H-pylori and how I beat it (Part 1)

Helicobacter pylori, or H-pylori, flipped my life upside down over the last few months. I’ve had to deal with sudden nausea while driving, weight loss and severe burping, often embarrassing myself. It caused anxiety bouts whose aftereffects lasted for days. Every waking hour, I’d pray that I could be alright again. I did not want good looks; I did not want athleticism. All I wanted was to go back to being normal again. But what is H-pylori and why does it have such debilitating symptoms?

What Is H-pylori?

H-Pylori is a very common but hardly talked about stomach infection. Helicobacter pylori is a spiral-shaped bacteria that infects your stomach, causing sores and inflammation. For some people, where the virulence of the bacteria is stronger, the infection can lead to stomach cancer.

The infection is, however, one of the most common in the world. Some studies have shown that almost 50% of the world’s population has it in their bodies. But for most people, it does not cause any symptoms.

Private hell

I attributed all my symptoms to cardiovascular problems since I knew nothing about the bacteria. I’d feel breathless without warning. My nausea felt like I was high on a sedative, and I could hear my heart pounding in my chest.

I’d feel an attack coming on while lifting weights in the gym. Traveling on public transport filled me with anxiety. I even had an attack 3,700 meters above sea level while on my way back from a Himalayan trek. I felt scared!

Again, all this while, I kept connecting these incidents to something wrong with my heart and lungs. Things came to a head when I was out on a date. I had a few drinks and late in the night, I started feeling breathless and nauseated. It got worse in the morning. I rushed to a good hospital complaining of lower chest pain.

The doctors ran tests. They said apart from having bradycardia (a slower than normal heart-rate), everything else seemed fine. My heart and lungs were in great condition. My condition had also improved on its own. I was sent back home.

A couple of days passed by without any symptoms. I felt more optimistic and wondered if it was all in my head. On the third day, the symptoms were back.

I was at the gym when nausea hit me again. Without wasting time, I went straight to a gastrointestinal specialist and explained my symptoms. He ordered an endoscopy test. And that is when I first heard the term H-pylori.

Causes of H-pylori infection

H-pylori is contagious. It spreads through

1. Contaminated water,

2. Eating raw/undercooked food

3. Through saliva.

4. Fecal matter

H-pylori symptoms

Typically, the symptoms are such that you feel you have a disease elsewhere in your body. Some of the common symptoms are:

1. Heartburn/acid reflux
2. Upper abdominal pain or a catch
3. Belching
4. Gastritis
5. Duodenal/peptic ulcers (in severe cases)
6. Headaches/migrane
7. Constipation
8. Bloating
9. Nausea
10. Shortness of breath
11. Vomiting (in severe cases)
12. Weight loss
13. Feeling full after eating small portions of food

The severity of the infection differs from one person to another. Some people may never have any complications while others may develop peptic ulcers in the stomach.

I will detail the medications and, importantly, the diet I followed in my following posts.