can this be gallbladder

[bgb1976]

For nearly 2 years now, I have had a nagging pain, under right breast, and when I push in on ribcage it hurts, I have severe heartburn and acidic stomach, I have had 2 gallbladder ultrasounds done, and they said they were fine. I think they are wrong. This hurts, into my right shoulder blade and directly on right side up about 4 in under arm pit.

[bgb1976]

I am taking Nexium but I am terrible at taking it only every 3 or 4 days. I just ran out and I have had the prescription for 3 months. I can't have choc alot because it gives me awful heartburn, but the pain in right side and under breast is everyday, I am really tired of it. Usually it is the worse in morning, or late evening.

[geminigirl1963]

Its'' good to know that all the testing they've done has come back "normal", although it makes it more frustrating for us as patients because we know that something is not right.

If it were me, my next step would be to request a HIDA scan to check the gall bladder.  This type of test is similar to an x-ray or CT scan.  They will inject a small amount of a radioactive material into your arm before the test which they then track as it goes through your digestive tract.  When I had it done, the worst part of the whole thing was having to lie still for over an hour while they watched the material progress!

There is a possibility that the pain you're experiencing is related to the heartburn and stomach acid problems that you have.  Are you taking any type of medication for those?  I also have a bad case of GERD and when it's really acting up, I can feel the pain from the acid and heartburn in my chest, stomach, shoulders, arms, throat - almost everywhere.  It's miserable.

Do you notice the pain more after any certain foods or drink?  Have you tried experimenting with your diet at all to see if any changes make any difference?  Any particular time of day that it's worse?

[bgb1976]

Hi there, I have had all the liver blood test done and they were all ok, liver ultrasound was normal too, but they run alt and all those liver test done.  They did a blood test and check pancreas too, and it was normal. Actually I had a ultrasound done, and they checked, liver, gallbladder, spleen, kidneys, bile duct, aorta, and something else, cant remember, but all was good.

[geminigirl1963]

yes, it's still possible that it's gall bladder trouble even with a "clear" ultrasound.  A HIDA scan is actually a better diagnostic tool for detecting gall bladder troubles, especially if the trouble is caused by sludge or a non-functioning gall bladder as opposed to stones.

Have they done any testing on your liver?  The liver also lies in this area and can cause pain like this as well.  A blood test to check your liver enzymes may be another good thing to request.

I hope this helps and also hope that you feel better soon.  Keep us posted!