Help! Gallbladder Symptoms With No Stones Found??? Posted: 08-31-04 22:47pm
Last friday I went to the er with what my
doctor thought were probably gallbladder
problem symptoms (it was too late for her
to get me in for an office visit, and the
pain was really bad). Upper right
abdominal pain of varying degrees of
intensity, especially bad after eating,
bloating, gas, and nausea. It started
thursday with severe gas...Used gas-x,
which got rid of the gas and bloat but not
the pain. They did an abdominal
ultrasound which apparently didn't find
anything gallbladder related. I was told
that blood tests were "normal" except for
a slightly elevated white cell count.
They said it was probably gastroenteritis
(and made me feel like an fool for coming
to the er about it) but I have no other
symptoms which would indicate that. The
pain lasted pretty steadily until sunday
morning.
Now I am still tender in the area, with
occasional twinges of pain after eating.
I am sometimes having pain around my ribs
and back behind where the abdominal pain
is, but I have arthritis too so it could
be unrelated. I'm wondering if I could
have passed a stone before I went in and
that's why they didn't see it on the
ultrasound??? I'm going for a follow-up
visit with my doctor on thursday. Any
suggestions of what to ask her? I'm
stumped.
|
Guest
Guest
Gallbladder Posted: 09-02-04 08:51am
I experienced pain similar to you're
having. I also had a normal ultrasound.
My doctor ordered a hi-da scan which
showed that my gallbladder was only
functioning at 10% which is abnormal. I
had my gall- bladder removed
laproscopically on 8/18/04 and i'm doing
very well. I'll be going back to work on
9/7/04. Ask your physician about the
hi-da scan. Good luck & god bless!!
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Guest
Re: Gallbladder Posted: 09-02-04 08:52am
queenb
wrote:
i experienced pain similar
to you're having. I also had a normal
ultrasound. My doctor ordered a hi-da
scan which showed that my gallbladder was
only functioning at 10% which is abnormal.
I had my gallbladder removed
laproscopically on 8/18/04 and i'm doing
very well. I'll be going back to work on
9/7/04. Ask your physician about the
hi-da scan. Good luck & god
bless!!
|
Guest
Guest
Thanks For the Info Posted: 09-03-04 14:08pm
I'm going for a hida scan on wednesday.
Hopefully this will get to the bottom of
things! Thanks again for your answer.
|
hmdoyle00
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 23 Aug 2004 Posts: 19 Location: CT
Same Thing Here Posted: 09-03-04 17:14pm
I also have gallbladder symptoms, not
severe pain, but some discomfort and a lot
of nausea. My gallbladder is only at
20%. This was shown on the hida scan
with cck injection. You may want to see
if you can have this done.
|
Guest
Guest
We Are Doing the Cck Also Posted: 09-03-04 17:18pm
Thanks for mentioning it, because it
sounds important and I wouldn't have
wanted to miss it.
Get a hida scan! I just went through
nearly seven weeks of illness awaiting
diagnosis after my inital er ultra sound
was clear. Finally a hida scan indicated
blockage and they removed my gall bladder.
I also had stones in my bile duct so make
sure they check if they go in.
|
TeeLee
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 01 Oct 2004 Posts: 1
Pain After Gallbladder Removed Posted: 10-01-04 12:35pm
Hello:
i had my gallbladder removed 4 years ago
because of gallbladder attacks and the
presence of stones in my gallbladder. To
my horror, about two years after this I
started getting "gallbladder attacks"
again without having a gallbladder. My
original doctor who took out my
gallbladder thought I was crazy. Anyway,
after this I started going to a gi
specialist to try to find out what it was.
