What are symptoms for gall bladder problems?

• By purple66
• Reply 3392487
• September 20, 2012 at 6:04 pm
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Sarcasma40,

I had pain in my right upper quadrant of my abdomen.......it really wasn't terrible pain - more like nagging. Went to the nurse practioner and she right away suspected gallbladder issues as I also was taking prilosec for GERD and I totally fit the profile (the F's fat, forty, female, fair) She sent me for an ultrasound and from there they ordered a scan (I can't remember the name of it) that tested the ejection capabilities of my gallbladder. My ejection was only 26% and shortly thereafter they removed it. I didn't have any stones or sludge, it was all dealing with the ejection - my gallbladder didn't send down bile to the intestines well enough.

Best Wishes,

Jeanne

• By wrkradvct
• Reply 3392494
• September 20, 2012 at 6:09 pm
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Hi Stacey,

I was told I had gallstones a couple of years after I learned I had heart disease and got stents. The doctors involved (gastro and my cardio) both said almost the same words, "as long as your gallstones don't bother you, you can keep them." They didnt tell me much more and I had plenty else to think about. It was a couple of years after that, when suddenly 'chipotle' was all the rage, that I was out to dinner and ate something that featured it, despite problems w/spicy foods. It didn't taste very spicy so I went ahead and ate it. But the usual slight discomfort in my stomach would not go away that night and only got worse and worse.

I decided to drive myself to the ER in the middle of the night because I got some dismissive vibes when I called an ambulance for my appendicitis years earlier. They speculated that I had a gallbladder attack, gave me blessed morphine to sleep and keep me for mri in the morning. This confirmed the attack and the inflammation that was causing the pain. The prescription was for me to stay in the hospital for 4 or 5 days and eat nothing till the inflammation went down! Then after that fun they wanted me to go home for a few more weeks of 'settling' and then have surgery. I had other commitments so it was a few more months.

While I was living with the gallstones those few months I had to be extremely careful of eating any fat in foods. Recall bringing my own turkey to Easter dinner! After the surgery, which was day surgery and just made me sore for a few days, I was careful about fats because I could not digest them well any longer. I'm not sure if this is the kind of info you need. At least I got thru it even with HD. I guess try being careful of fats and spicy food and see if it helps!...........Wrk

• By MaryLG
• Reply 3392556
• September 20, 2012 at 6:39 pm
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Hi Sarcasma40,

In my 30s, I started getting pain from 1-4 hours after eating - upper right quadrant, under the ribs. It got so bad, I just didn't eat all day and waited till evening, had dinner, and was propped up, sick on the couch for a few hours - severe pain. I lost about 20-30 lbs from not eating. Finally went to the Gastro MD.

He did an upper GI, an esophageal scope (hospital, day procedure, IV meds), an ultrasound of the GB (had to drink a LOT of water and hold it for the ultrasound. Diagnosis, then hospital (back then, you stayed over) - an excellent surgeon, then a recovery. Was warned to avoid fatty food, so that bile dumping (diarrhea) was avoided. Did that. All better. I had other GI issues, so I also ended up with a colonoscopy and a perform/deliver in the hospital stool sample. Man, he was thorough.

And that's how it went. Good luck and keep us posted! xoxo Mary

• By Siduri
• Reply 3393724
• September 21, 2012 at 7:40 am
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Good Morning Stacey!

In my situation I didn't have any symptoms that were remarkable, just indigestion, which I had for years beforehand. The summer of '94 I had a routine exam when my GP suggested doing an entire workup since my insurance would pay for it. He requested my kidneys be x-rayed since I had high blood pressure. It was during that test that the technician spotted something abnormal and said my dr would have to tell me. So for two days I waited with baited breath for the results......gallstones. A week later I had them out and they were really nasty, black and sludge colored. He cautioned me at the time to watch my diet as now my liver would have to bear the burden of hmmmm...forgot what..... (brain burp here, sorry) and that I may find myself gaining weight. Well.......I was too busy to watch my diet, too young to realize what it would do down the road, and lo and behold........five yrs later I had high cholesterol and packed the pounds on.

Take care and wishing you and everyone a wonderful day!

Sid

• By TamraB
• Reply 3396180
• September 22, 2012 at 12:14 am
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Hi Stacey,
I just had my GB out 5 weeks ago ...
I started getting pains and finding some foods made me sick last June ...

Pains: explosion feeling coming up the centre of my chest, back and right shoulder, stabbing pains under my right rib cage near the centre.

Foods that made me feel nauseaous and eventually vomit: dairy, deep fired, sugar, desserts, egss, brown onions.
I went on an alklaine diet this past year and have decided to stay with it.
I am still getting the ocassional stabbing pain, they thougth all along that I may have something stuck in the duct.
They prefer now to remove the GB by laparoscopy and then see how things go before they go seaching in the ducts via an ERCP investigation.

