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Hi again Kiyaan

Just wanted to thank you for your earlier advice. I think I shall nudge my doctor. The only mildly amusing thing to come out of it is my partner says I look like a wriggling snake when I get the tightness and cramping just below my ribs Someone always told me to finish on a happy note. It makes the tough times easier.

Thanks again

Moni

Made the appointment. Guess I should research more about it so I can better interact with my doctor.

Thanks for all your replies

Moni

Hi Moni,

You don't need to thank me, especially since I did not tell you any more than you already knew.

With regards to doing research before speaking to the doctor my experience, though probably atypical, is one that makes me want to tell you to stay away from researching until you see your doctor. I was 20 when I started having symptoms; my father and three of my cousins had been diagnosed with MS before then, so I was intimately familiar with the disease. My primary care Physician suggested that I had some sort of viral infection (just another way of saying I don't know what the hell is wrong with you) and she refused to send me to a neurologist. I ended up going to a clinic and finding a doctor more willing to refer me to a neurologist. The neurologist who is a MS specialist, and still my Doctor to this day, suggested that I had carpel tunnel and that anxiety and depression are responsible for my other symptoms. She came to those conclusions because she felt that I was afraid of MS after having seen it in my family; the fact that I had so much information about the disease did not help me at all. I was finally fed up, I went back to my home country for MRIs; I was almost 27 when I was official diagnosed. On the other hand, you may also 'prime' the doctor to diagnose MS.

Most importantly though, I wish you good luck.

Kiyan

Hi Kiyaan

Mostly I want to know how I went from being a healthy, happy woman two years ago to being what I am now. Up until 2 years ago I had never thought of my bowel movements. Now it takes up some part of my day. I had a sphincterotomy last week to treat an anal fissure. And my myriad other problems take up time too. I do not wish to prime the doctor for any response. I just want an accurate diagnosis and effective treatment. My daughter and partner deserve so much more of me then what I can offer in my current state. I want to get back to being an active part of the family

Moni

Monique,

I, too, have some of the symptoms you mentioned. The abdominal pain is the one that I noticed most in your description. I was diagnosed with H. pylori gastritis around May of this year. I, too, had some bizarre symptoms then and they have recently recurred with other symptoms similar to yours. I lost most of my vision which returned (thank God), experienced muscle spasms throughout my body and then muscle fatigue to where my legs would barely hold me up. I thought of MS too because of loss of vision, BLADDER SPASMS that had me feeling like I could live in the bathroom and was urinating much more fluid than I thought I was taking in. Also, I had what sounded to me the the "MS hug" with pain under my ribs and along my left side from under breast to spine. Anyway, I went to the doctor. Not all results are back from blood work, but all blood work that is back is within normal range. I went to an opthalmologist (mostly wanting to be tested for optic neuritis--something that I had heard would make an MS diagnosis more likely). Thankfully, no serious problems with my eyes. The doctor said my eye problems must have been stemming from my systemic muscle spasms that also involved my eyes. ANYWAY, the main thing I want to tell you is this--after a 14-day course of 2 antibiotics four times a day plus a proton pump inhibitor (omeprazole) and 4 times daily pepto bismol, I had tested negative for H. pylori. When all these symptoms returned, I was tested again and once again found to be positive for H. pylori. I'm back on the treatment (making sure to take plenty of probiotics so as not to develop yeast overgrowth from the antibiotics). While my doctor says the other symptoms are very unlikely to be related to H. pylori, I beg to differ, because I had these symptoms when I had it before. My ADVICE--get tested for H. PYLORI. A blood test will show if you have antibodies to it, showing that you at one time had H. pylori in your system. So I would not recommend a blood test but would recommend a stool test for this as it will show if you have an active infection at this time. I also am short on money and with no insurance, so I understand you. Best of luck. Hope this has helped in some way.

One more thing...the tightness you describe in your abdomen. I have that also. Along both sides from ribs to hip bones, I get rock hard muscles with an awful feeling of tightness...all part of my H. pylori symptoms. Take care.

Hi greenspark

Thanks for your reply. I guess this whole process is a series of elimination. It couldnt hurt to get a stool check. Though my blood results were queer. I live in the sunshine state in australia and yet my vitamin D was 25 where it should have been 50+ Oh well. I see my doctor today so maybe she can shed some light on the situation. Though I think she lost her torch a long time ago

Thanks again

Moni

greenspark wrote:...My ADVICE--get tested for H. PYLORI. A blood test will show if you have antibodies to it, showing that you at one time had H. pylori in your system. So I would not recommend a blood test but would recommend a stool test for this as it will show if you have an active infection at this time....

In the last year, I believe I have heard there is also a breath test for H. pylori available now.