Stomach and duodenal ulcers – symptoms, diet, treatment

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Stomach ulcers give very unpleasant symptoms. Do you have heartburn, flatulence, nausea, you have no appetite, do you have stomach pain? Or are you being haunted by constipation? Go to the gastroenterologist, you probably suffer from peptic ulcer disease, which can be successfully treated.

1. One in ten Poles suffer from gastric or duodenal ulcers. Most of them are young and middle-aged patients, usually working, but it also happens that the disease affects adolescents and children
2. Men suffer from ulcers three times more often than women
3. Stomach ulcers develop three times more often in the duodenum than in the stomach
4. You can find more such stories on the TvoiLokony home page

Stomach ulcers – formation

Stomach ulcers used to be referred to as a headache disease. It was believed that ulcers (of the stomach and duodenum) were the result of a stressful lifestyle associated with the boss’s work and unsystematic eating. However, it soon turned out that people who lead a quiet life also suffer from it.

So it was considered direct the cause of stomach ulcers is the so-called hyperacidity, i.e. excess stomach acids, especially hydrochloric acid, which has strong caustic properties.

The patients were therefore administered agents that inhibit or neutralize gastric acid secretion. But it turned out not to be enough. Despite the systematic use of drugs, most – reportedly even 90 percent. – stomach ulcers have come back. Patients suffered and doctors were helpless. Finally, in 1983, a great discovery was made.

Two scientists, Marshal and Warren, detected a bacterium they called Helicobacter pylori in samples of the gastric mucosa taken from patients. But, as it turned out later, they were not the first. Almost a hundred years earlier, Walery Jaworski, a Polish doctor from the Jagiellonian University, was the first to describe the presence of spiral bacteria in the human stomach.

Today it is known that it is also found in tartar and carious lesions. The carriers of this bacteria are nearly 90 percent. Poles over 20 years of age, although it is not known why not all infected, it is equally aggressive.

At first, doctors doubted that any bacteria could survive in a stomach with a lot of hydrochloric acid. However, it soon turned out that the spiraled bacterium produces significant amounts of the urease enzyme that changes the pH around it. The bacterium itself tightly adheres to the stomach wall and thus can live in favorable conditions. The bacteria stuck to the gastric mucosa damages its cells, causing inflammation. It is also known that its presence promotes the increased secretion of gastric acid. You can arrange a gastroenterological consultation today using the halodoctor.pl portal.

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Stomach ulcers – what is an ulcer?

A stomach ulcer is a small crater-like defect in the gastric or duodenal mucosa (the first segment of the small intestine, the so-called bulb). Rarely, an ulcer forms in the esophagus, and if so, in the lower part of the esophagus, which may be exposed to stomach acid. An ulcer located in the stomach is called a gastric ulcer, and slightly below it is called a duodenal ulcer.

Doctors often refer to peptic ulcers to highlight the fact that they only show up in the part of the digestive tract where pepsin is found, an enzyme found in the stomach that digests proteins. Cavities that form in the walls of the stomach or duodenum can vary in size (diameter) – from peppercorns, cherry stones to several or even several centimeters. They can also be wide and deep – from a few to several millimeters.

If you have problems with ulcers, support your digestive system by using NA WRZODY – a dietary supplement Herbapol in Krakow, which you can buy at a favorable price on Medonet Market.

Stomach ulcers – causes

Despite many years and even centuries of research into the causes the formation of stomach ulcersUntil today, there has been no clear answer as to who or what is responsible for it. There are many suspects.

Hydrochloric acid is part of gastric juice. It is produced by cells in the mucosa that lines the inside of the stomach. Gastric juices play an important role in the digestive process; they destroy bacteria that reach the digestive tract with food, participate in the digestion of proteins and fats, and stimulate the duodenum to produce intestinal hormones, which in turn increase the production of other substances necessary for further digestion of food, e.g. pancreatic juice and bile.

