Potential Stomach Ulcer

[Christophers200]

3 minutes ago, pr9spk said:

Flagyl is metronidazole, which is a basic antibiotic. It is not "hardcore stuff" in any sense of the word. I've been giving flagyl to patients pretty much daily for over 15 years. Only issue with this drug is that you CANNOT drink alcohol whilst using it, and for a day or two after.

 

People who have very stressful jobs and don't eat properly because of workplace pressure, and then go home to unwind with a glass of wine or three are much more likely to develop ulcer-like symptoms. Doing that in Thailand, where you are more likely to eat a lot of very spicy foods only compounds the issue.

 

Flagyl is safe, you can take it when you need, not only in dire situations, trust me.

Flagyl has some rare but serious side effects such as unsteadiness, seizures, mental/mood changes (such as confusion), trouble speaking, numbness/tingling of arms/legs, eye pain, sudden vision changes, severe headache, stiff/painful neck etc. And that is in addition to the more common side effects of stomach upset, nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, diarrhea, constipation, a metallic taste in the mouth and dark colored urine.

 

Self-medication is not safe especially if recommended on a site such as this.

[Sheryl]

7 hours ago, RotBenz8888 said:

If you taken Omeprazol for a couple of weeks, and the symptoms are still there, I'd do I gastroscopy.

Yes.

 

Gastroscopy and they will always check for h. pylori when they do it.

 

if you can afford it suggest Dr., Varocha Mahachai at BPH.

[scubascuba3]

Yes.
 
Gastroscopy and they will always check for h. pylori when they do it.
 
if you can afford it suggest Dr., Varocha Mahachai at BPH.

Would it be better to do a H. pylori infection Stool antigen test first? may avoid the need for a gastroscopy? how much is a gastroscopy?

[SteveK]

1 hour ago, Christophers200 said:

Flagyl has some rare but serious side effects such as unsteadiness, seizures, mental/mood changes (such as confusion), trouble speaking, numbness/tingling of arms/legs, eye pain, sudden vision changes, severe headache, stiff/painful neck etc. And that is in addition to the more common side effects of stomach upset, nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, diarrhea, constipation, a metallic taste in the mouth and dark colored urine.

 

Self-medication is not safe especially if recommended on a site such as this.

Laughable.

 

Every drug, including paracetamol will have a list of side effects like this, if not longer. If beer was a drug, it would have pages of "possible" symptoms because that's how the pharmaceutical industry works. They are obliged to list any possible side effect that was observed during the clinical trial, no matter how unlikely or outrageous they may be.

 

95% of people who take flagyl will get no side effects. Not sure where you cut and pasted that from, but I have first hand knowledge of dealing with thousands of patients who have taken metronidazole with no adverse effects.

 

If you have any experience of the medical industry, you would understand that they have an obligation to provide details of every possible side effect.

 

Flagyl, or Metrondiazole, is a very safe and effective drug in someone who has no hepatic insufficiency and abstains from alcohol for the course of treatment. Stop peddling garbage please.

Edited February 14, 2019 by pr9spk

[xylophone]

3 minutes ago, pr9spk said:

Laughable.

 

Every drug, including paracetamol will have a list of side effects like this, if not longer. If beer was a drug, it would have pages of "possible" symptoms because thats how the pharmaceutical industry works.

 

95% of people who take flagyl will get no side effects. Not sure where you cut and pasted that from, but I have first hand knowledge of dealing with thousands (if not tens of thousands) of patients who have taken metronidazole with no adverse effects.

 

If you have any experience of the medical industry, you would understand that they have an obligation to provide details of every possible side effect.

 

Flagyl, or Metrondiazole, is a very safe and effective drug in someone who has no hepatic insufficiency and abstains from alcohol for the course of treatment. Stop peddling garbage please.

Agree, I took it with Clarithromycin and a PPI for two or three weeks and only experienced a slight metallic taste in my mouth...........nothing life threatening or that I couldn't handle.

[Christophers200]

Garbage eh? More like a demonstration of dangerous ignorance from you. I repeat self-medication based on "advice" from some anonymous forum post should come with a very big red warning notice. 

[SteveK]

11 minutes ago, Christophers200 said:

Garbage eh? More like a demonstration of dangerous ignorance from you. I repeat self-medication based on "advice" from some anonymous forum post should come with a very big red warning notice. 

I have self-medicated all my life, but I spent many years at University, and then in hospitals studying drugs, doses, pharmacokinetics and giving lectures on antibiotic resistance. And I would never suggest that someone follows advice on a forum because of uneducated people like you. Consult a professional.

 

Giving medical or medication advice on a forum when you don't know what you are talking about is extremely stupid.

 

And suggesting that flagyl is "hardcore" is not only false, but could prevent forum members from taking it when they need it, so is harmful advice.

