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H Pylori positive, but abnormal symptoms

Posted: Sat Nov 28, 2015 12:14 am
by bloated-in-sc
I've been struggling with abdominal pain and severe bloating (I'm talking, my normally flat stomach can look 8 months pregnant) for around two years now. Have been to several doctors and went through a multitude of testing and trying different medications - bloodwork, hiida scan, abdominal ultrasound, medication for peptic ulcers, for ibs-c, for muscle spasms, etc. Everything has come back normal and none of the medications have impacted it at all.

In this time, I've managed to put on around 35 pounds as well, while eating pretty healthy for the most part. I stay constipated, to the point where if I don't take a supplement to help me go daily, I can become impacted within two days (I'm sorry if that's TMI). The bloating is terrible, sometimes debilitating. At one time, I thought it was a food intolerance and did a 6 week elimination diet, cutting out gluten, grains of all types, soy, dairy, sugar, artificial sweeteners and alcohol. When I reintroduced these, it seemed that gluten was causing me issues. I have now been gluten free for 7 months. For the first little bit, it appeared that it had helped. My bloating while not completely gone, was minimized. Then it came back with vengeance, with no dietary changes. I also have really bad lower back pain now, but that could be due to the weight gain. If I don't eat every few hours, it feels like my stomach is eating itself. If I let it get to that point, the bloating begins and will continue for several days. Then if I do eat, often times the bloating will start then too.

I recently switched doctors. On my first visit, she put me on omeprazole rx. It seemed to help with the first thing in the morning pain (the empty stomach thing), but by later in the day it would start. She did the full work up and then upon listening to my stomach, said, "geez your bowel is noisy!" Long story short, she ended up doing a blood test for h pylori and called to say it came back IGA positive. Apparently that means an active infection? She is referring me to a gastroenterologist for an endoscopy.

In the little bit of reading I've been doing, while bloating is a common symptom, I should be losing weight not gaining and probably have diarrhea rather than constipation. Is this abnormal? Once eradicated, am I destined to gain even more weight?! I know I should concentrate more on the positives, such as getting rid of the pain and bloating, but call me vain, I am sick of gaining despite many attempts otherwise.

Re: H Pylori positive, but abnormal symptoms

Posted: Mon Nov 30, 2015 11:35 am
by Helico_expert
I think your problem is more complex that just H. pylori. I believe H. pylori play a small role in your multiple problem. However, the treatment for H. pylori will give your digestive system a reboot. With the healthy diet, your good bacteria will hopefully dominate the digestive system quicker than the bad ones.

Re: H Pylori positive, but abnormal symptoms

Posted: Sat Jul 14, 2018 12:23 pm
by Deela
Any update onyour condition? I’ve been having similar issues and looking for any informatiin you can offer? Have you recovered ok? I hope you have!
bloated-in-sc wrote:
Sat Nov 28, 2015 12:14 am
I've been struggling with abdominal pain and severe bloating (I'm talking, my normally flat stomach can look 8 months pregnant) for around two years now. Have been to several doctors and went through a multitude of testing and trying different medications - bloodwork, hiida scan, abdominal ultrasound, medication for peptic ulcers, for ibs-c, for muscle spasms, etc. Everything has come back normal and none of the medications have impacted it at all.

In this time, I've managed to put on around 35 pounds as well, while eating pretty healthy for the most part. I stay constipated, to the point where if I don't take a supplement to help me go daily, I can become impacted within two days (I'm sorry if that's TMI). The bloating is terrible, sometimes debilitating. At one time, I thought it was a food intolerance and did a 6 week elimination diet, cutting out gluten, grains of all types, soy, dairy, sugar, artificial sweeteners and alcohol. When I reintroduced these, it seemed that gluten was causing me issues. I have now been gluten free for 7 months. For the first little bit, it appeared that it had helped. My bloating while not completely gone, was minimized. Then it came back with vengeance, with no dietary changes. I also have really bad lower back pain now, but that could be due to the weight gain. If I don't eat every few hours, it feels like my stomach is eating itself. If I let it get to that point, the bloating begins and will continue for several days. Then if I do eat, often times the bloating will start then too.

I recently switched doctors. On my first visit, she put me on omeprazole rx. It seemed to help with the first thing in the morning pain (the empty stomach thing), but by later in the day it would start. She did the full work up and then upon listening to my stomach, said, "geez your bowel is noisy!" Long story short, she ended up doing a blood test for h pylori and called to say it came back IGA positive. Apparently that means an active infection? She is referring me to a gastroenterologist for an endoscopy.

In the little bit of reading I've been doing, while bloating is a common symptom, I should be losing weight not gaining and probably have diarrhea rather than constipation. Is this abnormal? Once eradicated, am I destined to gain even more weight?! I know I should concentrate more on the positives, such as getting rid of the pain and bloating, but call me vain, I am sick of gaining despite many attempts otherwise.