so glad to hear it worked for you. It worked for me too and for my daughter. She was doubled up with pain on an almost daily basis. My problem was acid reflux. I would wake at night with a mouth full of stomach content and a burning throat. All better now thanks to the little purple pill

First of all, thank you all for your thoughtful comments. Not much to report, really. First an almost-funny but not really aspect of the visit... earlier in the afternoon DS said to me, "They're not going to stick that q-tip thing down my throat are they?" I said of course not, that's for strep. Again, he is the best kid, never a drama queen (older DS has that job), but he has this vomiting phobia which includes a huge fear of that strep test because of the gagging issue. He has had strep once, and has had the test maybe twice, but it was so traumatic! And PS the last time he had it done was at least 5 years ago and it was a huge ordeal. So, we went to the doctor -- who was not our usual doc, but one we haven't seen before -- and explained the situation. By then DS was beside himself, could not get comfortable in the exam room, kept going back and forth to the bathroom, etc., while we waited in the exam room for the doc to show up. Doc examined him, noted that he has gained something like 15-20 lbs. since Oct. (he has also grown about 4-5 inches since then), and sees that he has a low temp of 99-point-something. So he says, "It could possibly be strep -- sometimes the only symptom is stomach upset. We need to do a test." And DS loses his mind. It was almost comical but not really. It took a good 20 minutes to get him to cooperate. It was ridiculous, really. And again, this is my kid who gives us NO trouble, ever, so it's just weird to see him act like this (tears, refusing to open his mouth, acting like he's going to leave the room). Anyway... after all that, the quick test was negative. (I was actually hoping it was strep so we could show him that the test was worth doing! Not to mention an easy fix w/ antibiotics. So, basically the doc said there is a stomach bug going around (as well as strep), and that is likely what he has. He said to call if it gets worse, of course, but he thinks it will resolve itself. He didn't seem overly concerned about the on-and-off minor stomach issues that I mentioned, but I also didn't press the issue because frankly, after the Huge Drama over the strep test, I just wanted to get out of there. My plan now is to see what happens over the next few weeks, especially as school gets closer. He's going to high school in Sept., so I'm thinking a new school may mean some anxiety and we'll see if stomach issues come up again. If so, we will make an appt. to see his regular doc and talk about what to do. What I think, knowing DS and observing him all this time, is that he gets nervous about things sometimes. Older DS has major anxiety issues and is very vocal. Younger DS probably has some minor anxiety issues but he is not vocal about them at all, so he stuffs it inside and it affects his stomach. Then he has this vomiting phobia which compounds the original problem, because then he's afraid of vomiting, which makes him more nervous and thereby makes his stomach feel worse. I could totally see it yesterday. When he was home, he seemed OK -- not eating much, still going into the bathroom occasionally when he thought he might vomit, but basically OK. When we got to the doc's office, I think he became even more worried about vomiting in public, so he was antsy and going back and forth to the bathroom every 5 minutes. While I was watching him, I realized he was acting the same exact way in the airport in June when he was feeling sick. We were in the security line and he was convinced he was going to vomit and his whole demeanor was exactly the same as in the doc's office... and he never did throw up. And he was totally fine by the next day. DS is sooo much like DH in almost every way -- they look alike, they act alike, and I suspect DS has inherited the adolescent stress issues that DH had at the same age. DH confirmed last night that he was the same exact age when he started getting really bad migraines. They stopped after a year or two. Maybe it's growth/puberty related? He has been growing like crazy -- as I said, about 4-5" since last fall. Anyway, I will definitely keep an eye on him and by the way, he slept through the night last night without getting up, and is still sound asleep, so I suspect he might be feeling better today. I still can't be sure if this particular stomach issue is really just a little stomach bug, or if it's anxiety about camp, but either way, hopefully the 'bug' will pass within the next 1-2 days, or the anxiety will pass once he gets to camp and gets into the routine there. (Camp is only an hour from home, so worst case scenario, we can run up and get him at any time.) Then I'd like to visit his own doc at a time when DS is actually feeling okay, so he's not emotional or just feeling ill, so we can talk about the whole situation. He actually has a physical coming up in Sept/Oct so that may be the perfect opportunity, unless things get worse before then.

Fought C-dif with my mother for 2 years. Doctors couldn't figure it out, it kept coming back. She was a prisoner in her own home, or in the hospital. FINALLY, one doctor did the right test. He checked her antibodies. A normal person should have between 600 and 1500 antibodies. She had 6, yes, 6. Now she goes for antibody infusions once a month and has not gotten sick since they started. She will have to have these infusions for the rest of her life, but it is so much better than the effects of C-dif. The infectuous disease doctor apologized for missing it and says he now tests most of his patients for it. Just a heads up for those of you fighting C-dif.

Cipro as a precaution? That seems like overkill, but perhaps it was a low dose -- or there is nothing milder that is not in the penicillin family? I have two artificial hips and as a precaution am prescribed 1500 mg of amoxicillin before any dental appointment where my gums maybe punctured. You are prescribed this to prevent a systemic infection from traveling through your blood FROM your mouth. (Our mouths are hotbeds of *germs*.) ALWAYS take probiotics along with an antibiotic. The antibiotic kills *everything* along with the 'bad stuff'. The probiotic puts back the 'good stuff' that keeps your digestive system working properly. Nothing seems to help the awful taste in the mouth; prednisone is the worst for that in my experience. I was prescribed levoflxacin for pneumonia in February, but at a 'medium' strength (500 mg.). It was unpleasant, but less unpleasant than worsening pneumonia! I developed an allergy to aspirin after becoming asthmatic and put on steroids in my forties, and earlier to sulfa after taking it for recurring sinus infections. I turned bright red *all over* from the sulfa. Aspirin now makes my sinuses and throat swell. I wish I could take aspirin, since it actually *treats* inflammation. I believe Tylenol works on pain receptors, not the inflamed tissue itself, but that may be another of the 'things I think I know'. The aspirin allergy means I can't use any of the many OTC's like Ibuprofin, etc. (I don't know what makes these much more expensive pills superior to plain aspirin, which is the anti-inflammatory IN them.)