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Avatar universal

undergoing exploratory surgery and possible gallbladder removal, kinda worried

If you have had a gallbladder removal or exploratory surgery if you could read over this, it would help me so much! (I know it is long, but I'm pretty nervous about this) I am doing the exploratory surgery next friday with possible gallbladder removal. I am a 27 yr old male.

Here is my post from yahoo answers:
I've been having fairly constant aches in my upper abdomen for about 7 months now. Sometimes I get nauseous, but not usually. Usually it just feels like a deep gnawing (mostly under my right rib, less that an inch below my fat layer) It does not seem to be affected by eating, it flares up over a few minutes in intesity and sometimes even makes my upper middle back feel very sore, it will last for hours at a time. The only relief I get is if I feel this slight movement sensation in that area, then I hear almost what sounds like some bubbles move for a sec, then the pain subsides a bit. Does the gallbladder make any small noises? The pain is enough the disturb any work I'm during and instantly put me in a bad mood (I think it is connected to my brain somehow when it flares up). My stools are a constant orangish color and are very soft (very different than before all of this started)

I don't think this is ibs because I have pretty regular bowel movements, and the pain wakes me up at night sometimes. I have never felt completely symptom free or normal since last June.

I've had pretty extensive testing, ct scans, colonoscopys, endoscopys, all normal. The only abnormalities are elevated liver enzymes (140 alt) and elevated indirect bilirubin (2.2) I don't drink so not sure why they are elevated. The doctor says I have "gilbert's syndrome" a benign liver disorder where I make a bit more bilirubin than normal ppl. (I guess it doesn't cause pain like I have)

Maybe I have an undetected dead spot in my colon causing ibs?

Has anyone with their gallbladder problem had similiar symptoms to this?
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Avatar universal
Well, I found out the results from the doctor today, It has been exactly one week.  The initial nurse came in and pointed at the pathology report that said I had chronic cholecystitis, they said the pathologist looked at it under a microscope and its confirmed I had gallbladder problem. My fiancee had some tears in her eyes and said "so it's not in his head?" and the nurse said "nope, its not in his head." I got pretty choked up. Most doctors I saw thought I had an anxiety problem causing this.

The flu like pain must have been withdrawal from the meds because the body aches are much better. It took 4 days for those to go away. Haven't taken one med since. The only problem now is, that very uncomfortable feeling on the right side is still there.. Its intermittant, sometimes I can barely feel it, sometimes it gets very uncomfortable where it actually makes me angry. I'm trying to stay positive.. I was told it could take a few weeks for that to go away.  Its not as bad as it has been though.  Sometimes, I do feel a burning in my upper stomach, and it makes my middle back ache.. I also still have the orangish colored stools, just softer now and I go more regularly. The pain is definitely more manageable but not great. Anyone experience a right sided pain after the surgery that went away? Is this all normal or could I still have some issues going on?

I notice if the pain gets bad, I can pull under my right rib now (which I probably shouldn't be doing) and can here a small "bubbling" that will ocassionally lessen the pain a bit.. but then it will slowly return a few minutes later. I dunno if this is my bile ducts?  This is not severe pain, but very uncomfortable and it affects my mood :(
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Avatar universal
The stars on the link above are "answers dot yahoo *******." if anyone wants to check out that link.
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Avatar universal
Thank you DR_RTerawi for you help.  This post is a followup for everyone about the surgery I just had. I got the partial results back from my family. (they aren't very clear as the surgeon left immediately afterwards) I guess I had some scarring on my gallbladder so it was removed. I am not sure why there was scarring, all the tests like hida and ultrasound were normal. No stones ever found. The word "adhesions" was also mentioned (not sure if adhesions were on my gallbladder because my family also heard something about a weak spot found in the left side of my abdomen with adhesions.)  I've never had a previous surgery so the adhesions thing is a mystery to me.  I swear with the weak spot mentioned, I've felt that since the beginning because it feels like my colon or intestine is more "lazy" on the left side.  It all started with that left sided pain, it caused there to be a huge dilated vein in my left scrotum.  I find it strange because every test.. ct scans, colonoscopy, endoscopy, and wireless camera pill came back normal.  The weakness wasn't quite a hernia apparantly.  I am not sure if it was fixed, my girlfriend made it sound like it probably wasn't because it would have been "too much" with the gallbladder removal.  I am supposed to follow up in 7-10 days to get the actual results.  Right now I am in a different kind of pain with the gallbladder removal (which I will take over the other pain anyday) right now I do feel a similar discomfort on the right side, especially when I take a deep breath. It radiates up my chest to my neck. The doctor says it is gas from the surgery, and it IS slowly getting better every day.  The first thing I noticed when I got home was when I layed on my left side all of this liquid under my right rib cage flapped over the the left side, then if I laid on the right side, I could feel it flap over to the right.  I was told this was probably irrigation fluid from the surgery.  I was also severely constipated for 2 days after surgery.  I don't want to go into detail, but what came out was literally the biggest "poop" I had ever seen. I didn't even know that thing was in there, I just had this sensation that I had to go but my bowels felt like they were sleeping. I used a glycerin suppository and after I got that thing out, its now mostly partial orangish loose stools.

