diarrhea

H. pylori Antibiotic Treatment Update #2

You can read the other two posts about my infection here and here.

126

^That’s the amount of pills I took in 14 days. Way too much for my liking and especially for my body’s liking but the good news is that I’m done taking pills! At least for now.PrevPac H. pylori antibiotic treatment

I read that it takes a while to feel normal after taking so many antibiotics/medicines, especially the Prevpac. I stopped reading online forums about the after effects of the medicine I took because they were all horror stories. 

I’ve been off the Pravpac since Thursday and here are my after effects:

  • kidney pain
  • yeast infection
  • stomach pain
  • diarrhea

I’m just so happy to be done with the medicine!

What’s next?

On Thursday August 16th I go to my gastroenterologist to have an endoscopy. She is going to sedate me, put a tube down my throat to look at my esophagus & stomach, and take a piece of my stomach out for a biopsy to see if the infection is gone.

She is also checking on any ulcers I have as well as anything that looks abnormal. My family doctor still wants her to check for Celiac disease, but my stomach doctor is more concerned that I have Crohn’s Disease or Colitis.

This is basically what the procedure looks like lol…

I’m just ready to find out if the infection is gone. If it isn’t then I have to take stronger medicine. I really pray that I don’t have to because I don’t know if I’ll be able to function on stronger medicine, especially because I’ll be back in school.

Other notes: The nurse and the stomach doctor were both impressed that I finished all of my medicine. They said that most people quit because they can’t handle the side effects. I assured them that I wanted to quit so many times!

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So, that’s the update. In the meantime while I am recuperating from the medicine and getting ready for the endoscopy I’m just focusing on enjoying my summer and life in general 🙂

All smiles.

Bible verse of the day: “All your words are true; all your righteous laws are eternal.” Psalm 119:160

Edited to add: If you want to talk to me about my experience with H. Pylori and the medicine I took, please feel free to email me at allie(at)southboundenterprises(dot)com. Thanks!

Diagnosed With H. pylori

I posted this on Facebook this morning:

h-pylori-diagnosis

So, I haven’t really said anything, but I’ve been kinda sick for the past few months. I have been having diarrhea constantly (sometimes with blood), bloating, stomach pain, weight loss, heart burn and a host of other stomach problems.

I went to the doctor and had an upper GI performed, an ultrasound, and lots of blood work. The doctor was thinking I had gallstones, Celiac disease, or a thyroid problem.

It turned out, through blood work, that I have a bacterial infection in my stomach that irritates the esophagus and stomach and causes ulcers. The bacteria I’m infected with is common in third world countries that have poor sanitation, unclean water, and close living quarters. I’m not sure how I got it or if I’ll ever know. I do know that it is contagious.

The good news is that I can take medicine to hopefully heal this infection and cure the ulcers in my stomach. I learned sometimes the antibiotics don’t cure the infection the first time, though.

h-pylori-antibiotics-infection

Tomorrow I start taking a triple therapy PrevPac for two weeks.
h-pylori-infection-prev-pac

h.-pylori-prev-pac
I’m going to be taking eight pills a day–four in the morning and four in the evening–with some uncomfortable side effects.

prev-pac-for-h.-pylori
Some of the side effects are diarrhea, headaches, nausea, vomiting, and abnormal taste. I’m kind of sick of diarrhea at this point, but if this medicine heals me, I’m going to deal with it.

My doctor is also having me have an endoscopy (a procedure where they look at your esophagus and stomach by a long tube inserted in your throat) to check if the medicine eliminates the infection.

I’m happy to know what has been causing all of the pain and I’m very blessed that this condition can be treated and that I live in a country that medication is readily available and doctors abound. I fully trust that God is going to take care of me, whatever happens.

The Lord is my rock, and my safe place, and the One Who takes me out of trouble. My God is my rock in Whom I am safe. He is my safe-covering, my saving strength, and my strong tower. Psalm 18:2 

Edited to add: If you want to talk to me about my experience with H. Pylori and the medicine I took, please feel free to email me at alliezottola(at)gmail(dot)com. Thanks!

You can find my other posts about H.Pylori below:

Stomach Update
Stomach Update #2
Endoscopy Results
My Experience with H.Pylori