Hi Mspep!
I was told sort of on the side by a doctor that hospitals don't really like to test for H.pylori since it s unfortunately still under debate ......... they sometimes give in to the insistant patient but I wouldn't trust those tests...................... They really said they could test it through your saliva? I have spit in a thousand viles and containers and no one ever checked H.pylori much less anything else(Candida). What are the contents of the prev -pak? Would be helpful to know what the Antibiotics are and the dosage .................
Thanks

Sniffs—no they got the pylori off of the fecal sample I submitted, I believe. I’m not sure what the Antibiotics consist of, but I know there's at least two. From what I've read nobody treats it with just one antibiotic. Sounds like they need to come up with another Antibiotic or a combo of one.

Shroom—from what I understand h. pylori can actually “turn off” stomach acid pumps. Pretty tricky of them, those buggers.

So--after I wrote my post, I found out that the cost of the prev pac would be $198 (that's after insurance). So I am going to put it off for the time being. It's a tough call, but, as I said, I am "borderline," and I really don't feel like messing with the Antibiotics --regardless of the price at this time. I will take the alinia however. That was only 27 bucks or so. I did speak to a knowledgeable pharmacist about whether or not I should cave and go ahead and but the prev pac. He said that once intestinal secretory IgA has increased your body can fight a lot of bugs (and my h. pylori may go away). We had this conversatoin because in addition to finding out I may have H. Pylori and A. Hystolytica, I found out that I am gluten intolerant (this would have been nice to know 15 years ago when I first started getting sick w food allergies ). Anyway, my gut SIga is far too low, but should come up with avoidance of gluten. I am also doing shots for food allergies so that should help with the SIga too. I'll be doing another GI within 6 months, so if I still have the frickin' pylori, I will probably bend and do the prev pac. For the time being, I think I will keep doing what I have been doing and drinking water with insoluable fiber and taking probiotics. At the very least, I can scrub some of it out of me that way (apparently it hangs out in the first part of the small intestine too.)

Thanks for answering me. I really do appreciate it when people answer my posts. Makes me feel less alone with all the stuff that beleaguers my body.

MsPep

Diagnostechs in Kent, Washington. Just so you know, your doctor has to request a kit from them, which then they will mail to you. I have Blue Cross insurance and they wouldn't cover it, so I had to pay $235 for the test, but it covered a lot-- I had the GI-2 panel done, which is a more complete picture (rather than the GI-1 panel they offer) and it covered more things, like Ascaris and Tapeworm for instance and also gluten intolerance, which is devastating to one's mucosal lining and which apparently can keep one perpetually fighting parasites due to reduced gut immunity and lowered stomach acid (apparently low stomach acid can also be due to gluten intolerance--per that pharmacist I was talking too--he's pretty knowledgeable about this stuff because he goes to all these doctor's conferences). I can't remember exactly the entire list of bugs they look for but my BF will be getting a kit in the mail because I am now worried that he might have A. hystolytica too, and if you would like I can tell you what else they look for when I get that in the mail. Just let me know and as soon as it comes in the mail, I will post it.