Doctor diagnosis seems wrong!

[cbeck]

I am a 36 year old male.  I have been having pain on my right side below my lowest rib for months now.  My doctors have run a gambit of tests including liver ultrasound, hidascan, cat scan, upper GI, and blood tests.  The only abnormalities they have found is a slightly fatty liver, and my liver enzymes sometimes come up normal, sometimes very high, and sometimes slightly high.  

I think my gastroenterologist is grasping at straws.  He has placed me on hyoscyamine sulfate, thinking that i may have a spasmatic valve in my liver.  This has not helped yet, and im not convinced of the drug's safety.  Is my Doctor on target here?

My pain now radiates to my back and is pretty constant there too.  I will sometimes feel the pain on my right side or right armpit.  I cant see a spasmatic valve causing pain in such a large area.  Its got me pretty worried, and my doctor is hard to get an appointment with.  I sometimes wonder if I should go to the emergency room when the pain gets bad, but my doctors dont appear too concerned, so I dont go!  Any advice would be very much appreciated, and probably settling!

Thanks

[Kevin Pho, MD]

You have had a pretty comprehensive GI workup.  Other tests to consider would be an upper endoscopy - this is a more detailed study than an upper GI - looking for inflammation or ulcers of the upper GI tract.

Ensure that the HIDA scan was done with CCK stimulation to ensure proper evaluation of the gallbladder ejection fraction.

If the liver function tests are persistently elevated, a liver biopsy can be considered for a more definitive diagnosis.  

If the GI causes have all been ruled out, you may want to consider a CT scan to evaluate for lung issues as well as to further image the area in question.

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.

Kevin, M.D.
http://www.straightfromthedoc.com

[versute]

Sorry I can't offer advice, but I can offer empathy.  I know how you feel about doctors dismissing your pain and about the emergency room not being a serious option, because they won't take you seriously.  I've had GI problems since June, related to my weightlifting, and eating late at night before bed, among other things usually healthy.  I've had all the scans.  I have suffered through a bought of pancreatitis and internal bleeding, from seeing blood leaking out of my stool.  I thought that was alarming, but the doctors didn't do anything to help me.  In fact, I attribute the pancreatitis to one of the tests they gave me, the most horrible "manometry" test.  The nurse giving the test was rough with me and my throat was sore for 2 weeks, and my stomach also.

Sometimes I wonder if going to the doctor just makes things worse?  I was having abdomenal (abdominal) pain for three weeks, so they did an MRI and it showed nothing, so the doctor said "See you in three months", and I walked out of the GI's office with extreme abdomenal (abdominal) pain, and a lighter wallet.  The problem?  My Prevacid.  The doctor had me on 60mg/day, since June.  I backed off on it and my stomach is much better now.    

Good luck, we must rely on The Great Physician, and not these other guys, for help.

[painintheside]

Have you been tested for Hepatitis C?

[Empreinte]

ALWAYS GET MORE THAN ONE OPINION - TWO, HALF THE TIME, DOESN'T

CUT IT, AND DON'T LET YOU ORIGINAL DOCTOR SET YOU UP WITH A

NEWER DOCTOR - USUALLY, THEY ARE BEST FRIENDS........MAKE YOUR

OWN APPOINTMENT AND IF ANY DOCTOR IS TICKED THAT YOU ARE DOING

THIS - THEN CAN THEM.

EMPREINTE