Helicobacter/h pylori so many strange horrible symptoms and really getting me down

[Michelle1]

Hi all, I have been having lots of various worrying symptoms now for over a year. Symptoms include:-
Feeling off balance
Extremely tired
Insomnia
Anxiety
Diarrhoea
Abdominal pain/cramping/bloating
Weight loss (2 stone)
Muscle twitches everywhere
Tinnitus
Sinus blocked
Lack of sense of smell/taste
Foul smelling unusual coloured stools
Yeast on tongue
Pins and needles sensation
Nerve pain
Unsteady walking
Brain fog/short term memory loss
Waking up in the night with dead arms
Constant stomach gurgling/churning
Eptopics
Palpatations
And many more......
Most gps at first put this down to anxiety but with weight loss GI problem etc I was sent for endoscopy where they found I was highly positive for helicobacter. I had moderate to servere gastrisis and a damaged inflamed/infected gallbladder. I had eradication for the h pylori and had the gallbladder removed, given 6 antibiotics in a few months but still feel dreadful.

Second endoscopy and colonoscopy revealed the helicobacter had not been eradicated and I was still a strong positive. Now gone down the herbal route after seeing a nutritionist and I am trying the herbal/diet route for 60 days.

I feel so ill every single day and don't think Drs realise what a horrible bacteria this actually is and how much damage it does to our insides. Some strains are resistant to antibiotics and it just runs riot on the digestive tract.

I'm also being tested privately for parasites over 3 day stool sample £150 but worth it to know what's going on. Just want to make people aware somethings are not just anxiety and if you feel unwell with similar symptoms it's worth asking for a h pylori test and parasites test. I'm seriously thinking of being checked for lymes too. Don't be fobbed off with anxiety like I was for a year, in SOME cases there can be a physical reason too!

[Phuzella]

I'm wondering if I have h pylori. What sort of test do they do for it?

[ScaredMama]

Wow, I have a lot of those symptoms as well. All of my blood work is coming back normal, but my lyme disease test is still pending and I still need to visit the breast clinic for swollen lymph nodes in my chest and gastroenterology for my pale floating stools. Mine started with pain in my upper left quadrant 7 months ago and I was diagnosed with a possible ulcer and/or costochondritis and given omeprazole. A few weeks later I am losing sensation in my extremities while sleeping in the same positions as always and I'm down 10lbs. Anxiously awaiting answers.

[Michelle1]

3 ways, breath test, stool test (I took this and was told negative even thou I was a strong positive) or a clo test done during an endoscopy biopsy.

First signs were acid reflux, sore red throat, troubles swallowing and feeling like something was stuck in my throat. Ibs symptom unable to eat big meals, feeling full for a long time and lots of anxiety symptoms/eptopics/foggy headed. Waking up feeling very anxious and retching to be sick. Worth getting checked if you are having similar.

[charlie1986]

Hi michelle1, my doctors want to test me for h.plyori. Said they'd do it by stool sample. If u read my posts you'll see what symptoms I've had. I've got to be off my lansoprazole for 2 weeks tho xxx

[Michelle1]

Yes I would get checked - endoscopy is the best way but more intrusive!

I am getting lots of tingling all over my body, restless legs, both arms going dead in the night. Thought I had ms (recently had mri of brain and spine to rule this out, waiting for results).

Very nasty bacteria when it becomes overgrown. However some people have it and don't have any problems. I reckon I got mine summer 2014 after a case of food poisoning in Egypt and it's just been getting worse since then

---------- Post added at 16:56 ---------- Previous post was at 16:54 ----------

Hi Charlie yes you need to be off all ppi and acid reducing Meds at least 2 weeks before tests.

Ppi Meds just mask the problem and don't deal with it. Endoscopy best way to check 100%

[Lakme]

Hey I know this thread is a little old but I'm feeling the exact same symptoms. I had abdominal pain for a couple months but it went away after my doctor put me on Paxil. I've been suggested h pylori but the few times that it was suggested by others online I blew it off because I didn't look up the REAL symptoms. It was god awful until I found out. Out of all the symptoms you've listed I can relate to:

Hi all, I have been having lots of various worrying symptoms now for over a year. Symptoms I can relate to:
Feeling off balance (just started having this recently
Extremely tired (paired with insomnia, not being able to sleep for a while and then sleeping for 12 hours)
Insomnia
Anxiety (I had this as soon as I got food poisoning and everyone thought I was crazy
Diarrhoea (not diarrhea but loose stools that fell apart)
Abdominal pain/cramping/bloating (had this for a while until i started taking b12, then started eating manuka honey and it is much better)
Weight loss (2 stone) (I've lost 2 stone between June and now but perhaps my biggest mistake was cutting meat from my diet and exercising. I dropped 11 pounds in a month and since then I've dropped 6 but not nearly as quickly
Muscle twitches everywhere (this made me think I had pernicious anemia, which is why I started taking b12)
Tinnitus (had this since I got food poisoning, which is why I was prescribed Elavil.
Sinus blocked (this is related to your esophagus, if you take vitamins or natural remedies this should clear up)
Lack of sense of smell/taste (also why I thought I had pernicious anemia
Foul smelling unusual coloured stools (my 2nd symptom when I developed abdominal pain.)
Yeast on tongue (my tongue is a bit off color but I'm not quite sure)
Pins and needles sensation (this went away after I started taking b12)
Nerve pain (had chronic pain in my neck for a while when I first got infected. Doctor said it was nerve pain.
Unsteady walking (already listed, but I can relate, sometimes feels like I'm about to tip over when I'm walking
Brain fog/short term memory loss (had this right before I developed abdominal pain but got 100x worse when I stopped taking Elavil)

my other symptoms are dry eyes and hyperpigmentation on my legs. I've got tan lines from the beach that haven't gone away since the last time I went, and that was in September.

[GlassPinata]

A lot of the digestive issues you mention could be caused by IBS, which often goes hand in hand with anxiety.
A lot of the other symptoms sound unrelated, and not serious; it is the season for colds and such.
Nothing you've mentioned jumps out at me as *serious*.
I am not trying to minimize your discomfort, just pointing out that as humans, we always have symptoms, and yours sound unrelated (or anxiety-related), self-limiting, and in short not indicative of serious systematic illness.

Best wishes.

[Lakme]

A lot of the digestive issues you mention could be caused by IBS, which often goes hand in hand with anxiety.
A lot of the other symptoms sound unrelated, and not serious; it is the season for colds and such.
Nothing you've mentioned jumps out at me as *serious*.
I am not trying to minimize your discomfort, just pointing out that as humans, we always have symptoms, and yours sound unrelated (or anxiety-related), self-limiting, and in short not indicative of serious systematic illness.

Best wishes.

This is quite a ridiculous assessment. I don't think you could be any more wrong. Go catch h pylori in a third world country, come back and tell me that it's IBS. You wouldn't because it's not. Just because this is a >health anxiety< forum doesn't mean everything is health anxiety. I experience the same exact symptoms and severe fatigue and weight loss are not even close to IBS. IBS also does not cause gastroparesis or shortness of breath. I know because my symptoms have improved since taking supplements, and OPs concern is just as valid. H pylori is a serious bug that can harm short term or long term if your body isn't resistant to it and some people just aren't. Do your research. It's beyond discomfort.