H.Pylori

[Sunny]

I have H.Pylori.
Apparently I've had it for over a year, possibly contracted in Peru summer 2008, and my dotors didn't figure it out till this month.
For the last year I have been having pain in my stomach and bowels, along with intense nausea, and my renal doctor and general practitioner kept telling me it was because my renal function was getting worse (15%GFR). Finally I was so miserable my husband forced me to make an appointment with my nephrologist at Stanford for a 2nd opinion.That nephrologist saved my life. He told me I obviously had a GI problem, probably an ulcer, that I should go back to my doctors and require them to run tests on me. My stool sample showed I had the parasite H.Pylori. (http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/h-pylori/DS00958).It is transmitted by ingesting feces (yuck!).
The antibiotics to treat it felt like they were going to kill me and I only managed 7 days worth. Next week I have an endoscopy where they put a tube down my throat to check my stomach and upper intestines and do a biopsy to see if it's gone or if it caused an ulcer. I am finding that when you have kidney disease, you also have a lowered immune system. My lowered immune system makes it hard for my body to fight off what an average person could fight off successfully.The rest of my family was tested, I'm the only one who has it.

[willowtreewren]

Oh, Sunny. this is a good news-bad news situation if I ever heard one. The good news is that you finally know what has been causing you so much trouble. The bad news, well, you know what has been causing you so much trouble!

I hope that they can get this taken care of for you and your problem will go away completely!

 

[aharris2]

Sunny, I am glad that they finally did their jobs and looked beyond your kidney disease to find out what was really wrong with you.

...yet another way that kidney disease threatens your well-being.

(a big pat on the back for your husband)

[Sunny]

Thank you for your comments.
I hope I'll get better soon. Not quite there yet. I am very bothered by the fact my doctors never looked beyond kidney disease regarding my complaints. I'm the one who has to pay the price.

[Sunny]

I saw the GI doctor and was re-tested to see if the H.Pylori was gone. It's gone! Yaaay!
In 2 weeks I am having the endoscopy to see if there is any other problem the H.Pylori might have caused (like and ulcer that needs to heel).