Danestress Posted September 30, 2011 Share Posted September 30, 2011 I feel like I post a lot of "doctor hive" questions lately. Obviously I am hitting middle age, lol. I have an ulcer. It's been bothering me for six months, but I have had them in the past too. In the past, I would take Tagamet and they would go away. In fact, for years they didn't bother me, so when they started to, it took me a long time to figure out the problem. I went to the doctor and he did a blood and stool test for the bacteria - HP that causes most ulcers. Negative. Very surprised, actually. Apparently mine are caused by using NSAIDs, which I was taking a lot of because I have chronic foot problem. I have fallen arches and have had orthodics made, which really really help, but I was still using Advil to knock out the residual pain,. So now I am off the NSAIDs and taking Tagamet, but they are still just driving me crazy. The pain is moderate, but they start churning up at night and just make me feel gnawed up. I don't want to eat, and then I want to eat the whitest of carbs. The doctor did prescribe a Proton Pump inhibitor drug, but my insurance is taking it's sweet time filing it - asking for proof of need (perhaps it's the doctor's office that is taking it's time). Anyway, I am taking a lot of Tagamet, eating a lot of tums. I don't smoke. I eat well. I do drink in moderation and with food. So questions: 1. If I can't take NSAIDs, is there ANYTHING I can take for my foot pain? I know Tylenol, but I think one has to be careful not to take that too much, right? My feet hurt! 2. Is there something over the counter that people like more than Tagamet? There are so many choices, but that's what I took 20 years ago when this started, and so it's what I use now, but I wonder if something else would be better. 3. Is there a limit to how much tums I can take? 4. Are there any non-medical things people do to reduce ulcers? My doctor has said that some people just end up living with this for life - particularly when the bacteria is not involved. I really really don't want to live with this for life. I know it's minor compared to what some people deal with, but still ..... 5. If I had an uppper GI (which doc says is the next step) what would I learn from that? I don't need an upper GI to confirm ulcers. I know that's what it is. So is it worth doing it? It SOUNDs awful. Any help would be appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunriseiz Posted September 30, 2011 Share Posted September 30, 2011 babe in arms, so forgive typos. sorry you aren't feeling well. froman upper gi you could determine definitively your hp status (stool and blood are iffy). the dr can look for 'pathology' that might be related. the dr actually gets to look at your stomach and can be helpful. i haven't had one, but around here, patients are sedated, so i think it's not as bad as it sounds. on another note, i don't know why there is a problem getting a proton pump inhibitor; should be easy. one more note, sometimes, people are treated for hp eradication even if it's just suspected and not confirmed as it's so common with ulcers and can increase the risk of gastric cancer; something else to tlak to your dr about. best wishes! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danestress Posted September 30, 2011 Author Share Posted September 30, 2011 on another note, i don't know why there is a problem getting a proton pump inhibitor; should be easy. one more note, sometimes, people are treated for hp eradication even if it's just suspected and not confirmed as it's so common with ulcers and can increase the risk of gastric cancer; something else to tlak to your dr about. best wishes! I don't know what the problem is with the proton pump drug. I will be persistent about that. I have a primary and secondary insurance, so if it's just one of them, I don't really mind paying a copay if I could just get this taken care of. I also didn't know that the stool test was iffy on HP detection. Seems pretty unpleasant to then be iffy, lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amyable Posted September 30, 2011 Share Posted September 30, 2011 Our situation is different so of course take this all with a huge grain of salt - but my dh was able to greatly reduce both his symptoms from a mild ulcer/gastritis (also caused by NSAIDS) and moderately reduce his pain from his back issues by: greatly reducing his intake of sugar, to almost nothing, and eating whole foods ... no more processed lunch meat, etc. He also gave up the NSAIDS and his once nightly wine glass. He does have bread, pasta, crackers, but they don't make up as much of his diet as before. I hope you can find something that helps! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joules Posted September 30, 2011 Share Posted September 30, 2011 (edited) Wow, I'm in a similar situation except I haven't been to the doc to get the ulcer diagnosed yet. I took diclofenac and then advil until I developed adverse reactions. Then I just took aspirin until my stomach said "Cease and desist!" I'm in a cast and support for posterior tibial problems (both legs at this point). When I saw the ortho Monday, he prescribed Voltaren Gel. It's a topical version of diclofenac. Much less of it is absorbed into the blood so although it can cause GI problems, it's less likely. You might talk to your docs about it. My stomach is still killing me, even though it's been two weeks since I've had an aspirin, but I don't think the topical meds are making it worse. I just haven't gotten up the energy for yet another doctor's appointment. ETA: I am also taking the generic version of Protonix, but it isn't helping my stomach at all. Edited September 30, 2011 by Joules Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunriseiz Posted September 30, 2011 Share Posted September 30, 2011 I also didn't know that the stool test was iffy on HP detection. Seems pretty unpleasant to then be iffy, lol. lol, totally agree! the 'gold standard' is to culture it from a biopsy. also, frequently the pathologist can see it on a stained slide of the biopsy. i think if the ulcers are severe, it can take a while for anything including proton pump inhibitors to feel like they are working because the ulcers have to heal. i would also think about foods with lower acidity in the mean time, iykwim (e.g. tomatoes are highly acidic). oh also, i don't think you can take too many tums! ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lacie Posted September 30, 2011 Share Posted September 30, 2011 I have not had ulcers, but my oldest son has. Both my sons and I deal with bad acid reflux. There are two different kinds of acid medicine: Acid reducers and Proton-pump inhibitors. You can buy both over the counter. Acid Reducers - Zantac, Tagamet Proton-Pump Inhibitors - Prevacid, Nexium, Prilosec I know there are some that I am forgetting. Also, if you are on the medicine for too long you have to up the dosage or change your medicine to make it affective again. I have been on medication for my stomach since I was a child. I started with Tagamet and when I maxed it out on dosage they switched me to Zantac and when I maxed it out they switched me back to Tagamet... this continued until now. You can take one Acid Reducer and on Proton-Pump Inhibitor at the same time, if needed for your problem. My sons doctor told us to double his medication dosage for two weeks to help with his ulcer. They also put him on a liquid rx tha coated the stomach. Sorry it got long. HTH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunriseiz Posted September 30, 2011 Share Posted September 30, 2011 I have not had ulcers, but my oldest son has. Both my sons and I deal with bad acid reflux. There are two different kinds of acid medicine: Acid reducers and Proton-pump inhibitors. You can buy both over the counter. Acid Reducers - Zantac, Tagamet Proton-Pump Inhibitors - Prevacid, Nexium, Prilosec I know there are some that I am forgetting. Also, if you are on the medicine for too long you have to up the dosage or change your medicine to make it affective again. I have been on medication for my stomach since I was a child. I started with Tagamet and when I maxed it out on dosage they switched me to Zantac and when I maxed it out they switched me back to Tagamet... this continued until now. You can take one Acid Reducer and on Proton-Pump Inhibitor at the same time, if needed for your problem. My sons doctor told us to double his medication dosage for two weeks to help with his ulcer. They also put him on a liquid rx tha coated the stomach. Sorry it got long. HTH :iagree: The prescription PPIs are stronger, but you could try an OTC one. And do ask about something to sooth yoru stomach! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mabelen Posted September 30, 2011 Share Posted September 30, 2011 The only thing I can add to the advice already given is to drop the alcohol to only very special ocasions, limit spicy foods intake and increase yogurt intake. One other thing I was told was to not eat anything within 4 hours of going to bed. Dropping alcohol definitely helped with my problem. I am drinking a lot more green and herbal tea and sparkly cider as substitutes. Also, last night I had pineaple and I could feed the acidity not sitting well in my stomach, so I had yogurt right after and it was able to counteract the acidity effects. All the best. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danestress Posted September 30, 2011 Author Share Posted September 30, 2011 I have to drive 5 hours today, and I am so miserable. I am stopping at the drug store today with your lists. Very helpful!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danestress Posted September 30, 2011 Author Share Posted September 30, 2011 I was told was to not eat anything within 4 hours of going to bed. I wake ups with a gnawing, hungry feeling even though I probably am not truly hungry. So sometimes I eat before bed to try to avoid waking "hungry." It probably doesn't help anyway though, so thanks for the reminder. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blueridge Posted September 30, 2011 Share Posted September 30, 2011 :grouphug: My dh had ulcers that hemorrhaged several years ago, and he had to have them cauterized. Here are some recipes that I used to help him recover. http://heartburn.about.com/od/dinnermenus/Dinner_Menus_for_the_Acid_Reflux_Diet.htm He's doing well, now. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KS_ Posted September 30, 2011 Share Posted September 30, 2011 I have an ulcer that was caused by too much ibuprofen when I was younger. I've been using DGL for years now for it - I used it daily for awhile when I was working on healing the ulcer, and then only occasionally after things were better. I've had a flare-up recently and have also started using l-glutamine in addition to the dgl. I haven't taken any OTC acid reducers for 8 years probably. I'm not sure what caused the recent flare-up, although I did take a small amount of ibuprofen in the past few weeks (normally, I don't take any OTC pain meds anymore). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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