h.pylori - LIGHT BULB!!!

[MelanieW]

I stumbled onto something today.....I feel so stupid!
The day my stool culture came back positive for c.diff the first time, the blood work they did came back a few hours earlier.....the blood work showed h.pylori. All was forgotten about that when a few hours later the c.diff results came in.

I took 5 days of flagyl and 21 days of vanco. Been off the vanco for 3 weeks and a few days ago started having this gnawing pain in the mouth of my stomach....feels like what my dad described when he had an ulcer. I went to my new GI today and described this pain and symptoms to him (gas, etc.) and he sent me for an h.pylori test! Light bulb went off! March 23, 2010, I was positive for h.pylori.....I don't know if the flagyl and vanco taken separately for a total of 26 days since would have killed it or not but it sure seems like it is a possibility that maybe it didn't or it just knocked it down some....and now off the meds, it has reared its ugly head again!

I'll get the results of my blood test that I took today probably tomorrow....but I'm betting that it is positive....or if it is negative, I had it long enough to do some damage...does this make sense?
My problem is, as you know, the treatment is AB. OMG!
I'm not asking for medical advice but what do you think?

[MelanieW]

SO MUCH FOR LIGHT BULBS! :-) h.pylori test was negative! yay!!!

[MelanieW]

You are probably right about that, Roy....but I am pretty sure I have an ulcer anyway since the nexium has really helped the "sore" spot on my stomach....You CAN have an ulcer w/o h.pylori....and I don't care what they say, I believe stress CAN lead to ulcers...especially when you are on pain meds (these were for something just PRIOR to the c.diff) and not eating right. I don't know what I'll do when I'm faced with another sinus infection..........I usually get 2 a year....just like clockwork....ABs will freak me out from now on!

[rhona]

Sinus rinses work wonders for sinus infections. I was getting monthly ones. Most of the time, I could get rid of them by doing lots of rinses. Since c-diff, I have been doing them daily as a preventive. I haven't taken an antibiotic since December for a sinus infection.

[MelanieW]

Do you mean with a netti pot?

[Bobbie]

See FAQ-Infections for instructions on different methods of saline irrigation. It really does work. Sinus problems put me on the road to C. diff. (I've also had several sinus surgeries.) I do a lot of preventative
"stuff" - saline irrigation is one of them.

[beth22]

Taking a lot of pain meds, as well as aspirin or ibuprofen can give you ulcers. It happened to my dad years ago.

[Kathy George]

Beth, Excessive use of Medicatons such as Ibuprofren can result chronic kidney desease...... This is what happen to my husband who had/has severe back pain. His chronic kidney desease is the result of dependency of Ibuprofen. He has only 37 percent of kidney functioning. I would discourage the use of Nsaids for long periods of time.

[MelanieW]

The pain meds thing is very interesting, Beth. Just prior to contracting the c.diff I dislocated my knee which turned into it's own kind of nightmare. I was on a LOT of pain meds which took away my hunger. I ate some but not a lot...then, sinus infection and 2 rounds of autmentin and a rocephin shot....BAM...compromised immune system from not eating right and taking the pain meds, and then all those ABs....geez. THEN the c.diff and still not eating "normally". Makes sense why I might have an ulcer, huh?

[beth22]

I know my dad was taking aspirin every day for back pain. He never complained of stomach aches, but when he went to the doctor they found he was anemic. They tested for occult blood in the stool - and sure enough there was a lot. After finding out that he had been taking the aspirin, the doctor did an upper endoscopy and his stomach was really inflamed with ulcers. They did not put him on antibiotics, as this was a long time ago, before h pylori became known to cause ulcers. He had to stop the aspirin and take something to heal the stomach and it did. No more bleeding and no more ulcers. Like you said, stress can also play a role in all of these things. I think stress knocks our immune system down and then we get all kinds of things because our bodies can't fight off illness as well.

Hopefully you will feel better soon and if you are not on pain meds now or eating foods that irritate the stomach lining, you will get better, especially with a negtive h pylori test. That is definitely good news!