No Diagnosis; Symptoms Persist...GALLBLADDER?!
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Update: went to the E.R. with nausea and pain...they ran some bloodwork (all negative), gave me hydrations IVs, gave me some anti nausea meds, and sent me home.
i have an appt with a gastro later this week, so hopefully, get this all figured out soon!!!0 -
It could be that stones passed from the gallbladder into the bile ducts which is bad. But...should have also been seen on ultrasound. I had mine out in July and before that I had to have a procedure to remove stones that had made it out of the gallbladder and into the bile ducts. Doc thinks it wasn't the first time because I had been having what I thought was acid reflux for over a year but it suddenly kept coming back as what I then thought was random bouts of stomach flu (I was blaming Chipotle for that cuz it just so happened I would get it after eating there....guess it was the spice). Anyhoo...my gallbladder was PACKED with stones. My sister had hers out and only had one very large stone. So you never know. But I would at least suggest a hidra scan to the doc and/or discuss other treatments/tests because its not getting better. Could it be acid reflux? Those attacks suck too.0
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If no stones were seen on ultrasound you could still possibly have "acaclulous" cholecystitis. But that is actually pretty rare and the fact that your doc was able to palpate your liver and gallbladder without eliciting pain makes cholecystitis unlikely. If the stone passed into your bile duct you would likely have evidence of liver inflammation but it could account for your problems with fatty foods. The reasons you could have problems with fatty foods are numerous and could be due to lack of bile production in your liver, blockage of bile duct/cystic duct, pancreatic lipase deficiency, or a malabsorption syndrome in your small intestine. You could go to vitamin shoppe and buy an enzyme complex and see if this helps. I would recommend asking your doc about getting a HIDA done too as ultrasound can miss some stones/structural defects. Be sure to ask your doc about possibility of choledocolithiasis (stone in the bile duct) as that can have very serious complications like ascending cholangitis0
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Had very similiar symptoms...CT scan was normal. HIDA scan showed Gallbladder barely functioning0
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Definitely ask for the HIDA scan. That was the only thing that was able to diagnose my gallbladder.0
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^^ same here.0
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I had the same issues. Constant belching while feeling like it never helped. My PCP felt in the area of my gallbladder and I shot off the table from the pain. I was terrified of having surgery and started looking up natural ways to deal with it.
This is going to sound silly, but I tried Apple Cider Vinegar. I figured I had nothing to lose. I started drinking it with apple juice and after a week the pain was gone. I felt completely better.
I'm not saying it will work, but it helped me avoid surgery!0 -
i had my one and only gallbladder attack on a Saturday night, while winding down (I don't get out much
) . Did a check online to see what typical heart attack signs might be, had my sister take me to the ER (they see you right away if you think you're having chest pains!), and the ultrasonographer picked up stones in my gall bladder. Had the thing removed. The only down side to not having a gall bladder is that you have to be very careful of the fat content in foods, since you no longer have a reserve of bile to emulsify fats. So fats tend to, um, shall we say, run through pretty quickly. 4 years later, I'm still trying to outsmart my GI tract--many times I still have the "negative side effects" when I haven't even eaten anything!! An AM problem, as a rule. Otherwise, I see no really heinous issues in getting rid of the thing. My only regret: I didn't think to ask my surgeon to save the stones for me. I'm a bit odd that way..... 0 -
Update: went to the E.R. with nausea and pain...they ran some bloodwork (all negative), gave me hydrations IVs, gave me some anti nausea meds, and sent me home.
i have an appt with a gastro later this week, so hopefully, get this all figured out soon!!!
I feel for you! I went through the same thing 8 years ago. The ER Dr. actually laughed at me & said it was just gas! My (old) Dr. had wanted to remove my gall bladder & I insisted in seeing the gastro dr. first. He was very helpful. Said it was something I was eating that I had a severe intolerance to -which turned out to be Splenda.
I hope it turns out to be something like this for you- much less pain to you and your pocketbook once you figure out what it is & get it under control (vs. surgery or keep going on in pain). Glad you have an apt- hang in there!0 -
BTW- My pain radiated on my right side from front to back- what I found very comforting was a heat bag I made of rice that I would heat up in the microwave.0
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It's definitely not your gallbladder. You didn't mention anything about diarrhea. Diarrhea is a big problem when it comes to gallbladder issues.
If it was your gallbladder, something would have shown up on your blood work. Especially your SED rate (amount of inflammation in your body). Average SED rate is 1-20. My SED rate is 52. I have an abnormally high amount of inflammation in my body most likely as a result of Crohn's disease. I haven't had a colonoscopy yet to determine that though.
But don't worry about your gallbladder. If the doctors were worried about it, they would have done a CT scan and or ultrasound. They most likely won't perform these tests unless something shows up in your lab work anyways. That's just how doctors operate due to the expenses.
However, all of your symptoms sound like GERD/acid reflux. Try OTC Prilosec, Zantac, etc. I take a prescription drug called Protonix for my acid reflux.0 -
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?
Nobody on MFP can answer this question conclusively. It could be your gallbladder, but your tests did not support this conclusion. So really, what you need to do is keep pushing your doctors to find out what is wrong. Push, push, push. Seek a second and third opinion. Be vocal. And get the issue fixed.
I do wish you luck!
For the record, I've had my gall bladder removed. Your symptoms sound similar to what I experienced, including the rib pain and nausea (I felt like an alien was trying to push out of my lower rib-cage sometimes).