When nothing happens, gastric juices are not dangerous because the walls of the stomach are protected by a thick layer of mucus. But when there is too much hydrochloric acid in the gastric acid, it easily crosses the protective barrier and damages the mucosa, which often leads to the formation of ulcers. But not only acid and Helicobacter pylori are responsible for the formation of stomach ulcers. Increasingly, doctors talk about the genetic origin of the disease.

In 50 percent stomach ulcers run in families. The genetic origin of the disease is also supported by the fact that it occurs by 30-40 percent. more often in patients with group 0 than in people with other blood groups. Another cause may be the regurgitation of bile into the stomach. When everything is functioning smoothly in our body, it is only in the duodenum. When something fails, it returns to the stomach and damages its walls.

Ulcers can also result from the excessive use of anti-inflammatory and analgesic drugs containing non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and anti-rheumatic drugs, which almost always damage the gastric mucosa.

Stress is also an ally of ulcers. All emotions – good and bad – affect the work of the central nervous system, which has a significant impact on the work of the digestive system. The stomach wall contains vagus nerve endings that stimulate the production of gastric juices. People who live under stress for many months or years provoke their body to secrete more acid, and hence the straight path to the development of ulcers. Alcohol abuse and smoking play a huge role, especially in stressful situations.

As a preventive measure for ulcers, it is worth using YANGO Kale Extract, which is available in a package containing 90 capsules.

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Stomach ulcers – symptoms

The symptoms of stomach ulcers depend on the location and age of the person affected. Older people suffer less from ulcers. The most common complaint with stomach ulcers is pain in the center of the abdomen, below the breastbone or above the navel. Patients describe it as burning, and sometimes feel hungry. It is often accompanied by nausea, belching, gas, and sometimes even vomiting. Unfortunately, only half of people with stomach ulcers have typical symptoms, which is why it is difficult for a doctor to make a diagnosis.

Pain after eating is characteristic of stomach ulcers. Usually it appears 30-60 minutes after a meal, especially spicy, sour or after eating broth. There is also gas, nausea and vomiting.

In peptic ulcer disease, it is worth using Rose Buds, which you can buy on Medonet Market in the form of dried seeds.

Do you recognize the symptoms of stomach ulcers? Go for a consultation with a gastroenterologist. You can find a specialist in your area in the clinic.pl database.

In duodenal ulcers, pain occurs immediately after waking up and decreases 2-3 hours after eating a meal. Often at night or in the early morning, sucking pain, sometimes referred to as hunger pain, occurs. Eating anything or drinking a little milk helps to relieve it. In both cases, the symptoms occur not only in the advanced stages of gastric ulcers.

Even slight erosions can also be the cause of nagging pain. They also require treatment because they can turn into ulcers. Most often this happens in spring and autumn, two so-called transitional seasons. One of the theories of such seasonality of the disease explains that it is during these periods that Helicobacter pylori becomes particularly active and readily reproduces.

Check it out: Diseases that kill over half of Poles

Stomach ulcers – examination and treatment

Make a diagnosis of gastric ulcers allows you to perform gastroscopy. During the examination, the doctor inserts a flexible tube through the patient’s esophagus, at the end of which there is a tiny camera. It is thanks to her that she can see the gastric and duodenal mucosa on the monitor screen, and she can also take samples for examination.

This is necessary in the case of stomach ulcers, which can turn into neoplastic lesions, and without careful examination under a microscope, they are difficult to distinguish from “ordinary” ulcers. Examination of the specimen can also confirm the presence of Helicobacter pylori bacteria, a trauma test is performed for this purpose.

The presence of bacteria can also be confirmed or excluded by the Helicobacter pylori Cassette Test, which you can do yourself at home.

Because even an experienced doctor may miss about 10 percent of the time during the examination. ulcer lesions, X-rays of the gastrointestinal tract are also recommended for people suspected of having gastric ulcers. They are performed after taking the so-called contrast.

2-3 days before the examination, you must remove the bloating products from the diet, because gases in the intestines worsen the quality of the pictures. On the day before the examination for gastric ulcers, we should not eat dinner anymore and we should not even drink until the examination – the stomach must be empty at the time of x-ray examination. A few minutes before the x-ray, we get the contrast to drink. Usually it contains a barite suspension, thanks to which the organ is better visible on the film.

