Helicobacter Forums

with such acute gastric symptoms, sounds more like a food poisoning from toxin producing bacteria, usually from dirty hands on the food (check staphylococcus). Normally this kind of food poisoning is followed by stomach cramp and vomit. But this kind of food poisoning usually only last for 4 to 5 days until your immune system kicks in. Since you said your symptoms lasted for a few weeks, i think you probably got something else.

Nevertheless, I dont think H. pylori is responsible for your symptoms. H. pylori do not survive outside human body. H. pylori is sensitive to many spices and salt. So whatever is in your soup or fishcake will most likely kill H. pylori.

Thank you for the reply Helico_Expert. So if I did not get H Pylori from the soup, then the one remaining meal is sushi that was prepared by a chef with bare hands.

If his hands had cross contamination, then is it possible to get H Pylori this way? I ate the sushi one night and then the acute symptoms started the following night probably about 32 hours later. The vomiting began about 40 hours after the meal and after another 24 hours I felt fine (or so I thought). But within a few days abdominal distension began after certain meals--usually sugary, starchy, or greasy/fried foods--sometimes lasing anywhere from seven to 15 hours before receding. I had never experienced this kind of distension before.

I know you said such acute symptoms usually don't accompany H Pylori. Nevertheless, abdominal distension--which I had never had before--did continue for weeks afterwards and upon visiting the GI I then tested blood positive for H Pylori (although I may have been carrying it all along). So if having H Pylori did not cause my stomach to bloat/distend after eating sugary, starchy, greasy foods then what else could cause such lingering symptoms after an acute bout of food poisoning? Do you know of any other toxins/bacteria/viruses that could cause acute vomiting and then produce regular distensions for weeks and weeks after the acute phase?

Thanks.

Hi,

It could still be your soup. I think you gave H. pylori too much credit of giving you the "food poisoning" symptoms. H. pylori is a very chronic infection. Very unlikely that you'll experience acute reaction.

Your food poisoning could origin from either the Soup or the Sushi. I did suggest staphylococcus previously. Staph is a normal flora on our skin (including hands). They are alright on the skin, but if they get into our digestive systems or blood, they can be very nasty. Nevertheless, here is a link to Staph food poisoning. Staph is normally associated with poor hygiene and food handling.

http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/food- ... c-overview

Thank you Helico_expert,

I read the staph page. Given your expertise I am very open to accepting that my acute symptoms were brought on by Staph or some other bacteria and not H Pylori... and that I may have gotten H Pylori long before and had it for quite some time without realizing it.

But in that case I still have a remaining mystery. Why before the acute gastritis and vomiting was I able to tolerate all foods, but then after the acute gastritis and vomiting passed (took about 24-36 hours) did I quickly develop longer-term chronic symptoms? After the acute gastritis phase I was suddenly unable to eat sugary, starchy, or greasy/fried foods without bloating and distension lasting eight to 15 hours--sometimes painful. So before the sushi no problems--ever. After the sushi and vomiting and recovery I have months of not being able to tolerate certain foods. If it was only staph then I should have gone back to normal pretty quickly, right? Do staph or other like bacterial infections sometimes leave behind long-term complications and distension problems in certain patients?

Thank you.

this is a very complex problem. I am afraid I am not able to answer you. Perhaps you'll have to wait till your stomach readjust itself or recover from the toxin damage from whatever pathogen.

Thanks Helico_expert. You've definitely given me something to consider: that my problems have been caused by something other than H Pylori. I will definitely discuss this with my doctor as well!