Last year my doctor diagnosed me with H. Pylori. Judging from my symptoms,
I believe I may have had it for many years. In the 6-8 years leading to the
diagnosis, I had worsening heartburn, gas, indigestion, and occasional
nausea. By last fall, it was to the point where I had cut my eating in half
or more, not able to eat anything sweet or greasy etc. It would take many
pages to describe the tortorous symptoms I had to put up with, including
heartburn that felt like knives piercing through my esophogus.
After stalling for several months out of fear, I took the treatment he
prescribed (7 days of Prevacid+Amoxycillin+Biaxin). It was miserable indeed,
especially the horrible taste, but I took it with the hopes I'd be cured. I
wasn't. Within days, the same symptoms came back. He prescribed more
Prevacid, which I've been taking ever since. A more recent diagnosis, just
weeks ago, confirms that the infection is still present. This time he
prescribed a 14-day treatment of Losec + Biaxin + Flagyl. The first two I
could probably handle, but looking at some info on Flagyl I see that it is
nasty stuff indeed, even can cause seizures in people with no prior history.
At this point I'm at the end of my rope. I can only eat bland foods
(toast, crackers, etc), very little meat and almost no salt / sugar /
butter/ etc. I eat about 25% what I did 3 or 4 years ago. Constant gas
requires me to be constantly moving about, and this combined with my
restricted diet and eating habits prevents me from doing almost anything. To
be honest I'm actually considering taking my life, I'm so tired of suffering
and I just don't want to go through anything else.
Can anyone give me any advice, I would appreciate hearing something.

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Reply to: zappyman@hotmail.com
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It started about 9 years ago, when I first started having trouble feeling
nauseated several hours after eating. Eating again always solved the
problem, for at least a few more hours. Also I began having trouble with
excessive saliva production, to the point where I had to spit every few
minutes. As the years progress, the symptoms slowly got worse and worse, and
I slowly had to cut more and more out of my diet. Really spicy foods (like
spicy french fries and sausages) were the first thing to go, the next was
bedtime snacks (which would keep me awake feeling nauseated for most of the
night), and in more recent years I've had to cut out almost all pastries,
chocolate, salt, grease, etc. Today my total diet amounts to something like
this:
6 - 9 Arrowroot cookies (more like crackers, actually)
2 - 6 Dare Digestive cookies (" " " ")
1 - 2 Dare Oatmeal cookies ( )
2 - 4 Dare Shortbread Cookies (quite small)
Two pieces of lightly buttered toast (breakfast only)
Bowl of rice OR potatoes (lunch only)
Small beef burger with bun & light salt only, no dressings etc (supper
only)
And if I'm feeling lucky, I might have a Quaker Smores granola bar, but
not very often.
Get the picture?
Yes this was the same MD, who I've been seeing for over 20 years. The first
diagnosis (August '02, blood test) confirmed the infection. The second test
(July '03) was also a blood sample, I asked him about the validity of this
but he was confident that it was accurate.
No.
I have major anxiety problems and I'm deathly afraid of such hospital
examinations, especially unpleasant ones such as this. I'm also afraid of
just what it might show. I'm afraid that if the ulceration is really bad, it
may require surgery.
As I said before, I'm deathly afraid of hospital tests.....
You don't know how messed up I really am, it's hard to put it into words.
Thanks for your advice anyway.