Do I have a gallbladder problem?

[catbur]

I'm 33 years old, 125 lbs, have three children (8, 5, 20 months).  I don't have any abdominal pain.  Feel healthy, normal.  However, once or twice a week I get sick to my stomach.  I do great all day, it only happens after I go to bed.  I usually don't realize I'm going to wake up sick until I wake up, usually 1 to 2 hours after I go to sleep.  I wake up with a sick rumbling in my stomach.  I go to the bathroom but nothing happens for about 10 to 15 minutes.  I just sit there but I get nauseous(I never vomit), I break out in a dripping sweat until a finally use the restroom.  One time it happened so quickly that I broke out in hives.  The hives went away quickly after I used the restroom and cooled down, also took an antihistamine.  As soon as I use the restroom (diarrhea) I feel perfectly fine and sleep like a baby the rest of the night.  This has been happening on and off for over a year now.  I have been watching what I eat but occasionally it will happen if I'm not careful.  I do go a week or two without it happening, then sometimes once or twice a week it will happen.  I notice if I eat fatty foods like artichoke dip, pizza, fried chicken is a killer, it happens.  It's strange though because sometimes I can eat cheese dip or pizza and it won't happen.  If it's from the fatty foods I'm eating, why isn't it happening every time?  What could be causing this trouble?  I do have bright red blood on my TP occasionally but it's always after I've had to strain a little.  I've also had a baby about 20 months ago so I know everyonce in a while I have a hemorrhoid flare-up.  I'm mainly concerned about getting sick at night.  Any thoughts you have on this problem would be appreciated.

[Kevin Pho, MD]

There are various possibilities.  In any case, I suggest that you undergo some sort of endoscopy.  

Blood on the TP is most likely hemorroids (hemorrhoids) in your age group, but this combined with diarrhea and hives (? flushing) can be a sign of some rare diseases.  

One that comes to mind would be carcinoid syndrome, which is associated with flushing and watery diarrhea.  A test to measure 24-hour urinary excretion of 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (HIAA) is the most useful test to evaluated for this.  

Other thoughts would include fat malabsortpion which can be evaluated by a fecal fat test, or chronic pancreatitis which can be evaluated by a CT scan and pancreatic enzymes.  

I would first start with an endoscopy and discuss these other tests with your personal physician.

Followup with your personal physician is essential.

This answer is not intended as and does not substitute for medical advice - the information presented is for patient education only. Please see your personal physician for further evaluation of your individual case.

Thanks,
Kevin, M.D.

[surgeon]

It certainly sounds like it's time to see your doctor about it. Gallbladder is definitely on the list of possibilities; so are other conditions of the stomach or intestine. Since the symptoms are consistent with, but not typical of gallbladder problems, probably testing for other things would be a good idea, even if gallstones are found, before proceeding with surgery.

[Pilita]

Catbur I have the same problem, 1 weeks I'm fine the other I'm sick for 2 or 3 days,  I'm my case I have vomits but is just bile. I cannot eat anything at all because I get sick, my doctor thinks she is a gallbladder problem so I'm going to have an endoscopy and an abdominal ultrasound, but this problem is driving me crazy. Can somebody suggest a diet that I should follow

[spyder]

I just had the CCK/HIDA scan today. I was supposed to have it yesterday at 3:00pm (15 hours of fasting), but the machine broke down. It seems they inject you with the radioactive component and leave it to work into your bloodstream for about 30 minutes. Then they inject the CCK, which gave me a severe nausea, I started to pass out from the pain, and severe cramping of the whole abdominal cavity for around 5 minutes. The technician told me the normal ejection (excreation of the gall bladder bile) was 35%. Mine ended up at just under 20%.
The worst news is that I first had a major attack from this a year ago (when I had insurance, now unemployed since springtime) and I had to call the rescue squad and go to the emergency room (a major attack for me is when the pain puts you on the ground and blacking out). The doctor at the hospital done a chest x-ray of the heart and lungs and told me it was probably just muscle strain and take a couple of aspirins a day!
I've now had to more major attacks in the last month and minor ones since last year. So, I decided to go to the doctor that removed my appendix to check me out. He said I felt tender in the area and had me get an ultrasound of the gall bladder. The tests came back with no stones, but the tech that done the ultrasound said it showed thick walls. The doctor could not figure anything out from the test and told me to take Taggamet, it could be an ulcer, and gave me a phamplet on acid reflex desease, I think, and told me to look over it and see if that is the problem!
Then I decided to go to another doctor, and the doctor looked at the ultrasound and noticed the gall's thick walls and gave me medicine (belladonna/phenobarb) which has been helping me cope with the daily pain and had me get the HIDA scan. I would like to say thanks for Family Urgent Care for their good doctors and staff.
Of course, I've spent about $1000 out of my pocket so far and can't afford surgery (I'm going to try the local health dept. for help), but I'm glad we seem to finally know the problem.
I will keep in touch when I get the surgery done.

[catbur]

You asked if anyone had any diet recommendations.  Well, as you can read from my post on October 1, you'll read I've been having problems with my stomach for a long time, not really sure what's going on with my stomach.  I've done some internet searches and found a lot of people get relief from eating yogurt (without fruit)with live cultures like acidopholus or taking acidopholus supplements.  I decided to give it a try and since my post of October 1 I haven't had any problems.  I've read that taking antibiotics and/or birth control pills can wipe out friendly intestinal bacteria and the acidopholus is one of those friendly bacteria's that we need.  It's only been a month and it's really been working.  Of course I still watch what I eat and avoid really fatty foods but even when I avoided those things in the past I would still have problems.  So far things have been so much better for me.  I hope this is helpful.

[Prit]

Your symptoms sound very much like the symptoms I began to experience when I first developed lymphoma. Unfortunately, I listened to friends who assured me it was just hormones and didn't check on them. It took the doctors ages to figure out what was going on when I finally did because I had so many symptoms and had reached stage IV.

Please, listen to the doctors, above, and go see your doctor just to be sure there is nothing serious going on. They gave you lots of other ideas for what may be happening and we'll hope that's the answer. :)

BTW, the cancer WAS stage IV. Gone for 8 years now!!

[nolan_tvi]

I am a 25yom.  2 years ago I had laproscopic surgery done on my gall bladder.  I was having between three and five severe attacks a day and could not stand it any longer.  I had no stones but  a very thickened wall and thick bile.  My HIDA injection was 20.  They removed the gall bladder adn ever since I have had problems.  I do nohting but belch constantly.  The only other signs that I have are excess bile in my stomach shown on an endoscopy and I occasionally wipe small amounts of blood, but only after I have problems using the restroom.  Teh other remarkable thing about my health is that I have HTN secondary to a correction conginental heart defect (coarcataion).  The coarctation is back but only minor and I have  severe HTN due to this and my meds are Norvasc 10mg, Lotensin 20mg, HCTZ 12.5 mg, Nexium 40mg and Paxil 20 mg.  My stool is usually somewhat soft and usually yellow.  Could anyone help me with this?
Sincerly,
Nolan

[angie63]

A related discussion, gall stones was started.