I am a 42 year old female.I just had both the Hida scan and the Gastric Emptying study. The Hida scan was not as bad as it sounds. The first part of the test they injected technetium..no side effects. This is used "to fill the gall bladder". The second part which is the last 30 minutes of the test they injected small amounts of Kinevac to "empty the gall bladder". The first and last of the small injections did make me feel nauseous but not the same type of nausea as you feel when you smell something gross..hard to explain. The nausea lst just a few minutes and then past. I also experienced mild stomach cramping. Hardest part of this test was laying still for and hour and a half. Test did show that there was a slight decrease in the gallbladder function.
The gastric emptying test was very easy. You get a choice of oatmeal or grits which they add a small amount of technetium. After eating (within 5 minutes) you have to lay on the same table as the Hida scan and they scan your stomach and small intestine. Test should last approximately 90 minutes. Mine much longer. Test showed that my stomach does not digest and empty normally. Diagnosed with Gastroparesis.
Symptoms that lead to the testing was after eating small, large, fatty or normal foods my rib cage would feel like it was in a vice and I would have pain that would radiate up between my shoulder blades. Very little feeling of nausea. There was also on and off again bouts with constipation. This pain in the ribs and shoulder blades would be mild at times but at times it would make me feel like I couldn't take a deep breathe. Symptoms continued to increase over the last 6 months.
Right now we are testing the Erythromycin treatment. This is where I will need to take a tsp 30 minutes prior to my :large meals" to help aide in the quick digestion within the stomach. We will see how this helps over the next couple of weeks. I will also be tested through blood work for diabetes to make sure that this is not at play as well.
for the past few yrs i have had random pain underneath my rib cage on the right side. it happene at any time, not just when i eat certain foods. it feels like a cramp or an ache, but i have no other symptoms. i feel no nausea, no vomiting, no diarrhea. the ache is intermittant, sometimes when i press under my ribs i feel as if i can feel something. i have had a sonogram and an xray and they see nothing. my dr had ordered me to get a Hida Scan with Kinevac, however after reading about peoples experience with feeling nauseous and vomiting i opted not to get the procedure done as I have a BIG Phobia of vomit, and will have a panic attack. the pain seems to be getting worse and more frequent, and i think that i am going to end up having the procedure done, but i am just so scared also of having an IV stuck in my arm for 2 hrs, i think i might panic and accidentally pull it out. please tell me your experience. thanks! Jennifer
find another doctor....my daughter passed all tests, when a surgeon went in, he found her gallbladder covered in scar tissue and inflamed....she was in pain 2 years.....now is happy and pain free.