Symptoms of Stomach Ulcer

Sores found in the inner lining of the upper portion of the digestive tract cause severe abdominal pain, which is also known as stomach ulcers or peptic ulcers. Stomach ulcers can affect not only the stomach but the esophagus and the upper part of the small intestine as well.

Symptoms of Stomach Ulcer

Watch the video to get an overview of stomach ulcer symptoms.

Stomach ulcers usually manifest as abdominal pain that occurs between the breastbone and the belly button. This pain can last from a few minutes to several hours, and may vary in severity. Patients often describe the pain as an aching, burning, or stabbing pain that occurs as the stomach empties between meals. This may be relieved temporarily by eating food to buffer stomach acids or by taking antacids. Flare-ups occur at night, or when one is hungry.

Other people experience various symptoms of stomach ulcers, including:

• Increased gas and frequent burping
• Feeling of fullness
• Inability to drink lots of fluids
• Feelings of hunger just a couple of hours after eating
• Nausea, commonly on waking up in the morning
• Loss of appetite
• Loss of weight
• Tiredness, feeling unwell

Severe Symptoms

These symptoms indicate that there is internal bleeding due to untreated stomach ulcers.

• Vomiting with blood
• Dark, pasty or tarry stools
• Bloody stools

Complications

Untreated stomach ulcers can lead to complications such as:

• internal bleeding
• inflammation in the abdomen or peritonitis
• gastric outlet obstruction
• stomach and intestinal perforation

Self – help Tips for Stomach Ulcer

Take Acid-blocking Medications

Acid-blocking medications are often recommended by to improve symptoms caused by imbalances in the digestive fluids found in your stomach and intestine.

Improve Lifestyles

Smoking and alcohol drinking may cause imbalance in the digestive fluids. Frequent intake of high dose NSAIDs for pain can also disrupt the digestive fluid balance. Discontinue these habits to improve your symptoms while awaiting definitive diagnosis.

Don’t Drink Milk

People often drink milk for temporary relief of stomach ulcers, but it coats the stomach lining and stimulates increased stomach acid production, which aggravates symptoms even more.

For more information about treatments, see

When to See a Doctor

• While home remedies may provide temporary relief of symptoms, you should seek medical help when:
• You develop sudden abdominal pain that is sharp in character
• Your abdomen is rigid or hard, but tender when touched
• You experience excessive sweating, light-headedness, confusion, or fainting (symptoms of shock)
• You vomit blood or you see blood or tarry black stools