Folks ... I know we’re not clinicians but I’ve lost faith in the system and would appreciate anyone’s thoughts, anyway after self diagnosing Helicobacter very recently and then being tested positive & treated. I’m at a loss to explain my ongoing abdo pain (had it since start of Sept this year) it’s lower left and right , almost groin level of abdo and also in left’ish centre below belly button, it’s there 24/7 with lots of wind at times, it’s not really made worse by eating or better by voiding bowels. Doc thinks it’s IBS & has put me on Mebeverine and says to report back about now if it’s helping which it’s not, the pain is bearable but constant but is getting me down. I’ve had an ultrasound two days ago for RUQ pain which shows (so I’m verbally told) no gallstones or other problems ... I’ve gotta report back to doc as I’ve given the Mebeverine a coupla weeks to work but no joy, any thoughts that is if anyone has a similar story .. oh I’ve kicked the booze 8 weeks ago and eating healthy, fruit and veg ... no choccies biccies etc... signed bewildered in the UK!
Written by
nucleargaz
To view profiles and participate in discussions please or .
I'm so sorry about the pain you're in. When I used to get a lot of pain with IBS I took plain old paracetamol, it was my hubby's suggestion and it worked with me. I'd spent loads of Buscupan and it never worked.
If you've upped the fruit and veg a fair bit then that may not help, I cannot tolerate too many vegetables (I can't eat much fruit due to IBS) as if I eat what vegetables I used to be able to eat I would have tummy pain and live on the toilet and it can make me feel nauseous as well.
I had both an Endoscopy and Colonoscopy before I was diagnosed with IBS, and I had blood tests as well.
I really hope you find something that works for you.
Thanks very much with your thoughts .... I’m confused with what’s up with me if it it’s IBS or not.
Can Helicobacter effect the lower gut? Which is where my problem is. After 2 weeks of triple therapy do I need another breath test to see if Helicobacter has gone? I’m gonna be back to GP on Monday as he did ask to let him know if Mebeverine had helped to settle what might be IBS.
I honestly don't know if it can, have you Googled it at all?
My IBS wasn't bad at all, I've had it since 1996, but then food poisoning in November 2018 made it so much worse, I can't even eat peas and I love them.
Yup, I don’t think the Helicobacter effects the lower gut, I understood it to be more upper ie stomach area, hey ho, I’ll be in the GP phone triage on Monday, see what gives! Thanks for the chat, it’s obviously common as I see people on this site with similar and worse ... regards Gary
When I used to get pain in the tummy, I don't get much now as my IBS changed, I would get pain in lower and mid tummy, my side and between my shoulder blades.
Best of luck with the GP phone triage.
Also, if you look at my post earlier on this forum I've listed side effects from IBS, I've just finished taking part in research, here's the link
Hi. Lay off anything dairy, the only vegs i have are carrots,peas,sliced green beans really well cooked. Friut wise i have bananas or strawberries may the occasional apple. Bread is toasted. I dont go near chicken,fish, turkey.take a good quality vit d and a zinc supplement OR good quality multivitamin multi mineral. Mebeverine didnt work for me. I take buscopan only if absolutely neccesary ( feel dizzy when i take it) if problems with reflux, raise the head of your bed 6 inches using wooden blocks.(stops acid going to your throat when lying down) . Ive had similar for 4yrs and i had to find everything out what works for me myself.
Im 62. I got my problems 4 yrs ago thru food poisoning. Its been a real struggle. I had to research (google) allsorts to find what i could. I just ended up trying different things to see what worked for me. Still got a damaged throat due to acid coming up to my throat when i lay down. But its a bit better now. All the best.
