Gallstones w/o a gallbladder?

[miss_robin]

Has ANYONE ever seen or experienced this?  About two years ago, I started having bouts of severe abdomal pain in my upper right quadrant, uncontrollable vomiting, diaherreah, and fevers.  On the first go-round, I had a HIDA SCAN with CCT and found that my gallbladder's ejection fraction was less than 9%.  So, it came out.  But the syptoms didn't stop.  Since then, I've had an ERCP with my spincter of Oddi opened, colonoscopies, barium swallows, and been tested for everything from Crohn's Disease to cancer.  I am under fourty, not over weight, I don't eat red meat or dairy, and rarely drink coffee or alcohol.  Yet, every now and then, I will be doubled over in pain, with relentless vomiting that lands me in the hospital.  The last time I was there, a young student MD said he heard of cases where gallstones still happen even when a patient's gall bladder has been removed.

Any one have ANY ideas?

[miss_robin]

Thanks!

[Jaybay]

Yes, that is true.  Bile is still flowing from your liver to your small intestine - it just isn't getting stored in your gallbladder any longer.  Some people just have very thick, sludgy bile that can still get stuck in the bile duct.  That's why they did the ERCP in the hope that opening the sphincter would allow the bile to flow more easily and prevent sludge formation.  Apparently, in your case that was not successful.  Just guessing here, but you might ask your doc if a stent might help.