I had a negative Manometry(testing for oesophageal spasms), negative pH Study (for relux), negative ultrasound (no stones), HIDA Scan results showed a -3.1% ejection ... so I had a "broken"GB.

Good luck
Smiles
Tamara

• By Sarcasma40
• Reply 3396940 · In reply to 3396180 by TamraB
• September 22, 2012 at 11:18 am
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Hey Miss TamaraB,
This is what I'm talking about. I get this pressure in my chest, right arm and up the back of my neck. I monitor my heart and know it's not the source, but is does start to re-act if the pressure lasts too long.

All of you have been a great help! I think I will pay attention to this and make some diet changes right away and see what happens.
Love to the Sisters,
Stacey

• By sham1313
• Reply 3397178
• September 22, 2012 at 12:53 pm
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my self I have these other health issues and I could not tell much difference because of this all I remember a real hit of hard pain in my lower right part of my stomake and thank god I was still with my ex and he was home. I guess the pain was so much mix with what else I do not remember him taken me to the hospital I remember next I was on a hospital bed being push thew the hall and I was yelling witch is not like me because of the extra pain it was not till after the operation that I had my gall bladder. I am hopeing you have all read check out I have not read but a few and I want to go back and make sure I have read all you wrote you are in my prayers.
TC & G B here are my other health issue's s yu can see what I am talking about.
Bladder Diseases
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
diverticulitis
dyslexia both verbal and writing
Fibromyalgia
Anxiety
Depression
Irritable Bowel Syndrome
Biploar
Chronic Pain
Diverticulitis
neuropathy

• By kimmief
• Reply 3397984
• September 22, 2012 at 7:53 pm
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I, too, experienced my gallbladder pain in the middle of my chest and radiating to both my right and left shoulders and straight through to my back. I was so convinced it was my heart (had had 2 OHS and 2 ablations at that point) that I called and spoke to my cardio and told him I was having chest pains. He told me there was no way it was cardiac related, that he was sure it was gi, but said since I had called him and said that it was chest pains, he needed me to come in. So, in I went, had a stress echo and blood work, and then was told that it wasn't my heart, but perhaps was dressler's. So, was given meds for that, but in the meantime, I called one of my good friends who is a GI guy and sure enough, I was full of stones. About 2 weeks later had it removed and felt great.

• By TamraB
• Reply 3398518
• September 23, 2012 at 1:37 am
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I forgot to mention ... that I WAS experiencing new heart trouble at the same time this year. This is why my Coronary Vasospams were so difficult to diagnose ... I was presenting with TOO many symptoms ... so we had to go through on ething at a time.
I did tell them in hsopital last year that I knew something was goign on with my heart and it was different to 12 years ago ... and i admitted I did agree that there was some gastro issues ...
So I have been a fun case for the docs this year! Keep them on their toes!
Smiles
Tamara

• By sham1313
• Reply 3400638 · In reply to 3392494 by wrkradvct
• September 23, 2012 at 10:08 pm
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did I not check your profile t see if you did and update because I do nt recall yu telling me abut and operation soon TC & GB

• By wrkradvct
• Reply 3402209 · In reply to 3400638 by sham1313
• September 24, 2012 at 1:47 pm
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Hi Sham,

Thanks for asking but my gall bladder operation was back in 2005, a few years before I joined here on Inspire. If I didn't mention it in my profile maybe it was just because I've had so many other health problems going on in the past couple of years!

I think it's good that you listed all of your diagnoses for your sake and ours (although this post is public it's probably not worth worrying about that part. ) I've definitely had trouble sorting out which of my conditions have been causing which of my problems, and especially since fibro may connect to them all!

Wrk

• By sham1313
• Reply 3403204
• September 24, 2012 at 8:57 pm
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wrkradvct
I had forgot who profle I was suppose to see but I know now and well go see if I have not all well later in a personal because this is some one else's post

I do know what you mean about sorting out which of my conditions have been cauing which of my problems, and especially since fibro may connect to them all!
I copy pasted some of this because it is me to a tea I have a list of health issues and fibro with neuropathy have some issues a like... like tinkling .numbness and the wierd ass feeling you get als in your hand and feet + some other,places I kind of feel like a I am the walking dead I put it that way because I can' spell the other and some times I catch my self today kind of staring of into space and I get a wierd feeling oh well I better close for now because I am only on the 22nd day of mail and need to be on the 24th
awhile so I am further behine with that is ok. be that is ok that is part of being a good friend is to listen when some needs to talk. and share back when you have been threw some thing like they have and that help each other.
TC & GB