Home remedies.

[dylan's alias]

[ QUOTE ]
You see, that we are talking about things like nausea, headaches, etc, not threatening illnesses like diabetes, malaria, and trichinosis. That was the sole intention of this thread. Perhaps my symptoms are more severe, but any doctor would probably prefer to hear that I am using milk rather than a bottle that explicitly tells you to take no more that 4 pills a day for two weeks.

[/ QUOTE ]

I'm a doctor. I am not pleased that you guzzle milk to soothe your stomach. Based on your symptoms, you may very well have a stomach ulcer. Yes, milk soothes the discomfort, but it comes back multiple times through the day, so obviously the problem is not being addressed. These ulcers, if not treated properly, can erode into arteries and cause massive bleeding (and sometimes death). Milk will not prevent any of these problems, but it may make you feel a little better in the interim.

So, as I doctor, you need to go see a doctor. You may need tests, possibly an endoscopy, and you should be treated for the specific problem that you have.

Plus, did you know that nausea and abdominal discomfort are a frequent symptom of heart attacks, especially in women?

There's nothing wrong with home remedies for things that go away quickly, but it is a potentially disastrous mistake to keep being your own doctor. You know the saying that the man who is his own lawyer has a fool for a client - well it is much worse to be your own doctor, especially when you have no training.

[daveT]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
You see, that we are talking about things like nausea, headaches, etc, not threatening illnesses like diabetes, malaria, and trichinosis. That was the sole intention of this thread. Perhaps my symptoms are more severe, but any doctor would probably prefer to hear that I am using milk rather than a bottle that explicitly tells you to take no more that 4 pills a day for two weeks.

[/ QUOTE ]

I'm a doctor. I am not pleased that you guzzle milk to soothe your stomach. Based on your symptoms, you may very well have a stomach ulcer. Yes, milk soothes the discomfort, but it comes back multiple times through the day, so obviously the problem is not being addressed. These ulcers, if not treated properly, can erode into arteries and cause massive bleeding (and sometimes death). Milk will not prevent any of these problems, but it may make you feel a little better in the interim.


[/ QUOTE ]

This is fascinating. I went to the hospital about one year ago for stomach flu/ food poison. I told the doctor about my acid problem because I thought this would be important to tell about because I was spouting pure acid. (sorry guys) And yes, it is called acid for a reason, believe me.

I am not trying to be a smart-ass. I am being serious. I told the doctor about my heartburn and what I do to prevent it, and I also told the doctor that I was highly concerned about this because before my "explosion," I had serious heartburn.

So, was I not properly diagnosed/ treated? I would hate to lay another law-suit on Hollywood Pres, but screw 'em for charging me 5k.

What is the proper procedure for diagnosing this problem? And why would a responsible doctor allow someone to check out after my condition if there should be further concerns?

[dylan's alias]

The truth is, I'm a lung doctor, and its been a while since I dealt with primary care for acid problems.

As I remember, there is a blood test for H. pylori (a bacteria that causes ulcers). The test only indicates exposure (which is very common, but then again, so are ulcers). A check for anemia would also be standard.

Triple therapy (two weeks of a proton pump inhibitor and two antibiotics - I think Biaxin was one) was extremely effective in curing the ulcers. If symptoms persisted after treatment, or if the patient was high risk before treatment (anemic, complaining of bloody or tarry stool) then an endoscopy (camera in the stomach) is the next step.

Again, I'm not a GI expert, but this was the standard about 5 years ago when I last dealt with this stuff.

[daveT]

Hmmm....

Well this is starting to concern me. I will go for a second opinion soon. Thank you.

[Blarg]

When the link between H. pylori and ulcers got popularized in the mainstream press, I read that it was now considered the cause of ulcers -- outside of something like swallowing acid I guess. Is that correct?

[daveT]

Definitely researching this now.

Seems that this virus is responsible for peptic ulcer, but only effects about 1/3 of the people that have it.


Too much pain-killers.

Nonprescription NSAIDs include aspirin, ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin, others), naproxen (Aleve) and ketoprofen (Orudis KT).

I guess acetamanophin (tylenol) isn't included here.

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/pep...242/DSECTION=3

[dylan's alias]

H. pylori is a bacteria, not a virus. It is the cause of many (but not all) ulcers.

Tylenol is not a cause of ulcers, but pretty much all other non-narcotic pain killers are, including aspirin.