This otherwise healthy 50 year old patient drank a glass of Liquid Plumber drain cleaner in a suicide attempt. This caused a severe burn to his stomach lining, but he survived the damage. After the intial treatment in the hospital, he underwent psychiatric treatment which helped his depression. On the day of the incident, he underwent a gastroscopy exam at which time the lining of his stomach was blackened from the chemical burn. Since the episode, this patient has had a difficulty eating. He experiences abdomial pain and vomiting after each meal and has been losing weight. One month later, a second gastroscopy exam was performed and there was still a great deal of ulceration and scar tissue on the stomach lining. It may take months for this patient to recover from the stomach damage which occured during this attempt at suicide. Now he not only has his depression to deal with - but now also has a chronic stomach problem to contend with - one which may not get much better.

Text & Images Courtesy of Three Rivers Endoscopy Center
© Dr. Robert Fusco, Three Rivers Endoscopy Center, All Rights Reserved