Hello there,
My Doc requested loads of other blood tests at the same time as the H. pylori test.
It was about 10 years since my bloods were last checked. They can not miss the chance to do 10 tests when only one is needed......... Anyway
I am told that the blood is checked for H. pylori after a about a year.
They measure the amount of antibodies. If you are still infected then the antibody levels would be high......... If very low then your clear.
My treatment was for one week only, Amoxil 1000mg Twice a day
Charithromycin 500mg twice a day and a PPI ( lansoprasol ) twice a day.
I have been advised to continue with the Ranitidine for a couple of weeks after the treatment has finished. Also keep some Ranitidine handy ... just in case.
My problems I have had for 7 years. I could weep when I think that a simple blood test was all I needed. 7 years of on & off misery.
7 years sleeping on a raised bed and sliding over the edge, 7 years of not eating good foods, and when I lapsed ... sheer purgatory.
My food trials continue , Pickled onions & pickled beetroot and baked beans I can now add to the success list.
Chocolate is not so good. But then I also have a problem with my gall bladder. A scan shows all OK and no stones..... but my Doc says its possible I have sludge in there , which builds up hence the dull ache for a few days. Then it releases the bile and I'm OK for a few more weeks.
Must close .......... am rambling. Keep the updates coming girls.
Regards. J.

[QUOTE=boz;3252488]Hello there,
My Doc requested loads of other blood tests at the same time as the H. pylori test.
It was about 10 years since my bloods were last checked. They can not miss the chance to do 10 tests when only one is needed......... Anyway
I am told that the blood is checked for H. pylori after a about a year.
They measure the amount of antibodies. If you are still infected then the antibody levels would be high......... If very low then your clear.
My treatment was for one week only, Amoxil 1000mg Twice a day
Charithromycin 500mg twice a day and a PPI ( lansoprasol ) twice a day.
I have been advised to continue with the Ranitidine for a couple of weeks after the treatment has finished. Also keep some Ranitidine handy ... just in case.
My problems I have had for 7 years. I could weep when I think that a simple blood test was all I needed. 7 years of on & off misery.
7 years sleeping on a raised bed and sliding over the edge, 7 years of not eating good foods, and when I lapsed ... sheer purgatory.
My food trials continue , Pickled onions & pickled beetroot and baked beans I can now add to the success list.
Chocolate is not so good. But then I also have a problem with my gall bladder. A scan shows all OK and no stones..... but my Doc says its possible I have sludge in there , which builds up hence the dull ache for a few days. Then it releases the bile and I'm OK for a few more weeks.
Must close .......... am rambling. Keep the updates coming girls.
Regards. J.

Hey Boz,

Congrats on continuing to add new foods to your list! I have eaten chocolate since this all started for me (8 months compared to your 7 years-- good God!), but in tiny amounts. It feels like as long as I eat anything in small enough amounts, I'm okay, but I've basically stayed away from fattening foods the whole time.

That does suck that you went 7 years before finding out your problems...didn't anyone think to test for H Pylori? What did they think was causing your stomach problems all that time? Then again, I had to ASK for it myself, and wouldn't have known a thing about it unless a couple of my friends in the medical profession had mentioned it.

It's interesting that you mention the possible "sludge" in your gallbladder. I was diagnosed as having microgallstones/sludge or something in my gallbladder back in March. I even saw a surgeon about having it removed. (This was before I knew I had high H Pylori levels). Before I would consider gallbladder surgery, I asked for a second ultrasound-- and this one showed up negative. But the second GI doc that I saw said that sometimes the poor technique of certain techs doesn't pick it up. I definitely felt like the first tech was more thorough too (The one who did the test where they found the gallstones). But just like H Pylori, just 'cause one has gallstones, doesn't mean it's the cause of their problems. Although, the doc did say that smaller gallstones can be more problematic.

I'd rather believe that this has all been caused by the H Pylori and then when my treatment is through, so will all the stomach/eating miseries I've had.

Interestingly, acid reflux has never been a problem for me. Or at least it didn't become a problem until after I had been off Protonix for a few weeks (I was on Protonix for 6 weeks as a "precautionary measure" before they knew what was wrong-- even though I never complained of acid reflux!) But once I went off the Protonix, I started getting some heartburn/reflux. Nothing too terrible, but definitely more than I had ever experienced prior to the Protonix!!

Keep us posted on your continued "recovery" from all this. It definitely makes me hopeful!