Another type of gastric ulcer test is the so-called CT, i.e. computed tomography of the gastrointestinal tract. Before the examination, we are given a contrast agent intravenously. Just like before X-ray, we shouldn’t eat anything from the day before, but before CT we get water to drink so that the stomach is full and it is better visible in the pictures. Then we lie down on the movable table. We can be fully clothed, but without metal objects, such as earrings, pendants, a watch and a belt.

The table enters the so-called tunnel. gantry. There is an X-ray tube, a detector that records radiation and a computer that converts it into an image. The lamp makes circles around us. After each, he stops for a moment, and the bed moves a little bit forward, and the lamp begins to circle again. The monitor shows the examined organ in the form of transverse, as if cut slices. Each of them is later viewed by a specialist in the photo.

During the examination, you can freely enlarge and divide the obtained images. Thanks to this, the radiologist can detect the smallest changes in the examined organ. In modern tomographs, the lamp moves in a spiral around us, so it is not necessary to stop and move the bed. This shortens the examination time and reduces the dose of radiation received. The examination is painless and safe. However, it is not recommended for pregnant women as the X-ray rays could damage the fetus.

Some patients would prefer to have an ultrasound because they are afraid of the next dose of radiation. It must be remembered that only a doctor can choose the type of diagnostic test. Moreover, ultrasound is not very suitable for the diagnosis of gastric ulcer and duodenal ulcer. Using an ultrasound examination, it is possible to determine where in our abdominal cavity the source of the pain is, or the cause of the enlargement of certain organs.

Doppler ultrasound is a variation of this test, because it allows you to check the condition of blood vessels supplying a given organ with blood. Thus, it is possible to assess whether the stomach is well nourished, whether its walls are of the correct thickness, etc. In order to detect H. pylori infection, non-invasive tests are used – the 13C carbon breath test, blood tests for H. pylori antibodies. and a test for detecting H. pylori antigens in the stool.

If you suffer from peptic ulcer disease, try 100% Natjun pomegranate juice, which is beneficial for the digestive system and helps to keep cholesterol at the right level. You can also use the EKO gastric tea, which contains herbs that have a positive effect on the functioning of the stomach.

It has anti-ulcer and anti-inflammatory properties, among others chamomile, which is part of the ecological herbal tea Idyllic aromas available at Medonet Market. We also recommend yarrow herb, which has a beneficial effect on the digestive system.

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Stomach ulcers – treatment with antibiotics

It is fought by the so-called a proton pump inhibitor (e.g. omeprazole, lansoprazole). It reduces the secretion of hydrochloric acid to almost zero. Two antibiotics are taken at the same time: clarithromycin and amoxicillin or metronidazole. A weekly treatment guarantees over 90 percent of gastric ulcer healing. On the following days (1-2 weeks), a protron pump inhibitor is taken again a day. Thanks to these drugs, stomach ulcers are almost never removed surgically. But the treatment must always be completed.

In addition, doctors still recommend preparations that reduce the secretion of hydrochloric acid, as well as drugs that protect the gastric mucosa and accelerate the healing of ulcers. The ulcer patients themselves also reach for preparations (so-called milks) that neutralize hydrochloric acid or tablets. However, they should not be abused. It is best to determine the dose of these drugs with your doctor.

People with sporadic stomach problems and occasionally reaching for “something” for the stomach should remember that one tablet will not help. If you want to save yourself in this way, you should take the entire package of the preparation – especially those available without a prescription. Occasional intake of them may cause the so-called rebound effect, i.e. to cause increased gastric acid secretion. And that doesn’t serve the entire digestive tract.

The currently recommended first-line treatment regimen is the so-called quadruple therapy with bismuth, which consists of a 14-day intake of PPI, bismuth citrate and two antibiotics – standard metronidazole and tetracycline. There are also alternative regimens, e.g. with amoxicillin.

