Aa
Aa
A
A
A
Close
5589811 tn?1370465784

Gallbladder issue

I recently had 4 what I am sure are gallbladder attacks. The first 2 within a couple weeks of each other and after I had eaten a handful of peanuts before bed. The next was a few weeks later but much milder, can't attribute that to anything I ate because I don't remember. The 4th was the worst, Memorial Day morning at 5 am. I woke up with the same pain as the other times when I thought I had the flu. Tight painful band across the top of my stomach, bloated and burping but no relief from the pain. I finally realized it was not the flu 4 times in under 2 months and went to the emergency room. They were sure it was my gallbladder, gave me morphine for the pain and sent me home to follow up with my doctor the next day. He looked at my ultrasound, distended gallbladder and the opening was dialated so he sent me to a surgeon.  The surgeon talked with me and said my symptoms were textbook gallbladder and ordered me a Hida scan. Well today I got the results and it was 84% so now they feel my galbladder is fine and off to a GI (nurse practictioner not a real GI doctor )  and I cant get in until July 3rd. I am very frustrated because I am sure it is my galbladder. As long as I eat plain food, no fat, I do ok. I have felt some minor discomfort at times but nothing like the last attack.  I just wonder if it really could be something else or if I will end up back at the surgeons.
2 Responses
Sort by: Helpful Oldest Newest
5589811 tn?1370465784
UPDATE.............I just had an egd and the doctor went ahead and did the endoscopic ultrasound right after because my stomach was just fine. Well guess what............my gallbladder is full of stones. So much for the hida scan which read at 84%.  I was so frustrated until I went for the egd, this doctor talked to me about all my symptoms and told me he was sure it was my gallbladder but that he would check my stomach to be sure and if it was ok he would go ahead with the endoscopic ultrasound to check my gallbladder. Since my deductible is $7500 he was trying to save me money by doing them both in one day and also get me an answer.  My surgeon's nurse called me to come in on Monday, 7/22/13 and told me to bring my calendar.  I am still mad that I had to go through all these expensive tests just to find out that it was my gallbladder all along, something I told them as soon as I read read about my symptoms.  Even the surgeon was sure it was until the hida scan came back at 84%, then he said it couldn't be my gallbladder.  I am happy that they are finally going to take it out but frustrated at what I had to go through to get an answer.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Hello and hope you are doing well.

When you underwent the test namely HIDA scan, did you experience pain? The HIDA scan w/ CCK provides two pieces of information. The first is how well the gallbladder is functioning by assessing its response to CCK which is your body's signal for it to contract after you eat. The second is whether your symptoms are duplicated by inducing a gallbladder contraction. There is emerging data that suggests that the second is the most important to predict who would benefit from gallbladder removal. The good news is that if you experience your typical symptoms during the test you have probably found the problem.

This will help to rule out if the gallbladder is causing your symptoms of pain.

Hope this helped and do keep us posted.
Helpful - 0
Have an Answer?

You are reading content posted in the Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) Community

Top Digestive Answerers
Learn About Top Answerers
Didn't find the answer you were looking for?
Ask a question
Popular Resources
Learn which OTC medications can help relieve your digestive troubles.
Is a gluten-free diet right for you?
Discover common causes of and remedies for heartburn.
This common yet mysterious bowel condition plagues millions of Americans
Don't get burned again. Banish nighttime heartburn with these quick tips
Get answers to your top questions about this pervasive digestive problem