Gastritis?

I was diagnosed with gastritis back in September, and put on Nexium 40mg once a day.  The nexium and suggested diet have helped with controlling the symptoms (abdomin (abdomen) pain, diahrria, fatigue, nausea) but not completely.  Just recently in the past week I had a flare up in which the pain was very severe and my stools became black.  My local doctor prescribed Nexium twice a day, which still isn't helping relieve the symptoms.

A girl I had graduated with had all the same symptoms with no help, prescribed Nexium and such.  In the end the doctors did a test of her lymph nodes and found cancer.

Should I look into having my lymph nodes checked as well?

[boron]

Black stool may very probably be a bleeding from the stomach. It may come from severe gastritis, peptic ulcer or cancer. I think, your first investigation should be breath test for finding Helycobacter pylori bacteria (common cause of gastritis) and then gastroscopy.

[fdh]

How were you diagnosed with Gastritis? Endoscopy? Do you have any lymph nodes swollen? Where were your friends nodes swelled?