What on Earth is...?

Question

What on Earth is an ulcer??!!
My friend has one and they keep missing school acting like the
whole world revolves around 'em. How can ulcers be
cured/stopped?! Help!?

Uhm. Nobody's helping. I was mainly wondering how they can be prevented and cured. thanks. =)

Answer 1

think of the pain of a mouth ulcer, or have you ever thrown up so badly that the stomach acids hurt your throat and lips? that's nothing to the pain from those stomach acids leaking through the ulcer. Stomach acid is more acid than a lot of chemical acids, so dont diss the friend, support them - follow the docs advice on diet and take the meds

Answer 2

A peptic ulcer is a sore or hole in the lining of the stomach or duodenum (the first part of the small intestine). People of any age can get an ulcer and women are affected just as often as men. Over 25 million Americans will suffer from an ulcer at some point during their lifetime. The good news is that most ulcers are caused by an infection with the bacterium, Helicobacter pylori, and can be cured in about two weeks with antibiotics.

Answer 3

A stomach or gastric ulcer is a break in the tissue lining the stomach. The term 'peptic ulcer' refers to those that occur in either the stomach or the first part of the small intestine that leads out of the stomach, called the duodenum. It was once commonly thought that stress, smoking and diet were the principal causes of stomach ulcers. However, the Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) bacterium is now known to be responsible for most duodenal ulcers and 60 per cent of stomach ulcers. The H. pylori bacterium also prompts many symptoms of dyspepsia, or indigestion. Treatment for stomach ulcers includes the use of antibiotics to kill the infection, and acid-suppressing drugs.

Symptoms
Some stomach ulcers are asymptomatic. The symptoms of a stomach ulcer can include:

Abdominal pain just below the ribcage
Indigestion
Nausea
Loss of appetite
Vomiting
Weight loss
Altered blood present in the vomit or in the bowel motions (occasionally)
Symptoms of anaemia, such as light-headedness.

Your friend should see a gastrointerologist that can prescribe medication to treat the ulcer. There are alot of great meds out there nowadays that one should not have to suffer so often with severe attacks. Also, diet changes are a must for someone who is living with an ulcer. I would give your friend a printout of information such as this and then when it comes up again, ask what he or she is doing to help themselves.

Answer 4

Hope this helps - sorry if it doesn't! Ulcers need medical attention - so see a doctor but in the mean time, to limit the pain avoid any acidy food such as fruit especially citrus and spicy foods such as curry or chilli as these will irritate the ulcer and cause sometimes severe pain. other rich foods and drink will also irritate the ulcer but often it depends on the person. Once an ulcer is cured it is best to continue to stay away from these types of food as they may well cause it to return.

Answer 5

Some ulcers can be cured by a simple antibiotic regimen, others can be cauterized (burned) to stop the bleeding, some people are just prone to them while others can get them from diet, stress etc. , see a Dr. and get on some good acid inhibitors such as protonix, a easy at home remedy if you have nothing else is a tablespoon of baking soda in about 2 ounces of water, tastes bad but will help temporarily.

Answer 6

A stomach ulcer (also called a peptic ulcer) is a small erosion (hole) in the gastrointestinal tract. The most common type, duodenal, occurs in the first 12 inches of small intestine beyond the stomach. Ulcers that form in the stomach are called gastric ulcers. An ulcer is not contagious or cancerous.

Answer 7

An ulcer is a sore on the inside wall of your stomach that can really put someone in tons of pain. As far as how to cure them, I'm not sure. Sorry.

Answer 8

An ulcer is a hole, or the beginnings of one. They bleed and the person so afflicted can lose a lot of blood and possible die. Stomach ulcers are dangerous. You have to watch what you eat. Nothing spicy, nothing pointy. You can take medications such as Prevacid and Tagamet to stop production of stomach acids which helps. They are dangerous and not to be made light of. H Pylori is one of the causes. Excessive worrying doesn't help. Smoking and drinking is bad for people who have them (and bad for people who don't!) Does this help you?

Answer 9

A ulcer is kinda like a canker sore,I've had ulcers most of my life the first at age 9.With meds. and diet usually ulcers can be controlled.I have found pepcid chewables( not pepcid complete just chewables) to really help with the pain well worth the money.

Answer 10

An ulcer (from Latin ulcus) is an open sore of the skin, eyes or mucous membrane, often caused by an initial abrasion and generally maintained by an inflammation and/or an infection. Or in other words, it is a macroscopic discontinuity of the normal epithelium (microscopic discontinuity of epithelium is called erosion).