As a support for the treatment of gastric and duodenal ulcers, it is worth using Intestinal tea, which contains herbs that help with digestive system problems. You can buy tea at Medonet Market. Ecological white cabbage juice also has a positive effect on stomach ulcers. Try its actions now.

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Stomach ulcers – complications

Sometimes it is too neglect of the treatment of gastric or duodenal ulcers you have to pay dearly. Complications of stomach ulcers can be very distressing.

1. Gastrointestinal haemorrhage. There is then acute vomiting, referred to as coffee grounds. They resemble weak coffee in color. Fresh blood is rarely seen. The stool is very dark, the so-called tarry. Such symptoms are accompanied by severe weakness, loss of balance, fainting and severe sweating. Hospital treatment is then necessary.
2. Puncture of a stomach ulcer also called ulcer rupture or perforation. It occurs when the stomach wall is broken, accompanied by leakage of gastric contents into the abdominal cavity. It can be “limited” or “open” (more common in duodenal ulcers). In the latter case, peritonitis usually occurs. The patient suddenly feels a sharp, very severe pain (so-called dagger) in the lower right part of the abdomen, often radiating to the arms and spreading quickly throughout the abdomen. Every movement and every breath can make it worse. The abdomen is then hard, and after putting your ear to it, you do not listen to the normal “overflow”. Body temperature is also rising rapidly. In such cases, you need to call an ambulance as soon as possible. It is a life-threatening condition. A surgeon’s intervention is necessary.
3. Scar changes after ulcer healing. They are less serious, but often cause profuse vomiting at the end of the day or six hours after a meal, gas, loss of appetite, and a feeling of satiety after eating. A surgeon may need help if symptoms persist for a week after taking medication.
4. Straight. We have already mentioned that untreated gastric ulcers can turn into neoplastic changes. Therefore, at each gastroscopy, a sample is taken for histopathological examination. Approx. 60 percent gastric cancer is directly related to Helicobacter pylori. When the cancer develops, some or all of the stomach must be removed. After such an operation, you can live a normal life, but it is necessary to follow a few rules. First of all, the patient is obliged to follow the diet. You also have to spare yourself, that is, no more drinking, smoking, irregular eating and excessive effort.

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Stomach ulcers – survival school

In the first century AD, the Roman medical writer Aurellus Celsus warned: “If the stomach has an ulcer, light and sticky food must be used … Everything that is spicy and acidic must be avoided”.

For 70 years of our century, the treatment of gastric ulcers has been dominated by the so-called Sippy’s diet, an American doctor who advised his patients to alternate between sweet cream and milk. The treatment lasted six weeks. Today, doctors do not reject milk, although their choice is left to patients – if you tolerate it well, drink it healthily.

Stomach ulcers – two plates

Most ulcers are said to live from spring to fall and from fall to spring. During these seasons, their complaints worsen. To avoid the troublesome symptoms of gastric ulcer, you need to learn how to eat. Not because the diet heals, but because the diseased digestive tract cannot cope with the heavy, traditional cuisine. Eating what healthy people prefer, you will feel discomfort, stomach pains, and the treatment time will be significantly longer.

People with stomach ulcers should consult a dietitian. The dietitian will not only indicate the groups of indicated and contraindicated products, but also can prepare a diet plan individually tailored to our needs. Buy a visit at medonetmarket.pl

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Stomach ulcers – acute ailments

During stomach ulcers, drink plenty of warm, but not hot, drinks. We recommend weak tea, especially leafy green tea, herbs, boiled water, Gastrolit irrigation fluid (available at a pharmacy without a prescription), as well as medicinal waters, eg Henryk, Franciszek. Remember to drink between meals or before meals. Never right after eating.

We recommend Na ulcer – herbal tea from Herbapol in Krakow.

Eat 6-10 times a day. Meals should be light and not too plentiful. Overeating overloads the digestive tract unnecessarily. All dishes should be well cooked and soft so that they do not irritate the gastric mucosa, do not force it to produce more gastric juice and facilitate the absorption of nutrients.

