Does is sound like my gaullbladder?

     For the past 6 months or so, it has been really bad, before the 6 months it was on and off for a couple years, but only half as bad as it is now, and only happened when I drank, never had a drinking problem, just the ocasional night out.. (I dont drink at all now) Well, for the past 6 months, everytime I eat foods such as pizza (the worst) pasta, milk/dairy, greasy foods and certian sodas, my stomach will start to get an awfull achey (achy) feeling about a half hour to an hour, sometimes 15 mins after I eat.  My stomach completely bloats up, looks like I'm pregnant and feels like I did a bunch of sit ups, that feeling you get right after sit ups is as close as I can get to discribing the pain. It's kind of a numb, constant pain and it will get so bad were I cant get comfortable.  I will get very gassy and have the burps and so much air will come out. Sometimes the pain will last hours after. A couple times, the food didnt settle or digest in my stomach so 4 hours passed and I everntually made myself vomit. That happened for 3 days. I've told my doctor and she has said "it sounds like acid reflux" "it sounds like gas".. I dont feel like it is! She gave me prilosec, it doesnt really help much. I told her that so she increased the dosage. Pepto doesnt help, as well as gas x, tums and what ever other over the counter things I've tried... just dont help. It only feels better when I dont eat.

[Christopher R Watters, MD]

It may well be your gallbladder. When the presumptive therapy didn't help why did she not look for the real answer? I see patients constantly that were given diagnoses from their primary care docs like IBS or reflux without any evaluation whatsoever. After multiple years of misery someone finally looks at their gallbladder and, miraculously, their IBS or GERD icured when their gallbladder is removed.

What you need is a real evaulation. Guessing doesn't help. An ultrasound, if negative an upper endoscopy, if negative a HIDA scan with CCK. Gallbladder disease, peptic ulcer disease, reflux, celiac disease all have very similar symptoms.

[adnamaEG]

I ask myself why she doesnt look for the real answer as well. I really is frushtrating. My friend had hers out, said it sounds exsactly the same. I appreciate the information! thank you!

[Elliott0609]

For the past 5 years, I have been on medication for ulcers or GERD.  Currently I am on dexilant 60 mg.  At the beginning of this summer, problems have become worse.  My symptoms following most meals, include bloating, pressure, slight pain mainly from bloating and burning in the upper area of the stomach. At least once or twice a week the discomfort is so great that I cannot eat for a day or two.  

Earlier in the summer I went to a new GI doctor who sent me for an endoscopy.  The results came back that there was no evidence of GERD/acid or Hiatal hernia.  I was told that they suspected that I have polyps in my gall bladder and was sent to a surgeon who recommended that I had a HIDA scan. The scan results came back normal although when the gall bladder contracted during the test, it replicated how I feel after most meals.

The surgeon recommended that I have the gall bladder out even though the results did not indicate a bad gall bladder. He CKu told me that he was removed many gall bladders where the HIDA scan with  results were normal but symptoms were normal afterwards.  He did say that he would defer to my gastroenterologist for a decision.  When I went back to the GI doctor, he was puzzled as could not with confidence tell me that it was the gall bladder.  He told me that I could have the gall bladder removed and still have the same results.

He recommends that I treat this conservatively by first having a colonoscopy to rule out IBS.  He put me on Miralax since I was constipated.

I have scheduled the colonoscopy, but I do not beliieve it is IBS.  This past weekend I had another attack.

Any suggestions?  Please help.
Tags: Gall Baldder ?

[Christopher R Watters, MD]

Please see response to the same post in Gastroenterology Forum

[ChitChatNine]

Here's the link that Dr. Watters is referring to above -

http://www.medhelp.org/posts/Gallbladder/Is-it-my-gall-bladder-or-something-else/show/1805470#post_8316676

Please keep us posted!

C~