Through the years I have tried all the Buscopan, Colpamin and Colofac 'so called' remedies. Didn't really help but tried probiotics a few months back and although not cured, the pain is negligible most of the time. Holland and Barrett stock many different types and should be able to help. I had to definitely lay off lactose but thankfully Arla does a range of lacto free, cheese, cream, yoghurts etc so no need to miss out on favourites. I also find too much wheat products makes it worse, e.g. 1 digestive might be ok but any more starts a flare up next day. My almost permanent pain is a sort of bruised feeling in lower right hand side. Been tested for other 'women type' things and doctor thinks it's part of my IBS. Also peas, although I enjoy them, are not my friends any more; also broccoli and cabbage not good for IBS. Good luck, it's no fun being an IBS sufferer for sure.
Hi I had helicobactor pylori triple treatment last year and havent been right since. The strong antibiotics have destroyed my gut and despite having a breath test and been told it has now cleared up the treatment has left me worse off with gut dysbiosis. I have tried endless probiotics, prebiotics, spent a fortune on numerous supplements, still struggling to feel well. Obviously we are all different but you will need to balance the bacteria in your gut again as the antibiotics will have stripped away all the good bacteria needed. H pylori can also cause low stomach acid, then reflux. Most conventional doctors will automatically treat reflux with a PPI for too much acid, which as I found then exasperated the situation. Good luck on finding a solution soon, 🤞it's a bloody nightmare isnt it
Yup, never had anyfin like this, the diverse abdo pain (since sept) predates the triple meds ... I just would like a correct diagnosis & I’m willing to fund it myself just to get answers, I guess I need another Helicobacter test (4 weeks after the meds) to see if it’s gone .... then see what’s on offer test wise to see why all the gut pain....? Regards Gary
Trish you are so right, I believe that i started with low grade IBS, then stressed out made it worse, then put on SSRI's and PPIS of course making things worse again. Diagnosed with SIBO but not sure i believe that either. I am left in constant pain 24/7. Insomnia and loss of quality of life, its hard sometimes to keep hoping
It's likely that the medication you took to treat the Helicobacter infection has upset the balance of bacteria in your intestines by killing some of the good bacteria. I presume that the treatment involved antibiotics. If this is the case, I'd suggest that you go low fodmap for a while to stop feeding the bad, gas producing bacteria and take a good probiotic to restore balance. Eating lots of fruit and vegetables will only make things worse until the correct balance of your gut biota is restored.
Im sorry to hear about your pain, Ive been through something similar in that Id get flares of upper and lower abdominal pain as my predominant symptom which turned into constant pain for about a year now and went through a battery of tests to be given the "maybe its IBS," diagnoses while I wait for other tests which can be frusterating when theyre unable to offer tools to manage it. Ive been searching for answers/solutions to get to the root of it all as well and Ive finally had some success seeing a naturopath who diagnosed SIBO and had put me on a low fodmap diet and natural antibiotics. When the syptoms reduce the plan is to take prokinetic to help move the bad bacteria out, and then supplement with probiotics to rebuild healthy gut bacteria, then slowly reintroduce fodmap foods. Im about two weeks in and my abdominal pain has reduced by about 75%, although eating low fodmap is challenging its worth the reduction in pain ten fold as Im finally feeling like my old self again which I feared I was loosing. Hopefully one, or a combination of the tips ppl provided helps you I know our journeys are all unique but try to stay positive and keep searching for solutions.
It’s really good of you to take the time to give me such a detailed answer ... I’ve gotta call docs tmrw for his thoughts, but as you say there’s a lot of people’s experience here to tap into. Your right about keeping pos too. Kind regards Gary
Bensey thanks so much too, like you I am unlucky in that my pain is constant, and its that type of pain that gets you down mentally, you feel at an older age that life will never be the same. I have been so low at times, hard to even get a nights sleep, so lots going on, but good to know things can change..
