Extreme pain and black vomit *sorry people, Cedar is an RN. M thinks I have an ulcer. So he makes me drink Aloe and Mint Tea.
M is correct. If M's regimen is helping you, then stay with it.
The iron in the blood turns black or dark brown as it is digested. This is called coffee ground emesis.
I have stomach problems too, Copa.
So did my mother, and daughter does, too. Traditional treatments (prilosec, maalox, antacids) do not help us. This is what we do, and it works for us.
Maybe it could help you too, Copa.
When you feel stomach pain, Pepto Bismol will coat the esophagus and upper stomach, protecting the area from stomach acid while it heals. That is what we do, when we have eaten things we should not.
So, that's for immediate relief.
We only do that when we need to. Not every day.
***
Ulcers may be caused by a bacteria, H pylori. Those susceptible to H pylori can pick it up pretty much anywhere. Not everyone is susceptible. There is some question as to whether the problem, with those of us who have stomach problems, is that we do not produce
enough stomach acid.
Caffeine free Diet Coke (in the can only and straight from the can; no straw, no ice), works better for us than Prilosec and so on. No other soda works. Diet Coke in bottles doesn't work.
I don't know why, but that is true for each of us.
When I feel that sourness in my stomach, I drink Diet Coke. Usually not even a whole can is required. Sometimes I do need more than one can, and even as many as two. Sometimes, I don't need anything at all.
It depends on what I have been eating. Cookies and sweets (chocolate especially) are very bad for my stomach.
Before we realized Diet Coke in the can was so helpful for us, we used one tablespoon of apple cider vinegar in a wine glass of water with dinner. Or with every meal and afterwords too, sometimes. This is helpful, but not as helpful as Diet Coke, in those for whom the problem is less stomach acid than required.
Try a can of Diet Coke in the evening, Copa. That is what I do when my stomach just doesn't feel right.
Just have a bottle of Pepto Bismol around, and use it when you feel stomach pain. The bismuth in Pepto Bismol is believed to prevent h pylori from adhering.
Back when I worked, Pepto Bismol would be given along with antibiotics to eradicate h pylori. I don't know what standard protocol is for ulcers, now.
I do know Diet Coke and Pepto Bismol work for us when nothing else does.
Isn't that a strange thing.
I hope it helps you, Copa. Before I knew about these things, beginning with vinegar and finally, learning about Pepto Bismol and Diet Coke, I had terrible trouble with my stomach, too.
Cedar