I had every test possible for any type
of gi issue which were all negative,
including mri and ultrasound to see if
there were stones left in my tracts, which
there wasn't. Finally, the conclusion is
that I probably have what they call
"sphincter of odi dysfunction" which is
the duct that connects to your stomach and
removes the bile. He thinks that it is
not working properly and is causing the
same type of pain that a gallbladder
attack would. Anyway, I have to have a
test called an ercp to see if this is what
it is. Hopefully, it is because it can
be fixed and I want have to have the
attacks anymore. If you have no signs or
gallbladder stones or stones in your
ducts, it is worth seeing if this could
possibly be your problem.
|
chesneyfan
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 02 Oct 2004 Posts: 1
Re: Help! Gallbladder Symptoms With No Stones Found??? Posted: 10-02-04 22:22pm
I cannot tell you happy I was to find this
message board and confirm that i'm not
crazy! About a year and a half ago when
I was about 3 months pregnant with my
first child I started having pain in my
stomach area that was like a burning
sensation. The only way I could explain
it was to say it felt like heartburn that
moved south or now that i've had my child,
labor pains. At first I didn't know
what was causing it but after the third
time I had eggs I realized it was the
eggs. I tried taking pepto bismal
before I ate the eggs and that worked at
first, but eventually didn't help at all
and each time I had this pain it was
worse.
Not long after I had my daughter I started
having pain under my right rib, kind of
like a spasm, like charlie horse in your
leg only under my rib. I thought it was
something you went through after having a
baby but when I was at my mom's one day
and doubled over grabbing my rib she asked
what was wrong and I told her. She said
that wasn't normal and sounded like my
gallbladder cause she had hers out a few
years ago. I talked to my sister who
works at a doctor's office and she said
it's pretty common for women who have
babies to develop gallbladder problems.
I blew it off and dealt with the pain for
about 6 months when other foods started
bothering me and I went to the doctor.
She ordered an ultrasound but they found
no stones and the technician who did the
ultrasound said I shouldn't give up if
they didn't find anything cause all kinds
of things can be wrong without having
stones. I decided not to pursue it
because the doctor didn't have me back in
and I just figured i'd stop eating the
foods that caused the pain.
However, it's another 6 months since the
ultrasound and the spasms are happening
everyday now and i'm not sure what is
bringing them on. It's a constant pain
under my right rib, sometimes the pain is
sharper than others but it's constant now.
Also, my list of foods has grown and
i'm afraid to eat anything I don't eat
almost everyday because I never know if
the stomach pain is going to hit. I'm a
stay at home mom with a one year old and
when that pain hits I can barely stand, I
can't risk eating something to bring it
on. Currently I can't eat eggs,
bananas, cantaloupe, chocolate, lasagna,
or anything that has those items in them.
New things keep popping up all the time,
like the bananas. I ate them up until
about a month ago but then they started
causing the pain and i'd just had them
about 2 weeks before.
Because we only have one income I don't
want to have uneccesary tests done
creating more bills so knowing the name of
a test is extremely helpful! I just
don't know what i'll do if I need the
surgery cause my husband can't afford to
take time off work to take care of our
daughter. That's part of the reason
i've been putting this off but the more I
have the pain the harder it's getting to
ignore.
Thank you for having some answers and
reading this long message, but it's great
to know that just cause there aren't
gallstones doesn't mean i'm crazy!
I just had my gallbladder out on 10/4 (2
days ago). Ive had pain on & off for
about 4 years. Several docs thought it
was my gallbladder but the tests kept
coming back negative (ultrasound, hida
scan, although I did have bad pain when
they injected the cck, etc.). But every
time I got an attack of pain, it was worse
than the time before until this last time
that the attack basically lasted about 2
months (severe pain, bloating, intense
nausea- especially after eating) my gi doc
couldn't find anything else wrong and said
all the syptoms were consistent with
gallbladder. He said he has seen cases
in the past where tests came back negative
but symptoms cleared up after having the
surgery, so that is what I am hoping for.
