Extremely severe stomach acid and gas

Dear Ask The Doctor: Hello, I have been having stomach problems since I was a child. Now it seems that it is becoming extremely severe and I have been trying Zantac and gas relief and neither change the pain. I have both burning in my stomach and gas. My lower abdominal area feels bloatted and it feels as if theres bubbles in my stomach. My upper abdominal area hurts towards the center and burns. At first it was only sometimes but every day. Now its almost all the time doesn't matter if I eat or dont and the medicine doesnt seem to help at all. My family does have a history of having stomach problems on my mothers side, could this be part of it? Please advise me. Thank you for your time.

Dear Maria: Hello, I understand how concerned you are about your stomach symptoms. According to your description of the events, one of the possibilities could be Gastritis which typically starts with the symptoms that you have at the momentHowever a more detailed study and examination might be needed to rule out the exact diagnosis since other possibilities like peptic ulcer might be likely as well, Anti inflammatory use and stress are also related to these symptoms. I would suggest you to consult your primary care physician to confirm the diagnosis. He might need some blood work to rule out the possibility of infection with H. pylori which is a bacteria related to Gastritis and peptic ulcer, you might need a prescription for Anti acids, Acid Blockers and possibly antibiotics, I wish you a prompt recovery.