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Recovery Question
Posted: Fri Mar 30, 2012 7:00 pm
by xceL
Just finished my 1 week does of Nexium HP7.
I still can't eat. Sometimes just having food in my mouth makes me just FEEL sick.
During my H.Pylori I lost 10kg just because I couldnt eat for nearly 2 weeks and could barely down 1 cup of water a day.
My question is: How long till I can eat like normal again?
Its unbearable at times. I eat 1 fig in the morning. About 5-6 mouthfuls of Rice+vegies for lunch and the same for dinner. This isn't healthy eating such small amounts for a guy thats tall and big like me.
Any idea when I can at least stomach a half portion of a normal sized dinner? It's really concerning that I can not eat much.
Re: Recovery Question
Posted: Fri Mar 30, 2012 10:14 pm
by Helico_expert
The recovery is depending on individual's healing. some may take months. Nevertheless, I would suggest you to wait another 3 weeks, then go do a urea breath test to see if the treatment is successful. hopefully it is.
Re: Recovery Question
Posted: Thu Apr 12, 2012 3:24 pm
by annie
How sad that you are still so very ill...I finished my course of the 3 drugs, felt wonderful for 4 days and got sick again...Funny though, our grand-kids got gastro, our son got it,we got it and would you believe the dog got it...Ended up giving the dog gastro stop which worked...Our 4 year old grand-son is still not himself after 1 week..Suggested his parents take him to the doctor....Could I have passed it on and got it back?? My Doctor won't give me another course of the anti-biotics...Not much fun is it....Had it for 6 months now...Lucky though, I'd have to be dead not to eat....Could Giardia be the cause?? Sorry I know you aren't a doctor..This is my first visit to the site and not sure where to go and what to do.....
Re: Recovery Question
Posted: Thu Apr 12, 2012 10:14 pm
by Helico_expert
You are right one thing, I am not Medical Doctor. So you can only use my word as reference. However, once a while the real medical doctor, Dr. Barry Marshall, will pop in and comment on a few cases.
It is possible that your grand children and your dog were infected with the bacteria. The chance of the bacteria passing around is low, but it is not impossible. Also, you have to know that H. pylori is a chronic infection. One has to be infected for a long period of time to see symptoms.
You should ask for a follow up breath test and see if your treatment is successful. if failed, then should consider 2nd line treatment. Your other family member should do a breath test to check for H. pylori infection too.
Re: Recovery Question
Posted: Sat Apr 28, 2012 4:13 pm
by xceL
Thought I would come back here and post an update.
My symptoms are horrible.
I believe I had silent reflux, so I got a lump high up in my throat. This caused some anxiety (which I've NEVER had before) and what I believed was a panic attack which occurred over two nights.
Almost went to the ER because I struggled to breathe. Went to the doctor the next day, did a lung test and whatever and apparently everything is perfect and dandy with me. Pretty much she told me it was all in my head, that when an episode comes on to just occupy myself with something, because even though I'm not consciously aware or thinking that "i'm gonna die", my body apparently reacts to it and I just have to control it.
So no more panic attacks! Great!
Now after that, I've had breathing issues for about a week. Mostly occurs after I eat, I would have to control my breathing and focus on it. Very annoying! No stomach issues though, and when my breathing issues died down after a week or so, I felt as though I could eat a good 4/5 of a normal meal!
Once I stopped having breathing issues, I now return to stomach problems! Feeling uncomfortable most of the time. Not sick, just that there's something in my stomach, a constant feeling of something under my breast-bone.
When I eat, I can only eat very small portions. Probably a single slice of bread folded over with a bit of chicken inside for a small sandwich. Having this for 2-3 times a day for a few days.
So as of the past 2-3 days now, I've noticed little black bits in my stool.. As you can imagine, I'm worrying that I have a bleeding ulcer!!! NOT GOOD - But I ignored it, because from what I've read online, your stool has to look tar-like or have lots of black in it. Mine is just little specs of black, no bigger than the shell of a poppy seed. About 5 specs in a thumb sized piece of stool? Just an indication of how much.
