Abdominal Pain and burning

I've had abdomminal pain right below my left ribcage since mid-march. I've been on all sorts of acid reducers since then. I've had an endoscopy, which they said I had some erosions at the stich line, gastritis and esophogitis. I started feeling better for a couple of weeks and then BOOM it started again. The gastro Dr can't figure out why I'm still hurting. I get sharp pain after eating, I have burning pain when not eating, bloating and gas build up. I've had a contrast CT scan and blood tests that showed nothing. Could it really take over 10 weeks for an ulcer to heal? I had a similar problem 2 years ago, they found an ulcer and I felt better after 4-6 weeks. I can't see a bariatric surgeon here because unless they've done your surgery, they won't see you (I had mine in MN). Suggestions? Ideas?

I forgot to mention the nausea that comes and goes. I can feel better for 4 days and then hurt for 4 days.

Very familiar...I had the same symptoms for a year and a half, and had an Upper GI, an EGD and all sorts of lab tests with no signs of anything wrong. One day, after a particularly painful bout (I would have stomach pain so bad I would double over, joined by vomiting), I couldn't figure out why I was having acid reflux when the surgery was supposed to eliminate acid reflux. Three days later, I was bleeding to death. After transfusing me with four units of blood, they said I had an anastomotic ulcer, put me on Nexium and told me to stop citrus, chocolate, caffeine, alcohol and spicy foods, which I did. Six months later, I was fighting for my life again and was transfused five units of blood. All they could tell me was that the ulcer was still active, despite the fact that I was doing everything I was supposed to. They told me I was fixed. A week later, on a trip to Disneyland with my grandchildren, I hemorrhaged again, and had another five units of blood. This time, I saw a gastric surgeon, who said the ulcer was located on the equivilent of a varicose vein in the stomach. I later learned that not only can one develop ulcers in the stomach (the anastomotic ulcer occurs in about 13% of gastric bypass patients), but one can develop ulcers all along the digestive track. If I were you, I would first make sure there is no blood in your stool (the first clue of a bleeding ulcer), then find yourself a gastric specialist (maybe at a teaching hospital****il you are satisfied. Good Luck!

Wow, that's fantastic information. Thank you so much. I'll go over this with my Gastro Dr in 2 weeks. I don't appear to have any bleeding (other than a couple of hemmoroids bleeding - but it was bright red).

Did you have ulcers in the remnant stomach or the pouch? isn't the anastimosis the connection from the pouch to the intestine?

What did they end up doing for you?

The anastomosis is the newly formed junction at the pouch. Something about creating that that causes ulcerations. My ulcer was finally cauterized, and I don't seem to have anymore problems, but I will be on Nexium twice a day for the rest of my life, as well as no chocolate, caffeine, alcohol, citrus or spicy foods. Good thing eating doesn't mean as much to me anymore!

The doctor's have not ruled out that there isn't ulcers in the rest of the intestinal track, and one surgeon seemed to think I had ulcers in my remnant stomach, which justifies Nexium twice a day.

Good luck, and I hope you get to feeling better!