Gallbladder pain without stones

[JoAnnC]

For the past 5 months on an off and on period I have been suffering pain on the right side. I went to a GI doctor and he automatically thought it was my gallbladder. First I went for an ultra sound and it wasn't perfectly clear because it appeared to have a slight fold so he sent me for a CT Scan with Contract. The scan came back perfectly clear. But the pain keeps coming back. I was then sent for a HIDA Scan which also came back perfectly clear and was told there was really nothing else he could do for me. I am currently in the process of going for either the gastric bypass or the lapband. I haven't decided just yet. So since I am frustrated with my GI doctor and I am still getting the pain a few times a month and it last anywhere from 6 hours to about 3 days (which was how long my last one was) I went to my surgeon. He sent me for some blood work to check for Lipase which I was told is a test for my pancreas. He is also sending me for another HIDA scan with CCK. I am hoping with will help or offer some information as to what is wrong. But even they told me that if these come back clear they are not sure what this issue is then.

I need advise. Any and all will be welcome since I can't seem to get a solid answer at this point and as I am sure from what I have read I am not the only person getting this pain.

Also I did find some info that seems to hit the nail on the head in describing my pain. It was called Biliary Pain and in the article it said:


The primary symptom is typically a steady gripping or gnawing pain in the upper right abdomen near the rib cage, which can be quite severe and can radiate to the upper back. Some patients with biliary colic experience the pain behind the breast bone.
Nausea or vomiting may occur.
Changes in position, over-the-counter pain relievers, and passage of gas do not relieve the symptoms.
Biliary colic typically disappears after 1 to several hours. If it persists beyond this point, acute cholecystitis or more serious conditions may be present.
The episodes typically occur at the same time of day, but less frequently than once a week. Large or fatty meals can precipitate the pain, but it usually occurs several hours after eating and often awakens the patient during the night.


If this helps to clarify what I am going through any suggestions would be most appreciated.

[JoAnnC]

Ok heres my update. Last Friday I had me Gall Bladder removed. There weren't any stone but he said it looked liked it was crimped. That was the best way he could discribe it. I healing very well and only had pain for 3 days and now jus soreness once in a while.

[larryline]

I think I would refuse to pay for a HIDAscan that did not report an ejection fraction. That's a primary purpose of the test.

[JoAnnC]

Yes I am very glad that they were finally able to see something was wrong. I am annoyed that the first HIDA Scan I had done on the 5th of March they never recorded at what rate it was passing through. If they had I would probably have had an answer sooner. I gave up on my GI doctor because ehwas saying he saw nothing wrong. I am glad I went to my surgeon with it. He ordered this second scan. Since I knew I was going for the scan I ate a very rich lunch the day before and sure enough the pain came in the morning like I thought it would.

Thank you for the wishes of luck and I am sure I will be fine.  I will post again afterward and let you know what they find is the cause for the blockage.

[stnktn]

Good luck with your surgery Friday. I just had mine removed a week ago. I had the biliary issues as well and no stones. Mine was all started because of that but the reason they pursued my issues so hard was because they found polyps during the first test and I have an excellent surgeon who questioned my symptoms and suspected a bad gallbladder. He did the HIDA with CCK and confirmed it. My test was similar to yours except eventually things got moving through my system but at 17%. They were going to inject morphine to try to force it but it started to work. I sat there forever even after moving around!

I bet you are real glad you found out what is wrong. I know I am. Again good luck Friday.

[JoAnnC]

Well yesterday I went for my second HIDA Scan with CCK. That morning I had another attack that lasted about 13 hours. Finally I got some results. Apparently when I get the attack  there is a blockage or the gallbladder shuts down because the dye woluld not show the gallbladder or intestine. After 5 hours the radiologist said he had to stop the testing and said that he can not give me the CCK. I went to my doctor right away and when I arrived he got the call from the hospital. He gave me 2 options. 1 take out the gallbladder or 2 try the test a third time but this time make sure they check to see the exactly how it is passing through the gallbladder. After thinking this over an discussing everything with my doctor and husband I decided to have the gallbladder removed. They are goig to remove it this Friday.

[JLA0909]

Hi JoAnn,
I have the same symptoms as you and have posted about it a few weeks ago. I have had all of the same tests with no clear results, but still clear pain! I went to a surgeon who said he would take out my gallbladder and take a look around in my stomach, but that there is no guarantee that it will fix things since there aren't solid test results.

I have decided to have the surgery and hope for the best. Feel free to email me at ***@**** and I can keep you updated on what happens afterward. I am having the surgery some time in April. In my research and experience, it  is not totally uncommon for tests to miss something in the gallbladder whether stones or something else. I feel for you and hope you find some resolution.

On another note, I found the same article you quoted and felt better b/c it does a better job at describing the symptoms than I could ever do!

[JoAnnC]

The results from my first HIDA Scan say there is prompt homogeneous uptake by the liver. Prompt excretion is seen. Radioisotope is noted in the small bowel and gallbladder.

The impression is Normal Scan.

I am hoping this next scan with the CCK will make a diference. I go for that one next Tuesday.