The stomach is pretty resilient but it can be damaged by purging and similar things. Mostly, any damage after a year of ceasing purging would be sphincter damage/narrowing or delayed gastric emptying. However, you may have had an ulcer that was not treated by PPI medication alone. Most ulcers are caused by something calld H.pylori, you need a course of antibiotics to deal with this. You need to speak to a doctor and mention this. Could you describe the pain in more detail? Whereabouts is the pain and is it burning, gnawing, sharp, dull or aching?
The pain is in my upper stomach, below my chest...it's a burning, gnawing, tender to the touch feeling that gets worse when I'm hungry.
I'd read online that ulcers could be caused by h. pylori but tbh I'm not sure if my doctor is aware of that (She's kind of older and while very nice sometimes doesnt seem to know all that much) which is why I was thinking maybe I should see a gastroenterologist. I think I"d just assumed originally it was due to purging because of the timing when the pain started.
I have pain in the same place caused by gastric reflux. It is caused by a sphincter malfunction and is pretty common in people with all kinds of eating disorders. I'd suggest seeing a different GP first and resuming PPI medication. If it doesn't improve then your GP should refer you to a Gastroenterologist who will most likely do a Barium swallow and an upper endoscopy. I wouldn't recommend going back to see a doctor who suspects an ulcer and doesn't treat with antibiotics, age is no excuse. Btw, if you've been taking antacids then I suggest you stop as long term use can cause excess acid production to compensate. In the meantime, cut down of caffeine, carbonated beverages, fatty and spicy foods. If you smoke then that can make it worse.
Thanks for the advice. I don't smoke but I do drink a ton of caffiene and carbonation from diet soda - I mean not like one or two cans but I just down the stuff all day...my one bad habit left. I'm sure that isn't helping.
is it a burny acid type of pain or more like the pain of a pulled muscle/cramp?
i've pulled muscles in my ribs and abs purging, and the pain seems to come and go but usually the same spots that were previously injured. i know purging is aggravating it more but it doesn't seem to go away even when i have stopped for a month or so. i can't really say if it would if i went a year without though cuz that hasn't happened yet.
just a thought, cuz i was convinced that it was my gall bladder or apendix or something and so did the doctor, but turned out to just be a muscle injury. if it's more the acid type of pain then i don't really have any experience besides an ulcer years ago which isn't bothering me anymore after i took the pills. acid reflux perhaps? sorry i'm not much help, hopefully someone else on here knows more.
That's okay I appreciate any input! I don't think it's a muscle pull because it feels more burn-y and acidy.... Not exactly what I thought acid reflux was like though because I thought acid reflux went back up into your throat and mine feels more localized to the stomach.
ah yeah, probably neither of those then. whenever i get the reflux thing it's usually in my throat or heart area, sometimes feels like i'm having a heart attack. if it's just down in the stomach area then i agree with the above comment about the sphincter problem. no experience but that sounds much more close to your symptoms. probably would be best to see a doctor/specialist. hope you find an answer soon! it can be so scary not knowing.
sorry for the multiple comments, but i just had a thought. maybe some kind of intestinal inflammation? the fact that you say it's tender to the touch makes me think that. i don't remember exactly what happened, but a bit ago i was had to make a 16 hour drive and had downed massive quantities of redbull and ephedrine, and ended up on the hospital (i have no insurance so it has to be really bad for me to go there) due to the stomach pain. turned out my intestines were really inflamed and swollen. i know it's not the same reason you're feeling the pain, but it could be the same deal from whatever else cause.
Thanks for the comment. I've been on acid reducers for several months now. When thy weren't working at first I was taking them twice a day even and that seemed to do the trick. I just wish it didn't keep coming back. How did your doctor determine your earlier ulcer?
Yeah, I have stomach issues all the time even though I haven't purged since August. I self medicate with tums, organic milk&yoghurt products and a certain smoking herb.
I've self-medicated with all of those but I can tell you from personal exprience and from a medical perspective that ALL of those lead to more acid production in the long term.
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However, you may have had an ulcer that was not treated by PPI medication alone. Most ulcers are caused by something calld H.pylori, you need a course of antibiotics to deal with this. You need to speak to a doctor and mention this.
Could you describe the pain in more detail? Whereabouts is the pain and is it burning, gnawing, sharp, dull or aching?
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I'd read online that ulcers could be caused by h. pylori but tbh I'm not sure if my doctor is aware of that (She's kind of older and while very nice sometimes doesnt seem to know all that much) which is why I was thinking maybe I should see a gastroenterologist. I think I"d just assumed originally it was due to purging because of the timing when the pain started.
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I'd suggest seeing a different GP first and resuming PPI medication. If it doesn't improve then your GP should refer you to a Gastroenterologist who will most likely do a Barium swallow and an upper endoscopy. I wouldn't recommend going back to see a doctor who suspects an ulcer and doesn't treat with antibiotics, age is no excuse.
Btw, if you've been taking antacids then I suggest you stop as long term use can cause excess acid production to compensate.
In the meantime, cut down of caffeine, carbonated beverages, fatty and spicy foods. If you smoke then that can make it worse.
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i've pulled muscles in my ribs and abs purging, and the pain seems to come and go but usually the same spots that were previously injured. i know purging is aggravating it more but it doesn't seem to go away even when i have stopped for a month or so. i can't really say if it would if i went a year without though cuz that hasn't happened yet.
just a thought, cuz i was convinced that it was my gall bladder or apendix or something and so did the doctor, but turned out to just be a muscle injury. if it's more the acid type of pain then i don't really have any experience besides an ulcer years ago which isn't bothering me anymore after i took the pills. acid reflux perhaps? sorry i'm not much help, hopefully someone else on here knows more.
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