How Can You Tell If You Have An Ulcer

What Are The Complications Of Peptic Ulcers

Understanding Ulcers: How Do You Know If You Have One? Dr.Berg

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.

What Are The Symptoms

Symptoms of a peptic ulcer can include a burning, aching, or gnawing pain between the belly button and the breastbone, and belly pain that is temporarily relieved by taking an antacid. Symptoms can also include back pain, loss of appetite, bloating, nausea, and vomiting. Some people have no symptoms.

Upper Gastrointestinal Endoscopy And Biopsy

In an upper GI endoscopy, a gastroenterologist, surgeon, or other trained health care professional uses an endoscope to see inside your upper GI tract. This procedure takes place at a hospital or an outpatient center.

An intravenous needle will be placed in your arm to provide a sedative. Sedatives help you stay relaxed and comfortable during the procedure. In some cases, the procedure can be performed without sedation. You will be given a liquid anesthetic to gargle or spray anesthetic on the back of your throat. The doctor will carefully feed the endoscope down your esophagus and into your stomach and duodenum. A small camera mounted on the endoscope sends a video image to a monitor, allowing close examination of the lining of your upper GI tract. The endoscope pumps air into your stomach and duodenum, making them easier to see.

The doctor may perform a biopsy with the endoscope by taking a small piece of tissue from the lining of your esophagus. You wont feel the biopsy. A pathologist examines the tissue in a lab.

Also Check: Treating Leg Ulcers With Sugar

Your Appetite Went Mia

For many patients with ulcers, the condition can actually result in a loss of appetite. This drop in food intake, combined with occasional vomiting, may lead to unexpected weight loss. Some ulcer patients report eating their normal amount of food, yet still lose weight, so the ulcer itself may cause a drop on the scale, too.

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.

If Your Ulcer Was Caused By Helicobacter Pylori

Most stomach ulcers are caused by infection with H. pylori. Therefore, a main part of the treatment is to clear this infection. If this infection is not cleared, the ulcer is likely to return once you stop taking acid-suppressing medication. For more information, see the separate leaflet called Helicobacter Pylori.

You May Like: How To Check A Horse For Ulcers

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
Bloating
Easily feeling full

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

How Can I Be Sure Its An Ulcer

Can You Have a Healthier Stomach? (Ulcers)

The only way to be sure an ulcer is causing your discomfort is with a medical diagnosis. We will evaluate your medical history and conduct a thorough physical examination.

To determine the root cause of your ulcer, we may run blood, stool, or breath tests. These tests are designed to look for signs of helicobacter pylori, the bacteria linked to ulcers.

Depending on your unique symptoms, we may also order an endoscopy. During an endoscopy, we insert a tube with a tiny camera down your throat and into your stomach to take pictures of any potential damage and collect tissue samples for analysis.

Who Is More Likely To Get Ulcers

One in 10 people develops an ulcer. Risk factors that make ulcers more likely include:

Frequent use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs , a group of common pain relievers that includes ibuprofen .
A family history of ulcers.
Illness such as liver, kidney or lung disease.
Regularly drinking alcohol.

How Do You Know If You Have A Stomach Ulcer

If you have a stomach ulcer, you may have:

Burning/dull pain or gnawing pain in the center of your tummy
Pain that worsens between meals
Vomiting in the middle of the night

Visit the doctor/gastroenterologist if you

Vomit blood that is bright red or dark brown
Are passing dark, sticky, tar-like poo
Have sudden, sharp pain in your tummy that gets worse steadily
These could be the signs of internal bleeding, and this can be fatal.

Hiatal Hernia Vs Ulcer: What You Need To Know

Hiatal hernias and ulcers both involve the stomach, both involve stomach acid, and cause symptoms that can overlap. They can also occur at the same time. Its important to get the diagnosis right because each problem is fully treatable with this right combination of medicines and procedures.

What is important to note here is that both hiatal hernias and ulcers are medical problems that need to be dealt with effectively, once they are suspected of being there or diagnosed conclusively.

What Does A Stomach Ulcer Feels Like

Stomach ulcer pain usually begins in the upper middle part of the abdomen, above the belly button and below the breastbone. The pain may feel like burning or gnawing that may go through to the back. The onset of the pain may occur several hours after a meal when the stomach is empty. Patients have reported paint to be worse at night as opposed to the morning. Pain duration may vary from a few minutes to several hours. Pain may be relieved by foods, antacids or vomiting.

Recommended Reading: Black Tarry Stools Ulcerative Colitis

How Are Stomach Ulcers Diagnosed

Diagnosis and treatment will depend on your symptoms and the severity of your ulcer. To diagnose a stomach ulcer, your doctor will review your medical history along with your symptoms and any prescription or over-the-counter medications youre taking.

To rule out H. pylori infection, a blood, stool, or breath test may be ordered. With a breath test, youll be instructed to drink a clear liquid and breathe into a bag, which is then sealed. If H. pylori is present, the breath sample will contain higher-than-normal levels of carbon dioxide.

Other tests and procedures used to diagnose stomach ulcers include:

Barium swallow: You drink a thick white liquid that coats your upper gastrointestinal tract and helps your doctor see your stomach and small intestine on X-rays.
Endoscopy : A thin, lighted tube is inserted through your mouth and into the stomach and the first part of the small intestine. This test is used to look for ulcers, bleeding, and any tissue that looks abnormal.
Endoscopic biopsy: A piece of stomach tissue is removed so it can be analyzed in a lab.

Will Surgery Cure A Peptic Ulcer

Medical therapy works in most people with peptic ulcers. Sometimes, medical therapy does not work, or a person can’t 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.

