H Pylori/IBS?

[midnightmare81]

For all of my life (including as a baby) I have had stomach issues. Acid reflux mostly commonly. For the last few years, on and off, I have been having severe cramping, bloating, gas, nausea and sometimes severe pain in my upper abdomen so bad it will wake me out of a dead sleep. When it first started, I didn't think much of it, since I was used to stomach problems and just being told to just take tums. Over time it has gotten worse, to the point that I can no longer plan anything before 10am without having severe anxiety at the thought of leaving a bathroom. It is worst in the morning, though occasionally I do have issues at different times of the day. Oddly enough, they are worse if I get up early vs sleeping in (maybe I just sleep through them?). Anyway, I finally decided to go see a doctor about it.

After having a full upper a lower GI to test for Chron's (doc was worried because I have had kidney stones since I was 10)and ciliac doc came back with nothing. I started taking probiotics a few months ago while waiting for the test, and it did help with the severity of the pain, and allowed me to function at least minimally. Because of this, the doctor has put me on a round of antibiotics as he thinks H Pylori may be the culprit. He has me on XIFAXAN 550mg 3x day. My symptoms have gotten bad again, but I also stopped taking the probiotics per his instructions. Has anyone gone through this? Did the antibiotics help? If so, how long did they take to offer relief?

If this doesn't work, I will be diagnosed with IBS. The thought scares me, as there is no cure, and I have read treatment can minimize symptoms at best. I am scared and really hoping that the antibiotics work. I need to get a job soon as I finish school in May, but at this rate, I have no idea how I would make that work.

If it is IBS/IBD (not sure the difference), is there any hope? My job will be working in the healthcare industry, so I hope they may be understanding, but since I will be in the administration dept, there is less of a guarantee. How do you function? What are the treatment options like and how well do they work? Is there any way to approach this with an employer and not immediately be denied employment or terminated if they find out? I am really excited to finally be getting a "big girl job" if you will, but petrified at the thought of 8am start times and commutes.

[Deleted]

First, I'm sorry that you're going through this.
How long have you been seeking treatment? I'm surprised that after one round of testing your doctor is already ready to jump to an IBS diagnosis. If/when it gets to that point, I would suggest seeking a second opinion, just to be sure nothing was overlooked. Also, did your doctor give you a reason why you cannot take probiotics while you're on the antibiotics? I always have a flair up when I'm on antibiotics, because they are really harsh on your GI system.

The symptoms and treatment options feel overwhelming at first, but it does get better. Or, at least, it gets easier to function around your symptoms. I would not recommend disclosing your health issues to any future employers until they become an issue. I am not going to lie, I have had employers find excuses to let me go once they've found out about my health, but I have also had employers be incredibly supportive and understanding. Also, I work a full time, front office job in healthcare so it is definitely possible for you.

[Deleted]

Did you have an H. pylori breath test?

My dad has severe gastritis and an ulcer caused by H. pylori. When I had an uptick in canker sores, which can be caused by the bacteria, and some other symptoms I saw my dad's gastroenterologist, who sent me for the test. It took about a half hour to 40 minutes b/c of the time you have to wait for the drink to react, but it was so easy. Since it came back negative, I didn't have to seek further treatment.

[midnightmare81]

They only did an upper and lower GI, not other tests for H Pylori.

I am not sure why he jumped right to H pylori or IBS, but that is what he said.

I don't know why he had suggested no probiotics, but I have started taking them again. Maybe he just figured the antibiotics would render them useless? I have no idea.

[Deleted]

Did they do a biopsy to test for the H. pylori during your endoscopy?

I am wondering why the doctor *thinks* it is H. pylori. It's one of those things that is present in enough abundance to cause a problem, or it isn't. I'd be afraid of taking really strong abx if it isn't that, because of the damage they can do to other parts of your system.

My dad's case was super severe to the point his stomach lining was grey, but figuring out what it was was pretty easy.

My dad's doctor explained his course of testing for me like this: he could do a blood test for H. pylori but it would not necessarily indicate an active infection, and the test isn't entirely accurate. I did have a blood test for celiac though. The breath test is obviously the least invasive, but it requires you being on no other medications for at least a few days beforehand. I wasn't on anything except regular Tums antacids. The most accurate is the biopsy but he didn't want to do that until either the celiac blood test or H. pylori breath test came back positive, which would require the endoscopy.

