I would love some input. I think I'm too wrapped up to see anything clearly.
1. My son is six. He just (finally) had a successful eradication of some incredibly nasty resistant to treatment parasites and bacterial infections. Gone!
But this has, in all the "horrible junk" I've gone through with my kids been the most emotionally, relationally, and spiritually exhausting part of it all. I feel like I've fought a war in so many areas.
2. He came back with a clean sample (finally) except he had heavy h.pylori bacterial infection. We believe it was probably there all along but held "in check" by all the other nasty stuff. He's vomiting, complaining of stomach pain, eating poorly--symptomatic. So something has to be done clearly. The what is the issue according to the doctor.
3. We know from testing us in the course of the parasite wreck with him that my husband and I have h. pylori as well. My other son was clean when we tested last year.
4. Other son has, in the last month, been complaining a lot of reflux and other gastro stuff consistent with h. pylori. This is all new for him and he's six. Thought: he may be infected, likely by his brother vomiting everywhere all the time.
The treatment for h. pylori would be 2 antibiotics at the same time (I think amoxicillan and clindomycin or something like that) and a PPI for two weeks. Standard treatment. No effective natural options I can find and I did a lot of research (though I did find things to add to make it more effective). Tough treatment on the body. 70-80% chance of eradicating the h. pylori but I think I can up that percent with some things I found research studies about last night.
Decision we have to make (this is where I'm just lost):
Doctor said we could give Andrew that (hope to get rid of it) treatment and let the rest of us carry on without treatment.
Or we could first try to treat Andrew symptomatically with things like mastic gum. This wouldn't kill it but might make it manageable so he's not feeling sick/asymptomatic. The idea is live peaceably with h. pylori--trying to keep it under control basically so we/he feels fine. This seems to be the doctor's preference. He kept saying that the treatment would be rough for no sure outcome and "we didn't even know about h. pylori until the 80's and 50% of adults have it".
I could ask for treatment for hubby and I and Andrew. The doctor would do it. We could retest my other son to see if he's carrying it now. That testing would take about 6 weeks from now.
My issue--do I treat one (or three) members of a family when all four might be infected? Would infected child reinfect the treated members? Do I wait to test the other child? We would try while waiting to help Andrew feel better. Failing that he will get the treatment no matter the time frame of other results.
I am feeling depressed honestly and overwhelmed and have no idea what to do. I can't think clearly about this. I so wanted to be done.
Vote please. Or something--any input--I'm sorry this has been long.
1. aggressively treat sick kid. let the rest of us be carriers.
2. try to cause sick kid to become asymptomatic. Let all of us hopefully be manageable or nor symptoms carriers.
3. treat three of us who are known. test other child. treat if he has it (or not/depending on whatever).
4. test other child ASAP (six weeks or more out from results if we do this as soon as we can). wait on results for him. treat anyone infected.
1. My son is six. He just (finally) had a successful eradication of some incredibly nasty resistant to treatment parasites and bacterial infections. Gone!
But this has, in all the "horrible junk" I've gone through with my kids been the most emotionally, relationally, and spiritually exhausting part of it all. I feel like I've fought a war in so many areas.2. He came back with a clean sample (finally) except he had heavy h.pylori bacterial infection. We believe it was probably there all along but held "in check" by all the other nasty stuff. He's vomiting, complaining of stomach pain, eating poorly--symptomatic. So something has to be done clearly. The what is the issue according to the doctor.
3. We know from testing us in the course of the parasite wreck with him that my husband and I have h. pylori as well. My other son was clean when we tested last year.
4. Other son has, in the last month, been complaining a lot of reflux and other gastro stuff consistent with h. pylori. This is all new for him and he's six. Thought: he may be infected, likely by his brother vomiting everywhere all the time.
The treatment for h. pylori would be 2 antibiotics at the same time (I think amoxicillan and clindomycin or something like that) and a PPI for two weeks. Standard treatment. No effective natural options I can find and I did a lot of research (though I did find things to add to make it more effective). Tough treatment on the body. 70-80% chance of eradicating the h. pylori but I think I can up that percent with some things I found research studies about last night.
Decision we have to make (this is where I'm just lost):
Doctor said we could give Andrew that (hope to get rid of it) treatment and let the rest of us carry on without treatment.
Or we could first try to treat Andrew symptomatically with things like mastic gum. This wouldn't kill it but might make it manageable so he's not feeling sick/asymptomatic. The idea is live peaceably with h. pylori--trying to keep it under control basically so we/he feels fine. This seems to be the doctor's preference. He kept saying that the treatment would be rough for no sure outcome and "we didn't even know about h. pylori until the 80's and 50% of adults have it".
I could ask for treatment for hubby and I and Andrew. The doctor would do it. We could retest my other son to see if he's carrying it now. That testing would take about 6 weeks from now.
My issue--do I treat one (or three) members of a family when all four might be infected? Would infected child reinfect the treated members? Do I wait to test the other child? We would try while waiting to help Andrew feel better. Failing that he will get the treatment no matter the time frame of other results.
I am feeling depressed honestly and overwhelmed and have no idea what to do. I can't think clearly about this. I so wanted to be done.
Vote please. Or something--any input--I'm sorry this has been long.
1. aggressively treat sick kid. let the rest of us be carriers.
2. try to cause sick kid to become asymptomatic. Let all of us hopefully be manageable or nor symptoms carriers.
3. treat three of us who are known. test other child. treat if he has it (or not/depending on whatever).
4. test other child ASAP (six weeks or more out from results if we do this as soon as we can). wait on results for him. treat anyone infected.
