A gnawing or fiery pain in your upper abdomen soon after eating may be a sign of a gastric ulcer. While some people experience pain shortly after eating when they have an ulcer, others find that having food in their stomach relieves the pain. The pattern of your symptoms may vary according to the location of the ulcer, or a sore in your stomach lining that is most often caused by an infection with Helicobacter pylori bacteria or by the use of certain anti-inflammatory pain medications.
Causes of Pain
The acids and enzymes in digestive juices allow your body to break down and absorb the nutrients you consume. During normal digestion your stomach lining secretes acid, which breaks down the foods you've eaten into smaller particles. In a healthy digestive tract, the gastric mucosa, or the mucus-coated lining, protects the underlying tissues from the erosive effects of digestive acid. In the presence of an ulcerated area in the lining, pain occurs when acidic digestive juices make contact with stomach tissues. If an ulcer is left untreated, digestive acid may erode the stomach itself, potentially leading to an internal abdominal infection, warns MayoClinic.com.
Ulcer Location
Peptic ulcer disease involves the formation of ulcers in any area of the lining of your digestive tract. Gastric ulcers, which occur in the stomach itself, and duodenal ulcers, which occur in the first segment of the small intestine, are the most common. Many people may have eroded areas in the gastric mucosa without experiencing pain, possibly because the lining itself is not rich in pain fibers, note S.L. Lewis, R.N., Ph.D., and co-authors in the 2007 edition of "Medical-Surgical Nursing." Pain in the epigastrium, or the upper portion of the stomach, soon after eating may indicate that the lining has been eroded completely and the underlying tissues are being exposed to digestive acid. An ulcer in the pyloric channel, or the opening between the stomach and the duodenum, may trigger pain after eating. Inflammation, swelling and scarring in the tissues of this channel can block the area, creating an obstruction that can cause nausea, vomiting, bloating and an abnormal sense of fullness.
Complications
Internal bleeding is one of the most common complications of a stomach ulcer. Blood in your stool, weakness, thirst or dizziness may be signs of hemorrhage. Vomiting bright red blood or dark material that looks like coffee grounds may also indicate that an ulcer is bleeding. A severe gastric ulcer may lead to a perforation, or the formation of a hole in the stomach, a potentially life-threatening condition that may require immediate surgery. Pain following a perforation is sudden and severe and may spread from the abdomen to the shoulders. Intense, acute abdominal pain is a medical emergency that must be treated immediately.
Preventing Pain
Treating a gastric ulcer may begin with antibiotics if your doctor determines that an H. pylori infection is causing the erosion in your stomach lining. Your doctor may also prescribe medications to promote healing of the stomach lining and block the production of stomach acid, which gives the ulcerated tissues time to heal. Antacid medications can relieve gastric ulcer pain by neutralizing acids. Quitting smoking, a habit that worsens ulcer pain and slows wound repair, may relieve pain and promote healing. Although clinical evidence has not verified that certain foods can worsen gastric ulcer symptoms, foods that trigger pain should be avoided. Your doctor may recommend surgery to reduce stomach acid production if medication and lifestyle changes do not resolve the ulcer.
References
- MayoClinic.com: Peptic Ulcer; January 6, 2011
- Merck Manuals Online Medical Library: Peptic Ulcer Disease; Sidney Cohen, M.D.; January 2007
- "Medical Surgical Nursing, 7th Edition"; S.L. Lewis, R.N., Ph.D., et al.; 2007
- National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse: Your Digestive System and How It Works; April 2008
