A "Gut" Feeling

Since I was 18 I have been plagued with stomach problems. Stomach problems have become so much a part of my life that I can predict exactly how it will feel and when it will happen ... or so I thought. Normally it occurs when I have an empty stomach, when I eat certain foods (like spicy or acidic foods), or when I am stressed or tired. I become overwhelmed with an awful pain in the upper abdomen, which feels almost as though I have been punched in the stomach (but instead of the pain being shortlived, it remains constant). My stomach feels raw, sore, and painful. The pain can last anywhere from an hour or so (if mild) to an entire day or a string of days even. Sometimes I have a bad bout of stomach pain followed by a period of weeks where I experience no pain at all. At one point in time the best cure for my misery was Gaviscon, an antacid in liquid form. This thick chalky drink coats the stomach and numbs the pain. This worked for me for years, but has recently been losing its effectiveness. I also find that laying down helps the pain tremendously ... sitting upright makes it worse.

In university I self-diagnosed myself with an ulcer. It had to be an ulcer. All the symptoms of an ulcer were there and my high-stress lifestyle could very well explain how they were brought on. Also, stomach problems run in the family. My mother, father, brother, grandmother, and cousin have all had some form of stomach ailment (from ulcers, to acid reflux or "heartburn" to hernias). So it was easy to make a self-diagnosis. Nonethless, when I was around 21 (after experiencing this for at least 2-3 years), I made my way to the Dalhousie medical clinic and brought it up with a doctor. She put me on Zantac (the least potent form of stomach medication) and suggested that I probably had acid reflux.

Another year passed and the pain persisted, however ... the Zantac did nothing for me. I decided to go back to the clinic once again. The doctor decided to then place me on a more potent form of stomach medication called Losec and had me tested for what is called the "H. Pylori bacteria." The H. Pylori bacteria is thought to reside in 2/3 of the world's population, but it may be asymptomatic (unnoticed) or symptomatic (meaning it causes an ulcer). It only becomes symptomatic, however, in 70% of those infected. A large majority of ulcers are caused from H-Pylori bacteria, which is thought to be passed on in families. Those ulcers rooted in it can be treated extremely quickly and effectively using a potent form of antibiotic. I was tested for the bacteria, but received no call back from the medical clinic, presumably because the test came back negative.

Another couple of years passed and I still experienced this dreadful pain. It had now become a part of my lifestyle--it was still, however, a part of my life that I could not endure. I, thus, went to my family doctor and once again explained my symptoms and all the medications I had been on thus far (this was in the early Summer, 2006). This doctor decided that the best medication was Pantaloc, a drug which not only relieves symptoms but also heals ulcers when taken for an extended period. She put me on this medication for 6 weeks. I found Pantaloc to be quite helpful in relieving my symptoms and I barely noticed any stomach irritation for several months. However, a couple of months following my 6-week administration of Pantaloc, the irritation showed up once again (this was around the time that I was diagnosed with breast cancer).

Since finishing chemotherapy, my stomach problems have become nearly out of control. As I sit here typing I feel the gnawing pain eating away at my stomach. I discussed this with Dr. MacCormick and Dr. Butler. Dr. Butler did a physical exam and said everything felt normal. He said that it was likely an ulcer caused by the H. Pylori bacteria, especially since stomach problems run in the family. He said that often times the bacteria goes undetected in blood tests and one may need to be tested more than once in order to discover it. So, H. Pylori is yet to be ruled out. Dr. Butler arranged for me to have a "scope" or gastroscopy and a stomach biopsy on March 20th. A gastroscopy is a procedure whereby a doctor places a long tube containing a sort of camera at its end through the mouth and into the stomach to see the inside of the stomach. From these tests, the doctors can hopefully get to the root of the problems I have been experiencing with my stomach for the past 7 years of my life.

The worst thing about all of this is the mental stress it has caused me the past little while. Over the past 2 weeks the pain has been extremely persistent. I think it may be the longest time I have ever experienced these pains without some break. The longest break I seem to get from it is a few hours. Why is it becoming so persistent? Recently I have become worried that I may have stomach cancer. What if there is a tumor in there that is causing the pain? What if I had stomach cancer all along and just thought it was an ulcer? I researched the symptoms of both ulcers and stomach cancer and found that the symptoms are almost identical. The only way of really knowing what you have is to be tested. My parents think I am being silly and that I most definitely have an ulcer. My doctor warned me previously that from now on every ailment I have will likely be taken much more seriously than it would have previously. There will always be that voice questioning whether or not it may be cancer.

All I can do is wait for another couple of weeks until I am able to get some answers. Let's cross our fingers and hope that it is just a treatable ulcer and nothing more.
Until then ... let me know if you've had any stomach problems (especially an ulcer) and what it felt like. Thanks!