I'm in a lot of pain now but I hope the
surgery will have been worth it. So, if
you're having that many symptoms, ask your
doc about having gallbladder out- I think
it depends on the doc you talk to- how
receptive they will be to taking it out-
be persistent!- I was ready to go to as
many docs as necessary to have this thing
taken out! Good luck!
|
Guest
Guest
Gall Bladder/kidney Posted: 10-19-04 17:36pm
I'm scheduled for a ct scan tomorrow of
the abdomen and pelvis, due to discomfort
in the area of the gall bladder. I had an
untrasound 6 months ago and they saw
nothing there. However, they just
discovered (6 months later!) that the scan
does show some nephritis of the kidney and
mild enlargement, so are doing a scan
based on the family history of cancers in
the area.
I'm very healthy, but have been tired and
a bit bloated feeling along with the
discomfort in the gall bladder area. I've
been told that the hida test will be next
if the scan shows nothing out of order.
Will that be an indicator of whether the
gall bladder needs to be removed?
I've been quiet about all this with
friends and family, so it's nice to find a
message board for discussion.
Thanks
susan
|
quiltframe
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 23 Oct 2004 Posts: 9 Location: Rockford, Ill.
Gallbladder Pain, No Stones Posted: 10-25-04 18:32pm
I also had a bad gall bladder attack at
easter after a really high fat meal. I
had been having (hot bolfball) symptoms
the week before and should have known
better. I have had several ultra sounds
and don't have stones. I also had an
elevated white count and uncontrolable
vomiting. I have no insurance and the er
bill was over $1000. My Dr. Suggested I
go on a low fat diet. I find that if I
don't eat over 30 g. Of fat I am ok most
of the time. He gave me donatal for the
spasms. Two good side effects...I lost
60 lbs. And my hot flashes dissappered.
Fyi. Both my son and sister in law have
had thier gall bladders removed and also
did not have stones...They were told that
they had some kind of viral infection. I
would have mine out except that I don't
have 18 grand.
|
Guest
Guest
Gallbladder Posted: 10-25-04 21:07pm
I have been dealing with this same pain
for about 2 months. I have had a few
attacks that were real bad over the last 2
years...But I kept marking them up to
stress...I did the ultra sound and no
stones...I was confused but persistent.
(thanks to this site)
i cannot eat anything...I feel
posioned...I sit down to eat and I get
very sick to my stomach no vomiting
though...I have this terrible pain between
my shoulder blades, shortness of breath,
pain under my ribs on right side, chest
pain, bloated and generally unhappy
stools---i feel like I got the flu but no
flu.
I am scheduled to go for my hieda scan
tomorrow morning.
I am thankful to all who posted here, as I
am fairly confident that this is a
gallbladder issue considering all the
research I have done from tips on this
site. Thank you all for posting!! Be
blessed!
|
Guest
Re: Two Yrs, of Pain Posted: 10-26-04 05:26am
Read an article in discover magazine a
month or two ago about someone with
symptoms like yours and it turned oot to
be a hiatal hernia. Sometimes the
symptoms are similar and are missed.
|
hmdoyle00
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 23 Aug 2004 Posts: 19 Location: CT
Don't Think That's My Case Posted: 10-26-04 07:42am
I don't know if who you were replying to,
but wouldn't that show up on an endoscopy?
I had 2 of them done and no signs of
that. Thanks for the info though.
Digestive problems are so difficult
because many of the symptoms overlap for
different disorders.
|
Guest
Guest
Gallbladder Posted: 11-17-04 16:13pm
Well, here is the deal I have been in pain
for about a month. I was convinced it
was my gallbaldder. I finally had it
with the apin and went to the er. They
ordered all the tests-ultrasound,
hida-scan and an upper scope. Everything
appeared to be normal. My gallbladder
was functioning a little below normal, but
was told it should not be problematic.
