People experiencing burning pain in the stomach region 2 – 5 hours after meals may be in for something really irritating – you may have peptic ulcer!  This is one of the symptoms of peptic ulcer and is one of the most common one.  Understanding the early warning signs of peptic ulcer is very important as most people don't realize they have it until it is too late.  So before holes are drilled into your stomach, learn the symptoms of peptic ulcer and stop it at its tracks.

But before anything else, do you know what peptic ulcers are?  Of course many associated it with pain and some form of gastric juices burning your inside.  This can be a simplistic way of seeing it, but it is actually relatively accurate.  Peptic can affect the stomach (medically known as gastric ulcers) and the tube connected to the stomach called duodenum (referred to as duodenal ulcer). 

Your stomach can register pH level of 2 - that's a really strong acid!  Thankfully, you have mucus lining your stomach and intestines to protect you from the damage that it may cause.  Here's where the problem starts – either your stomach produces more acid than necessary or the mucus lining decreases.  Either way, the acid – mucus imbalance means you're in for trouble.  Soon, acid will be burning into your gut's lining and you'll have pain (that's an understatement of course). 

So who do we blame for the imbalance in your acid mucus levels?  Well, there are many culprits to choose from.  First you can blame the bacteria known as Helicobacter pylori.  In this case let's just call it ulcer bacteria.  Usually, ulcer bacteria give the person no problems.  However, since it dwells in the mucus layer of your gut, they can disrupt the important mucus acid balance.  Second probable cause is medications.  Some medicines can increase your stomach's and intestine's acidity level.  On the other hand, it can also inhibit the production of mucus.  Prolonged usage of these medications can eventually lead to ulcers.  Eating habits is also a reason for ulcers forming inside of you.  If you eat too much food that increases your gut's acidity, then you're in for a painful trip.  Likewise, your body produces more acid when you're hungry (in preparation for digestion).  So if you don't eat anything, acid increases without having to digest anything, that's also bad. 

Apart from the pain that you may feel, here are some symptoms of peptic ulcer that will really confirm that you're in deep trouble.  IF you vomit blood, this is usually not a good sign.  Get yourself checked at once!  Also, if you vomit food that you've ate hours or even days before, that's not a good sign either.  This means you were not able to digest it properly.  If you have difficulty swallowing, nausea, black stool, weight loss, weakness and anemia you may have peptic ulcer.  Some of the symptoms of peptic ulcer may resemble other problems, but it pays to get checked even if the symptom seems trivial. 

Ulcers require your attention.  But sometimes symptoms of peptic ulcer can be misinterpreted as something else.  Regardless what you think it may be, get a doctor to examine at once.