Have no experience with this nor know anyone who has. Constant stomach pain for 6 weeks. Doc precribed Flagyl. Was already on 40 mg Protonix. No improvement. After 10 days another appointment- Nurse Practitioner prescribes Sucralfate. That was Monday. Still not noticing any improvement. No imaging ws done.
To be fair, the Doc appt was for sleep apnea. Mentioned the stomach issue.
While reading it seems that ulcer pain can grow and wane. This is constant. Chicken noodle soup is the main meal.
The question for those that have experinced this - How long should I wait to see improvement on this medicine ?
Thanks.
Not really trusting the Medical establishment as much anymore

From your post, it appears to me that no testing has been done to nail down a definitive diagnosis, and you are just being empirically treated for a presumptive diagnosis of ulcer. You don't even know if you have ulcer. Go to a GI doc and get proper evaluation and correct treatment.

I have a constant supply of Sucralfate.

I had a duodenal ulcer.

Bill,

I started with 24/7 nausea at the beginning of January.

Blood appeared in my stool, a week later. Just two days.

Turns out, I have a gastric ulcer, diagnosed via endoscopy.

I am on an acid inhibitor and anti-nausea meds for 90 more days.

It helps, a bit, but I still feel nauseous.

The only bright spot is I was so nauseated I couldn’t eat. I’ve dropped about 20 pounds.

You need to be tested for H. pylori. It is a bacteria that can cause gastritis and ulcers and a few weeks of antibiotics can get rid of it and ulcers heal.

quote:

Originally posted by frayedends:
You need to be tested for H. pylori. It is a bacteria that can cause gastritis and ulcers and a few weeks of antibiotics can get rid of it and ulcers heal.

That's probably why they prescribed the Flagyl (they made that assumption).

If you are consuming alcohol, stop until you get a diagnosis.

It may be an aggravating contributor.

As Q said see a GI doc. You need a diagnosis before starting treatment.

quote:

Originally posted by 12131:
<snip>
Go to a GI doc and get proper evaluation and correct treatment.

And get a different GP too. He should’ve referred you to a GI doc right off the bat.

quote:

Originally posted by sigmonkey:
If you are consuming alcohol, stop until you get a diagnosis.

It may be an aggravating contributor.

And caffeine. And stop smoking, if you do smoke of course. Both are aggravating factors for ulcers.

quote:

Originally posted by WaterburyBob:

quote:

Originally posted by frayedends:
You need to be tested for H. pylori. It is a bacteria that can cause gastritis and ulcers and a few weeks of antibiotics can get rid of it and ulcers heal.

That's probably why they prescribed the Flagyl (they made that assumption).

I didn’t know that was an antibiotic. Usually you get 2 different antibiotics at once for H. pylori. I would be weary of a doctor prescribing antibiotics for stomach issues without actually testing. If it’s not a bacterial infection then antibiotics are only going to hurt.

Thanks for the replies.
Yes to no specific testing. Appt with the Gastro is 2 months out.
Just wondering when to panic and seek other provider or whether I have given current prescriptions time to work.
I read that ulcer pain can come and go. This has been constant.
If I have a fever it is a low 1 degree. Not sure on the accuracy of the forehead scanner.
I know y'all aint given medical advice. Just wondering about your ulcer experiences.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: oldbill123,

Dad had the same symptoms and his GP couldn’t find anything, but was quick to proscribe different meds. The only one that helped was a series of steroids (which shrank the inflammation). after going to a GI doc, he had diverticulitis. He’d lost inches off his waist and his pants fell off. Was in Severe pain. Once the doc looked at his gut he was able to figure it out quickly

quote:

Originally posted by oldbill123:
Thanks for the replies.
Yes to no specific testing. Appt with the Gastro is 2 months out.

When I get a referral that far out for a specialist, I call either the referring physician's office or call other in network specialists myself to get a sooner appointment.

Again, I do appreciate the info. Diverticulitis may also be occurring. I'll call the GI Doc Monday.

Don’t wait, a 4cm near perforated asymptomatic gastric ulcer is, in the end analysis, what killed Father.

It gave way during hip replacement surgery.

108 units of whole blood, packed cells, platelets, and plasma, a stroke, and a 128 day ICU stay later and he never left care after that.

A good general provider would ask lots of questions to narrow down the possible causes of abdominal pain, a chief complaint that can be a minefield.

So many things can cause upper abdominal pain and we ( long time medical practitioner here) can narrow things down quite a bit with the appropriate history and physical ( which newer practitioners don’t do as good a job on as the old school guys- the new breeds has been trained to depend on lots of testing and the medico-legal environment sort of forces you to expensive testing, even if the H&P gives you your answers )

Peptic ulcer disease acid reflux gall bladder disease gallstones pancreatitis various cancers musculoskeletal pain even herpes zoster ( shingles) have all been causes of upper abdominal pain I have seen in patients.

A specific visit to evaluate is in order. Certainly a GI specialist is appropriate and 2 month lead time isn’t bad these days.

People hate it but sometimes the answer is an ER visit! At least some preliminary testing can be done that might streamline the process when seeing GI. When I worked ER I honestly would hate seeing people for chronic persistent problems (obviously really what the ER is designed for) but we helped a lot of people and expedited care when they were at wits end.

Many years ago, I was having abdominal pain after eating. My doctor said it was an ulcer and to get rid of what was bothering me. I got divorced and the abdominal pain went away!!! LOL Then the financial pain started.

The above was said in jest. I DID find out what was causing me the angst (work related) and came to the conclusion that it was out of my control... As they say in the Northeast, "forgedda bout it!"