Ulcer....

twizliz · 06-19-2004, 11:59 AM

I have had a lot of health problems lately. It all started with anemia, and my iron stores were very low. Since then I have lost a lot of weight, my blood pressure has gone up and I recently found out that there is blood in my GI tract. Yesterday at work, I threw up and there was some blood in it. Does this sound like an ulcer?

janson · 06-21-2004, 04:42 AM

It can be an ulcer in the stomach or esophagus but it also could be a cancer or ruptured varicose veins in esophagus ( this last, if you would have liver disease). It seems that you have been bleeding constantly for quite some time - from here are low iron stores. Please go to the doctor, it's serious. Esophagoscopy is needed for diagnosis.

lori j · 06-21-2004, 06:13 AM

By the time you throw up blood from an ulcer, you are usually in a lot of pain from it. Have you had pain in your upper region, just under your ribs?

twizliz · 06-21-2004, 03:53 PM

yeah, I've had a lot of pain right under my ribs recently. The other night the pain was so bad I went to the emergency room and they said the pain was from constipation (since I am taking such high doses of iron). They also said that my potassium was really low and had to drink this horrible tasting potassium suppliment. I have an appointment on Wednesday with a gastrointeroligist (SP?) to see what is causing the pain and anemia.

Nervous Nellie · 06-21-2004, 04:04 PM

Hi Twiz,

I used to vomit blood too, I was nauseous all the time, and couldn't keep any food down...not to mention the burning pain that went right through my chest into my back. By the time I was vomitting blood and admitted to hospital I had a duoedenal ulcer the size of a baseball. Not cool.

I had had ulcers since my 20's, I was then mid-thirties. Used to take Zantec, but it only masked the symptoms and kept the acid flow from being produced in my stomach.

The cure was the triple therapy for the H pylori bug and since that time, about 10 yrs ago...no more ulcers.

Good luck on Wednesday!

Karen