But today is day 3 or maybe even day 4 of noticing these black specs. They have not increased in number, if anything they have decreased a bit. I wasn't concerned because I only had that one possible symptom of a bleeding ulcer. But now I'm having symptom #2: Dizziness and lightheaded. And this I can not explain, other than I ate only a little bit yesterday.
Other Symptoms I've been having is frequent burping. Sometimes it comes in a big ball half way up my throat and I just swallow it back down, fearing that it's vomit. Eventually it comes up as a normal burp but it's very uncomfortable to be like this.
Quality of life has just gone down substantially. Couldn't contribute to social work activities at work because I was too busy focusing on making sure my burp was a burp, and not vomit. Trying not to talk much as I'm worried about going half way through a sentence then having to cover my mouth with my hand because I'm not sure if I'm about to vomit or burp -.-'
Very frustrating, and if anyone is reading this with Helicobacter Pylori, I feel so sorry for what you're about to endure.
Manuka Honey with a rating of 20+ has been pretty useless.
I've been taking double dose of a probiotic innerhealth plus which contains lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium every day for about 2 weeks now. No real difference.
I've been on Zantac for about 1.5 weeks, had to stop taking it because my breath test is coming, need to be off it for 1 week prior to it. Also stopped taking probiotic incase it interferes with my urea breath test.
My breath test is in two days, then another 4 days of waiting for my results. God help me if I don't still have H. Pylori, because if what I'm going through is normal aftermath of eradication, it's absolutely horrible.
I just want to feel normal again.
EDIT: Just got back from the bathroom. Seems half the black spots are just from the finely chopped parsley. Can't explain the other half though :S.
Re: Recovery Question
Posted: Sun Apr 29, 2012 7:49 am
by Helico_expert
i think, instead of breath test, you should go for an endoscopy and colonoscopy. what is your age?
I am not sure what pro-biotic product you have been eating and if they are urease positive. did you stop eating at least 24 hrs before the test? I hope it' will not be a false positive from your pro-biotic.
Re: Recovery Question
Posted: Sun Apr 29, 2012 1:13 pm
by xceL
I am 21. My Gastroenterologist said it was very uncommon and rather unnecessary for a colonoscopy at my age.
My Breath test is tomorrow and I've ceased taking my probiotics a couple of days ago to make sure I don't get a false positive. Also stopped taking Zantac 5 days ago.
What is the benefit of doing an endoscopy? Can't they determine that I have an ulcer by barium swallow? I thought it was just a matter of taking PPI or H2 blockers to heal the ulcer.
Re: Recovery Question
Posted: Sun Apr 29, 2012 9:28 pm
by Helico_expert
I agree that at your age, colonoscopy is probably not necessary. However, I dont know if 5 days of stopping Zantac is enough before breath test. We usually ask our patients to stop at least 2-3 weeks before breath test.
Endoscopy will tell you what's going on in your stomach. ulcer or gastritis. Culture from the biopsy will tell you if you are infected by H. pylori. Histology of the biopsy will tell you how severe is your gastritis. if possible, antibiotic sensitivity test will tell you what antibiotic to take for effective H. pylori eradication.
Re: Recovery Question
Posted: Mon Apr 30, 2012 12:04 pm
by xceL
I find it's different everywhere.
this pathology website which I know of suggests to stop taking zantac only 6 hours before the test.
http://www.laverty.com.au/files/LP_Urea ... est_DL.pdf
1 week seems to be the average I find when browsing the internet. An online scientific publication also stated that Ranitidine (Zantac) stops having any effect on H Pylori after the 5th day.
Just had my breath test, I'll be back in 4 days =]
Re: Recovery Question
Posted: Mon Apr 30, 2012 7:19 pm
by Helico_expert
Zactac is not a strong acid blocker. Perhaps it's alright. we shall wait and see your breath test result.