Quick healing strategies for ulcer

Every healthy person enjoys eating for this is one of the pleasures of life. However, people experiencing digestive disorders like ulcers often complain of abdominal pains, among other things. Seye Adeniyi, in this report, highlights causes of ulcers and some strategies that can enhance quick healing of these abdominal wounds.

Emotional upsets and severe mental strain have been identified as common causes of gas and indigestion. However, ulcers are among the most common of all conditions affecting the human race today. There is peptic ulcer, duodenal ulcer as well as stomach ulcer. All these ulcers are classified as digestive disorders. But peptic ulcer occurs more frequently than many people believe or imagine. It is not peculiar to adults, young children may also experience it. Ulcers of the stomach however are said to be more common in women, while ulcers of the duodenum or first part of the bowel are more common in men.

Peptic ulcer can be defined as an ulcerated or eroded area of the mucous membrane that lines all the digestive organs. It occurs most frequently in the lower end of the stomach, first part of the duodenum, or lower end of the oesophagus.

Medical practitioners say too much of hydrochloric acid (HCl) in the stomach is one of the causes of ulcer in some patients while it has also been proven scientifically that most ulcers result from a stomach infection caused by a bacterium known as Helicobacter pylori. However, ulcers are said to be rarely found in people with low levels of hydrochloric acid (HCl) in their stomach. This means that the stronger the acid, the greater the likelihood of developing an ulcer.

Other things that can cause ulcer include emotional tension, old age, anger such as those brought on by family arguments also seems to play an important role in the development of ulcers.

There may be only one ulcer, but occasionally, several other ulcers may occur in the same patient. A patient may also have both duodenal and stomach ulcer at the same time and when it begins, most ulcers are usually small, probably less than half an inch across the duodenum and perhaps one inch across in the stomach, according to Drs. Olu Ajayi and Korede Ismail.

Ulcer, especially in the duodenum, medical experts believe are rarely malignant, but one ulcer in every ten occurring in the stomach may be malignant, reported Dr. Clifford R. Anderson.

• Signs and symptoms: The common symptoms of an ulcer in all the patients experiencing it is pain, which is usually sharp and severe especially after taking some kinds of foods like tea, coffee, alcohol. In a few cases, there can be a steady aching or gnawing sensation in the upper abdomen of the patients.

In duodenal ulcer, there could be complaint of pains which usually happen when the patient is hungry. The pain may even be more severe that the patient would cry. The pains may also be experienced at night, strong or painful enough to awaken the patient.

The pain according to Dr. Ismail, can be made worse after taking some types of foods. Therefore, alcohol, condiments, seasonings and coffee are some of the things that duodenal ulcer patients are usually advised to avoid. In some patients, the ulcer may give them an impression that it has gone and may not be noticed or felt for several weeks or months, but only to “resurface” or flare up again after taking alcohol, cigarette, strong wine or even when the patient get seriously annoyed over some trival issues.

This means ulcer patients should avoid emotional strain, fight or unnecessary annoyance. Another common symptom associated with an ulcer patient is heartburn or inflammation of the oesophagus. Too much of acid or high concentration of hydrochloric acid (HCC) can spill up into the oesophagus because of the spasm in the stomach and this perhaps can also lead to the development of an ulcer or even aggravate the situation.

For ulcer to be properly treated, a correct diagnosis in hospital is needed first. That is, an X-ray of both the upper and lower gastrointestinal tract would have to be done to locate where the ulcers are located within the digestive organ.

The reason for proper diagnosis and X-ray according to medical practitioners, is that the exact location and size of the ulcer is very important for treatment purposes, especially if the ulcer is in the stomach.

For instance, if the ulcer is very large, that portion of the stomach may have to be treated comprehensively and carefully. Under certain circumstances, the portion of the stomach may have to be treated specially particularly when the doctor suspect malignant growth or cancer in or around the ulcerated area.

Also if there is bigger change in the size of the ulcer or say the ulcer is getting larger in spite of medical treatment, your physician may ask you to undergo surgery. But if there is an improvement in the healing process after medical treatment, the doctor may prescribe comprehensive or further trial of treatment until the spot heals completely.

However, large duodenal ulcer should also be treated under the strict supervision of a competent medical doctor, particularly if the patient is experiencing bleeding. The goal of any ulcer treatment is to heal the internal wound and prevent if from re-occuring.

• Ulcer treatment: Treatment usually involves both mental and physical rest to allow the stomach to heal. Apart from the drugs like cimetidine, gelusil, omeprazole etc. that would be given to the patient, all the doctors who spoke with Your Health agreed that ulcer patients should embark on comprehensive treatment coupled with bed rest to ensure fast healing process. Often, if repeated X-ray fails to show normal healing within the stomach after some period, the trouble may be due to cancer and the ulcerated area may have to be operated through surgery.

Ulcer patients should not embark on self medication as it is the habit of many. They must carefully guard against serious complications, the worst being perforation of the ulcer, followed by severe haemorrhage and shock.

Diet is also very important in the treatment of any type of ulcer. Some doctors advise that milk should be the delight of ulcer patients. This is because it provides both protein and calcium in adequate quantities to aid healing process and supports the whole system. But according to Dr. Kunle Adeyemi, taking milk may not be advisable. According to him, milk contains calcium and when consumed releases this calcium, which predisposes the stomach to ulcer. Therefore, your doctor would also prescribe appropriate medications that have soothing, healing effects on the digestive system.

But patients not responding to good treatment are often advised by doctors to have surgery. One of such surgery is what is called pyloroplasty and vagotomy operation. Another type of ulcer surgery is called subtotal gastrectomy.

Ulcer patients should not wait for treatment until a stage when they may be troubled with vomiting of blood and tarry stools, which are usually due to the presence of haemorrhagic gastritis. Untreated ulcers for long period of time may also cause serious haemorrhage into the stomach or duodenum. Pertitonitis may also occur if the ulcer is left uncared for and has eroded clear through, thus allowing the gastric juices to spill out into the abdomen. These are all serious complications that can only be adequately treated by competent doctors in hospital.

Ulcer patients, doctors further advise, should always note the condition of their stools. They are counselled to regularly observe their stools and if the stool appears dark or black, the condition should be reported to doctor immediately.

•Important healing strategies: All ulcer patients including those who have had surgery should never smoke. The reason given by medical doctors is that tobacco is an irritant and could aggravate or trigger severe complications in the digestive organs. Other things ulcer patients should avoid are tea, coffee, alcohol, fasting and the use of some analgesics unless prescribed by doctors.

They should also avoid eating fried foods, roughages, chillies or chilli pepper, spices and seasonings. If they must drink beverages, it is advisable to use milk, though some doctors do not subscribe to this, water and fruity juices.

Above all, medical doctors advise them to always have sufficient rest, avoid hot argument with anybody, avoid any nervous tension, cultivate an atmosphere of peace, confidence and hope with everybody, always smile and laugh even when provoked, be tolerant in viewing the shortcomings of others and avoid all resentments. According to Dr. Anderson, if they can observe all these “fast healing strategies” and they learn to forgive others, then these actions will not only promote quick healing of the ulcers, it would also bring satisfaction and true peace of mind which are major principles of treatment for any ailment or disease.