Edited February 14, 2019 by pr9spk

[scubascuba3]

I have self-medicated all my life, but I spent many years at University, and then in hospitals studying drugs, doses, pharmacokinetics and giving lectures on antibiotic resistance. And I would never suggest that someone follows advice on a forum because of uneducated people like you. Consult a professional.
 
Giving medical or medication advice on a forum when you don't know what you are talking about is extremely stupid.
 
And suggesting that flagyl is "hardcore" is not only false, but could prevent forum members from taking it when they need it, so is harmful advice.

Good to have knowledgeable medical people on board, don't go away

[watcharacters]

9 hours ago, scubascuba3 said:

I thought it was the water.

 

What water do you drink?   Tap or bottled?

[scubascuba3]

 
What water do you drink?   Tap or bottled?

"Filtered" from the 1 baht machines. i changed machines for a week and it made no difference

[Sheryl]

1 hour ago, scubascuba3 said:

1 hour ago, Sheryl said:

Yes.
 
Gastroscopy and they will always check for h. pylori when they do it.
 
if you can afford it suggest Dr., Varocha Mahachai at BPH.

Would it be better to do a H. pylori infection Stool antigen test first? may avoid the need for a gastroscopy? how much is a gastroscopy?

You can and it will certainly save money vs a gastroscopy which deopending where it is done will be anywhere from 13 - 30K, the lower end of that being at RSU Helaht in Bangkok so you'd have to travel and spend at least one, maybe two nights in bangkok  so add travel + hotel to that to the cost.

 

What a gastroscopy can do that just a test for h. pylori can't, is rule out a mass in the stomach. (It can also determine if you have an actual ulcer or gastritis but if you are h. pylori + it really doesn't matter if it is gastritis alone or gastritis with ulcer, treatment pretty much the same).

 

Suggest you see Dr. Varocha and discuss with her. In my experience she is pretty flexible and willing to involve the patient in deciding what tests to do.

[Spidey]

1 minute ago, Sheryl said:

You can and it will certainly save money vs a gastroscopy which deopending where it is done will be anywhere from 13 - 30K, the lower end of that being at RSU Helaht in Bangkok so you'd have to travel and spend at least one, maybe two nights in bangkok  so add travel + hotel to that to the cost.

In the UK, I had a gastroscopy immediately followed by a colonoscopy. I requested, no anaesthesia, no analgesics so that I could leave immediately after the procedure. If I hadn't requested that I would have had to wait 2 hours for discharge. No need for overnight stay. Can't comment on the cost because the procedure is free in the UK. 

[Sheryl]

2 minutes ago, Spidey said:

In the UK, I had a gastroscopy immediately followed by a colonoscopy. I requested, no anaesthesia, no analgesics so that I could leave immediately after the procedure. If I hadn't requested that I would have had to wait 2 hours for discharge. No need for overnight stay. Can't comment on the cost because the procedure is free in the UK. 

That takes more stoicism than most of us have any wish to try to summon up.

 

Especially for the colonoscopy!

[Spidey]

Just now, Sheryl said:

That takes more stoicism than most of us have any wish to try to summon up.

 

Especially for the colonoscopy!

Yep, with hindsight, I should have taken their advice re: the colonoscopy. Had my wife and daughter with me (both nurses) and a long journey home. Didn't want to keep them hanging around for a couple of hours.

[kane666]

3 minutes ago, Sheryl said:

That takes more stoicism than most of us have any wish to try to summon up.

 

Especially for the colonoscopy!

Yeah screw that, knock me out thanks!

[watcharacters]

4 minutes ago, Sheryl said:

That takes more stoicism than most of us have any wish to try to summon up.

 

Especially for the colonoscopy!

 

Sorry, but possibly a masochist as well.

 

There are certainly more uncomfortable procedures out there  but  why suffer unnecessary pain.   

 

i wouldn't want to be in a hospital longer than necessary  either, but    go for the painless route.

 

[scubascuba3]

You can and it will certainly save money vs a gastroscopy which deopending where it is done will be anywhere from 13 - 30K, the lower end of that being at RSU Helaht in Bangkok so you'd have to travel and spend at least one, maybe two nights in bangkok  so add travel + hotel to that to the cost.
 
What a gastroscopy can do that just a test for h. pylori can't, is rule out a mass in the stomach. (It can also determine if you have an actual ulcer or gastritis but if you are h. pylori + it really doesn't matter if it is gastritis alone or gastritis with ulcer, treatment pretty much the same).
 
Suggest you see Dr. Varocha and discuss with her. In my experience she is pretty flexible and willing to involve the patient in deciding what tests to do.

I had a look online for Dr., Varocha Mahachai at BPH but she's not on their list of doctors.

Any recommendation for Bang Lamung? i may just go with the test first

[SteveK]

Be aware that gastroscopies can often be inconclusive.

