Question:
I need a diet to go by after being told I have an ulcer.

I had gastric bypass 2 years and 4 months ago. Was told by my surg. today that I have an ulcer. Forgot to ask her what kinds of foods that I can have and what to stay away from. Please help!!!!    — Pam L. (posted on June 11, 2004)

June 11, 2004
Were you transected? If not you might have the beginings of a SLD. In general you want to avoid acid like foods and your doc should of explained all this. have you been scoped?
   — bob-haller

June 11, 2004
If you smoke QUIT NOW, smoking tends to cause ulcers.
   — bob-haller

June 12, 2004
Pam, sorry about the ulcer. First of all, please call your doctor's office and get the PCP's recommendations. I'm sure you are already planning on doing so. Secondly, I've been fighting 'pre-ulcerative condition' since I was 9. I've found that everyone is a little different about what can cause gastric-juice flareups, but the previous poster's list of what to avoid/do is extremely good. I say this from my OWN perspective. The only thing a little different for me is that I can do many spicy foods - AS LONG as they are not greasy. The reason that chili would make me sick is the grease of the burger, not the spices. When I make it as lean as possible (lean burger, browned well, broken up into very small crumbles, put in a colander and rinsed 2x with hot water, then put on a low burner to dry out even more) then I'm able to eat a small amount, even moderately spicy. Quite frankly, I don't like chili much, but you get the idea, right? You will want to experiment a bit, much take this very seriously. The pain is too much to bear if you don't make the right food choices. My stomach actually "reacts" to a particular food when I smell it - like donuts for instance. When I smell that greasy smell of frying donuts, UGH! I actually feel ill. This has made it easy for me to avoid most aggravating foods. I have esophagitis and GERD - since my early 20's. I still hope to avoid an ulcer. I was hoping that WLS would help my GERD, but didn't have much hope. Ditto from my surgeon. Well, I'm a faithful once/day nexium user, or prevacid, or whatever I have on hand. I'm 13+mos out from surgery, I eat a well-balanced diet and I'm down over 160 lbs. Since I still have GERD, I guess I'm stuck with it now. One thing that everyone with WLS needs to know is what type of medications to avoid, such as NSAIDS. Good luck to you on your journey. LAP RNY 05-02-03 336/167/??
   — Jodie P.

June 13, 2004
I have had two ulcers since my surgery 2 and a half years ago. One I am living with currently and one that had to be removed surgically. What I have learned....All foods bother my ulcers. Nexium and Aciphex works better than Prevacid. Carafate needs to be used in liquid form if you take it. Coffee is bad. Smoking is bad. Milk, grease, broccoli, cauliflour, any food that causes 'gas'...Bad Bad Bad. Oh...tomato anything...BURN!!!!<br><br>These suggestions are from my experience. I have noticed that my ulcers remain unchanged regardless of the diet changes I make, hence the removal surgery. I can be totally pain free if I take two Nexium or Aciphex per day. But if I miss one dose....PAIN!!!!! I'm curious, how does your surgeon know? Did you have an endoscopy? Because, as Bob posted, ulcers and SLD can feel the same. If the staples tear, theres your ulcer. Anyhow, best of luck to you
   — RebeccaP