No Diagnosis; Symptoms Persist...GALLBLADDER?!

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ThriftyChica12
ThriftyChica12 Posts: 373 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Here is a complete picture of what I have been going through, health-wise, for the last couple months. Lately I have seen some improvement, but not much. I am not sure yet what all of this means, and I am determined to figure it out and address it with nutrition, saving surgery or meds for a last resort:

Symptoms:
Rolling nausea that comes and goes, indigestion and belching (even with small amounts of food), DEEP BELCHING (sometimes starts suddenly, hours after last eating), pain in my R ribs and abdomen that gets worse after physical labor/work, loss of appetite.

Tests I've Had Done:
blood work for my pancreas and liver function (results were normal), an ultrasound of my gallbladder to look for stones or inflammation (results were also normal), physical exam by doctor (she was able to press my abdomen and ribs with no real pain resulting).

Possible diagnoses that have been offered:
Gallbladder issues (suggested by doc, amended when the tests were all normal), tightness or improper functioning of my diaphragm (suggested by my wholistic chiropractor).

Treatments I have tried:
detailed food-symptom journal and careful eating, peppermint tea, kombucha, chiro-adjustments, etc.

Things that make it WORSE:
Eating late at night, eating a large amount of food in any one sitting (more than 1 or 2 c of food total by volume), going too long WITHOUT eating, eating fatty or fried foods, sometimes even just eating nuts or nut butters, physical exhaustion from working

Things that (usually) make it BETTER:
eating small meals, eating often throughout day, eating only foods i make at home (ie: no restaurant food), eating bland food (ie: plain grains, steamed veggies, etc).

Questions I have:
-IS it my gallbladder? If so, can healthy eating cure this, or is surgery inevitable?
-Are the rib pain (worse when lifting or working) and the nausea/digestive related, or just two seperate problems?
-Must I eliminate ALL fats (oils, nuts), and is it healthy to do so?
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Replies

  • EyeWant2bethin
    EyeWant2bethin Posts: 25 Member
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    It is possible your not in complete failure of the gallbladder. How many calories are you consuming per day, and how much exercise are you doing? Do you consume enough fiber and protein? Does your diet consist of spicy foods or greasy foods? I and my family have a long history of gall bladder deficiencies. there are several stages let me know and I will tell you what I know about it. Not medical advise, just trying to help.
  • katznkt
    katznkt Posts: 320 Member
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    Sounds like a possibility. My friend had to have hers removed. Pain was intermittent but extremely painful when it occurred. She is all better now that it is out.
  • kanstulpants
    kanstulpants Posts: 20 Member
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    Your symptoms do sound gallbladder-ish... My co-worker's husband had the belching/nausea problem before he finally got his out.

    I had my gallbladder removed two months ago. My only symptom for a year and a half was occasional mild upper back pain (slowly getting more frequent) that would sometimes wrap around my chest and I would feel like my bra was too tight. Most of the time it was just my back and I thought it was a muscle issue (like maybe I was slouching too much or something).

    About two weeks before the surgery I started feeling soreness around my rib cage that would get worse with physical activity. I thought it was muscle strain from an event where I had spent several hours slightly bent over a table working on stuff, but it was getting worse instead of better. Then I thought maybe it was inflammation, but, pressing on my ribs caused no pain.

    Finally, it escalated into burning chest pain, burning on my left side, and burning/fullness in my stomach. I ended up in the ER and after tests and an ultrasound they told me I had an angry gallbladder. (Complete surprise, I had no idea anything was wrong it before that.) Oddly enough, I never had any abdominal pain around the gallbladder area until right before I walked into the ER, and then I didn't even mention it at first because I thought it was just a cramp in my side from the way I had been sitting in the car.

    I had surgery the next morning, and my gallbladder was severely inflamed and had gangrene. The surgery itself was super easy and I've had no problems eating anything, though I have read that a small number of people can end up with "permanent" IBS.
  • ThriftyChica12
    ThriftyChica12 Posts: 373 Member
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    thanks everyone for all the feedback...maybe it IS my gallbladder, even tho ultrasound was normal. many people told me that i should also ask for a "HIDA scan" and other tests...just because my gallby looked normal on an ultrasound (no stones) does not mean that i am completely out of the woods.

    the frustrating thing is that, though i DO have health insurance (for the first time in years), my damn deductible is SO HIGH: i have to pay out the first $3,000 out of pocket before my health insurance pays ANYTHING. like most young people working two jobs, i don't exactly have 3000 bucks laying around to spend on a medical wild goose chase that may or may not lead to a diagnosis.

