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Possible Peptic Ulcer? But with no bacteria present?
I'm 22, and the job I'm with doesn't provide health insurance just yet as I just started it. I went to the ER and they took blood and stool sample, however, found no H. Pylori in either. Now, I'm no doctor, but H.Pylori would not be in my blood stream right, it would only be within the area of the stomach where heavy acids are, because that's where it harbors. So for that issue, is it possibly to have an ulcer without bacteria present, or it takes more then those 2 procedures such as a barium test, endoscopy, etc.
I was a smoker for 5 years, and I know this is the cause of my ulcer. It's a bleeding ulcer, as my stool is always covered with red blood. Like I said before, I went to the ER, but they said, go to a specialist, and slapped me with a bill for 2500 dollars which included pepto mixed with some other thing, stool/blood sample, and their time.
I'm in real pain, and just need advice. Should I bite the bullet on my credit and go to another ER to get a second opinion, or possibly just demand some antibiotics and prilosec. I mean, it can't hurt right, and if that doesn't work, I'm screwed anyway.
I was a smoker for 5 years, and I know this is the cause of my ulcer. It's a bleeding ulcer, as my stool is always covered with red blood. Like I said before, I went to the ER, but they said, go to a specialist, and slapped me with a bill for 2500 dollars which included pepto mixed with some other thing, stool/blood sample, and their time.
I'm in real pain, and just need advice. Should I bite the bullet on my credit and go to another ER to get a second opinion, or possibly just demand some antibiotics and prilosec. I mean, it can't hurt right, and if that doesn't work, I'm screwed anyway.
Whiskey, I'm sorry but I have no real insight into insurance. Hopefully, someone else will.
I really appreciate your input CalGal, thank you for responding. I think I'm just going to bite the bullet on health insurance for a short term plan, before my work benefits kick in. Do you have any recommendations for proper insurance so I can see a specialist?
I'm 22, 174 LBS, 5,9, Location is El Paso, TX - And have not been treated for any illnesses other then a UTI.
I'm 22, 174 LBS, 5,9, Location is El Paso, TX - And have not been treated for any illnesses other then a UTI.
Whiskey, you don't know it's an ulcer. The symptoms of gastritis mimic ulcerations, so unless you're putting out black, tar-like stools, you've got to assume that the upper GI issues are probably gastritis. Maybe an ulcer, but if you had that I believe you would have already been throwing up blood or something that looked pretty nasty.
You can start to help yourself by going on a GERD friendly diet, staying away from any any all medications that irritate your GI system further, and adopting lifestyle habits that may diminish what's going on in the upper portion of your GI system. You can read about diet, meds to stay away from and lifestyle changes anywhere on the web.
And if you're thinking the only way to 'cure' GERD is via fundoplication surgery, that's not the way to think. Even if you were going to a doctor, if he though this were acid problems, he'd put you on some form of acid suppression meds, ask you to eat better, and tell you about lifestyle changes. And you'd probably be on that routine for quite a long period of time, whether just trying different medications or trying to find something that would work for you. If nothing did, then he/she would probably do an upper endoscopy to take a look at what your esophagus, stomach and upper duodenum looked like. And they'd also check to see if you had a hiatal hernia. Unless you were pretty bad and had a fairly large hiatal hernia, at your age they typically won't suggest surgery. You'd probably have a long way to go before anyone would suggest surgery.
Go to www.gicare.com and go to the tab that takes you to a GERD diet. Start there. Then read about what meds you should avoid - throw that aspirin away. You take enough of that stuff, or take NSAIDs and you will have GI issues.
You can start to help yourself by going on a GERD friendly diet, staying away from any any all medications that irritate your GI system further, and adopting lifestyle habits that may diminish what's going on in the upper portion of your GI system. You can read about diet, meds to stay away from and lifestyle changes anywhere on the web.
And if you're thinking the only way to 'cure' GERD is via fundoplication surgery, that's not the way to think. Even if you were going to a doctor, if he though this were acid problems, he'd put you on some form of acid suppression meds, ask you to eat better, and tell you about lifestyle changes. And you'd probably be on that routine for quite a long period of time, whether just trying different medications or trying to find something that would work for you. If nothing did, then he/she would probably do an upper endoscopy to take a look at what your esophagus, stomach and upper duodenum looked like. And they'd also check to see if you had a hiatal hernia. Unless you were pretty bad and had a fairly large hiatal hernia, at your age they typically won't suggest surgery. You'd probably have a long way to go before anyone would suggest surgery.