People with stomach ulcers are recommended potato or potato-vegetable puree, cooked and ground veal, fruit jellies, jelly, soups rubbed on weak vegetable stocks with a small amount of fine groats. Food for stomach ulcers should be delicate in taste, because spicy spices increase the secretion of gastric juices. In the event of an ulcer, you should not eat raw vegetables and fruits. Stewed and mashed fruits are best for ulcers (the apple peel should be discarded).

Wheat rolls are the best. It is not recommended to drink alcohol and smoke cigarettes. Alcohol causes irritation of the mucosa, and nicotine negatively affects the blood supply to the stomach and duodenum. Use vitamin and mineral drugs in the amount recommended by your doctor (but never effervescent). By following a strict diet, we do not provide the body with an adequate portion of nutrients.

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Stomach ulcers – the period of pain relief

Still, try to eat small portions, but often – preferably every 2-3 hours. Be very careful with raw fruit and vegetables. Start with a small portion of apples, for example, and if you do not feel well after it, boil or bake them for a few more weeks.

However, always choose ripe fruit, not bruised or spoiled. You can start eating cold cuts, but only of good quality. However, it is best to eat delicate lean meat baked in foil with bread. If you want fish, prepare it in jelly. Try to continue to use little spices. Season the food with herbs (basil, tarragon, lemon balm, dill, parsley). For dessert, you can eat stale yeast dough (never fresh, because the yeast it contains often causes flatulence). A little sugar, real honey, homemade jam or jam won’t hurt you either. You can eat dairy without restrictions – preferably in the form of cottage cheese, buttermilk, yogurt or kefir.

Stomach ulcers – dishes not recommended

Among the dishes and products that are not recommended for people suffering from gastric and duodenal ulcers are:

1. lard,
2. bacon,
3. diced margarine and sour cream,
4. cruciferous vegetables,
5. radishes,
6. legumes (except degassed beans),
7. vinegar,
8. mustard,
9. rye and wholemeal bread,
10. pancakes, dumplings and casseroles,
11. soups based on fatty broths of bones, fish and mushrooms, seasoned with roux,
12. patties,
13. thick groats,
14. fried, marinated or deep-baked meat and fish, 
15. ready-made sauces for dishes,
16. yellow, fried and baked cheeses,
17. horseradish,
18. minced meats and all kinds of sausages, 
19. pickles, vegetable and fruit marinades,
20. creams, fatty cakes (e.g. puff pastry), cakes,
21. alcohol,
22. strong coffee and tea,
23. all carbonated drinks,
24. fruit juices undiluted with water,
25. hard marmalade,
26. stuffed chocolate and candies.

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Stomach ulcers – herbs

Treatment of stomach ulcers should be left to the doctor. You can use complementary herbal treatments on your own. In the case of cramp pain, the use of very warm mud and linseed compresses is effective. Pain attacks are prevented by fresh potato juice. It is recommended to drink one glass of this juice before each meal. The potato belongs to the nightshade plants and, like them, it contains atropine substances that have a relaxing effect.

The biologically active substance is found only in the raw potato, it dies during cooking. The licorice root also has a relaxing effect and soothes the symptoms of gastric ulcers. It is best to use herbs bought in herbal stores and pharmacies to prepare the infusion.

There are also preparations for gastric and duodenal ulcers containing licorice in the form of syrups, lozenges and candies. Licorice should not be used by people suffering from hypertension and pregnant women. It can cause water to accumulate in the body, which increases your blood pressure.

Drinking fresh white cabbage juice speeds up the healing of gastric and duodenal ulcers. One liter of juice a day should be drunk for 3-6 weeks. There are also lozenges with the same effect in pharmacies. Cabbage contains gepharnate, which is an ingredient of many anti-ulcer drugs.

Green tea also works in a similar way. The polyphenols contained in it inhibit the development of gastric ulcer disease. Tea is also said to be antibacterial and neutralize the effects of pepsin, which then stops the secretion of gastric juices.

Chamomile is an excellent drink for stomach and duodenal health. However, it is not enough to drink tea from one herbal tea bag. For the treatment to be effective, you need to brew 2-3 bags in a glass of water and drink it when the infusion cools down.