    i have already spent $500 just on the tests i mentioned in the original post; they SEEMED to rule some stuff out, but ultimately, yielded no diagnosis :(
  • chuckinstuff1
    chuckinstuff1 Posts: 6
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    You should ask the hospital or your doctor to work with you for a payment plan. I had to have a procedure done and they were very nice to work with the costs and reduce some of it based on income and them set up a payment plan. Its costly but better than living in pain. There are many options available. But I never put my health to the side because i can "afford" it. I cant afford to be so sick i cant work either!
    It may help to see a different physician, or a specialist if you havent already.
  • just_Jennie1
    just_Jennie1 Posts: 1,233
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    Get yourself checked for celiacs before you do anything that involves surgery to remove your gallbladder. It's actually a pretty darn risky surgery and if all tests point to nothing being wrong with it then don't have it removed.

    My sister was having major issues, stomach cramps, sickness etc. etc. and she went to the doctor and hospital. They ran tests and concluded her gallbladder was fine however they insisted that she get it removed 'just because'. She did the smart thing and got a second opinion. Other tests were run and it turned out she had celiacs.

    Please, please PLEASE get a second, third, fourth hell a HUNDREDTH opinion before you even consider having your gallbladder removed.
  • kanstulpants
    kanstulpants Posts: 20 Member
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    Yes - I agree with getting a second/third/ opinion, etc. My uncle was having GI issues, and they did an ultrasound and said he had polyps in his gallbladder. He had it removed, but it didn't solve his problem. (He also lives in a rural/small town area where they don't always have access to good doctors)

    There is always a risk when having surgery, but I don't think gallbladder removal in particular is more risky than anything else. Many people have it done laparoscopically as an outpatient procedure.

    Something to think about though, waiting too long could potentially cost you more, depending on your situation. I was admitted through the ER and spent two nights in the hospital with a drain and IV meds. There were extra charges because it was an "emergent" situation. I had no choice of surgeon or anesthesiologist, but fortunately they did a good job. (As I was being taken back to my room, there was another man who had just come out of surgery with a different surgeon and was being taken back for a CT scan. One of the techs was my brother-in-laws aunt, so later I found out that surgeon leaves the room and his residents perform the surgery unattended, and then some of his patients end up with complications). Also, the anesthesiologist did not accept my insurance, so I had to pay more since he was not in my "network".

    All of that could have been avoided if I had been able to have a scheduled outpatient surgery, but since my symptoms were so mild until it was too late I didn't have a clue.
  • ThriftyChica12
    ThriftyChica12 Posts: 373 Member
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    thanks EVERYONE who has shared advice and experience!!! lots for me to think about, try, and research.

    just posted my food for the day, so u can see an example of how i eat when i am eating "carefully", and u can see some brief journaling about my symptoms in the "notes" section.

    fortunately, not too many symptoms today, but still, that damn belching and gas pressure.
    weeks ago it was worse: i had loss of appetite and frequent nausea....i think that i may be getting "better" since i have been avoiding certain foods, and avoiding overeating, lately.
  • rachelamber_x
    rachelamber_x Posts: 104 Member
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    Could it be dyspepsia (acid reflux/heartburn)?

    You didn't mention a burning sensation, but all your symptoms fit with the other dyspepsia symptoms, and the things you said make it worse definitely fit.
  • tmauck4472
    tmauck4472 Posts: 1,785 Member
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    thanks everyone for all the feedback...maybe it IS my gallbladder, even tho ultrasound was normal. many people told me that i should also ask for a "HIDA scan" and other tests...just because my gallby looked normal on an ultrasound (no stones) does not mean that i am completely out of the woods.

    the frustrating thing is that, though i DO have health insurance (for the first time in years), my damn deductible is SO HIGH: i have to pay out the first $3,000 out of pocket before my health insurance pays ANYTHING. like most young people working two jobs, i don't exactly have 3000 bucks laying around to spend on a medical wild goose chase that may or may not lead to a diagnosis.

    i have already spent $500 just on the tests i mentioned in the original post; they SEEMED to rule some stuff out, but ultimately, yielded no diagnosis :(

    sludge in a gal bladder will not show up in an ultra sound, only stones will. You can still have a bad gal bladder. Make them do a swallow test that traces your food as it digests thru the gal bladder
  • DebbieLyn63
    DebbieLyn63 Posts: 2,650 Member
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    I had a bad gallbladder attack once that literally felt just like labor pains right at the base of my middle ribs. Contractions that came and went, getting stronger every time, plus nausea. Ultra sound showed no stones, but dr felt it was still Gallbladder so he sent me for a HIDA scan. My GB was contracting backwards, forcing the bile back up into my liver. They took it out and I was fine ever since.

