Rose diagnosed with stomach ulcers

Derrick Rose wasn't at the Berto Center on Wednesday and the team said he was suffering from flu-like symptoms.

That's what Rose thought, too. But it turned out to be something very different.

Rose was diagnosed with two stomach ulcers. He's hoping to be able to play Friday against Orlando, but that could be challenging.

“It's real painful for me to eat, drink, swallow,” Rose said Thursday. “Hopefully I will (play). I haven't really been able to eat anything, so my energy's kind of low.”

Earlier this week, Rose thought he was suffering from a severe case of heartburn. He was given some medication, which didn't solve the problem.

“It really got bad where I couldn't sleep through the night,” he said. “I thought I was having a heart attack. That's when I called (trainer) Fred (Tedeschi) and yesterday is when I went in (to the hospital).”

Rose said he was put under anesthesia and a camera was sent down his throat to help diagnose his condition.

“I couldn't believe it,” he said. “Actually, I woke up and the doctor wasn't in there and my momma had all these pictures of my stomach and showed me where the ulcers were. There was like a nice-sized one and then a smaller one.”

Doctors aren't sure what could have caused ulcers in a 22-year-old stomach. Rose believes his diet is likely to blame.

“It hit me hard, where I thought I was eating fine,” he said. “I've got a chef and everything. But now I see I've got to stop eating spicy foods.

“That's how I like my food. Anything -- spicy chicken, Asian. No matter what, I like it spicy. Fries or whatever. I'm not eating nothing spicy for a long time.”

Asked if stress might have helped cause the ulcers, Rose dismissed the idea.

“No, we're winning,” he said. “I don't have to worry about anything. So stress, I'm not worried about that.

“Now last year and the year before that, if I would have gotten one it would have been because of stress. But I'm doing pretty good right now. If anything, I definitely have to change what I eat.”