Most of the time you won't even know you have one unless it starts bleeding. Signs of bleeding will be vomiting blood or stuff that looks like coffee grounds, or dark black, tarry stools that usually smell exceptionally bad. If you have pain, it's usually similar to heartburn that starts in your chest and can go up to your throat. If the ulcer is in your stomach, eating will usually make the pain worse, and anatacids won't help. If it's in the duodenum (part of the small intestine) food and antacids will usually make it feel better, and the pain might wake you up in the middle of the night.
If you go see your doctor, it's a pretty straightforward diagnosis except that they might need to put a camera down your throat to check for bleeding and stop it if it is. If it's an infection, you'll get antibiotics and something like Nexium or Prilosec. If it's not an infection, it's probably due to taking too much aspirin, ibuprofen, or aleve, so they'll tell you to switch to Tylenol instead.
Hope that helps,
Brad
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