I feel very hopeful now. I am glad something was finally found. I had been dealing with unexplained pain since June of last year, many doctors didn't believe me or chalked it up to anxiety. I tried so many different meds, antispasmodics, nerve medicine, pain pills, tramadol (which helped a bit) and finally feel like i'm getting answers. I know most stories on the internet are horror stories, I think people that do get better usually don't come back to post.  But if I get better, I have every post I ever did bookmarked, and will come back and keep everyone updated.  This was considered "ibs" and was a total mystery for so long, I was told it was anxiety, and one doctor even said "all your tests are normal, do you WANT something to be wrong with you?" I knew something was not right. I am not the most articulate writer, nothing I write here could really express the difficulty I had in getting tests done and getting a diagnosis, or the total loss of hope and sad days. All I can say is don't give up, and keep trying if you know something is wrong. It seems like the answer will never come but all it takes is that one test or procedure and now you've gained your hope back. I will let you all know how it goes in the coming weeks!

Here is my post on yahoo answers from a few months ago which describes the constantly changing symptoms I was having.  Maybe someone could use this information to help get a diagnosis.  I'm not saying that everyone with my symptoms has gallbladder problems either, but I would get the hida scan if you are having right sided pain, even if the doctor says it doesn't sound like the gallbladder.  I flared up during this test a bit, my back became very achy, it wasn't a huge flare up either just a lot of discomfort and a feeling of malaise. and even though the test came out normal, my gallbladder did need to come out apparently.
http://*****************/question/index?qid=20091221020639AAG8bKT
Helpful - 0
1217648 tn?1266552143
your symptoms cant be explained by GBladder or abdominal visceral diseases. The only reason why they are palnning for Gall bladder removal is probably CCK induced positive pain test.. or ? biliary dyskinesia/ sphincter dyskinesia..
Your last symptom i.e. abdominal muscle soreness which probably is hyperesthesia is more suggestive of neurogenic cause. So I will place my bet more on neurogenic cause than abdominal pathology.. Your MRI was lumbosacral or Thoracic? I mean Lower back or upper back because I think your problem is somewhere in upper back..if it was lumbocascral then please get thoracic MRI done too
Helpful - 0
1140722 tn?1266352679
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Have you an ultrasound of yr gallbladder?
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Avatar universal
oh and to add to post above, my abdominal muscles do become sore to the touch at times for no reason at all. Almost like I had just done 100 situps, very tender.  Usually in upper right abdomen, ribs sore, and my rear ribs will feel "irritated" Could this be the neurogenic pain causing muscle tenderness?
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Avatar universal
I did have a mri of my thoracic spine which showed mild disc bulges, but the dr said it shouldnt be causing my pain, apparently no nerve impingement was seen.  I do get a lot of relief when I put a tens unit I bought on my upper back, it radiates to the front to whatever organ is hurting me.  I wonder if the mri is not completely accurate?  I do have a muscle that went into spasm in my left lumbar also, from when this all started (that spasmed the first week and still feel larger than the other side).  My legs overall feel fine, although they do get very achy one a month sometimes, I usually don't mention it because I don't wanna look like a crazy person with tons of unrelated symptoms.  I am so tried of the pain though, it isn't severe, but always there and when it flares up I can't even work. I really hope this exploratory surgery helps.  Are there any other tests I can do on my spine to rule the nerve or muscle thing out?
Helpful - 0
1217648 tn?1266552143
No doubt, You have been very thoroughly investigated. HIDA 88% rules out the possibilty of cholecystopathy/ CT scan normal means it is unlikely to be a volvulus and capsule enterosocpy normal means bowel obstruction is not there.
I thing your pain can be of neurogenic origin (arising from back.. nerves of vertebral column). Is it posture related? Do you feel any change in severity when you bend/ lift heavy weight/ or does you pain goes to legs too on the posterior surface
Dr Tewari  
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Avatar universal
Last question, can the Mesentrico-axial volvulus be diagnosed with the exploratory surgery i'm having?
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Avatar universal
Thank you for the fast reply.  I have had 2 ct scans, the last one about 2 months ago with contrast.  As they injected the contrast and I flared up, it was all across my upper abdomen this time. I was sure they would see something, but it also came back normal.  There seemed to be a lot of stool in my colon, but still "normal."

I also had a wireless camera endoscopy which came out normal.

Its strange because in the beginning the pain actually started in my lower left side by my hip, for about a week. Whenever I would bend over it would hurt. Then that disappeared and it changed in to this over a few days, had this for over 8 months now.

HIDA scan I had was normal at 88% they said. Although it did reproduce the back pain and general malaise feeling with the cck injection.

I've tried antispasmodic meds, librax, amitiza, amitiptyline, bentyl, no help :(

If this surgery doesn't work, do you think the mayo clinic help me, or is this probably even beyond them?
Helpful - 0
1217648 tn?1266552143
when was the CT done ..during painful episode or when you were asymptomatic (Normal)? Your symptoms can't be explained by gilbert's syndrome or gall bladder. (I have never seen any patient like your symptoms with gall baldder disease).
Few of the differential diagnosis in yur case can be:
1: Mesentrico-axial volvulus of stomach (recurrent type; CT or upper GI endoscopy during pain is helpful).
2: Acalculus cholecystopathy (HIDA scan might help)
3: Somekind of gastric paresis or partial gastric outlet obstruction.
Anyway..dont worry about exploratory surgery, it is a very safe surgery.
Best wishes
DR Tewari
Helpful - 0

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