PrevPac

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!

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H. pylori Antibiotic Treatment Update

99. That is the number of pills I have taken in the past 11 days.

prev-pac-for-h-pylori
I have been taking eight pills per day along with one acidophilus pill and some other natural remedies.

So, how do I feel?

Honestly? I feel pretty awful most of the time.

Side effects that I’ve been feeling:

  • Nausea. Extreme nausea is more like it… most of the day I just want to throw up because I feel really, really sick.
  • Change in taste and abnormal taste. I gag at the thought of peanut butter–my favorite food–and I can constantly taste metal in my mouth. I would love to chew gum, but it makes me want to throw up.
  • Abdominal pain. I randomly get sharp pains in my stomach that leave me hunched over, crying.
  • Exhaustion. I usually wake up around 5AM but lately I get up at 7AM and take a nap halfway through the day. I haven’t even had the energy to walk Lola.

For some reason I thought that maybe I wouldn’t get any side effects from the medicine. I was really wrong. It should make sense that if I’m taking nine pills a day for two weeks that I’m going to feel different than normal.

I feel really bad for my family and Jimmy. I keep crying because my stomach hurts so bad or I feel super sick. The past two weekends, Jimmy and I have had to lay low and do pretty much nothing. He’s watched me lay on the couch, with no energy, crying and crying. He’s such a trooper about it though!

This picture is from the beach… drug-free.

I feel pretty bad complaining here on my blog, but I wanted to be really honest about how I feel and how the medicine is effecting me.

I have also had positive things come from this experience thus far:

  • I appreciate my body and all that it does for me
  • I have had to really, really lean on God 24/7
  • I truly appreciate all that my family does for me
  • Jimmy & I have become closer through all of this
  • I have so much compassion for anyone struggling with health problems

I have a countdown on my phone for when I get to be done with all of these drugs and nasty side effects!

So, that’s where I’m at right now.. just battling the side effects and hanging in there until it’s all over.

I go to my gastroenterologist on Thursday to have a consultation and schedule my endoscopy. I’m not excited for the procedure, but I trust my doctor and just want to feel better!

Bible verse of the day:

My son, pay attention to what I say;
turn your ear to my words.
Do not let them out of your sight,
keep them within your heart;
for they are life to those who find them
and health to one’s whole body. 

Proverbs 4:20-22

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!

Other posts about my h.pylori experience:
Health Problems
Stomach Update #2
Endoscopy Results
My Experience with H. Pylori