ulcer?

i have been getting a gnawing burning pain in the very pit of my stomache off and on for 5 months that comes and gos  and is getting worse--the pain radiates into my chest and mid back and is worse with activity esp bending over ,i saw a clinic doc who asked me if i drink or smoke-- no too both-- and do i take alot of ibuprofen type meds--nope tot hat too-- have been under tons of stress,,he pressed on my tummy in the pit of stomache area and it was very very sore--he said i have a peptic ulcer and gave me a sample of tectra to take for 2weeks and then come back--dont i need to know if it is for sure an ulcer and if it is h pylori???was expecting to be sent for some sort of tests but he didnt ,,does this sound right???i am fem 38  need to lose weight ,health is -ok-- in general

[Ratnakar Kini, MD]

Hi,
The symptoms could be due to peptic ulcer/GERD.
An upper GI endoscopy along with 24 hours pH monitoring test should be done for evaluation.

Though H.pylori infection has to be confirmed with tests like breath test/biopsy, sometimes doctors straightaway start treatment for H.pylori without doing these tests when they suspect peptic ulcer as H.pylori infection is the most common cause.