Gastritis and H Pylori

Dear Ask The Doctor: Ever since i was about 13 years old ive had stomach pains that require zantac to stop the pain. When my mom " who works at willmar state hospital" brought me in they didnt know what it was or what was causeing it. i had to drink some chalk stuff and they took some kind of xray but dude said since i took cemitide that the iritation would be hard to find. over the years it would only act up when weather changed , fall to winter-around october and again in winter too spring-may. usually took about 3/4 of a 3 month prescription and would quit hurting . when it acted up again i would have to take the rest of what was left then go back home and get doctor kyser to give me another prescription. i tried my health care provider from my work insurance - health partners , this guy could hardly speak english- told me i needed to change my diet, and quit smokeing.Then asked if he stick his finger in me! I have no problems takeing a dump and do it regularly, prally even set a clock to it. I never went back. I resorted to takeing zantac for this condition and can go some times as much as a month with out it but seems to come back eventually. some times i have to sit up to sleep or suffer bad stomack pains and puke when i wake. Can any thing be done to remidey this situation completely or am i stuck takeing zantac for another 20 years still?

Dear Scott: You may have gastritis (inflammation of the stomach), or gastro-oesophageal reflux disease. I suggest attending your family doctor for a detailed history and clinical examination. He may refer you to a gastroenterologist for an endoscopy, which allows visualisation of the lining of the stomach and intestines through a camera lens. You may also need to be tested for Helicobacter pylori, a bacterium which is linked with gastritis, duodenal and gastric ulceration, but this can be carried out at the same time as endoscopy.