upper right abdominal pain

[kathryn lee]

I am a 26-year old female who has been experiencing severe pain in the upper right abdomen. It is a constant, sharp pain. I also can't seem to keep anything down. I have underwent an abdominal CT, an abdominal sonogram , and also a HIDA scan. They all came back normal. So I went to a gastroenterologist. I described the situation to him. He asked me what I was taken for pain. I told him hydrocodone. He asked me what I taken it for originally. I said postoperative knee pain. I have been taken narcotic painkillers for about 2 1/2 years due to the fact I have had a total of 6 knee surgeries( 4 right, and 2 left). The gastroenterologist told me that narcotics cause the stomach to become paralyzed. What I want to know is can taking narcotics influence the result of certain diagnostic tests?

[ggreg]

I basically agree that drugs affect tests, but as you know, it depends on what test.  "Still" pictures don't show gastroparesis because that disease is a process.  It can begin to be diagnosed by a timed stomach-emptying test.  I'm thinking when the doc saw your scans were normal, then he decided your history of hydrocodone was the culprit for your illness.  I do think, however, that scans sometimes don't show everything, and you may not even have gastroparesis, and so I hope you will visit another doctor for further tests and new ideas.  I base my thoughts on my own digestive problems, IBS, and was just sharing what I've learned.  I hope others who know more will post their thoughts on your questions and situations, too.  Sorry I couldn't help out.

[kathryn lee]

I understand what your saying. It just that I am a nursing major and I have taking the proverbial pharmacology class. In pharmacology we learned that certain medications can influence test results. I have not taken any hydrocodone in 2 wks. As for my diet, food makes me nauseous, so I cant keep anything down. I am currently taking phenergen for the nausea and the vomiting.

[ggreg]

The scan results would not be affected by any medication.  Those are visual tools to see if you've got, for example, kidney stones or ulcers.  Gastroparesis means the tummy isn't emptying as fast as it should.  One way to help that is to eat several small meals a day instead of two or three large ones.  Also, make one of those meals a nutrient shake.

As for your hydrocodone, whomever is prescribing that to you, please visit them again and inquire as to how you might reduce your dosage a little, if you would like to try that.  It's fine that you need it, but since it is so physically addictive, when you cut back, the body will not like it, so you need a doctor's guidance to do it.