Chronic Abdominal Discomfort

[Nick1014]

Hi.

I'm a 17 yo male, with a lot of undiagnosed symptoms. I had an appendicitis about a year ago, and had the appendectomy. Recovery was relatively smooth, with some vertigo before sleep for about a month. However, the wound healed fine. However, it seemed to heighten my awareness of other issues, and I found out I was lactose intolerant and had GERD (which i now take medicine for) which was causing a lot of stomach discomfort. I had lots of blood tests- thyroid, blood cell counts, etc which all came back normal even though I was having some lightheaded feelings as well as ridiculously large heart beats-not fast, just pounding.

Recently, I have had a lot of anxiety (especially about being sick since it happens a lot and the emergency appendectomy was while I was on travel overseas even though it was a year ago) and every time i travel i feel sick. Recently, for about the past two weeks, I have felt extremely sick (accompanied with a short vacation) and had some pain/discomfort in my URQ of my abdomen. My vertigo has also seem to come back a little as ive been sick. I am getting a ultrasound next week for this, but I was just wondering if anyone knew anything about failing gallbladders, or just for anyones advice in general-can this all be due to anxiety? can gallbladders slowly stop working before they actually "fail"? Does vertigo come and go once you get it? could all of this discomfort be due to a really bad virus?

I believe all of this sickness has been giving me more anxiety, but Im just looking for some advice or answers. Thanks for any help.

[boron]

Constipation or gas can cause quite some severe pain. Gas may build in the transverse colon and cause pain under the ribs. Gas can build in other parts of large and small intestine. Gas is caused by bacteria, especially when you feed them with sugars.

She can try a low-fructose diet. If she has fructose malabsorption, the diet should help in 4 days.
http://www.medhelp.org/user_journals/show/21247?personal_page_id=801

She can try a bit more rigorous low-fodmap (low-sugar) diet; for 4 days again.
http://www.medhelp.org/user_journals/show/118248?personal_page_id=801

If above won't help, she can try to eliminate some suspicious foods one by one according to her intuition since many individuals get irritated by some food that doesn't fit in any known syndrome...

[princessgus]

My mother-in-law has had chronic abdominal pain for over a year. She has been to 12 different doctors and no one can tell her what is wrong. She has had her gallbladder removed ,2 Ercp's,  2 nerve blocks. Had accupucture, went to pych.doc. had been given pills for nerves, reflux, pain meds.Been told she has IBS . At this moment she is in the hospital and all their trying to do is control her meds so she can go home. No one is telling her anything except maybe she's nervous.  She ahs a patch she on vicdin and other pain pills nothing is working.Any suggestions?Every test has come back normal.

[KellyRuth]

I would definately have a doctor check out your gallbladder just to be sure.  I'm the same age as you and had a lot of adominal pain which my doctors are thinking may be stemming from my gallbladder.  Plus, I have had several tests that had come up inconclusive until I got a CT Scan.  So talk to your doctor and see if they would be able to test your gallbladder to completely rule it out. :)

[boron]

Gallbladder is only a muscular sac where a bile that is produced in the liver, is temporarly stored before expelled into the intestine. Gallbladder hardly ever stops to work...it is stimulated by a fatty meal (fats, you ingest need bile to be digested properly), this is why you get pains after the meal. You can avoid pain by avoiding fatty meals. This won't cure your underlying gallbladder problem though.

[boron]

Ultrasound of the gallbladder can show large gallstones. Small gallstones can be also in the bile ducts, or bile ducts, but ultrasound is the first investigation - done by gastroenterologist.

URQ pain and nausea speak for gallbladder.
Vertigo is a feeling when it seems like a world is spinning around you; the other feeling is lightheadedness or dizzines, that can be due to low blood pressure...but also due to psychic reasons...like pounding heart.

So, I suggest you to see a cardiologist who will check your blood pressure, listen your heart, and maybe order an ECG or 24-hour rhythm monitor (holter monitor).