 

Ask for a biopsy at the same time to avoid having to come back later for something they could have done at the time.

[Sheryl]

39 minutes ago, scubascuba3 said:

I had a look online for Dr., Varocha Mahachai at BPH but she's not on their list of doctors.

Any recommendation for Bang Lamung? i may just go with the test first

She is on their list

 

https://www.bangkokpattayahospital.com/en/doctor-profile?v_id=240&depid=11

 

At Bang Lamung (1) you cannot choose your doctor and (2) I am not sure they have a GI specialist or do gastroscopies. Very, very, very much doubt they do the h. pylori antigen stool test or breath test.  It is just a small community hospital, they refer anything specialized to Chonburi Hospital (in Chonburi town - a regional level hospital).

 

If you want a government hospital and don't mind the red tape and waits then either Chonburi Hospital, Queen Sirikit Naval Hospital or the Red cross Hospital in Sri Racha.

 

You can't get tests on demand in a government hospital, have to see doctor first, might need 2 trips for tat and then there will likely be a wait list for the endoscopy if they agree to do it. (or the breath test if they do them, I'm not sure they do).

 

 

[scubascuba3]

She is on their list
 
https://www.bangkokpattayahospital.com/en/doctor-profile?v_id=240&depid=11
 
At Bang Lamung (1) you cannot choose your doctor and (2) I am not sure they have a GI specialist or do gastroscopies. Very, very, very much doubt they do the h. pylori antigen stool test or breath test.  It is just a small community hospital, they refer anything specialized to Chonburi Hospital (in Chonburi town - a regional level hospital).
 
If you want a government hospital and don't mind the red tape and waits then either Chonburi Hospital, Queen Sirikit Naval Hospital or the Red cross Hospital in Sri Racha.
 
You can't get tests on demand in a government hospital, have to see doctor first, might need 2 trips for tat and then there will likely be a wait list for the endoscopy if they agree to do it. (or the breath test if they do them, I'm not sure they do).
 
 

Dr., Varocha Mahachai is no longer at Bangkok Pattaya they said, so I've booked in to see another specialist i didn't get the name. You were right about Bang Lamung no GI centre

[scubascuba3]

She is on their list
 
https://www.bangkokpattayahospital.com/en/doctor-profile?v_id=240&depid=11
 
At Bang Lamung (1) you cannot choose your doctor and (2) I am not sure they have a GI specialist or do gastroscopies. Very, very, very much doubt they do the h. pylori antigen stool test or breath test.  It is just a small community hospital, they refer anything specialized to Chonburi Hospital (in Chonburi town - a regional level hospital).
 
If you want a government hospital and don't mind the red tape and waits then either Chonburi Hospital, Queen Sirikit Naval Hospital or the Red cross Hospital in Sri Racha.
 
You can't get tests on demand in a government hospital, have to see doctor first, might need 2 trips for tat and then there will likely be a wait list for the endoscopy if they agree to do it. (or the breath test if they do them, I'm not sure they do).
 
 

Sheryl, can you recommend anyone else at Bangkok Pattaya hospital? Or i can take pot luck out of the 3 in the GI Centre. I cancelled my initial appointment because i wanted to give it a few more days on a changed diet. Its changed slightly in that originally i had the uncomfortable feeling after eating, now its before eating on an empty stomach. Eating helps. I stopped taking PPI which i only took for 9 days, didn't make much difference. My now educated guess is its Gastritis rather than an Ulcer

The plan is to see a specialist and arrange a test for H. pylori infection and then see whether an endoscopy is needed

[scubascuba3]

Dr. Varocha is at the RSU Health you recommended so I'll go there.

 

Costs are:

13C-UBT Breath Test 2,600 baht

Gastroscopy 9,000 baht

Biopsy 1,000-2,000 baht

Colonoscopy 15,000 baht

 

I'll start with the Breath test

 

 

 

[Damrongsak]

7 hours ago, scubascuba3 said:

... My now educated guess is its Gastritis rather than an Ulcer ...

I think that's what I had.  But it's been 40 years and don't remember much about it.  But it didn't take anything radical to fix it in my case. Mine might have been stress related, as I was working in the refugee camps at the time.  Or maybe it was the clean water, food and good sanitary conditions. ...

[Sheryl]

10 hours ago, scubascuba3 said:

Sheryl, can you recommend anyone else at Bangkok Pattaya hospital? Or i can take pot luck out of the 3 in the GI Centre. I cancelled my initial appointment because i wanted to give it a few more days on a changed diet. Its changed slightly in that originally i had the uncomfortable feeling after eating, now its before eating on an empty stomach. Eating helps. I stopped taking PPI which i only took for 9 days, didn't make much difference. My now educated guess is its Gastritis rather than an Ulcer

The plan is to see a specialist and arrange a test for H. pylori infection and then see whether an endoscopy is needed

I have no basis for recommending one over the other.

