H PYLORI UPDATE
Hi everyone,
I wanted to post an update because this has been a long journey.
Timeline
May 2025: Tested positive for H. pylori ( after months of stomach pain , food poisoning 3 times, my stomach wasn't in a great place - super low stomach acid, low secretory lgA, giardia low enzymes, basically my digestion felt like it was running on empty. H pylori also showed up but I guess it was a low level so it wasn't addressed in 2024 by the way ) . I didn't even know at the time that all of this was brewing underneath, but it explained why foods weren't sitting right, nutrients weren't absorbing, and I always felt like my gut was "off."
Fast forward almost a year later, i completed 14 days of bismuth quadruple therapy. Jesus that was brutal.
I later had a breath test confirming eradication in late June 2025, so the infection appears to be gone.
Around that same time, I went through an extremely stressful period in my life. I moved to New York, ended up getting scammed out of my apartment, lost a significant amount of money, and was under constant stress for weeks. Looking back, I think my nervous system and digestive system took a huge hit.
The beginning
When everything first started, my stomach was incredibly sensitive. I was barely able to tolerate anything besides very bland, steamed foods. Almost every meal caused discomfort, and I became afraid of eating because I associated food with feeling worse.
Progress
The good news is that I’ve improved a lot compared to where I was a year ago. Today I can eat a much wider variety of foods, I’ve regained confidence around eating, and I’m no longer surviving on only steamed chicken and rice.
I’ve also noticed that stress has a very obvious effect on my stomach. If I go through a particularly stressful day, my stomach often becomes tight, irritated, and starts acting up. Sometime my lower stomach will like extend and perforate out. It’s like my gut axis is messed up. It’s getting better. When I’m super stressed I breathe and tell my body I’m okey so it doesn’t get stuck in that loop and extended out . Learning that connection has actually helped me calm things down instead of immediately assuming something terrible is happening.
Where I’m at now
The frustrating part is my stomach is completely 100% “normal.” My main symptoms now are: Burping after meals, gassy at times after eating vegetables/fiber ( maybe it’s my gut microbiome adapting ? I mean before I couldn’t even eat broccoli , garlic etc things like that and now I can ! (
Acid sensitivity/reflux at times ( lemon lemon , coffee )
My upper stomach sometimes feels irritated or inflamed
Fatty or heavier meals seem to bother me more than they used to ( like I had this amazing chicken the other day with the tastiest crispy fatty skin and 4 hours later I had the worse indigestion and I was burping up the smell of the chicken skin….
Some days are almost normal, while others seem to flare up ( like if I have coffee , then something acidity and a cocktail the next rail my stomach is super sensitive )
I’m sure my lining is physically healed but Chat told me I could just have visceral hypersensitivity/ functional dyspepsia ?
Overall, I’m functioning much better than last year, but it still feels like something isn’t completely healed and mentally is exhausting when certain foods trigger my stomach…. Like dipping bread into vinegar and then feeling really sick and have to burp hella to feel better etc .
Tests
Recently I had routine blood work done, and everything looked reassuring. Nutrients looked good. I’m actually gaining muscle for the first time LOL.
CBC and chemistry panel were otherwise normal.
The only thing that stood out was a mildly low white blood cell count, although interestingly I rarely get sick. Could be genetics ?
I’m also planning to stop my digestive enzymes for a bit so I can do a stool test and see how my gut is
My questions
I’m wondering if anyone who successfully eradicated H. pylori experienced symptoms that lasted this long.
Did your stomach continue feeling irritated for many months afterward?
Did fatty foods become harder to tolerate?
Did anyone’s stomach lining take a long time to recover even after testing negative?
At what point did your doctor recommend an upper endoscopy?
Mentally, this has honestly been the hardest part. It’s now been over a year, and while I’ve made tremendous progress, it’s exhausting feeling like I’m still not completely back to normal. I try to stay optimistic because I know how much better I am than I was a year ago, but I also don’t want to ignore symptoms if there’s something else going on.
Any experiences or advice would really be appreciated.