More medical crap

My health as been sufficiently lousy lately (I have had the same damn headache since mid-June, and that’s just the start of it) that my health team is running oodles of tests on me, including an MRI. One of the tests finally came up with something: H. Pylori, a nasty little critter that actually thrives in the stomach. Since it can handle stomach acid, you might imagine that it’s hard to kill off, and you’d be right. I’m taking a course of antibiotics (three different kinds!) which is actually making me feel really lousy. ‘course, that might just be the cold I’ve picked up – it’s that coughing crap that’s going around here. I feel like a dog with kennel cough. And of course, doesn’t it just figure that I’d catch a cold while on these antibiotics – colds, of course, aren’t vulnerable to antibiotics.
What’s awesome is that I’m also taking Pepto-Bismol – it has high doses of bismuth in it, which H. Pylori apparently hates. I also just read that the little bastards hate green tea, too. Fortunately, I love the stuff. I’m adding that to the regimen. The antibiotics I’m taking are 85% effective alone and 95% when taken with Pepto-Bismol, but I’m happy to up the odds. I am not at all fond of this crap. Plus, maybe if we get rid of the little bastards, my body will be happier and the headache will go away. See, all stresses on my body aggravate my fibro, and I’d imagine that ulcer-causing bacteria count as stress. Since fibro can cause headaches, it kind of makes sense that the infestation might be the cause of the headache.
At any rate, that’s what’s up with me.
Well, that and Guitar Hero. Our party has re-invigorated me to work on my various GH goals. Between the two, I think it’s likely that I will be somewhat incommunicado for a while.