There's a Hole in My Stomach -- Ulcer -- H. Pylori - Digestive Disorders Message Board

robinreese · 10-18-2003, 10:00 AM

After no symptoms, a month ago I had sudden violent abdominal pain, my stomach became hard as a board and I violently threw up a lot of what looked to be coffee grounds -- dried blood. I was checked into a hospital in San Francisco, CPMC, where I was stabilized with IV's and given morphine every two hours for 5 days. Nothing could pass through my stomach -- not air, gas, water, or food. Numerous tests revealed "nothing" to be the cause but the pain and bloating continued. An ulcer was ruled out early because they could see no evidence of one -- the tests given were MRI, CT scan, sonogram, x-ray, blood work and, finally, laparoscopy. (An upper GI tract barium test was given later.) Everything inside looked healthy but, during the laparoscopy, they saw remnants of a ruptured ovarian cyst so, prematurely, that became their diagnosis and I was released from the hospital. Of course that diagnosis was over-turned several days later -- I was still feeling miserable! -- when a lab report determined the necrotic tissue from the cyst was over three months old. The lab also found that stomach fluid was outside my stomach and it was infected. It contained something called eosinophilia. So I was once again a mystery and checked back in to have an endoscopy. That test revealed that I had a diverticulum, a kind of hole -- an inch and a quarter in diameter -- in my stomach. It was something the doctors said they'd never seen before. They also saw evidence that an ulcer had been in that hole and suggested that was the reason the miserable sore didn't show up on any of the other tests -- it was hidden! Their diagnosis is now "Peptic Ulcer Disease". I was also informed that I have "acute inflammation of the stomach lining" and "acute gastritis". Of course, I was found to be positive for the nefarious Helicobacter Pylori bacterium, so I've just embarked on a fourteen day “relationship” with all these poisonous pills. (!) I feel simply awful. But I understand that before I can begin to heal, I need to eradicate these bacteria as this is the first step on the path to eventual healing. I can tolerate eating just about nothing still and am on a special bland/no fiber diet. I'm writing this forum to provide general anecdotal information and also wondering: Has anyone ever heard of a diverticulum in the stomach? Could an ulcer have created the hole? Does the hole need to be fixed surgically? Has anyone else had these problems with no prior symptoms? I must add that I am 51, slim and quite fit. The majority of my diet has always been fresh organic produce, grains and lean meats. My doctors say the photos of my organs look like a teenager’s so my general diet must have been working all these years.

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~Robin

actudan · 10-18-2003, 11:12 AM

Wow, sorry to hear your story. You must have felt miserable and you may be luck to be alive. Diverticulitis is inflammation of an abnormal pouch (diverticulum) in the intestinal wall usually located in the colon. There is also what's called Meckel's diverticulum which is a common congenital formation that consists of a small pouch called a diverticulum, located off the wall of the small bowel. The diverticulum may contain stomach or pancreatic tissue. This may be related to what you have.

An untreated ulcer can perforate through your stomach which is a hole. Usually you will have symptoms of an ulcer (pain) before it reaches this stage but not always. I know someone that one day all of a sudden collapsed and was rushed to the hosiptal. He had an ulcer that had perforated through the stomach causing a lot of internal bleeding. He was given blood and required surgery.

If an ulcer doesn't heal, surgery may be required. I was dx with acute gastritis and duodenitis along with a duodenal ulcer 6 months ago. I had a lot of pain following shortly after meal and I was bloated all the time. I started passing black tarry stools which I knew could be upper gi bleeding so I went to the hospital. My ulcer was caused by NSAIDS and not the bacteria.

Hopefully the anitbiotics will kill the h-pylori bacteria which it usually does in most cases. H. pylori peptic ulcers are treated with drugs that kill the bacteria, reduce stomach acid, and protect the stomach lining. Antibiotics are used to kill the bacteria. Two types of acid-suppressing drugs might be used: H2 blockers and proton pump inhibitors. There are several approaches to killing the bacteria. Some folks require more than one dose of treatment for sucessful results.

Many people unknowingly carry the h-pylori bacteria w/o even knowing it. But there are cases like yours where the bacteria can cause damage. Also, the older you get, the more at risk you become.

Good luck with your treatment and I hope all goes well.

robinreese · 10-19-2003, 12:06 AM

Thanks for your quick reply to my post. I learned about diverticula in colons and other places but never in a stomach and that's why I'm mostly interested in other cases where a hole or diverticulum was found in a stomach. I'm thinking the ulcer was there a long time and was working it's way through the stomach lining? And maybe the ulcer finally perforated the stomach, caused the hole, and that's why the stomach fluid was outside the stomach, in the abdomen. I forgot to mention that a gastric obstruction was created at the same time I was throwing up all the blood -- maybe the old blood was remnants of a ruptured ulcer? I also wonder what would cause an ulcer to rupture? Also, although I've known for a year that something was seriously "wrong" with me, I couldn't put my finger on a salient symptom. I certainly never had the acid reflux symptoms and pain that other folks mention. I must add though, that that same year found me entirely caught up in an enormous blood-sweat-&-tears project that ended, literally, the night before the day I had the "event" that led me to the emergency ward. Maybe my body just said, "enough!"

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~Robin

Saraly · 10-19-2003, 05:33 PM

Robin, make sure you eat a lot of yogurt and take a high quality probiotic while you're taking the mega doses of antibiotics for the H Pylori. I finished Prevpac last week and still have a yeast infection and a sore red tongue ( also from yeast). I ate yogurt and took three probiotic capsules a day and it didn't prevent an attack of the "yeasties".

robinreese · 10-19-2003, 07:12 PM

Thanks, Saraly. I have been eating yogurt but I've also been wondering if I shouldn't be waiting until AFTER the PrevPac has done it's work. Maybe the probiotics counter the effects of the antibiotics? I certainly don't want to go through this again! Just wondering..
~Robin

[This message has been edited by robinreese (edited 10-19-2003).]