 

If you don't mind a trip to Bangkok can see Prof. Varocha at Bangkok Hospital there or at RSU health as other poster said. She is only there 1-2 times a week but it is substantially less expensive than any hospital.

[Sheryl]

1 minute ago, Sheryl said:

I have no basis for recommending one over the other.

 

If you don't mind a trip to Bangkok can see Prof. Varocha at Bangkok Hospital there or at RSU health as other poster said. She is only there 1-2 times a week but it is substantially less expensive than any hospital.

You do need to exclude h. pylori as important to treat if present.

 

Doesn't actually matter if gastritis vs ulcer, treatment is the same. the main advantage of getting a gastroscopy is to exclude stomach or esophageal cancer.

[scubascuba3]

You do need to exclude h. pylori as important to treat if present.
 
Doesn't actually matter if gastritis vs ulcer, treatment is the same. the main advantage of getting a gastroscopy is to exclude stomach or esophageal cancer.

I went to RSU yesterday and had the Breath test for h. pylori, results today were negative which is good but cause of symptoms is still a mystery. Symptoms have improved the last few days to being virtually gone, I'll see how it pans out over the next week, if it doesn't continue to improve I'll probably go with a gastroscopy.

Thanks for the recommendation of the Dr, she agrees with the above approach. Also said i could go with both gastroscopy and colonoscopy because of my age 49 where a colonoscopy is recommended every 5 years starting at around that age. I don't really want to go down that road yet unless absolutely necessary

[scubascuba3]

I just remembered this thread so i thought I'd post an update.

Currently symptoms are mostly gone. What i did was cut out the food and drink that caused my stomach to react. So i cut right back on Chilis and coffee. I used to have 3-5 cups a day, now 1 max and tea instead. I don't add chili anymore i just take it as it comes.

Anything that might cause a minor flare up i avoid, I chocolate bar is ok, 2 it doesn't really like. I've also switched from dairy Milk to mainly soy milk. Cut back on ice cream.

All this cutting back has enabled me to switch from Lansoprazole to Omeprazole and now not taking anything.

So moral to the story is it's trial and error to find out what's causing it, but it's pretty text book the food and drink which are irritants

[Sheryl]

2 hours ago, scubascuba3 said:

I just remembered this thread so i thought I'd post an update.

Currently symptoms are mostly gone. What i did was cut out the food and drink that caused my stomach to react. So i cut right back on Chilis and coffee. I used to have 3-5 cups a day, now 1 max and tea instead. I don't add chili anymore i just take it as it comes.

Anything that might cause a minor flare up i avoid, I chocolate bar is ok, 2 it doesn't really like. I've also switched from dairy Milk to mainly soy milk. Cut back on ice cream.

All this cutting back has enabled me to switch from Lansoprazole to Omeprazole and now not taking anything.

So moral to the story is it's trial and error to find out what's causing it, but it's pretty text book the food and drink which are irritants

 

I wonder if what you had may have mostly been GERD? Caffeine (which is present in coffee, tea and chocolate) is well known to weaken the lower esophageal sphincter (LES)_ causing reflux. Especially in older people for whom the LES ism already not as strong as it used to be.

[scubascuba3]

 

 

 

 

I wonder if what you had may have mostly been GERD? Caffeine (which is present in coffee, tea and chocolate) is well known to weaken the lower esophageal sphincter (LES)_ causing reflux. Especially in older people for whom the LES ism already not as strong as it used to be.

 

I'm 49, never had any reflux symptoms so I'm thinking more likely gastritis, stomach was inflamed for some reason. Maybe one day my stomach had enough of all the coffee and chilis i was having. I never had a gastroscopy so I don't know for sure but even the specialist said that doesn't show anything sometimes.

 

Strangely tea is fine (has lower amount of caffeine) and pineapple is ok (acidic so you'd think not good).

 

Doctor in UK said possible gastritis and prescribed Lansoprazole for 4-6 months

 

[rumak]

25 minutes ago, scubascuba3 said:

 

 

 

 

 

I'm 49, never had any reflux symptoms so I'm thinking more likely gastritis, stomach was inflamed for some reason. Maybe one day my stomach had enough of all the coffee and chilis i was having. I never had a gastroscopy so I don't know for sure but even the specialist said that doesn't show anything sometimes.

 

Strangely tea is fine (has lower amount of caffeine) and pineapple is ok (acidic so you'd think not good).

 

Doctor in UK said possible gastritis and prescribed Lansoprazole for 4-6 months

 

I don't usually see any posters on TV that seek alternatives to the standard recommended drs and pills.

Baking soda is used by some people to help with a number of health issues.  If interested people can research and decide for themselves.  Many many articles......here is one link http://www.dotpointing.com.au/how-to-cure-a-peptic-ulcer-quickly-and-easily/

Edited October 16, 2019 by rumak