my stomach but I do not know why it has not healed in 3 months. I eat very little and as said earlier I was always a healthy eater.

10

Were you able to kill hpylori naturally? Or were you on another round of antibiotics?.

were your symptoms pain only or was there any burning with pain as well? I am struggling to differentiate between gastritis/ulcer. People say they feel burning pain. Whereas I am feeling severe upper stomach pain only without burning.

11

I would go back to you doctor about this and emphasise the pain you are in.   The ongoing pain could be because you still have h pylori and also because of the antibiotics.  Both can ravage your gut.  The h pylori needs to be dealt with to avoid gastritis or ulcers.  Your doctor is the best person to advise you.

12

Doc will prescribe another round of Antibiotics because now they will only see hpylori as the problem. This has happened to me I refused to take another round of 2nd line antibiotics or whatever it is. I was asymptomatic but after my experience doc only sees hpylori as the culprit which is not true. Right now my main focus is to heal myself. I can take care of hpylori later. How hpylori causes gastritis or ulcer or cancer is still unknown maybe its the overgrowth of the bacteria that seems to create the problem. I am really thankful and appreciate your suggestion but trust me I cant bear antibiotics right now.

13

did you have symptomatic hpylori what were your symptoms?

14

I was tested for h pylori but my stool sample showed I didn’t have it.   I was diagnosed with IBS.

However, if you want to heal yourself, you will have to follow the treatment plan your doctor suggests.  Tell your doctor that the antibotics disagreed with you; they may be able to give a different antibiotic that suits you better or recommend you something to lessen side effects. H pylori drugs are known to be harsh but h pylori itself is even harsher on your stomach.

H pylori  can be resistant to the medication.  If this happens, the h pylori does not go away.  Other times, it does go away but can come back.  You have had a second bout.  It does not matter whether or not it is unknown how h pylori can cause gastritis or ulcers.  The fact is that h pylori can cause these conditions and does cause them.  It is not unknown for people to test positive for gastritis or an ulcer and also discover they have h pylori as well.

If your doctor sees h pylori as the culprit, you should trust and believe your doctor.  Your doctor is the expert on this.  How do you know that h pylori is not the culprit? You have been in pain for three months; only your doctor can help to deal with this.  If I was in this level of pain, I would go straight to my doctor and take the treatment I was offered. If I found I couldn’t tolerate the medication I would ask my doctor for another solution.

Your h pylori will not simply go away by doing nothing about it.   You have a nasty bacterial  infection in your gut and bacterial infections of this strength require antibiotics to erradicate them.  Some people take natural remedies for h pylori but they don’t work for everyone.

I am sorry to be blunt about this, but your doctor will give you the same advice.  In the end, it is entirely up to you what you choose to do.

 

15

Hi first time triple therapy worked but returned about 4-5 months later this happened on/off for a couple of years until I took herbal Carnosoothe. Since I took it 2 years ago it cleared up for good naturally, but it seemed to trigger my other problems.

My symptoms when I suffered with h pylori were mostly stomach (like a washing machine), stomach pains burning mostly upper stomach,feeling run down etc

Now my with hiatal hernia and whatever else is wrong I have blaoted stomach, discomfort, burning mid to upper stomach/oesophagus, rough throat, bad taste/breath, sore heads , short of breath etc

16

I pray that you recover soon.

17

Yeah and same too you today is the first day I've felt better in a wee while whether it's luck or the vitamin/protein shake kicking in it's a start. Hope you find some luck with Mastika gum or the Carnosoothe (I got it from Amazon in the UK). I have my Ultrasound scan tomorrow so a day of fasting for me! Good luck let me know how you get on with any of these remedies if I have any joy I will share it on here.

Best wishes

18

Hi All,

I have been going through the same thing, only I haven't been diagnosed with H Pylori.  I am in constant upper abdominal pain, I can't eat, i am depressed and don't know where to turn.  I have been to Er, family Doc and gastro, for the past 2 years.  pain is only getting worse for me.  Feel like I can't go on anymore like this.  I am on Nexium and Zantac, neither is helping.

19

Does movements like walking or doing daily chores affect your pain or touches your pain?

20

Human being,

How are you feeling now. I have the same exact feeling. I had burning in my chest that I took Pepcid for 2 days and had a bad reaction so I was put in carafate. 3 weeks later I have this horrible gut wrenching pain of feeling like I’m winded from being punched in the stomach. You said you had back pain too. Have you ever thought it might be a misaligned rib that pressing on a nerve in your stomach causing you to spasm and clench? This is what I’m trying to rule out with my endoscopy. Best of luck to you.