My Liver Cancer Blog

I started having symptoms of gastritis after I returned from Baku, Azerbaijan. I was belching all the time, had a lot of bloating and distension, was experiencing “early satiety” (feeling full after not eating that much), but also feeling a gnawing pain in my stomach if I waited too long to eat. I was really tired. I only felt comfortable lying down. I looked up my symptoms, and speculated that maybe I had picked up h. pylori (Helicobacter pylori, a bacteria that is a major cause of gastritis and stomach ulcers) while in Baku. I had drunk some tap water at the house I was staying in, which was probably unwise.

I eventually got a same-day doctor’s appointment with a resident, who wanted to cover all possible bases, and he thought it could be a heart problem, but also maybe gastritis, but also maybe a thyroid problem. He had me do a lot of bloodwork and also wear one of those heart monitors for 48 hours. I made an appointment with my regular doctor, but it wasn’t for another 3 weeks. I had planned a trip to Belize with my sister and niece during that time, and I figured, I could lie in bed at home or I could lie in a beach chair in Belize, I think I’ll opt for Belize. In a pharmacy in Belize I was able to buy without a prescription three drugs needed to treat h. pylori. And I did buy them, but ultimately decided not to use them. I’m glad I didn’t take them. It turned out I didn’t have h. pylori.