Was released after 3 days. Still have a
lot of pain and sometimes I think i'm
crazy. It hurts in the front just under
my right breast and then travels around to
my back. Sometimes just below the
shoulder blade other times right below my
last rib. My doc says may be we should
just try to take it out and see if
symptoms disappear. I'm scared and
confused
|
hmdoyle00
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 23 Aug 2004 Posts: 19 Location: CT
What Is a Little Under Normal Posted: 11-17-04 19:14pm
Did you get an actual copy of the test
results for the hida-scan? What does the
doctor mean by "a little under normal"?
Mine was at 20% and I had it removed 2
weeks ago. The pain I was having in the
center of my stomach and in the right
ribcage is gone. Also the extreme nausea
after eating is better. I would try to
find out what the % ejection fraction was
on your test results. It's a gamble to
take it out if there is a question. In
my case, I have not had any negative
effects from the surgery (except the
surgery itself) so it was worth it to know
that it was taken care of. But some
people experience problems after surgery,
so it can be a gamble. When you get the
actual results, post them so others can
give you input on that. Good luck.
|
kimw
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 21 Nov 2004 Posts: 4 Location: South Carolina
Re: Pain After Gallbladder Removed Posted: 11-21-04 08:37am
teelee
wrote:
hello:
i had my gallbladder removed 4 years ago
because of gallbladder attacks and the
presence of stones in my gallbladder.
To my horror, about two years after this I
started getting "gallbladder attacks"
again without having a gallbladder. My
original doctor who took out my
gallbladder thought I was crazy.
Anyway, after this I started going to a gi
specialist to try to find out what it was.
I had every test possible for any type
of gi issue which were all negative,
including mri and ultrasound to see if
there were stones left in my tracts, which
there wasn't. Finally, the conclusion
is that I probably have what they call
"sphincter of odi dysfunction" which is
the duct that connects to your stomach and
removes the bile. He thinks that it is
not working properly and is causing the
same type of pain that a gallbladder
attack would. Anyway, I have to have a
test called an ercp to see if this is what
it is. Hopefully, it is because it can
be fixed and I want have to have the
attacks anymore. If you have no signs
or gallbladder stones or stones in your
ducts, it is worth seeing if this could
possibly be your
problem.
i had my gallbladder removed 6 yrs ago and
over the past 4 months am experiencing the
same discomfort as before gallbladder
removal! My hepato-specialist suggest
sphincter of odi dysfunction as well but
needs to complete some tests. Have you
gone through with the eus/ercp? Please
email me at kimw@charte
r.Net if possible
|
Guest
Guest
Re: What Is a Little Under Normal Posted: 12-01-04 00:46am
hmdoyle00
wrote:
did you get an actual copy
of the test results for the hida-scan?
What does the doctor mean by "a little
under normal"? Mine was at 20% and I
had it removed 2 weeks ago. The pain I
was having in the center of my stomach and
in the right ribcage is gone. Also the
extreme nausea after eating is better.
I would try to find out what the %
ejection fraction was on your test
results. It's a gamble to take it out
if there is a question. In my case, I
have not had any negative effects from the
surgery (except the surgery itself) so it
was worth it to know that it was taken
care of. But some people experience
problems after surgery, so it can be a
gamble. When you get the actual
results, post them so others can give you
input on that. Good luck.
there is a lot of differences of
opinion over what is a "normal gallbladder
ejection fraction". Some articles say
anything over 35% is normal. Others say
less than 25% is abnormal, 25-50% is
equivical, and everything over 50% is
clearly normal. Some surgeons will take
out a gallbladder at 60%.
I find that with a slow injection of
cck (over 10 to 15 min.) the normal is
greater than 50%.
|
Guest
Guest
Gallbladder No Stones Posted: 12-07-04 16:19pm
I have been told mine is only working at
4%, I am having mine out in less than two
weeks but my pain is chest pain and pain
down my left side, and when I have eaten
the wrong foods its like having a heart
attack. I have had a stress test heart is
a okay but has anyone else had attacks
like that?
I have had the all the scans and have
never heard of a bad gall bladder with out
stones just wondering thanks
