You’ve stopped eating almost every meal, or you’ve been eating bland foods like crackers and bread.  You drink only water and ginger ale, and you’ve been taking Tums everyday.  But you still have this horrible ache in your stomach that comes and goes without any particular rhyme or reason.  “What’s going on with my tummy?!” you ask.

If this is the case, you probably have an ulcer.  Ulcers are small irritations in the stomach lining, and extremely common in Americans.  They can occur in kids, although that is rare and they occur most often in adults over 50.  If you smoke or drink, you’ve just increased your chances of getting an ulcer. 

While taking antacids like Tums will help reduce the pain, it won’t cure an ulcer.  If you go to a doctor, he can prescribe medicines that will help reduce the pain, get rid of the ulcer, and help prevent any from coming back.

Ulcers aren’t cancerous or contagious.  They’re mostly just a pain in the butt to deal with.  Luckily they are treatable, although you should get treated as soon as possible.  Talk to your doctor as soon as possible to help treat and prevent any ulcers from happening in your stomach.  They’re very easy to treat, and even easier to prevent.  Why deal with a never-ending tummy ache if you don’t have to?