What should I do?

[LOBITO]

I have ben experiencing once twice a here a big crises of pain in my right upper abdominal flank. The pain is very sharp, and can stay for hours and days... and starts in the front and extends to the back right flank and becomes very strong. It is very difficult to be sitting down and I wake up with the pain middle of the night.This last two weeks I start with the severe pain again and my gastro doctor send me to do a x ray of my abdomen and concluded I did not have anything and told me to see my family doctor. I went to my family doctor feeling terrible with the pain very sharp lasting hours and he said he did not see anything and for me to go home and take tylennol 3.
I can take the pain so I did not take the tylennol 3 because I did not want to take the pain away, I wanted to know what it was. The same day I went to my family doctor I started with fever and I called him. He prescribed CIPRO 500 mg twice a day.
I went there today because the Cipro finished and he told me he was going to give to me more antibiotic for 10 days. I said, I would llike to know what i have and he said if I was feeling better 10 days more with antibiotic I will be ok. I insisted with him to tell me what I have , he said again he doesn't know. So I insisted with him to do some tests on me, and he send me to do a ultrasound of my abdomen and my pelvic area ( I removed my uterus in 1991 and two weeks ago I did a ultrasound to monitor a cyst in my left ovary that in the last exam had already desapeared according to my gynecologist). I. So now I am booked for the ultrasound , \I also have to mention that 15 minutes or 30 minutes after eating the pain increases, I still have a aching pain not as severe as before the antibiotic, i have Lympho nodules swallon in my inner upper leg and I have chills all the time.  I also had a strong headache ( pounding headache) I am taking medicine for something I don't know what it is. What should I do? My father had gallbladder removed he thinks maybe this is gallbladder ... what do you think . Can you help me giving some sort of directions on what to do?
Thank you.
Lobito

[Kevin Pho, MD]

I would certainly suspect the gall bladder.  An ultrasound would be an appropriate next step to evaluate the liver and gall bladder.

If negative, I would also consider an upper GI series or upper endoscopy to evaluate for the various causes of upper GI discomfort.  

If everything is negative, you also may want to consider a HIDA scan with CCK stimlation to evaluate the gall bladder ejection fraction.  

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]

gallbladder is certainly high on the list: the ultrasound will be the way to find out.