H Pylori - Stomach Cancer

Hello,

I am 40 year old male and I was diagnosed as having H Pylori which was found through a blood test. It was kind of found by accident. I have been seeing an ENT for sleep apnea, and during one of my visits I told him that I have been experiencing a lot of indigestion and reflux issues. He went ahead and prescribed me Prilosec and told me to follow up with my PCP.

I followed up with PCP about a week later and he recommended doing a CBC as well testing for H. Pylori. All of my bloodwork was essentially normal except that the H Pylori was positive. I was contacted by my PCP and he wants to put me on antibiotics to get rid of the infection.

I have been experiencing the following symptoms on and off for about the past four years:

intestinal gas and bloating
muscle aches (feels like having the flu)
acid reflux
regurgitation at night (had several episodes that woke me up from sleep)
joint pain
headaches
dry taste in mouth, sometimes feels like a metallic taste
back pain
fatigue
constant burping - even on an empty stomach
stomach gurgling
feeling of always having to clear my throat
excessive amounts of saliva in mouth

Like I mentioned, most of the symptoms have been on and off but a few have become constant and more intense oner the last few months. I have constant joint and muscle pain. My back pretty much hurts all over, but there are a few areas that I notice the pain more than others. I have burning - gnawing pain between my shoulder blades. My mid-back area slightly to the left side feels like someone is pushing their fist into it. I have lower back pain as well that radiates into my buttocks, hips, and groin area. Sometimes it hurts to walk. I burp quite often with or without food, and my joints constantly hurt.

I have not been vomiting, no nausea, no blood in stools, and my appetite is generally good. I have lost a little bit of weight, but I recently modified my diet so I believe that is the cause.

I had an abdominal CT scan in 2009 that was normal except for a polyp in my gallbladder. Last week I had an abdominal ultrasound that showed a stable gall bladder polyp. The operator said there was some sludge in the gallbladder also.

My questions are can H.Pylori cause any any/all of the symptoms I mentioned? Does this sound like I may have ulcers as well as H Pylori? Does my situation warrant doing an endoscopy? I will be seeing a GI specialist on 12/07 to discuss these things. I read some info about H Pylori and all of it states that H Pylori causes stomach cancer and this has me freaked out. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.