Investigations..

Hello..

I hope it is ok to ask three questions...

   --------Brief History--------
I am a 40 y/o Female, thin, eat healthy .. excellent health.
having trouble with my gall bladder releasing the bile
it is operating at only 16%....as show on a HIDA scan.. Pain disappears completely if I fast for more than
15 hours..
Pain is bearable if I eat no fat at all..
I have no indications of infection.. WBC is normal.. Stones don't show up on ultrasound, CT (+/- contrast) or X-ray..
Transient Abdominal tenderness......Heat on GB area reduces pain..
I Went to Mexico(4wks) in November 2001 got really sick..this gall bladder pain and indegestion started just after Mexico....
I Went (6 wks) to Nepal, china, Thailand, 1.5 year ago.. ate everything..hummm..(parasites??)

******Is it possible to have infection that is not detected in
bloodwork?

******Is it possible that I have stones
that don't show up on ultrasound, CT scan or x-ray..??

******Is there a way to confirm what the reason for the blocking of the duct is (sludge? or cyst? or inflammation? or polyp..? or parasites from my travels to the orient.. humm..or a tiny tumor..??)

[Wilson]

Hi, sorry to hear about your problem. I don't know that much about gall bladder disease, but have you had an oral  cholecystogram? That might be one way to determine the reason for your blockage. There may be "sludge" in there not visible by ultrasound or CT scan. If you went for long periods of time without eating, perhaps when you were sick in Mexico, this can sometimes cause gallbladder problems. Is this being caused by an ongoing undiagnosed infection? - I doubt it... doesn't really fit the symptoms I don't think. It is possible for blood tests to miss an infection though. If you have diarrhea or abnormal liver values, these would be clues. If there's an infection with diarrhea, stool tests would probably be positive for parasites. I would keep pursuing the possibility of hidden stones or sludge. Good luck to you.

[Christal]

Thanks..
C...