Ulcer sufferers know there is something seriously wrong. The burning pain typically starts during the night, interrupting sleep, or between meals. It can last for hours and will disappear for days or weeks, only to return. The miserable condition can sap strength and cause the sufferer to lose sleep, creating another set of conditions that can cause lost productivity, inattention, inability to concentrate, and mistakes or accidents.
Most people will ignore initial symptoms, blaming the problem on something they ate or other conditions. But while ulcer sufferers can treat the condition with antacids and milk, more serious intervention is needed, typically with antibiotics and, in some cases, surgery if the ulcer does not heal.
THREE TYPES
There are three types of peptic ulcers:
1) Gastric ulcers – These are found on the inside of the stomach.
2) Esophageal ulcers – These occur in the tube that carries food from the throat to the stomach.
3) Duodenal ulcers – These sores occur in the upper portion of the small intestine.
All ulcers' main symptom is a burning pain caused by the ulcer and stomach acid touching it and aggravating it. Think of pouring acid on a skin wound, and you’ll have an approximation of what’s going on. The pain generated can be felt even when the stomach is empty, can radiate from the navel to the breastbone, sometimes acts up at night and may calm down for a period before returning. Severe ulcers may cause sufferers to vomit red or black blood, pass dark, black or tarry stools, experience extreme nausea, have a change in appetite, and experience unexplained weight loss.