Don’t Miss: Best Treatment For Diabetic Foot Ulcer

You Have Pain Specifically In Your Upper Abdomen

One of the most common ulcer symptoms is a severe pain in the upper abdomen, according to Neil Sengupta, MD, a gastroenterology specialist at the University of Chicago. Ulcers can develop anywhere in the upper digestive track, but Dr. Sengupta says we often think about those occurring in the stomach or small intestine, where we feel pain. This pain usually occurs between the breastbone and belly button, and can bring on a burning, aching, or dull feeling. The sensation may begin as a light, mild pain but often progresses into something more serious as the ulcers develop.

How Do You Know If You Have An Ulcer In Your Stomach

Do I have a stomach ulcer?

Health related question in topics Conditions Illness .We found some answers as below for this question How do you know if you have an ulcer in your stomach,you can compare them.

How do you know if you have an ulcer in your stomach

How Do I Know If Its A Stomach Ulcer?: http://www.blurtit.com/q424259.html; With ulcers it means your stomach has produced so much acid that it is eating away your stomach liner which has caused a hole in your stomach and that the acid reflex has gotten worse and that is the caused of the ulcer. The d sho

What is a stomach ulcers? how do u know that u have a .?: http://www.justanswer.com/questions/6s05-stomach-ulcers-u-know; XXXXXXXX, A stomach ulcer is a small erosion in the gastrointestinal tract. The most common type, duodenal, occurs in the first 12 inches of small intestine beyond the stomach. The main symptom is a burning or gnawing feeling in the

Does anybody know what it feels like to have a stomach ulcer??: http://www.answerbag.com/q_view/437113; The symptoms of ulcers are different in different people. Some people dont even realize that they have an ulcer but some feel strong pain or a burning feeling in their stomach. Indigestion, heartburn, dyspepsia and hunger pangs are some of

You May Like: Ulcerative Colitis Surgery Pros And Cons

Treatment For A Stomach Ulcer

Special diets are now known to have very little impact on the prevention or treatment of stomach ulcers. Treatment options can include:

medication including antibiotics, to destroy the H. pylori colony, and drugs to help speed the healing process. Different drugs need to be used in combination some of the side effects can include diarrhoea and rashes. Resistance to some of these antibiotics is becoming more common
subsequent breath tests used to make sure the H. pylori infection has been treated successfully
changes to existing medication the doses of arthritis medication, aspirin or other anti-inflammatory medication can be altered slightly to reduce their contributing effects on the stomach ulcer.
reducing acid tablets are available to reduce the acid content in the gastric juices
lifestyle modifications including quitting cigarettes, since smoking reduces the natural defences in the stomach and impairs the healing process.

Treatment For A Duodenal Ulcer

If your ulcer is caused by H pylori, the usual treatment is ‘triple therapy’. This involves taking 2 antibiotics to kill the bacteria, and a medicine to reduce the amount of acid made by your stomach.

If you don’t have an H. pylori infection, and you have been using anti-inflammatory drugs, you will need to stop taking them and to start taking a drug to reduce acid production by your stomach.

Taking antacids, drinking less alcohol, and quitting smoking if you smoke may also help.

Recommended Reading: Ulcer On Eye From Contact Lens

How Common Are Stomach Ulcers

It’s not known exactly how common stomach ulcers are. They have become much less common since the 1980s because of much more effective treatments. So people with stomach ulcers now usually get better much more quickly.

The term ‘peptic ulcer’ is used to describe ulcers that are caused by too much acid in the stomach. This includes stomach ulcers and also ulcers in the first part of the gut known as the duodenum. Stomach ulcers are less common than duodenal ulcers.

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
Burping
Bloody or black stool
Vomiting blood

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

Also Check: How To Cure Ulcerative Proctitis

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
Blood in your stools
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.

Record Of Constant Bleeding

Individuals may find themselves in situations of bleeding ulcers from time to time. If the victim suffers from the problem for a relatively long time, the ulcer is likely at its advanced stage.

When the ulcer is at a stage that is considerably advanced, the sufferer may experience repeated onsets of bleeding episodes that will manifest in different ways from one time to another.

There are many signs of a bleeding ulcer that can be identified through both observation, assessment, and laboratory tests appropriate for the verification of the signs and symptoms. This will bring finer details about the underlying condition in order to draw fitting conclusions.

Stig Borbjerg Laursen . Risk Factors for Rebleeding in Peptic Ulcer Bleeding: A Second Look at Second-Look Endoscopy.

Also Check: How Do I Know If I Have A Peptic Ulcer

Foods To Avoid If You Have A Stomach Ulcer

There are some mixed opinions on which foods are bad for stomach ulcers, but most agree on the following as foods that will aggravate existing ulcers:

Black pepper
Omega-6 fats
Milk and dairy products

Beyond just avoiding these foods, its important to follow good practices for improving digestion, like eating smaller meals and chewing food thoroughly. In most cases this means chewing the food for twice as long as you naturally do. This alone can improve digestive function and reduce stomach irritation.Another way to increase digestive function is to eat slowly and without stress.

Another way to increase digestive function is to eat slowly and without stress. Too many people rush through meals, they dont inhale their food, and dont take the time to breathe away the stress of the day. While these things seem unrelated to ulcers, its well documented that stress can worsen ulcers, even though it cant cause them on its own.

Bottom line: Avoiding aggravating foods is an important part of healing, but lifestyle changes such as eating smaller meals and reducing stress can also have a positive effect on digestive health and ulcer prevention.