Gallbladder or Liver

  I have been having problems for 4 months. I've had X Ray, Ultrasound, upperGI, CT scan, ERCP.
  I'm taking prevacid and Levsin. I have had 5 liver function tests, the first one elevated next 2
  normal, then the next 2 after that elevated. I'm having pain in under my breast bone and over in
  the urq, pain around into my back and shoulder, my lower back just started hurting too. My stool
  is yellow/orange color. I feel very shakey (shaky) pulsating after I eat something. The levsin has helped
  with the pain, but leaves me tired and with a head ache. The Doctor wants me to do a Liver biopsie
   tomorrow and if it comes back normal
  take out my gallbladder. My Gallbladder looks great, no stones. My question is can the gallbladder
  malfunction and cause all of these problems. I am getting very frustrated. When I first got sick in
  June the pain was unbearable, I don't want that to come back. I'm just getting through each day,
  I get nausous in the morning, It's like my body is working over time all of the time. THANK YOU!!
___________
Dear Mary,
Gall bladder problems can present in several different ways.  Biliary colic is a dull pain that starts about 45 min after eating, increases in severity in a step wise fashion over the next 45-60 min and then gradually subsides.  Acue cholecystitis is a sharp pain in the right upper quadrant that lasts an hour or two and can radiate to the tip of the shoulder.  Acute cholecystitis can subside but will recur.  The pain is usually sufficiently severe that early surgical intervention is apparent.
Most people with gall bladder disease have gall stones.  Therer are some , however, who have cholecystitis without stones.  These people can be diagnosed by a CCK test.
We have had many readers write to us who have had gall bladder surgery.  They are ubhappy because the abdominal pain persisted after surgery.  It is important to remeber that the less typical our pain i.e. the less it resembles biliary colic or acute cholecystitis, the greater the chance that you will have the same pain after surgery.  It is necessary to talk to your doctor about other possible causes for your abdominal discomfort e.g. gastroparesis, irritable bowel syndrome before consenting to surgery.
This informartion is presented for educational purposes. Always consult your personal physician for specific medical questions.
HFHSM.D.-rrf
*keywords: abdominal pain, gall bladder surgery; biliary colic
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