How To Tell If You Have An Ulcer

Will Surgery Cure A Peptic Ulcer

Medical therapy works in most people with peptic ulcers. Sometimes, medical therapy does not work, or a person canât take the therapy for some reason. Surgery is an alternative to medical therapy for these people.

Surgical operations often used in peptic ulcers include the following:

• Vagotomy: Cutting the vagus nerve, which transmits messages from the brain to the stomach, can reduce acid secretion. However, this can also interfere with other functions of the stomach. A newer operation cuts only the part of the nerve that affects acid secretion.
• Antrectomy: This is often done in conjunction with a vagotomy. It involves removing the lower part of the stomach . This part of the stomach produces a hormone that increases production of stomach acid. Adjacent parts of the stomach may also be removed.
• Pyloroplasty: This procedure also is sometimes done with vagotomy. It enlarges the opening between the stomach and duodenum to encourage passage of partially digested food. Once the food has passed, acid production normally stops.
• Tying off an artery: If bleeding is a problem, cutting off the blood supply to the ulcer can stop the bleeding.

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What Treatments Are There For Ulcers

Your treatment will depend on the cause of your ulcer. For example, if our tests indicate that an infection caused by helicobacter pylori is what created your ulcer, well give you antibiotics to eliminate the bacteria.

Regardless of the cause, medications that help reduce the level of acid in your stomach can help the ulcer heal. And different lifestyle changes can accelerate healing as well, such as eliminating certain foods, abstaining from alcohol, and practicing stress management.

In severe cases, surgery may be required. Your provider at Prima Medicine will work with you to create a treatment plan for your situation.

If you have a stomach ulcer or want to see if you do, we can help. To learn more, book an appointment online or over the phone with Prima Medicine today.

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How Do You Get Stomach Ulcers And How Can You Treat Them

If youve ever experienced a stomach ulcer then you know that they are no fun to deal with. A stomach ulcer is a sore that is in the lining of your stomach. Yes, it can be pretty painful as well. The mucus that typically protects your digestive tract is usually reduced, thus leaving your stomach more exposed to the acid that you is created in it. When theres nothing to protect your stomach from the acid, the acid is going to start tearing away at the lining of your stomach. This is how a stomach ulcer can occur. The good news is that ulcers are relatively easy to cure.

Stomach Ulcers: Symptoms and Treatments Symptoms of Stomach Ulcer

• Burning sensation from chest to belly button
• Not wanting to eat due to stomach pain

Stomach Ulcer Treatment Stomach Ulcers and Your Diet Fix the Ulcers Before They Progress

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Related Questions Answered On Yanswers

Is an ulcer a hole in your stomach lining?

Q: I dont know much about ulcers but Im pretty sure my friend is lying. He is a compulsive liar sometimes and he told me that he got an ulcer removed. He said his ulcer was the size of a golf ball. I thought ulcers were holes in your stomach??

A: -You cannot get an ulcer removed lol. Your friend is lyinggggg.-Youre absolutely right with your definition. This is the def of ulcer: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/ulcer

If There Isnt Any Food in Your Stomach, Will the Stomach Acid Make Ulcers?

Q: My mom says that if you dont eat, then the stomach acid will eat away your stomach and make ulcers, because there isnt any food to digest. Is this true?

A: No it is not true.

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Youve Had Unexplained Vomiting

From time to time, the nausea brought on by ulcers may become so intense that it could actually cause you to vomit. Frequent vomiting is never a fun experience, but whatever you do, stay away from medications like ibuprofen and aspirin when treating the condition and other ulcer symptoms. According to Dr. Sengupta, these over-the-counter pain medications actually put you at a higher risk of developing ulcers, and can make your current ulcers worse.

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When Should I Call My Healthcare Provider

See your healthcare provider right away if you have any of these symptoms:

• Vomiting blood or dark material that looks like coffee grounds
• Extreme weakness or dizziness
• Nausea or vomiting that doesnt get better, or gets worse
• A sudden, severe pain that may spread to your back
• Losing weight without even trying

Untreated peptic ulcers may cause other health problems. Sometimes they bleed. If they become too deep, they can break through your stomach.

Ulcers can also keep food from going through your stomach.

How Can I Prevent Ulcers

You may be able to prevent ulcers from forming if you:

• Talk to your doctor about alternatives to NSAID medications to relieve pain.
• Discuss protective measures with your doctor, if you cant stop taking an NSAID.
• Opt for the lowest effective dose of NSAID and take it with a meal.

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Peptic Ulcer Disease Can Be Caused By These Factors Sometimes In Combination

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What Are The Complications Of Peptic Ulcers

Ulcers can cause serious problems if you dont get treatment.