Go to www.gicare.com and go to the tab that takes you to a GERD diet. Start there. Then read about what meds you should avoid - throw that aspirin away. You take enough of that stuff, or take NSAIDs and you will have GI issues.
So, basically if I don't have the bacteria, there is no hope for me really, since surgery is required.
Whiskey, I hate to be pushy about this, but if the blood is from the stomach it can't remain red and 'bloody' if the enzymes hit it as it's going through the digestive tract. It processes and changes it - it becomes black and tar-like or it looks like coffee grounds. It is not red and bloody. And things can be going on in your colon despite your age. These days a doc can't use the excuse that 'you're too young.' There is no such thing. Children and kids get inflammatory bowel disease and that produces blood - the lining bleeds and that does produce red blood.
Stool does not pass through the stomach, so maybe I'm mis-reading what you wrote. Also, if there's something in the stomach it may pool for awhile, but sooner or later you're either going to throw it up or pass it through. Stool is formed as it moves through the large intestine and until it reaches about the transverse or descending colon it isn't really a stool, it's loose and watery. The water within the fecal material is reabsorbed in the large intestine and it slowly 'compacts.' So if there's red blood on/in the stool, it's from somewhere along the descending colon/sigmoid colon or rectum and anus.
If you've got anything like gastritis or ulcerations of the stomach you shouldn't be taking aspirin. It's a further irritant to the stomach. You shouldn't be eating spicy - irritating to the stomach.
Stool does not pass through the stomach, so maybe I'm mis-reading what you wrote. Also, if there's something in the stomach it may pool for awhile, but sooner or later you're either going to throw it up or pass it through. Stool is formed as it moves through the large intestine and until it reaches about the transverse or descending colon it isn't really a stool, it's loose and watery. The water within the fecal material is reabsorbed in the large intestine and it slowly 'compacts.' So if there's red blood on/in the stool, it's from somewhere along the descending colon/sigmoid colon or rectum and anus.
If you've got anything like gastritis or ulcerations of the stomach you shouldn't be taking aspirin. It's a further irritant to the stomach. You shouldn't be eating spicy - irritating to the stomach.
A peptic ulcer has these symptoms:
Belching - When I drink or eat something spicy, it totally effects my day.
Bloody or dark tarry stools - Note, it says BLOODY or dark tarry stools, and I also looked at a diagram, and it seems a pool of blood can be in the stomach all the time, so it can't be my colon, I'm only 23. Just from the diagram it may be possible that a bleeding ulcer is present and stool passes through this pool.
Chest pain - I have this, I did an EKG when I was younger and they stated the beats we're short but a healthy heart, so it's the peptic ulcer.
Fatigue - I have this, always tired, my body will sleep 14 hours and I'll still be tired.
Heartburn - This I have, it's more gnawing in the heart area.
Indigestion - Last night, had this after cranberry juice, just a glass, my throat felt as if it wanted to throw up and would produce saliva as if ready to. Also, my chest, esophagus , especially my esophagus would be hurting, painfully, and it still does after sleeping and waking up.
Nausea - Yes, I take aspirin for this.
Vomiting, possibly bloody - Just did this today due to feeling like I wanted to throw up from drinking Cranberry juice.
Weight loss - I'm am trying to gain weight with body building and protein powders, however, it does seem I'm not gaining as I should, or I've hit a plateau. It could be the ulcer.
Belching - When I drink or eat something spicy, it totally effects my day.
Bloody or dark tarry stools - Note, it says BLOODY or dark tarry stools, and I also looked at a diagram, and it seems a pool of blood can be in the stomach all the time, so it can't be my colon, I'm only 23. Just from the diagram it may be possible that a bleeding ulcer is present and stool passes through this pool.
Chest pain - I have this, I did an EKG when I was younger and they stated the beats we're short but a healthy heart, so it's the peptic ulcer.
Fatigue - I have this, always tired, my body will sleep 14 hours and I'll still be tired.
Heartburn - This I have, it's more gnawing in the heart area.
Indigestion - Last night, had this after cranberry juice, just a glass, my throat felt as if it wanted to throw up and would produce saliva as if ready to. Also, my chest, esophagus , especially my esophagus would be hurting, painfully, and it still does after sleeping and waking up.
Nausea - Yes, I take aspirin for this.
Vomiting, possibly bloody - Just did this today due to feeling like I wanted to throw up from drinking Cranberry juice.
