Undiagnosed Upper Right Abdominal Pain

[jmc33]

Since Dec. 29th, I have been experiencing pain in the upper right quadrant of my abdomen. The pain extends around my ribcage and goes straight up the right side of my back, to my shoulder blades. The pain sharpens after meals that are particularly fatty or greasy. I've also experienced nausea (though  no vomiting) & constipation (though my GP claims that my pain killers are the cause of that).

Every medical official I've seen (ER triage nurses, ER doctors, 2 GPs, 1 surgeon, 4 or 5 radiology and nuclear medicine techies) have said that I'm experiencing "classic gall bladder" issues. They've put me on a bland, no-fat no greasy foods diet, which helps for the most part. I do, however, still have "attacks" late at night.

I've had two ultrasounds, 2 CBCs, and a HIDA scan all come back as normal. The ultrasounds saw nothing out of the ordinary. The CBCs were all in normal to very health ranges. The HIDA scan states that "the ejection fraction estimated after CCK infusion is 67.8% with normal range greater than 35%).

What gets me is that I'm still in pain; I've been in pain since Dec. 29th; my first GP was an absolute idiot and delayed my initial ultrasound results by a week and a half; and during my HIDA scan, everytime they introduced more CCK into the IV, I had severe nausea and abdominal pain. I still have no idea what's wrong with me and I'm tired of going back and forth to the ER when either my temperature or the pain spikes, and I'm also tired of hearing doctors telling me that my results state that I'm a normal and healthy 22yo white female.

What else could it be but something with my gall bladder? Heck, I even tried eating normal food again and was almost crippled by the pain on my right side. My family's suggested everything from irritable bowel syndrome to a hernia to acid reflux and, finally, salmonella poisoning (I do own a turtle, but she's an adult and I am very careful about handling her and her environment). Are there specific tests that I should request from my doctors? Should I change doctors again in case my current ones just aren't paying attention to my test results?

Two big, recent changes in my life: I started working at a police department (October) & I started taking Yaz birth control (November).

Prior health conditions: some back muscle issues, asthma (treated by daily inhaler, allergy meds & emergency inhalor), and ovarian cysts (no removal). I do pilates and go for walks daily; I watch my food intake; and I avoid smokers at all costs.

[jmc33]

The ultrasounds came back as normal (no abnormalities, no gall stones)

[Sickboy61]

Higher levels of  estrogen  can cause gallstones and decrease gallbladder movement.  This is why women who get pregnant have higher risks for stones and GB problems.  Also, birth control pills also raise your estrogen levels, which can increase the amount of cholesterol levels in bile and cause stones/problems.  

Your symtoms do present themselves as classic "GB issues".  You said you had an ultrasound, did it show that you had stones?

[jmc33]

I have an appointment tomorrow morning and will be requesting an endoscope to check both the gall bladder & the SOD.

[LAwoman75]

I wish I had some better answers for you but I don't. You are certainly not alone with your situation. Myself and many others have symptoms with normal tests. It's frustrating and wears a person think after a while. Did your doctor say what they will do next? My dr. is going to do an endoscope and said if that's normal, he's referring me for g/b surgery. I don't know what to do.