? Gallbladder thread

Sounds like it could be your appendix. Have you had that checked? It is pretty serious if that is what it is... You should see your doc immediately or go to the ER. One way to tell if it is your appendix is to jump up and down. If you can do that with ease then it is NOT your problem, if it is excruciating then it IS probably your appendix.

BTW - I'll bump the Gallbladder thread for you.

I've been told it was IBS when it was really: gallbladder; appendix; uterine fibroids, endometriosis, bowel adhesions.... you get the idea. The year my appendix went bad, it was never the severe, acute pain of an appy about to rupture. Many docs don't even believe such a condition as "chronic appendicitis" exists. In my opinion, they rely entirely too much on test results and not enough on what the patient tells them. Again, my opinion only, is that lazy docs just LOVE to throw out the IBS diagnosis for any abdominal problem without following through on appropriate testing to rule out other conditions.

Your pain could stem from many different things - a spastic colon, IBD, colitis, crohns, ovarian cysts, endometriosis, appendicitis, gallstones, etc. If your current doc is unwilling to investigate your problem any further, then it's time to find another doctor.

Absolutely maddening, isn't it, Keriamon? I've read so many of your posts and thought, "Right on!" but I don't think I ever put your whole story together in my mind yet. What finally led to your surgery?

Wow! You and I had basically the same thing. Thanks for responding so quickly too. Did you have adhesions in the area as well? Any time tissues are infected or inflamed in any way, the body responds with scar tissue, so I had multiple obstructed areas in the small intestine. Honestly, I think it was the adhesions that caused most of my problem. I was also lucky that the histologist that got the gallbladder was a good friend of mine, and she told me the God's honest truth about how badly infected it was. (For the uninitiated, a Histologist is the person in the pathology lab who actually sections tissues and preps the slides for the Pathologist to look at and diagnose.) I obtained copies of the surgical and path reports and was shocked to learn that I had tumors growing on my gb. Just 4 years earlier, I lost my father to gallbladder cancer because he was of the old-school opinion that you never see a doc until you're at death's door - and that's exactly what happened to him.

Aren't you glad you had the freedom to just go straight to your surgeon? I often wonder about people in the UK or Canada who have to jump through the national health care hoops and have so much less control over their care than we do in the States. But that's a totally different topic. What a horror story that you had to lose 5 (of the best!) years of your life just to get diagnosed and properly treated. I'm glad to know you.

You don't sound nuts, you sound frustrated, annoyed, miserable and with every right. I was exactly the same as you and it's really not acceptable for doctors to make us feel this way. I felt like, omg, is this really there or are they right, it's in my head. But I persevered and refused to be fobbed off. I know the pain is real, and so do you. Your the only one that counts and if you feel the pain then it IS there. Can you try to get a second opinion? I'm sorry I don't know anything about your history or symptoms but I do know how your feeling. I'm lucky my GP is so supportive because without his support I probably would have gone nuts!! I went several years with undiagnosed lupus and saw countless consultants before they figured out what was wrong. Afterwards the relief was immense that at last i know whats happening to me, and it's not in my head. That gives me the strength to put up a fight for a diagnosis and treatment for my bowel problems. It comes to something when a doctor removes your healthy appendix because he hasn't got a clue what the pain is! It was in fact an ectopic pregnancy but you begin to lose faith. Especially here in the uk as you have very little choice over your doctor or your treatment. I really wish you luck and don't give up, YOU ARE NOT NUTS (I prefer to say the doctors are!!!!)