8. Overall Loss of Appetite
People naturally avoid eating when they’re experiencing stomach upset. This is one of the reasons why soup is such a popular food when people are fighting off colds or flu. The individual simply isn’t interested in anything more solid. The same thing happens with ulcers. The digestive problems related to ulcers can create pain, nausea, and a feeling of fullness. This often causes the same loss of appetite seen with the cold or flu.
9. Extreme Hunger
Conversely, some people experience extreme hunger as a symptom of their ulcers. This is due to the brain misinterpreting signals from the stomach. The ulcer stimulates the stomach’s pain reflex. This can be somewhat similar to the feeling of hunger pangs. The feeling of hunger can also result from unconscious positive conditioning. A full stomach can sometimes reduce the pain of an ulcer. People with ulcers can start to unconsciously associate that feeling of relief with food. As such, they start to naturally crave food even when they’re not hungry.