Content

• Steps
• Part 1 of 2: How to Recognize Symptoms
• Part 2 of 2: What to do with a stomach ulcer
• Tips
• Warnings

An ulcer is an injury that can develop on the skin, such as a pressure ulcer, or on the mucous membranes of the body, such as a stomach ulcer. The ulcer can be accompanied by both acute and mild symptoms. If you experience any symptoms of a stomach ulcer, see your doctor immediately.

Attention:the information in this article is for informational purposes only. Before using any methods, consult your doctor.

Steps

Part 1 of 2: How to Recognize Symptoms

1. 1 Pay attention to abdominal pain in the area between your sternum and your belly button. The pain can be of varying intensity and last from a couple of minutes to several hours. It often appears between meals when the stomach is empty and can be described as burning, stabbing, or aching. The degree of pain depends on various factors, including your age and the location of the ulcer.
   • Often, ulcer pain may be temporarily relieved by eating foods that soften stomach acid or by taking over-the-counter antacids.
   • If stomach pain is caused by an ulcer, it may get worse at night and when you are hungry.
2. 2 Look for other symptoms that may accompany a stomach ulcer. Not all patients experience all of these symptoms. This means that you may have only a few individual symptoms in any combination. Here's what to look out for:
   • increased gas production, belching;
   • feeling of fullness in the abdomen, inability to drink a lot of fluids;
   • feeling hungry a couple of hours after eating;
   • mild nausea, most often in the morning after waking up;
   • a general feeling of tiredness and malaise;
   • loss of appetite;
   • weight loss.
3. 3 Recognize the symptoms of a serious stomach ulcer. If left untreated, an ulcer can cause internal bleeding and other problems that require immediate medical attention.
   • Vomiting may be a sign of a progressive stomach ulcer, especially if the vomit resembles coffee grounds or contains blood.
   • Dark, tarry, or pasty stools can also indicate a serious stomach ulcer.
   • Bloody stools.
4. 4 See your doctor if you experience stomach ulcer symptoms. Stomach ulcers are serious conditions and require appropriate treatment. While over-the-counter drugs can provide temporary relief, they do not cure the disease. At the same time, your doctor will help you treat the cause of the ulcer.
5. 5 Find out if you are prone to stomach ulcers. Although stomach ulcers can develop for many reasons and in almost anyone, the following groups of people are at increased risk:
   • those who are infected with the bacteria Helicobacter pylori or more susceptible to it, for example, people with low acidity of gastric juice;
   • those who regularly take non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as ibuprofen, aspirin, or naproxen
   • people with a stomach ulcer in a family history of the disease;
   • those who regularly drink alcohol;
   • people with liver, kidney, or lung disease;
   • people over 50;
   • those who have suffered or are currently suffering from a digestive disorder such as Crohn's disease.

Part 2 of 2: What to do with a stomach ulcer

1. 1 Make an appointment with your gastroenterologist. Although stomach ulcers usually resolve on their own, severe cases may require diagnosis with an endoscope and medical treatment. An endoscope is a thin tube with a light source that a gastroenterologist inserts through the esophagus. Such a study can only be carried out by a doctor. Before visiting your doctor, try to mitigate your symptoms with the following temporary remedies.
2. 2 Take medications that lower the acidity of gastric juice. Sometimes doctors prescribe these drugs to see if the symptoms have improved. This is because stomach ulcers can be caused by an imbalance between the digestive fluid in the stomach and duodenum.
   • If you have a bacterium Helicobacter pylori, in this case, antibiotic treatment is often prescribed, which also suppress the production of gastric juice.
3. 3 Make some lifestyle changes. Stop smoking, drinking alcohol, and taking NSAIDs. Smoking and alcohol can lead to an imbalance in digestive fluids, while NSAIDs can upset the balance and irritate the stomach lining when taken in large doses. Stop smoking, alcohol, and NSAIDs until you are diagnosed.
4. 4 Make sure your diet is healthy and balanced. Eating more frequent meals or consuming foods of the same group, such as dairy products, can provide short-term relief, but ultimately it will lead to further acidity in the stomach.Your diet should be healthy and balanced, with enough protein, unsaturated fat and complex carbohydrates. Try to include fruits and vegetables in every meal, and go for whole grains and lean protein foods.
   • Avoid foods that make you uncomfortable. For many, these include coffee, caffeinated drinks, fatty and spicy foods, and chocolate.
   • Try to stick to a specific diet. Don't snack late at night.
5. 5 Don't drink milk. Milk can provide short-term relief, but it is tantamount to taking one step forward and two steps back. Milk envelops the walls of the stomach for a short time. However, it also stimulates the production of stomach acid, which ultimately aggravates stomach ulcers.

Tips

• A significant proportion of stomach ulcers are not directly related to stress or poor diet, but are caused by a bacterium (not a virus) Helicobacter pylori... For this discovery, Australian scientists Barry Marshall and Robin Warren were awarded the Nobel Prize.
• Before the connection between stomach ulcers and bacteria was discovered Helicobacter pylori, doctors advised patients to follow a diet and make certain lifestyle changes. Although it is now known that most cases of stomach ulcers are caused by this bacterium, an inappropriate lifestyle and diet can worsen symptoms. Closely controlling stress through prayer, yoga or meditation, getting enough time to exercise, and keeping your diet healthy and balanced, low in fat and spicy foods can help relieve symptoms in many stomach ulcer sufferers.

Warnings

• If not treated properly, a stomach or intestinal ulcer with internal bleeding can perforate (perforate), leading to a life-threatening infection.