Gallbladder is a no/show on HIDA Scan...

[CKB6199]

I had a HIDA Scan done on Friday and the tech said that my gallbladder was a no/show. I won't see my doctor until Monday, but I'm kind of freaking out right now. I have a feeling that this isn't a good sign, but I would like some more confirmation from someone else. I know I don't have gallstones because they did an extensive, abdominal ultrasound, and it was clear. I will have to have surgery either way, but if I know what I'm up against, I can handle it better. I have RUQ pain, nausea and vomiting for up to three hours after all meals, random abdominal bloating, tenderness right under my sternum, just inside the bottom part of my right ribs, and in the area where my ovary used to be. I have been going through this for almost 8 weeks now so I have researched my symptoms extensively and seen seven different doctors in four different specialties trying to find the cause of this pain so that it can be fixed. I'm going out of my mind with fear, confusion, and most of all PAIN. I am desperately trying to find some release from this pain, and because no one knows what it is, no one will even treat the pain so that I can sleep or even think straight to try and remember anything that could be important to the diagnosis of the problem. Can someone tell me if this no/show gallbladder is a concrete indication that my gallbladder really is the cause of the problem???

[CKB6199]

I'm 27 and have had a complete radical hysterectomy to remove uterus, ovaries, tubes, and cervix. I am not on hormones and have very little natural production of them. I am on propananol for anxiety but they said that wouldn't affect the test. No other medications or symptoms except pain that hits in random areas of my stomach and every now and then my back.

[CalGal]

When you say he's having problems with his liver and pancreas, what specifically is going on? Is he following a low fat diet?

[CalGal]

The inability to see the gallbladder means that the small tube connecting the gallbladder to the common bile duct - the cystic duct - isn't allowing the 'back-flow' of the tracer from the bile duct to the cystic. There could be a number of reasons for that, but you'd need more info from your doc to be able to figure out exactly what is going on.

Normally the pressure in the gallbladder is lower than the pressure in the common bile duct, so bile flows 'down the pressure gradient' and that bile can then be concentrated in the gallbladder. When the pressure in the gallbladder increases - contraction due to food and CCK output - the increased pressure allows flow of the concentrated bile into the common bile duct and hopefully out of the duct into the duodenum.

Did you also find out whether you're clear of sludge? Have you been following a low fat diet to see if that helps? I don't know your age, but have you also ruled out all medications, including hormones, that could also be affecting your system?

[Jesssesmom]

My 10 year old son had a similar problem with his gallbladder. His pain was in his sternum mostly, no show on the gallbladder. They took out his gallbladder almost a month ago and he is now having issues with this liver and pancreas. I regret deeply letting them do the surgery without knowing what caused his pain for sure. He was already having his spleen out and since his gallbladder was not functioning, it seemed like a good time to take it too. I keep finding "sphincter of Odi" in my searches but the Drs just keep brushing that off, so I don't really know. Good luck on finding an answer.