Ulcer anyone?

[bengalbelle]

I really want to learn as much as I can about ulcers. My dad had one, his dad DIED from one, and HIS dad was found to have a gastric ulcer during an operation he had the day before he died. It's amazing what you find out when you start hunting down death certificates of family members.

Definitely a genetic tendency there. I don't want one, but it looks like it could happen anyway.

My father had one also. He took medicine for the rest of his life, I think. My ulcer was a little strange. I hurt my back doing gymnastics and the Dr prescribed Anaprox for the pain. I took one pill, with food, and started having terrible pain. I went to the ER and was diagnosed with a virus, I think. They gave me more medicine for the pain and the next day is when I started vomiting. I didn't realize I was vomiting blood because I would have expected it to look like blood, you know? Anyway, by the time I went back to the ER I was too weak to walk in, so YES ulcers can be very serious. The Gastroenterologist (I know I didn't spell that right, lol) who was a friend of my mothers was very upset and yelling for them to get my mother when he was doing the gastroscope. That scared me to death! As I mentioned before, the ulcer took 3 years to heal. They even did a biopsy because they thought I might have cancer. All of that from 1 pill!

Much later in life I was tested for the H Pylori but it was negative. Since then a Dr. has told me that ulcers just don't happen like mine did, that I must have had a lot of acid in my stomach or something was really off at the particular time I took the pill.

So...to make a short story long...I think there is a connection between my Dad having an ulcer and me having one. I just think the pill sped things up a bit. Both of my brothers had/have stomach problems, but no ulcers.

 

[Christine]

I don't mean to hijack the thread, but to those of you who have had ulcers, do you now have acid reflux? I've tried controlling the acid reflux by diet, but if I don't take the Prilosec/Nexium I'm in serious pain. Just wondering how many of us have gone on to have other problems.

Mermaid, I hope you're feeling better soon.

I have acid reflux but have never had an ulcer. If I don't take the Nexium, I just feel really sick to my stomach and my stomach burns.

 

[Christine]

In case anyone was wondering (bengalbelle's post got me remembering this), this is how NSAIDS (Motrin, Advil, Aleve, Anaprox) cause ulcers.

Everyone has a protective lining in their stomach. In some people, when you take the NSAIDS, they destroy the protective lining very quickly and then you get an ulcer. In others, the NSAID has no effect on the protective lining. I guess it's genetic. My dad has been take Naprosyn (now Aleve) since the 1980s and he has never had a stomach issue. I have also taken Motrin on and off for years and it has never cause me any problem. Other people take it just a few times and they have pain. Bengalbelle, the Anaprox could have been strong enough to do it, I suppose.

Also, bengalbelle, there is a situation with the Nexium called acid rebound. A lot of people are put on Nexium/Prilosec/Protonix/Aciphex for a short trial for either ulcers or acid reflux. These greatly reduce the acid in your stomach. When you try to go off them, your stomach temporarily "overproduces" acid. Couple that with NOT having any acid in your stomach for a few weeks, and the whole withdrawal can be quite uncomfortable. I occasionally participate in an "acid reflux forum" on line and this is a pretty common report. There have been people who have successfully weaned themselves from the acid reflux meds but you can't stop cold turkey or your stomach will be hurting. You have to slowly decrease. Of course, none of this is ever discussed by the manufacturer or doctors. But the patients know.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

When I was growing up in the 70's, my mother had a very severe duodenal ulcer. It was bleeding on several occasions and she wound up in the hospital for blood transfusions (luckily caught in time). Back then, the treatment was a "dairy diet". They had her drinking cream at one point. The only test she ever had was an upper GI series which showed her ulcer originally. It was a major pain in her life for many years and she always had to be careful of everything she ate.

We've come a long way since then, thankfully.

The funny part is, that her ulcer hasn't caused any problems for many years. Unfortunately, she has severe osteoarthritis so pain control has been a big problem. We wanted to avoid NSAIDs because of her ulcer history, so she spent the better part of two years in agony trying various "new and improved" analgesics. None worked as well for her as plain old motrin. So under her doctor's supervision she cautiously takes motrin twice a day along with a PPI and she has had NO {knocking on wood here} stomach problems whatsoever. She can also eat whatever she wants, apparently has a leaded stomach now, LOL.

 

[bengalbelle]

Bengalbelle, the Anaprox could have been strong enough to do it, I suppose.

Also, bengalbelle, there is a situation with the Nexium called acid rebound. A lot of people are put on Nexium/Prilosec/Protonix/Aciphex for a short trial for either ulcers or acid reflux. These greatly reduce the acid in your stomach. When you try to go off them, your stomach temporarily "overproduces" acid. Couple that with NOT having any acid in your stomach for a few weeks, and the whole withdrawal can be quite uncomfortable. I occasionally participate in an "acid reflux forum" on line and this is a pretty common report. There have been people who have successfully weaned themselves from the acid reflux meds but you can't stop cold turkey or your stomach will be hurting. You have to slowly decrease. Of course, none of this is ever discussed by the manufacturer or doctors. But the patients know.

The way they described it to me was that the pill sat on my stomach and burned a hole. I was so young and it was so long ago that I've forgotten some of the details.

I'm on Nexium now, but I was on Prilosec when I got pregnant and had to switch to something else. I had a very good diet when I was pregnant and stopped caffeine/carbonated beverages, but I was so miserable without the Prilosec.
I have managed to go every other day on the Nexium. I would love to get off of routine medicine, but doubt I'll ever be able to. We are ready for another child so I'll have to switch off soon. I dread the thought of it.

Are you a physician or nurse?

 

[Christine]

Are you a physician or nurse?

Neither! But I've been dealing with reflux since 1998 and my gastroenterologist shares a lot of information with me.

 

[grinningghost]

I was reading about ulcers on a medical site today and I found that they ARE hereditary in many cases. I probably knew that given my family history, but now I've seen proof. Scary.