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Stomach ulcers – lifestyle changes

If you have gastric or duodenal ulcers, you need to slow down. Relaxation, relaxation and low-intensity exercise promote recovery and alleviate the symptoms of the disease, especially in spring and autumn.

If you can afford it at this time, at least once a year, go on vacation. It is best to go to a sanatorium where gastrointestinal diseases are treated. Such help can be found in health resorts in Duszniki Zdrój, Inowrocław, Iwonicz Zdrój, Kołobrzeg, Krynica, Kudowa Zdrój, Polanica Zdrój, Rabka, Szczawnica and Wysowa.

Also learn the relaxation technique. It could be yoga. Try to exercise every day after returning from work, especially when you have a so-called hard day behind you. This will relieve tension and you will fall asleep relaxed. Also remember to rest. Without you, the world will exist anyway, and the course of events will not be changed by the fact that you will not go on vacation.

Take care of your teeth. If you have significant missing teeth, insert a prosthesis, because badly chewed food, in large pieces, has to be digested for a long time. If not shredded well, it will cause constipation. Also take care of mouth hygiene. Helicobacter pylori accumulates in tartar. Use mouthwash and a tongue scraper.

Stomach ulcers – prophylaxis

Below, we present a few rules for the proper prevention of gastric and duodenal ulcers.

1. If you often suffer from indigestion, heartburn or other gastrointestinal problems, do not heal yourself. Go to the doctor, ask for tests that will tell you what is wrong with you. The causes can range from simple overeating, acid reflux disease (the return (regurgitation) of stomach contents into the esophagus), to ulcers.
2. Avoid constipation (every second woman and every fourth man have them). Most foods take 12 to 24 hours to digest. It takes the same amount for the digestive tract to get rid of toxic waste. If this does not happen, the rotting debris sticks to the intestinal walls and can damage them. If you don’t have a bowel movement at least every other day, drink plenty of still water and use bowel support measures.
3. Eat regularly. Eat less, but more often, and most importantly, don’t leave the house without breakfast. A cup of coffee is not breakfast. Avoid very hot food and drinks. The stomach doesn’t like them. Limit the consumption of fat, mainly animal fat, replace it with olive or vegetable oils. Eat fresh butter instead of any other “spreads” in your bread. Instead of ready-made spices, use herbs in the kitchen, they increase the taste of dishes and prevent problems with the digestive tract (rosehip, dill, ginger, lobelia, licorice, marjoram, lemon balm, mint, linseed, chamomile, thyme, comfrey).
4. Cut down very much, and even better give up cigarettes. Try to avoid beer, especially the light beer, because the malt contained in it increases the secretion of gastric juices. Also, do not abuse other alcohol, because it irritates the mucosa in any form.
5. Take a one-day fast once every six months (you need to drink plenty of water then) to cleanse your body a little and give your intestines a rest.
6. Take care of your teeth, if left untreated they are a habitat of dangerous bacteria. Regularly remove tartar from your teeth, use toothpastes to prevent tartar and plaque from building up on your teeth. Complete the missing teeth, because poorly fragmented food stays in the stomach longer and damages its walls by rotting. Large pieces of food can also injure the mucosa, provoking erosions.
7. Remember about vacation. Relaxation is needed not only by your psyche, but also by your body. The digestive tract is quite delicate and also needs rest.
8. Remember to relax every day. Learn to defuse your emotions. Don’t suppress anger, anger and regret. Talk about your problems with loved ones and friends.
9. Do not overuse anti-inflammatory and analgesic drugs because they promote ulcers (especially acetylsalicylic acid).
10. Take care that the clothes do not press against the abdomen. Ladies should remember about well-fitting underwear, pantyhose and skirt belts, gentlemen should not tighten the trouser belt too tightly.
11. Keeps the weight at the right level. Obesity is neither healthy nor aesthetic.
12. Remember to exercise, even less intense exercise improves intestinal peristalsis, promotes better digestion and regular bowel movements. Try to exercise outdoors or with the window open.