bile reflux

I have a question about bile reflux.  I had an endoscopy a day ago to figure out what was causing heartburn, hiccups, burping, nausea and bloating.  The doctor found large amounts of bile in my stomach, as well as a reddened pyloric sphincter.  I was told it could be gastroparesis.  I also had a hida scan and sonogram of the gallbladder that were normal.

My question for you is... is having bile present in your system normal even after fasting for 12 hours for the test?  My understanding is that your liver produces and your gallbladder releases bile only when you eat... so would the gallbladder be not working and releasing bile when it shouldn't be?  When asking this to my doctor he said he would have assumed a gallbladder problem but the tests were normal, and mentioned that even taking out the gallbladder wouldn't help, but make it worse.  What is your opinion?

Thank you

[Ratnakar Kini, MD]

Hi,
Since HIDA scan was normal, GB is functioning well.
As your doctor said, it could be due to gastroparesis. In this condition the motility of stomach is affected and so the contents remain there well after the time it is expected to leave the stomach.
Prokinetics would be helpful.
For the inflamed stomach, PPI would be helpful.
================================================================
The information provided is for patients’ education only and is not a medical advice. Always consult your personal physician for complete evaluation of your health problem.

- Ratnakar Kini M.D.