Gastric ulcer pain

Introduction to gastric ulcer pain

Gastric ulcers occur on the lining of the stomach and they are usually oval-shaped. They are a result of the acids in stomach and digestive juices causing damage to the stomach lining.

What people usually refer to as stomach ulcers are more often than not, duodenal ulcers.

They are located on the first part of the intestine, not on the stomach. These that are located in the stomach are gastric ulcers, while the ones that appear in the esophagus are esophageal ulcers.

When a person has a gastric ulcer, they usually have a significant amount of pain accompanying the problem.

Causes

Stomach acids contribute to the formation of these painful gastric ulcers.

These acids literally burn holes into the lining of the stomach and the digestive tract in general. However, there are many lifestyle factors that can aggravate this condition, such as stress and eating highly acidic foods.

Infections can also cause stomach ulcers, as can the over-use of anti-inflammation medications, which can cause damage to the stomach lining and result in gastric ulcers as well.

Symptoms

The obvious symptom is pain in the stomach, but these gastric ulcers can also result in indigestion and heartburn, which is usually felt in the middle of the upper abdomen.

Indigestion could cause a person to burp profusely and also hiccup frequently. A choking sensation could also arise as a result of the indigestion.

These symptoms are problematic for diagnosis because many of them are shared with other diseases and conditions related to the digestive system.

Other common symptoms include headaches, fatigue and light-headedness.

These ulcers can also cause scar tissue to form in the most extreme cases, which can close off the passages of food in the digestive tract.

This could lead a person to vomit a lot and not be able to consume enough food.

Bloating is another common symptom.

In some cases, people will have a bleeding ulcer, and this condition can be noticed by the fact that the stools are dark red or black in color. This is a very serious condition and if a person’s ulcer is bleeding they must receive immediate medical attention. Treatment

When a person has a gastric ulcer, the best advice is to drink cold milk and eat ice cream, because it will help to bring relief to the ulcer.

If the ulcer is being caused by bacteria, then the person should be taking the normal route of treatment for anything that is caused by bacteria, which is usually an antibiotic treatment.

If the ulcer is being caused by the high content of stomach acids, then there are drugs that will be recommended by the doctor that will help to decrease the amount of stomach acid that is being created.

The best thing to do is to keep the diet bland and to avoid all foods that can worsen the condition, especially greasy foods, acidic foods and very spicy meals as well.