<p>get to an urgent care center or student health- get a urine test and physical examination for sure. Make sure you are having a daily soft BM.Would not mess around with waiting or trying to avoid student health</p>
<p>What are you eating? What has your doctor suggested?</p>
<p>I would stick to plain jane foods (rice, bread, applesauce, bananas, etc) until i knew for sure what was going on.</p>
<p>Applesauce, bagels, toast, some plain cereal, things like that.</p>
<p>romani…please do not blame your pain on your diet. Get to an urgent care center especially if the pain even gets a tiny bit worse. </p>
<p>As I mentioned…my daughter’s standard diet was what the doctors recommended she eat to deal with her pain. It was NOT her diet that was the issue.</p>
<p>I’m going to echo the others here and say that you need to go in. While a diet can cause pain, it is only in the cases where you are intolerent to what you have eaten (for example a person who cannot eat gluten somehow ingests it will cause them pain in the form of cramping and other such issues). I do not think this is the case here.</p>
<p>If you go in with pain, they will have to take you more seriously. I went to the ER once with pain whilst i was sick (was not fun) and they ran a bunch of tests on me and did not let me leave until they were sure it was not “serious” >.></p>
<p>Although it might not be optimal, maybe you could go to the ER this weekend. They could take your history and do all of the tests while you are there. This way you won’t need to wait until Monday and you can get everything looked at at one time. Most likely, they will want blood and urine, X-rays, maybe gi series, etc. They will read all of the results while you are there. Then you could follow-up with your doc on Monday.</p>
<p>Update: </p>
<p>I got my bloodwork back and talked to my doctor. It was definitely an ulcer. He said that it’s up to me whether or not I want to get an ultrasound right away or wait a few weeks until school is done. The medication that they put me on is exactly what they would have given me for an ulcer anyway and as my symptoms are almost completely cleared up, the ultrasound is not dire. I do have to go to the urgent care/ER if I start to get symptoms again. And I will because that pain sucked. I have to go back in about a week to do more bloodwork to make sure it’s clearing up. THAT I can do out here. My H. pylori levels are low enough that it looked like a really mild ulcer.</p>
<p>I am going to meet with a nutritionist though about my diet. He’s pretty sure I have acid reflux disease as well (I have had heartburn for as long as I can remember). He thinks that was what caused most of my pain and symptoms. It makes sense.</p>
<p>On an even better note, I am no longer anemic! My iron levels are completely within normal range :D</p>
<p>Sounds like a good plan… Its great that your symptoms are clearing up…</p>
<p>Romani, do they have you on some kind of antibiotic? Years ago, I remember hearing that they discovered ulcers are caused by a bacteria, and can actually be cured by a regimen of certain antibiotics.</p>
<p>Yes. I’m on antibiotics, generic prilosec, and one other thing that I can’t remember off the top of my head.</p>
<p>The H. pylori bacteria was what confirmed the ulcer. I have to go back in a few weeks to make sure that those little buggers are under control.</p>
<p>Yaaay! Two thumbs up.</p>
<p>Yeah – and double yeah to the Australian doctor with crazy theory that ulcers were usually the result of H.pylori infection. Barry Marshall won the Nobel prize for that discovery, and the thanks of many, I’m sure.</p>
<p>Yay!</p>
<p>The meds that your on now should also help with the acid reflux. I was placed on one (oddly enough) when they thought i had an ulcer (still had indigestion).</p>
<p>Its a good thing it wasn’t something life threatening or hard to take care of :)</p>
<p>
It’s quite a story as to what he had to do to get recognition for his research. He was dismissed as a crank by the medical community, who believed that that it was impossible for bacteria to survive in the acidic environment of the stomach. Unable to get anyone to take him seriously or fund research, he ended up proving his theory by infecting himself with h.pylori. Good article & interview here: [The</a> Dr. Who Drank Infectious Broth, Gave Himself an Ulcer, and Solved a Medical Mystery | Genes & Health | DISCOVER Magazine](<a href=“http://discovermagazine.com/2010/mar/07-dr-drank-broth-gave-ulcer-solved-medical-mystery/]The”>http://discovermagazine.com/2010/mar/07-dr-drank-broth-gave-ulcer-solved-medical-mystery/)</p>
<p>romani, I’m glad you finally have a diagnosis, and one that they’re already treating you for to boot. Sounds like you’re getting good care, and the meeting with the dietician is going to solve some problems for you long term.</p>
<p>Now you can get back to prepping for finals – fun!! :D</p>
<p>Glad you are feeling better</p>
<p>excellent news! The bacterial ulcer is easy to treat and can be cured, which is great news.</p>
<p>take care of yourself.</p>
<p>Be sure to follow the medication schedule carefully. Once the antibiotics are completed, you should remain on your proton pump inhibitor (omeprazole or one of the others)another month</p>
<p>One more thing, diet/lifestyle wise if you have an ulcer and/or reflux follow the following recommendations:
Have small, frequent meals
Do not eat within about 2 hours of going to bed
Try to avoid high fat foods
Avoid alchohol
Avoid cigarettes and/or second hand smoke
If spicy foods don’t bother you then they are really ok to eat. Listen to your body, eat what doesn’t cause symptoms</p>