Any GI docs out there?

[Bikini Mod]

Thank you.

No, she is A+.

And no, she has been consistently lifting heavy since she began cycling last year. Like I said, nothing has changed, not training, not diet, nothing.

And yes, she does have an appointment, but has to wait until the 20th of the month... specialist and all you know . Geeze the last time when she waited till she was dying in pain and a starved down to 98 pounds the doctor actually had the nerve to tell her that perhaps she should get some mental help because she told him that she couldn't take the pain any longer. She had been suffering literally for months. Well, she lost THAT doctor REALLY QUICKLY.

This GI guy that she is going to see was the one that fixed her up the last time. He never asked her to take her clothing off, was very up-to-date with info on H-pylori and diet, training, etc also pointed out two old ulcers on X-rays (something the other schmucks never saw). But we shall see how good he is when she returns.

She went through 6/7 docs (4 of them GI guys) in two years.

It is amazing how the medical profession will treat a woman like a mental case just because THEY do not know what the problem is.

 

[wilson6]

"It is amazing how the medical profession will treat a woman like a mental case just because THEY do not know what the problem is."

It's not just women. I had chronic fatigue syndrome for 4 years. Even sitting in the docs office with a 100+ F fever, they still told me my problems were in my head.

Real doctors can say, "I don't know and I was wrong". The rest just do what they say they do, "practice".

W6

 

[srblan]

H. pylori is a bacterial infection that lives in the mucous membrane inside of the stomach. That membrane normally prevents h. pylori from reaching the stomach lining and burrowing into it. Excess acid in the stomach can burn away the mucous, and give the bacteria free reign on the stomach. It is the leading cause of gastric ulcers... Antibiotics or acid-blockers (like prilosec) are often used to lessen the symptoms, but someone infected with H. pylori can never get rid of it. Roughly 2/3 of the world's population is infected with h. pylori, but not everyone has ulcers caused by it.

Since hard training raises the acidity within the body, your friend is probably more prone to the ulcers, and should probably avoid spicy foods, and things that are normally associated with acid indigestion. Your friend might also ask the doctor if prilosec or something like it would be more effective at preventing a recurrence. The doctor might also want to do such tests as a barium x-ray (which is almost completely worthless, but very costly ), or, more effective, an ultrasound. In the extreme cases (which this seems to be), an endoscopy is often done.

srblan
p.s. She might also consider getting a second (or eighth) opinion

 

[Bikini Mod]

Thank you VERY MUCH... your information is really quite helpful.

She DID have the RETARD barium X-ray (along with a host of other tests by one of THE IDIOT DOCS that she promptly fired after they suggested that she get mental help when she complained that she could no longer tolerate the pain and had thoughts of suicide.... She had been in ungodly pain for MONTHS and had starved down to between 98 - 103#). She has been scoped THREE TIMES - each time the end result being the same - H-pylori.

I was unaware that H-pylori is NOT to be eradicated and that it was a chronic condition. Both my friend and I had been told that with antibiotics it was CURABLE.

She has had a history of reflux. As a child, she thought Rolaids was candy - seriously.

For now Pepto-bismol is helping some with the symptoms. The nausea and pain followed by diarrhea are getting bad, but still not as bad as they were the last time she let this go far too long. She is not able to make much progress w/training, but at least she is holding steady at her weight.

Does anyone with A/S knowledge know if A/S will help her maintain mass WITHOUT interfering w/any drug she has to take (ie prilosec, prevacid, etc)? Also, if she has to have an endoscopy (which was standard the last couple of times she went down this road) if she is on cycle will there be any drug interaction with anesthesia etc?

The thing that she fears most is cancer. She knows that chronic reflux often lead to Barrett's syndrome which is a precursor to cancer of the esophagus.

The doc's appointment is next monday. Will let you know how she does.

I truly do appreciate all the time that everyone has taken to give information.

 

[srblan]

I can't say for sure, but I would imagine that she is going to be putting a LOT of strain on her liver, between AS and the other drugs, she will definitely have to get blood tests to assure that her liver function stays high.

 

[Bikini Mod]

She managed to get her appointment moved up to this Wed afternoon... thank God - her symptoms have really gotten bad. A HYUGE bottle of pepto was lasting less than two days now... with very little relief.

Thank you for the "liver" insight. I think that perhaps she may need to level with her doc about the A/S. She isn't on now and didn't intend to start for about another two weeks... I guess once all of the test results, etc are in she will decide whether
April is a realistic goal for a competition. It is the beginning of the season after all... there is the rest of the year. It just kind of sucks to have to put such things on the back burner when you've been through so much crap and when you're finally getting it all together, y'know....

Ah well, that which does not destroy us....