The most common problems include:

• Bleeding. As an ulcer wears away the muscles of the stomach or duodenal wall, blood vessels may be hurt. This causes bleeding.
• Hole . Sometimes an ulcer makes a hole in the wall of your stomach or duodenum. When this happens, bacteria and partly digested food can get in. This causes infection and redness or swelling .
• Narrowing and blockage . Ulcers that are found where the duodenum joins the stomach can cause swelling and scarring. This can narrow or even block the opening to the duodenum. Food cant leave your stomach and go into your small intestine. This causes vomiting. You cant eat properly.

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Prevention: Mattresses And Cushions

Protection is the best way to prevent ulcers. Patients who are at risk of developing pressure ulcers should have the skin carefully inspected for any damage or redness twice daily. The skin should be kept clean and dry. Any pressure causing damage to skin or tissue should be immediately eliminated. This can be done with the help of special mattresses, cushions and by many protective devices that can relieve the external pressure on vulnerable areas of body limbs. These specially designed protective devices can be very helpful in patients who thought to be at risk of developing pressure ulcers, or who have pre-existing Grade 1 or 2 pressure ulcers. Classified by their static or dynamic nature, many advanced low tech and high tech support surfaces and overlays are available for patients bound to lie on bed for long periods of time. Static surfaces do not require electrical power, while dynamic surfaces require electrical power for shifting and redistributing the pressure within the surface. Other integrated electronic beds like air fluidised beds and electronic moving air mattresses require high technology and heavy machinery to let air and ceramic sphere particles support the object on a stream mechanically are often costly, noisy and not easily available. Due to lack of substantial evidences and researches, it is difficult to firmly conclude about relative effects of support surfaces.

What Are The Symptoms Of Peptic Ulcers

Each persons symptoms may vary. In some cases ulcers dont cause any symptoms.

The most common ulcer symptom is a dull or burning pain in your belly between your breastbone and your belly button . This pain often occurs around meal times and may wake you up at night. It can last from a few minutes to a few hours.

Less common ulcer symptoms may include:

• Feeling full after eating a small amount of food
• Bloody or black stool

Peptic ulcer symptoms may look like other health problems. Always see your healthcare provider to be sure.

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Treating Stage 3 Bedsores

Wound care is essential to start the healing process for a pressure injury. Those with stage 3 bedsores should go to a doctor right away for treatments.

Treatment of stage 3 bedsores may include:

• Antibiotics to fight infection
• A special bed or mattress to help with recovery
• Debridement the surgical removal of dead tissue
• Taking pressure off of the bedsore

Treating these injuries can be difficult because deep sores often require surgery and heal slowly. That said, its important to seek treatments because the alternatives a risk of stage 4 bedsores or life-threatening infections are much worse.

Do you or your loved one have a stage 3 bedsore? Learn if you qualify for compensation to cover medical bills. Call .

What Tests Are There For A Stomach Ulcer

If your doctor thinks you may have a stomach ulcer, the initial tests will include some blood tests. These tests will help to check whether you have become anaemic because of any bleeding from the ulcer. The blood test will also check to see that your liver and pancreas are working properly.

The main tests that are then used to diagnose a stomach ulcer are as follows:

• A test to detect the H. pylori germ is usually done if you have a stomach ulcer. The H. pylori bacterium can be detected in a sample of stool , or in a breath test, or from a blood test, or from a biopsy sample taken during a gastroscopy. See the separate leaflet called Helicobacter Pylori for more details.
• Gastroscopy is the test that can confirm a stomach ulcer. Gastroscopy is usually done as an outpatient day case. You may be given a sedative to help you to relax. In this test, a doctor looks inside your stomach by passing a thin, flexible telescope down your gullet . The doctor will then be able to see any inflammation or ulcers in your stomach.
• Small samples are usually taken of the tissue in and around the ulcer during gastroscopy. These are sent to the laboratory to be looked at under the microscope. This is important because some ulcers are caused by stomach cancer. However, most stomach ulcers are not caused by cancer.

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How Is A Peptic Ulcer Diagnosed

Your doctor will ask about your symptoms, whether you take NSAIDs and other drugs, and medical history. Theyâll also check you for bloating in the belly and pain. That may be enough to make a diagnosis.

The only way your doctor can tell for sure if you have an ulcer is to look. They may use a series of X-rays or a test called an endoscopy. This test allows them to pass a thin, bendy tube down your throat and into your stomach and small intestine. The tube has a camera at the end so they can check the lining for ulcers. They may also take a small piece of the lining to test for H. pylori. Blood, breath, and stool sample tests also can screen for the bacteria.