^^as above low FODMAP diet is worth a try- the gastros here recommend it for IBS. But in case there are different pathological species present you could also try comprehensive stool test (e.g. Genova) - it's expensive but far more comprehensive than anything the NHS can offer and is capable of detecting pathologies. Tbh the NHS are very limited in what they can offer for problems like this
Assuming you are diagnosed with IBS (at some point), here is some information about IBS that I have shared with others in this group in case any of these tips are of interest to you:
IBS can be due to a number or combination of factors - these can be stress (including stress from early life experiences) which impacts the communication between the brain and the digestive system. There are lots of free webinars online at the moment regarding mindfulness meditation which might help. Plus you can ask to be referred for CBT or something similar to reduce anxiety - I would have thought online appointments are available. Exercise can play a major role in IBS in terms of reducing stress, helping your gut microbiome and regulating bowel movements.
There is also not absorbing certain types of carbohydrates called FODMAPs very well, the residue ending up in the colon and bacteria feeding off them causing symptoms. Ordinarily feeding gut bacteria is a really good thing - when you feed good gut bacteria these produce by-products that have great health effects in the gut and throughout the body. However, in some people with IBS bad bugs might have the upper hand over good - these bad bugs may cause symptoms such as excess gas, pain or disordered bowel movements. There is an interesting infographic on this here:
This is why it’s worth trying probiotics such as Alflorex (which has been scientifically studied for IBS) or Symprove to crowd out the bad bugs and make their numbers die down. If that doesn't work you can try the FODMAP elimination and reintroduction diet. This is normally under the guidance of a nutritionist via GP referral - this may not be possible at the moment so you can read about it online. If you download the Monash University FODMAP app and Kings College fodmap apps, they will tell you which foods contain FODMAPs and in what quantities. You can eliminate all FODMAPs for 2 weeks and then introduce each type of FODMAP one at a time starting in small quantities, increasing over a 3 day period and wait up to 4 days for symptoms. I go much slower than this - only introducing a small amount (1/4 to 1/3 of a normal portion size) of the same food for 3 days and then increase if tolerable or no symptoms and cut back to the previous amount if symptoms for longer and then try to increment again . I've read your microbiome can adapt to handling a new food if introduced very slowly and your bad bugs are under control with a good probiotic. Ideally you want to eat as many FODMAPs as you can since they are good for your health. Many people with IBS don't have diverse gut bacteria - it has been found that people who lack a diverse microbiome are more prone to diseases in general. In the long run, if you can get your symptoms under control, the ideal situation is to have a very varied diet - lots of different coloured fruits and vegetables, a variety of protein and carbohydrate sources including cereal fibres. This may seem a long way off, but with the right treatment all of this is possible. Last year all I could consume to control my IBS was white rice, protein and limited low fodmap veg. Using the approach above (particularly introducing Alflorex) I am now able to consume far more foods - more than I've ever dreamed of including wholewheat bread which is unheard of for me.
If you are also suffering from pain, you may be suffering from visceral hypersensitivity (functional abdominal pain) - there is info about it here:
It is where the brain interprets the normal activity of the bowel as pain - this is due to a wearing down of neurons in pain control centres of the brain which can be caused by PTSD, neglect or abuse in childhood, extreme stressful events etc. The first line treatment is nerve pain agents such as low dose amitriptyline. There is a theory that being on something like amitriptyline for 6-12 months can help the pain control centre neurons to regenerate. Note that amitriptyline can cause constipation, but this can be helpful in people who are diarrhea dominant. Unfortunately I couldn't tolerate these. Linaclotide (for IBS-C only) & Alflorex have helped me with this intestinal pain.
You may also find assistance with anti-spasmodic medication such as mebeverine (Colofac) or enteric coated peppermint.
If all of the usual IBS remedies fail and you are experiencing diarrhea, it is worth getting tested for BAM (Bile Acid Malabsorption), which can cause constant diarrhea - there is a separate test and treatment for that. Good luck.
Content on HealthUnlocked does not replace the relationship between you and doctors or other healthcare professionals nor the advice you receive from them.
Never delay seeking advice or dialling emergency services because of something that you have read on HealthUnlocked.
Lower right abdominal pain
Lower Right Abdominal Pain
Still persistent abdominal pain!
Severe intestinal Pain,I’m not quite sure what it is,IBS,Perineal Pain,or what.
All over abdominal pain and burning
