Help!! 16 years old, and I have been recently been diagnosed with H.pylori!

[Sarah_Riot]

Long story, sorry!! ^_^

I'm a pretty healthy 16 year old female, i don't smoke, or drink, or do drugs. And there's no history of disease in my family. I never really had an serious medical problems, just the occasional flu or cold. I live in Germany and I have been here for about 4 years.

But a few months ago, I started getting these weird heart palpitations. I could LITERALLY feel my heart pounding extremely hard and heavy constantly in my chest. I knew it wasn't normal. I told my dad about it. He said it was all probably just anxiety. But I had no reason to be anxious about anything. But for the next couple of weeks, I was still having those weird heart palpitations. So I told my dad and he took me to the clinic on the American base where I go to school.  I had my vitals checked, and they were a bit abnormal. So the doc prescribed ATENOLOL for me, and told us to go see a German internal medicine doctor/cardiologist the next day. So we did. At the doctor's the next day, I had an ultrasound done of my heart, and he said everything was fine. He said I have an extremely small deficiency in my heart (I didn't really understand what he was talking about). But that alot of people have it and it's perfectly normal. I also did a breathing test and the results from that were also normal. He said to come back in the next two weeks for a holtor monitor and stress test. After that, we went home.

But a week or so later, I woke up feeling REALLY sick, like I had to throw up and then my heart started racing. I had no idea why. I told my dad, and he drove me to the hospital. My stomach felt like it had acid in it. I felt awful! So I stayed in the German hospital for 5 hours. My heart rate eventually went back to normal, and they said it was ok for me to go home. So we did. But for the next couple of days, I started getting REALLY sick. I could barely move, I felt sick all the time, and had a constant pounding heart and irregular heartbeats. I felt like my heart was 'sick' or something. So my parents took me to the hospital again, and this time, I stayed for 3 days. I had 3 blood tests done, and 2 ultrasounds done on my heart. Everything was normal. Even though I felt sick the whole time, they kept telling me I was "ok". Eventually , I went home and soon went back to school.

After a few weeks, my dad came into the school and told me that the doctors found something in a stool sample, a bacteria called H.pylori. He said they think I have an infection or something, but I was so happy that they finally found something and it wasn't all just in my head. So the next day I got my antibiotics. I got 3 different antibiotics and I have to take them 3 different times a day. I also take Zoloft and half-tablets of an anti-anxiety pill called Clorazapam or something like that.

So I've been taking all my antibiotics and medications as directed. But I've still been feeling sick for weeks. I recently say my internal medicine doctor, and I had a stress test done, and an ultrasound of my stomach, diaphram, etc. and he said everything was fine. But there are so many things I don't understand. The doctors say there is NOTHING that's organic wrong with my heart and physiologically it is fine. But why does my heart pound so hard and heavy? I can barely go up stairs anymore! Also, why didn't H.pylori antibodies show up in the blood tests? And I have all these horrible flu-like symptoms like a constant soar/itchy/scratchy throat, painful headaches and sinus pressure, more frequent bowel movements, an extremely hard pounding heart, dizziness, fatigue, and more. My ears ring alot, also. And I sweat ALOT. But just under my arms. I had all these symptoms even before I started the antibiotics so I don't think they are caused by side effects. The soar throat, headaches/sinus pressure/and pounding heart are the symptoms that affect me most and I feel so sick all the time. Sometimes it feels like I'm having trouble breathing and I get hungry alot more. I'm kind of scared because I don't think H.pylori can cause those symptoms, unless maybe someone has an ulcer from it, but I don't have one. I don't think H.pylori is the only thing making me sick. I'm scared it might be a more serious stomach/gastral problem or maybe cancer, or even lyme disease. I talked to my parents about this, and they said they will take me to the doctors so we I can get more tests and stuff done. But I know that sometimes antibiotics can interfere with blood tests so I will talk to them about that. But I AM kind of glad that they found nothing EXTREMELY serious or life threatening, but I still feel awful all the time. I have so many headaches, that sometimes I think I may have a brain tumor. I know, I worry WAY too much. I'm just anxious to talk to the doctors again.

So basically, I was diagnosed with an H.pylori related infection, but I have symptoms such as: constant POUNDING heart, painful headaches and sinus pressure, increased hunger and sometimes NO appetite. I shake alot too because my heart beats so hard and forceful. Dizziness and fatigue, and of course, anxiety. I'm going to be tested for cancer and lyme disease, and I hope I have neither. I also might get an ENDOSCOPY done. I just want my symptoms to go away and I want to feel healthy again.

PLEASE HELP!! ANY HELP/ADVICE is greatly appreciated!!!!!!!!!

[Peppermint88]

Please read the post I added to your other comment.

[CalGal]

H. pylori is well-known to many who find they have acid reflux problems. And the whole specturm of acid reflux can produce many of the symptoms you're describing, including changes in heartbeat. Most people with H. pylori seem to go on - even after treatment - to need medications to tamp down their acid production and they need to follow a GERD diet.

You may want to discuss it with your doctor.