How Pressure Ulcers Develop

Pressure ulcers can develop when a large amount of pressure is applied to an area of skin over a short period of time. They can also occur when less pressure is applied over a longer period of time.

The extra pressure disrupts the flow of blood through the skin. Without a blood supply, the affected skin becomes starved of oxygen and nutrients, and begins to break down, leading to an ulcer forming.

Pressure ulcers tend to affect people with health conditions that make it difficult to move, especially those confined to lying in a bed or sitting for prolonged periods of time.

Conditions that affect the flow of blood through the body, such as type 2 diabetes, can also make a person more vulnerable to pressure ulcers.

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What Are The Possible Complications Of Peptic Ulcer Disease

An ulcer left untreated may cause serious complications, including:

• Internal bleeding: While most people with ulcers wont have bleeding, this is the most common complication that can occur. A slow bleeding ulcer can cause anemia or even severe blood loss.
• Perforation: An ulcer that is continuously eroded by acid can eventually become a hole in the stomach or intestinal wall. This is intensely painful and also dangerous. It allows bacteria from the digestive tract to enter the abdominal cavity, which can lead to an infection of the abdominal cavity called peritonitis. From there, the infection is at risk of spreading to the rest of the body . This can lead to a life-threatening condition called .
• Obstruction: An ulcer in the pyloric channel, the narrow passageway that leads from the stomach into the duodenum, can become an obstruction that blocks the flow of food into the small intestine. This can happen after the ulcer has healed. Ulcers that have gone through a healing process may build up scar tissue that enlarges them. An ulcer that is big enough to obstruct the small intestine can stall the digestive process, with numerous side effects.
• Stomach cancer: Some gastric ulcers can become malignant over time. This is more likely when your ulcer is caused by H. pylori infection. H. pylori is a contributing cause of gastric cancer, though fortunately, this is uncommon.

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Pain from a stomach ulcer can travel, radiating to the back or chest. If the ulcer has penetrated through the bowel wall, the pain can become more intense, longer in duration, and harder to alleviate, says Ravella. Ulcers can also cause perforation , in which case you may experience sudden and severe stomach pain that continually gets worseand should head to the ER, stat.

If youre not experiencing symptoms that require urgent medical attention, set up a time to chat with your doctor about the best course of action is. If theres a high suspicion for an ulcer, you may be advised to undergo an upper endoscopy to formally diagnose and treat it accordingly, says Balzora. Ulcers are primarily treated with acid-lowering medicationsand, if H. pylori is detected, a round of antibiotics.

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Vomiting Undigested Food With Traces Of Fresh Blood

A feeling of sickness with an urge or inclination to vomit may accompany the onset of bleeding stomach ulcers. This may happen in a repeated series of events from one time to another. If a person is affected to the point of displaying vomiting episodes, the vomitus is characterized as undigested food with traces of fresh blood.

The fresh blood content of the vomitus is usually bright red in color. This is a serious symptom that may indicate a person is experiencing a bleeding ulcer. A vomitus with bright red traces of fresh blood specifies that the ulcer is currently bleeding at the moment or has just started bleeding.

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How Is An Ulcer Diagnosed

Your doctor will ask you about your symptoms. They may do an endoscopy. This procedure involves inserting a thin, flexible tube attached to a camera down your throat and into your stomach. Your doctor will test your blood, breath or stool for H. pylori. They also can test a sample of your stomach lining. Your doctor also will ask you if you regularly take aspirin or anti-inflammatory medicines.

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How Can You Tell If You Have A Pressure Sore

Sometimes, a pressure ulcer can be difficult to identify, especially in the early stages. Here is some information about the symptoms and signs that may indicate that you have a stage 1 pressure ulcer.

• Discolored, reddened, or darkened skin is one of the first signs of a pressure ulcer. For individuals with darker skin, purple, bluish, and shiny areas are one of the first signs. The area may feel warm or hard.
• If you remove pressure from the afflicted area for 30 minutes and the skin does not go back to normal, a pressure ulcer has begun to form.
• Press on the afflicted area with your finger to do the blanching test. Once the area goes white, you should remove the pressure. If the area remains white, this means blood flow has been impaired. The blanching test may not be as effective when it comes to dark skin.

Slide : Sample Weekly Wound Rounds Report

Instruct trainees to look at the Weekly Wound Rounds Report handout. Review the report contents and point out special features.

On-Time Weekly Wound Rounds ReportUnit: A

Key: SA = surface area MVI = multivitamin Prot = protein.POA* indicates that the pressure ulcer was present on admission but has gotten worse in ulcer stage since admission.

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