How to Recognize the Symptoms of Stomach Ulcers - Part 1

An ulcer is a lesion that develops on the skin or mucus membranes of the body. Ulcers that occur in the stomach or small intestines are known as a peptic ulcers. A peptic ulcer in the stomach is also called a gastric ulcer. Ulcers may be caused by lifestyle factors like diet and stress, or an excess amount of stomach acids. However, the majority are caused by an infection caused by the bacterium Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori). Ulcer symptoms are acute for some people and mild for others. Sometimes ulcers are asymptomatic, meaning a person who has them experiences no symptoms whatsoever.

Recognizing Symptoms

Pay attention to pain in you abdomen anywhere between your breastbone and your belly button. The pain can vary in severity and duration, lasting anywhere from a couple of minutes to several hours. It often occurs between meals as your stomach empties, and could be described as a burning, stabbing or aching pain.

Often pain caused by ulcers can be temporarily relieved by eating foods that buffer the acid in the stomach, or by taking an over-the-counter antacid medication.
If your stomach pain is caused by ulcers, flareups may occur at night and whenever you are hungry.
Watch for other symptoms of ulcers that sufferers have reported. All of these symptoms don't occur for all people, but you may experience a combination of any of them.

An increase in the amount of gas and burping.

A feeling of fullness and an inability to drink a lot of liquids.
Being hungry a couple of hours after eating a meal.
Mild nausea, most common on first waking in the morning.
An overall feeling of being tired and not feeling well.
Loss of appetite.
Weight loss.



Recognize the symptoms of a severe ulcer. If left untreated, ulcers can cause internal bleeding and other problems, leading to a medical emergency.
Vomiting, especially if blood is present, can be an indication of advanced ulcers.

Dark, tarry or pasty stool may also be a sign of severe ulcers.

Bloody stools.


Know if you are more likely to get stomach ulcers. While stomach ulcers can present for any number of reasons, to most any individual, people most at risk to develop them include:


People infected by the H. pylori bacterium.

People who regularly take non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as ibuprofen, aspirin, or naproxen.
People with a family history of ulcers.

People who regularly drink alcohol.
People who have illnesses or diseases associated with the liver, kidney, or lung.
People older than 50 years of age.



Take an acid-blocking medication. An acid-blocking medication is sometimes recommended by doctors to see if symptoms improve. That is because stomach ulcers can be caused by an imbalance between the digestive fluids in the stomach and duodenum.


Make certain lifestyle changes. Stop smoking, drinking, and taking NSAIDs. Smoking and drinking can both cause imbalances in digestive fluids, while NSAIDs can disrupt the balance if taken in high dosages. Discontinue all three while you are waiting for a diagnosis from your doctor.


Don't drink milk. Drinking milk may provide temporary relief, but it's like taking one step forward and two steps back. Milk will coat the lining of your stomach wall for a short while. But milk will also stimulate the production of more stomach acid, which ultimately aggravate the ulcers even more.

Tips



A considerable percentage of stomach ulcers are not directly caused by stress or diet, they are caused by Helicobacter pylori, which is a bacteria - not a virus. A Nobel Prize was awarded to Australian scientists Barry Marshall and Robin Warren for this discovery.

Before discovering the connection between ulcers and the H. pylori bacteria, doctors used to tell patients to control their ulcers through diet and lifestyle changes. Although we now know that the bacteria causes most ulcers, it is still true that lifestyle and diet can aggravate symptoms. Diligently managing stress through practices like prayer, yoga or meditation, getting plenty of exercise and eating a healthy, well-balanced diet that is low in fat and spices will help to control ulcer symptoms for some people.

Another common cause of ulcers is the mucus membranes of the body being too thin and more susceptible to a "break" in this protective coating. This "beak" exposes the stomach wall to the acids the mucus membrane was protecting against. There are many prescription and OTC drugs that will thin the mucus membranes over time. Aspirin is one. NSAIDS are more. Some synthetic blood thinners will do this as well.


Warnings


If left untreated, ulcers can eat into the wall of the stomach or intestines, causing internal bleeding, perforations or obstruction of the digestive system.

The following factors can increase your chances of having peptic ulcers: alcohol and tobacco use, use of aspirin, ibuprofen, or other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), high stress levels, and radiation treatments. All of these have been shown to "thin out" the body's mucus membranes including the lining of the stomach.