A friend of mine has gastroparesis (delayed stomach emptying). Basically, the vagus nerve goes haywire and slows/stops everything. She also has celiac, which was masked for years by anti-inflammatories she is on for RA. Anyway, she said the tests for her gastroparesis were far more pleasant, if you can call it that, than the other tests for her GI issues. It's common in people with diabetes, just in case you have that or a history of it in your family or something.

Good luck! GI issues suck and I wouldn't wish mine or DH's (chronic hemorrhoids) on anyone.

[Deleted]

Mar 8, 2013 14:00:44 GMT -5 midnightmare81 said:

They only did an upper and lower GI, not other tests for H Pylori.

I am not sure why he jumped right to H pylori or IBS, but that is what he said.

I don't know why he had suggested no probiotics, but I have started taking them again. Maybe he just figured the antibiotics would render them useless? I have no idea.

Is your doctor a specialist or a PCP? Either way, I would definitely suggest that you look into another doctor for a second opinion. There are many, many other tests they could run to rule out other issues before they start throwing antibiotics at you and/or diagnosing you with something vague like IBS.

[midnightmare81]

He is a GI. But is also a military doc, so they probably are told not to do extra testing cause it costs to much. I will be switching insurance in a few weeks, so I will likely see if the antibiotics work and then heading to a new doc once my insurance has switched. I would think he did an H Pylori biopsy since they were already in there?

Do my symptoms not sound like IBS then?

Also, I do have diabetes heavily in my family. Like, I am basically screwed into getting it no matter what I do...

[Deleted]

Mar 8, 2013 16:55:57 GMT -5 midnightmare81 said:

He is a GI. But is also a military doc, so they probably are told not to do extra testing cause it costs to much. I will be switching insurance in a few weeks, so I will likely see if the antibiotics work and then heading to a new doc once my insurance has switched. I would think he did an H Pylori biopsy since they were already in there?

Do my symptoms not sound like IBS then?

Also, I do have diabetes heavily in my family. Like, I am basically screwed into getting it no matter what I do...

It's not necessarily that your symptoms don't fit IBS, it's that IBS tends to be a doctor's "I give up" diagnosis, since there is no test to actually diagnose it. The symptoms tend to be so vague that there are many, many diagnosable and treatable issues that fit the same set of symptoms.

[midnightmare81]

Gotcha. So there is hope then. What do you guys do about mornings? Any tips until this can get figured out?

[Deleted]

Mar 8, 2013 18:45:38 GMT -5 midnightmare81 said:

Gotcha. So there is hope then. What do you guys do about mornings? Any tips until this can get figured out?

Have you tried OTC options, like Imodium? You could also try to see how timing your sleep schedule and/or timing your dinner and breakfast time schedules effects what time your symptoms flair up.

Honestly, I'm still working on that issue myself. I finally just had to go to my manager and explain to her that I wasn't coming in to work 20 minutes late every day because I'm lazy, but because I tend to get stuck in the bathroom at the same time every single morning no matter when I wake up or when I eat breakfast. Are you in school? Is there a way that you can schedule most of your classes for later in the day?

[midnightmare81]

Right now I live in Alaska, so I am taking online classes. The real issue will be once I get a job. It doesn't seem to matter when I get up either if its before 9. I am down for the count until about 9-10am. I have no tried Imodium. The issue is, a lot of the pain itself is gas, the diarrhea I think comes from the irritation and such. So I don't know if Imodium would help...

[Deleted]

Have you tried beano or gas-x, at least in the short term?



Also, someone recently recommended DGL Licorice to me for easing of stomach issues.

However, it can raise blood pressure so if that is an issue for you, you may not want to try it.

It helps stimulate stomach mucus which makes it harder for H. pylori to colonize, among other benefits.

[rikki]

I was diagnosed with H. Pylori after an upper GI because my biopsy I had oddly shaped bacteria. My Dr. RX'd a PrevPac (which was a cocktail of 8 or 10 different, strong antibiotics/AR drugs day) for 2 weeks. They were brutal and made me feel so sick while taking them, however, a breath test a month after finishing them revealed that I was cured.