And no, you don't need to eliminate all fats. Just eat them in small quantities.
Also, it is not healthy to eliminate all fats. You do need essential fatty acids for life.0 -
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
I didn't have stones but when they did a cholecystogram with cholecystokinin, they discovered that my gall bladder was not emptying. When I continued to have nausea, pain and several bouts of fever and severe vomiting, they decided to remove it. Turns out that the duct from my gall bladder to the duodenum was kinked and the gall bladder was calcified, "hypertrophic" and parts were infected. After I recovered from the surgery, I felt great and have had no problems since (and it has been many years). Good luck!0 -
It's definitely not your gallbladder. You didn't mention anything about diarrhea. Diarrhea is a big problem when it comes to gallbladder issues.
If it was your gallbladder, something would have shown up on your blood work. Especially your SED rate (amount of inflammation in your body). Average SED rate is 1-20. My SED rate is 52. I have an abnormally high amount of inflammation in my body most likely as a result of Crohn's disease. I haven't had a colonoscopy yet to determine that though.
But don't worry about your gallbladder. If the doctors were worried about it, they would have done a CT scan and or ultrasound. They most likely won't perform these tests unless something shows up in your lab work anyways. That's just how doctors operate due to the expenses.
However, all of your symptoms sound like GERD/acid reflux. Try OTC Prilosec, Zantac, etc. I take a prescription drug called Protonix for my acid reflux.
Yup--it could easily be GERD too. (Hope, for your sake, that it is that as it is a much easier fix.)0 -
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
I didn't have stones but when they did a cholecystogram with cholecystokinin, they discovered that my gall bladder was not emptying. When I continued to have nausea, pain and several bouts of fever and severe vomiting, they decided to remove it. Turns out that the duct from my gall bladder to the duodenum was kinked and the gall bladder was calcified, "hypertrophic" and parts were infected. After I recovered from the surgery, I felt great and have had no problems since (and it has been many years). Good luck!
This. You could have delayed gastric emptying.0 -
Have you by chance had your pancreas enzymes checked out? I have had problems with nausea and centralized abdominal pain/discomfort for years. After my dr did some blood work he found that my triglycerides were elevated and that I was experiencing acute episodes of pancreatitus.
May I ask how many grams of fat you eat each day? I find that eating high fatty meals (especially fried foods) triggers my symptoms as well.0 -
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
I am an ultrasound tech and sludge WILL show up on an ultrasound. I'm not a doctor, but your symptoms don't seem like classic gallbladder issues. What about GERD? Maybe you can't eat large amounts because of reflux. Might want to investigate that possibility.0 -
It's definitely not your gallbladder. You didn't mention anything about diarrhea. Diarrhea is a big problem when it comes to gallbladder issues.
If it was your gallbladder, something would have shown up on your blood work. Especially your SED rate (amount of inflammation in your body). Average SED rate is 1-20. My SED rate is 52. I have an abnormally high amount of inflammation in my body most likely as a result of Crohn's disease. I haven't had a colonoscopy yet to determine that though.
But don't worry about your gallbladder. If the doctors were worried about it, they would have done a CT scan and or ultrasound. They most likely won't perform these tests unless something shows up in your lab work anyways. That's just how doctors operate due to the expenses.
However, all of your symptoms sound like GERD/acid reflux. Try OTC Prilosec, Zantac, etc. I take a prescription drug called Protonix for my acid reflux.
I did not have diarrhea whatsoever when my gallbladder was not functioning. My blood work came back beautiful as well. Only my cholesterol was slightly elevated. My doctor also was not concerned about it. She preferred to treat me for anxiety (Xanax), depression (tons of different anti-depressants that made me depressed), and GERD/acid reflux (Nexium). Ironically, nothing worked to get ride of the pain. She said they were panic attacks. This went on for nine excruciating months. I begged her to run tests on my gallbladder, and she said that she had no reason to think it was my gallbladder. Eventually, I contacted a surgeon directly, and they put some pressure on my GP to run the required tests. I breezed through the ultra-sound with no problems. The HIDA scan was a different story all together. My gallbladder was not diseased, and did not have stones. It just didn't function. Period. Two days later, I was in surgery to have it removed. The doctor said that with the amount of scaring from past infections, he didn't know how I was not in the ER daily.
OP - the HIDA scan is a simple test that will rule out or confirm whether or not it is your gallbladder. I don't recall the price, but it is definitely worth checking into.0 -
Could it be irritable bowel syndrome. If so, research the low FODMAP diet which will help you see what foods cause the problem. It's worked wonders for me.0
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Didn't read the comments so sorry if this is a repeat of someone else's suggestion - but it definitely sounds like a Helicobacter pylori infection and gastric ulcer. Tests for this infection are in the form of a stool test - sorry but you will have to poo in a pot. This is then tested for the H. pylori antigen, and if antigen is detected then you will be put on an eradication course of antibiotics, and proton pump inhibitors to reduce acid build up in the stomach. It will take a few months but likely you will recover entirely. It is not contagious and it is pretty unknown where it comes from. A lot of the time H. pylori infection does not produce symptoms however that which you describe, coupled with the tests you've had, sound like the symptomatic form of the infection. I hope this helps. Don't forget to let us know how you get on :flowerforyou:
EDIT to add: try chamomile tea in the mornings and try over-the-counter antacids to relieve the nausea.
- PS My partner recently had the same symptoms as you and this is what the doctor told him to do and it worked a treat and he is nicely recovered now.0
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