Weight loss - I'm am trying to gain weight with body building and protein powders, however, it does seem I'm not gaining as I should, or I've hit a plateau. It could be the ulcer.
Whiskey, the best thing I can suggest is to see if there's a clinic in your area or a hospital-based program that can give you a hand with this. It may take a bit of searching, but most towns have some kind of clinics or low-pay based programs to give people without insurance some assistance. You'll probably have to do some calling around and asking at least to check out the stool issue.
For what you're describing as an ulcer, you may want to put yourself on a GERD friendly diet and stick to it to see what happens. You can find recommendations of foods that can help or hurt on the GERD diet section at www.gicare.com. There are some big 'offenders' in the food category when it comes to upregulating acid or allowing relaxation of the lower esophageal sphincter which will end up letting acid into the esophagus. Many people try just the meds and eat what they like only to find out that the meds alone don't do the whole job. You could couple an OTC acid suppression med to a good GERD diet and give that a try for awhile to see if that's of help. The other thing to do is keep watch on your diet and keep a food log. See if the stomach discomfort might be cause by a food intolerance instead of something like an over-production of acid. There are some intolerances that can produce symptoms that people swear makes them feel like they've got GERD when they don't. So it's going to take some trial-and- error to find out and sort things out. And you're going to have to be diciplined if you're going to get an answer. Not easy, but doable.
For what you're describing as an ulcer, you may want to put yourself on a GERD friendly diet and stick to it to see what happens. You can find recommendations of foods that can help or hurt on the GERD diet section at www.gicare.com. There are some big 'offenders' in the food category when it comes to upregulating acid or allowing relaxation of the lower esophageal sphincter which will end up letting acid into the esophagus. Many people try just the meds and eat what they like only to find out that the meds alone don't do the whole job. You could couple an OTC acid suppression med to a good GERD diet and give that a try for awhile to see if that's of help. The other thing to do is keep watch on your diet and keep a food log. See if the stomach discomfort might be cause by a food intolerance instead of something like an over-production of acid. There are some intolerances that can produce symptoms that people swear makes them feel like they've got GERD when they don't. So it's going to take some trial-and- error to find out and sort things out. And you're going to have to be diciplined if you're going to get an answer. Not easy, but doable.
Mind you, I have no insurance, so how can I rule out what I have in the cheapest way possible?
You'll produce antibodies to the H. pylori and those can be detected in the blood. It's a fairly standard blood test that is used extensively to detect H. pylori when an endoscopy isn't going to be done. The endoscopy would be done if the doc wanted to see the physical 'colony' of H. pylori in the stomach.
It is possible to have gastritis - which feels very much like a true phyical ulceration - present without having the bacteria present. It's not often read about anymore since most people seem to have the bacteria, but is possible.
If you're having true blood - red - in or on your stool, this would not be connected with what is going on in your stomach. If you were bleeding in the stomach, that blood would pass through the whole of the digestive tract and be acted on by enzymes. The result would be that your stool would either be black and tar-like or it would look like black coffee grounds. The presence of red blood means that the bleeding is occuring much further down in your digestive tract. It would have to be occuring somewhere in your sigmoid colon or rectum/anus.
If you are experiencing blood in/on your stool and you have no explanation for it such as hemorrhoids you need to see a doc. An ER is not there to comprehensively diagnose. They're there to patch people up and send them into the hospital or send them home. Only a doc is going to follow through and find out what is actually going on - and he needs to be looking at the other end of your body if what you're worried about is the blood in your stool. But if you've also got stomach issues, that an entirely different issue.
It is possible to have gastritis - which feels very much like a true phyical ulceration - present without having the bacteria present. It's not often read about anymore since most people seem to have the bacteria, but is possible.
If you're having true blood - red - in or on your stool, this would not be connected with what is going on in your stomach. If you were bleeding in the stomach, that blood would pass through the whole of the digestive tract and be acted on by enzymes. The result would be that your stool would either be black and tar-like or it would look like black coffee grounds. The presence of red blood means that the bleeding is occuring much further down in your digestive tract. It would have to be occuring somewhere in your sigmoid colon or rectum/anus.
If you are experiencing blood in/on your stool and you have no explanation for it such as hemorrhoids you need to see a doc. An ER is not there to comprehensively diagnose. They're there to patch people up and send them into the hospital or send them home. Only a doc is going to follow through and find out what is actually going on - and he needs to be looking at the other end of your body if what you're worried about is the blood in your stool. But if you've also got stomach issues, that an entirely different issue.
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