triple therapy prevpac

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

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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