Cancer Articles (Dr. S.N White)

How are bleeding ulcers treated? An individual who is bleeding from an ulcer should be hospitalized on an emergency basis. He may require transfusions to replace the lost blood and a washout of the stomach to facilitate the possibility that the bleeding will stop by itself. Other nonoperative measures for the control of hemorrhage are also employed. If the bleeding is stopped by these treatment methods, a decision should be made about the need for surgery on the ulcer in the next symptom-free interval. If the bleeding appears to be continuing, an emergency operation may be necessary to remove the ulcer or to control its bleeding. In an unsupervised situation the patient can bleed to death just as if an artery in his wrist had been cut. Many surgeons believe that a senior patient who has already had a severe bleeding ulcer episode should not be permitted to go through a second episode without surgery. The fatalities from bleeding are higher than for any other ulcer complication. One...

The crater that is the ulcer can cause bleeding by irritating the surrounding tissues or by actually eroding the wall of a nearby small or even of a large blood vessel. It is like a hole in the sidewall of a rotting water hose. The amount of blood seepage will depend on the size of the pipe (blood vessel) and the size of the leak. This is the most serious complication of ulcer disease because it is a type of internal hemorrhage. How can I tell if my ulcer is bleeding?  One may be completely unaware of the bleeding. The only symptoms may be rapidly developing weakness, dizziness and sometimes fainting. If blood is vomited, then it is obvious. The vomited blood may be bright red or have the appearance of old coffee grounds. A black or tarry stool may indicate bleeding. Not all tarry stools contain blood; a stool may be this color from certain medications, especially those containing iron. There is an immediate way your physician can determine whether the black is blood this can b...