Confusing Pain-Gallbladder? Gastritis?

[stephann84]

For the past 4 months I have been experiencing upper right quadrant pain in my abdomine.  Started as mild to annoying, became more intense.  It is worst about 30 minutes after eating, at night, or while I am sleeping.  It often wakes me up at night.  It is worse after eating "fatty" foods or drinking caffinated carbonated beverages.  The only thing that has provided any relief has been to follow the BRATS diet.  I have lost 20 pounds though, so not eating isn't really working for me anymore.  The holidays are turning out to be pure torture for me because all of the traditional foods cause even more pain than normal.

I have had two very intense episodes, one of which sent me to the ER.  I have seen a family doctor, who ordered blood work and an ultrasound.  He suspected it could be my gallbladder or pancrease.   Both tests he ordered were normal.  During this time I also went to the ER and had a Cat Scan and more blood work which showed nothing abnormal.  Family doctor referred me to a gastroenterological specialist, who ran 1 HIDA test and said go back to the ER next time I have severe symptoms b/c there is nothing he can do for me.  The HIDA test was "normal" but I never got specific results from him.  Both the ultrasound and HIDA produced severe pain for several days in the area.  I was not satisfied with those answers so I set up an appointment with another gastroenterological doctor.  He seemed more interested, and still said it sounded like my gallbladder but with no proof a surgeon wouldn't operate.  This makes sense.  He performed an upper endoscopy to rule out any ulcers.

The endoscopy didn't reveal ulcers, but it did reveal a variety of other issues.  He didn't say whether or not those could be causing my pain, but does want to rerun the HIDA scan.  I was diagnosed with acid reflux and a small segment of Barrett's syndrome, so he put me on an acid blocker and said that should help.  I have a small hiatal hernia, which he said isn't a big deal and should take care of its self, but he would continue to watch it.  I had mild erythmia of the stomach, and he took a biopsy to test for H.pylori.  & I was diagnosed with eosinophilic esophagitis pending the results of the biopsy, which he said meant I should see an allergist.

I'm confused b/c I don't know if any of those 4 problems could be causing my pain, or if the pain is unrelated to them.  I don't return to the doctor until January, which will make it 5 full months of suffering with no answers or help for the pain.

[stephann84]

Another person had asked me that b/c it is what they had been dealing with and had similar symptoms.  None of the dr.'s I've seen have brought it up at all.  I think I'm going to ask about it when I go back in January.

[Sarsi]

have you looked at sphincter of oddi dysfunction at all?