I think I might be having a problem with my gall bladder. During the holidays, like many others I tend to overindulge. After a few days in a row of eating more than normal, I started having really sharp gas pains. The pain seemed to be generalized to my middle abdomen at first but now has found its place in the lower right side of my abdomen. I had my appendix out last year so that can be ruled out. I went to see a gastro doc and he did not have any immediate thoughts on what it might be. I’m going to get imaging done to hopefully shed some light on the situation. Anyone else have a similar experience?
when my appendix ruptured back in 2003, they removed my gallbladder as well. Have them also check for kidney stones. I had those back near the same time.
Gall bladder issues present in many ways. The gastro doc should order a complete Abdominal ultrasound. Sometimes, they order a Right Upper Quadrant, or Abdomen Limited, which is just the liver, pancreas, gall bladder, biliary system, aorta, and right kidney. The Complete Abdomen includes the all the above, and the contralateral kidney, and spleen.
Some patients only have shoulder pain, while others have epigastric pain (in the middle of the upper abd) and some have classic symptoms of right upper quadrant pain. Some have nausea and vomiting. I did not when I had this. Mine was not classic at all.
Most docs order blood drawn for labs, and the hallmark lab for biliary obstruction by a gallstone is the Alkaline Phosphatase or Alk Phos. Bilirubin can be elevated too. Other things can raise these enzymes and such, but when I had pancreatitis and cholecystitis (gall stones in the gall bladder), mine were sky high. My pancreatic enzymes were high too, showing that something was inflaming my pancreas, which was a lodged stone.
Labs tell doctors a lot. They can do a differential diagnosis then, and rule things like acid reflux or heartburn. Imaging will show a lot. A nonfunctioning gallbladder will also be considered, too.
Not only does my pancreas not produce insulin, it doesn’t produce any of the enzymes at all! I have to take pancreatic enzyme pills in order to digest my food properly (otherwise it’s trouble). I have biliary sludge (common name : bile that has thickened and taken on sand sized crystals). My gallbladder is about half what it should be and I am being tested for Celiac ( an intolerance to wheat/gluten products.) Hope this helps and makes you feel a bit better.
I had my gallbladder out over the summer. I had just had a baby (not your case I see :D) However My symptoms were extreme gas pains - no way to relieve - I had pain in my tummy (my stomach area) and pain in my back between my shoulder blades. I went to er - doc said you have gallbladder disease, just eat a low fat diet and loose weight. I did that and no go I ended up back in an urgent care looking for a GP. They gave me a shot of Demerol and told me he would get me into my GP tomorrow. HE did that, I had lab work done, and they called that evening! It is NEVER good to have the dr. call back. I went in and he told me that I had to go to the Hospital immediately. I was in the Hospital for 4 days (my baby was 4 mo) it was Horrible. Ended up that i had acute pancreatitis and my liver was not functioning correctly. Because the ER dr. did not look closely at the type of gallstones I had and let me go. I had the small gallstones which are extremely dangerous. I ended up having a blocked duct due to one passing and getting stuck. Long story short, the stone finally passed and I only had to have 1 procedure - surgery to remove my gallbladder. Essentially don’t mess around with this, it can be dangerous. Good Luck.
Ok I had the ultrasound done today. The imaging did not show any problems. I guess that is good but I am still in major pain and have no idea what the problem is. I have been under some stress lately and am wondering if that might be the problem. Could stress alone be the of cause severe sharp pains, bloating, etc?
Hi Brian,
stress alone is not enough to describe all you have been through. Remember we have a large bowel and small bowel down there as well. Even if stones are not found in the gall bladder it doesn’t mean all is well. Bood work is a very good idea. I would also ask the doc to run the tests to see if you have a small bowel problem called celiac disease and are allergic to wheat and gluten. The symptoms you describe are the same like my daughter has and she is wheat and gluten intolerant. The pain, gas and bloating are awful. The good news is that if it is, the simple treatment of eliminating those from your diet will be a major help. But you need to look at any sumptoms from the large bowel also. In short, just the ultrasound won’t give you a complete picture. My advice is keep going until you find the problem. It may take some time/ Good luck and i hope you are feeling better soon.
I had my gallbladder out…my symptoms started shortly after pregnancies though and later I found out there are 2 different types of gallbladder issues…the ones that cause many tiny stones (which is good to try the master cleansing type of thing)…I did try the natural master cleansing and it did not work for me…pain continued to get worse…like a knife in upper abdominal area through to the back below shoulder blades…
The type I had was hormonal and usually during pregnancy can produce one large stone instead of a bunch of tiny ones that cause the troubles…well it started out then in '98 and I had my surgery in '05…kept blowing it off till I just could not any longer
I am a freak and kept my 1 large stone! LOL I should upload pictures sometime haha
I think if your trouble is lower pain it might be more like celiac or IBS…
If you experience sharp pains after eating, it can be many things, or nothing.
Stress can cause some pretty bad stuff.
Pain after eating, like the running pain in your side can be a mesenteric artery issue. Or, it can be gas…
Did they look at your kidneys?
If your doc did labs, it rules out a LOT. I hope you aren’t having any more pain and are doing well.
Oh you lucky, you got to keep a stone! I had mine out, and I peeked in my file, and saw the pictures of my gb cut open.
I had small stones, you know, the kind you could put in a setting with a big stone right in the middle!!
I have gallbladder problems for several years now. I had numerous tests done such as CT, EUS, regular ultrasound, HIDA scan, blood tests and even ERCP several years ago. The problem is that besides freguent pains I woul have lipase elevated as well. Although all tests are negative, it seems to me that my dr’s are not really sure that may be the cause. Actually Hida scan revealed that I have 10% ejection fraction, so there is a suggestion to remove the GB. At the same time I am concerned of my lipase elevation… Can it be elevated due to a chronic cholycistitis? Or it is based solely on pancreatitis? Anddddd how do you feel after you GB removal? Thank you very much for your response. I am soooo scared!