    Not saying this is what you have,tho. Yours sounds more like a possible hiatal hernia. Are you very short waisted, and have you have kids, or been very large in your stomach? Sometimes part of your stomach can get pushed up into the esophagus thru the diaphragm, causing pain, nausea, and indigestion. I have that as well after 3 kids. Large meals, especially greasy meals, will cause me bad problems. Oftentimes it also feels like I have swallowed a golf ball, and pain will travel down my food pipe. This happens if I eat too fast, especially things like rice.
  • evileen99
    evileen99 Posts: 1,564 Member
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    It could also be a hiatal hernia. Both of my parents have this and their symptoms are all found in your list.

    Ignore the "tightness of the diaphragm" crap.
  • WrenTheCoffeeAddict
    WrenTheCoffeeAddict Posts: 148 Member
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    Actually, it sounds to me more like a stomach problem than gallbladder. I had my gallbladder removed after it completely died, and had 13 hospital visits prior to that where the hospital didn't seem to have any idea what was wrong. They didn't think to do an ultrasound. When they finally did, they saw the gallstone easily. If your CT scan is showing normal, and they can put preassure on your stomach with little pain, it's unlikely to be your gallbladder.

    Horrible as it is, I'd suggest you request a Gastroscopy. It's not nice, but it will give the doctors a clear view into what's going on in there.
  • Bootzey
    Bootzey Posts: 274 Member
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    Have you tried a liver flush???
    http://curezone.org/cleanse/liver/default.asp

    A colonic works too
  • semarsh12
    semarsh12 Posts: 77 Member
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    I had the SAME EXACT symptoms about 2 or 3 years ago. I had pain and would get worse when I ate but then it would hurt if I didn't eat. It felt like hunger pains but as soon as I ate I would wish I hadn't. It would happen for a few days then go away, comeback a week or so later. I had ultrasound, bloodwork, etc but everything came back unremarkable. I am sorry to say, but nothing was ever found and I didn't really do anything except eat Jello/popsicles/applesauce when I was having these pains. Eventually, the pain stopped and I haven't had any problems in over 2 years. Weird. Good luck, I hope it subsides soon.
  • laserturkey
    laserturkey Posts: 1,680 Member
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    Have you tried a liver flush???
    http://curezone.org/cleanse/liver/default.asp

    A colonic works too

    I'm thinking it might be best to ignore this advice.
  • BeckyMBisMe
    BeckyMBisMe Posts: 215 Member
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    Been there done that! You need to ask for the HIDA scan and you need the upper GI done.
    I had a sluggish gall bladder and a sliding hiatal hernia. All the symptoms the OP described and then some!
    I ignored them too long and one day finally thought I was going to die! I ended up in the hospital for five days on an antibiotic IV drip for acute pancreatitis and had to have my gall bladder removed also.
    The hernia was found a few years later after a change in my job status caused increased stress and a seated job, tied to a phone. Which lead to weight gain (the highest percentage around the upper abdomen!), increased indigestion, and a damaged esophagus and a new kind of misery. Omeprazole, diet and attitude changes saved my life that time. I demanded and got a stand up unit for the computer, a wireless phone headset, changed my attitude (quit letting the demands get to me) and balanced my diet.
    Good luck to you, I hope you find the right answer and regain your health.
  • BeckyMBisMe
    BeckyMBisMe Posts: 215 Member
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    Have you tried a liver flush???
    http://curezone.org/cleanse/liver/default.asp

    A colonic works too

    I'm thinking it might be best to ignore this advice.

    DITTO
    I tried all kinds of stupid on-line and home remedies that wasted a lot of time and money and did absolutely no good! I should have went to the doctor with it much sooner.
  • evileen99
    evileen99 Posts: 1,564 Member
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    Have you tried a liver flush???
    http://curezone.org/cleanse/liver/default.asp

    A colonic works too

    No, none of this stuff works. Stay away from curezone, it's full of crazy people
  • NCMeg
    NCMeg Posts: 57 Member
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    It tooks several months to have my gallbladder issue figured out - the key was to have my bloodwork done when I was actively having an attack. I had several rounds of blood work done, but none showed any issues until I went to my doc when I was in pain. Ta-da, it showed up.

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