please help me figure this out

Once your DR calls you back, you should talk about further testing of your GI tract and look at bloodwork for inflammatory markers, minerals, iron, etc.

did he check your pancreatic enzymes? when i had nausea (i never do) and pain flanking to my back i had to get an ct with pancreatic protocol (turned out not to be that, but worth checking anyway). take care!

I do hope you get answers and relief Lillye.
I've had upper left quadrant pain for awhile now and all my tests come back normal as well. I do not have nausea with it and the pain is mild (on a scale of 1-5 it is a 2).

Hi Ruth----thank you so much for writing----I am in total fear----can't sleep------because I am worried this could be pancreatic cancer. I have no pain on my right side---just my left ribs and my back between my shoulder blades....In the evenings i am better----the nausea starts with diahrrea in the morning--then extreme nausea until I take two doses of Zomed (anti-nausea pill)----why do you think my ultra sound was normal?---I am praying the HIDA shows a bad gallbladder----I  have lived with the pains in back and left side for over 4 years now but they were never accompanied by nausea and diahrrea----I feel like I am not functioning very well---I guess I will know in two days because they are scheduling the HIDA and the CT scan----I really have no pain each day in my stomach just my back and side----before last Saturday, I was eating fairly normally and was hungry---I have lost all appetite because I fear the nausea---tonight I made a sandwich with a banana and bread with some honey---i feel fine right now but dread the morning---anyway, you are a sweet person to share your story---i guess my final question is did you really have nausea every day for awhile? I will let you know what happens---Blessings to you---from a scared lady in Louisiana

Hi Lilly, you are not at all bothering me, all of us here on this forum can probably relate to how scared and frustrated you must be at this point! There is no worse feeling than to not know what is wrong with yourself, so you're not obsessing, it's normal trust me.

I felt the last 2 months off and on before my gallbladder was removed that I would starve to death because I was so bloated, constantly belching and nauseated I could not eat. I literally lived on Stacy's Pita Chips, brown rice, apples and water. I lost 13 pounds in those 2 months and I didn't need to lose weight to begin with. Once I had my Ultra Sound, my doctor knew it was my gallbladder and sent me to a surgeon, who we knew we could trust because he did my DH's colon resection. My surgeon was surprised they could see the sludge from the ultra sound and he ordered the HIDA scan a day later. When the HIDA scan results came back, I had my surgery 4 days later. It saved my life, I honestly thought I would die! And even though after the surgery, it took a few months to feel better, I am thankful for the doctor that figured out my problem because for 2 years prior, none of the ER doctor's that I saw had a clue because my symptoms were not classic.

As far as your Ultra Sound, I am not a doctor, but it is possible you have sludge or even a stone, maybe even blocking your bile duct also but not detected by the radiologist, it's impossible for us to know. The HIDA scan will show if your gallbladder is functioning, after my surgery my surgeon told me he was shocked at the condition of my gallbladder and how much sludge was blocking my duct.

So tomorrow is your HIDA scan and CT scan, that's good, hopefully they can give you at least the CT scan results right away. When you go for the Hida scan you will be asked to lie on a narrow table with an IV in your arm. The nurse gave me warm blankets and a comfortable pillow for my head and feet, it helped a lot as I have a bad back. I also got to watch a video Sister Act and DH was able to come in and sit with me, the test took 2 hours, I was glad for the pillows and movie to watch, reading would have been a little difficult. I was injected with cck after an hour, I didn't react to the injection. Some people report great discomfort, with the gallbladder contracting as in a gallbladder attack. I had no such reaction, but in my case, I was already feeling so poorly(not from the test), I just probably wasn't aware of any additional discomfort.

I have to say that I was thankful to find this forum because even though I don't have IBS, it gives me all kinds of useful information and a platform upon which to ask for help, vent, and discuss medical conditions that most other people have no clue about. It is an isolating feeling to suffer, so I hope that you get some answers soon, please keep us posted and good luck to you. Ruth

Hi Lilly,

No, it was my dear husband who had a perforated colon due to Diverticulitis, thus the need for a colon resection; this was about 6 years ago. He is fine, he had a trusted surgeon and he recovered without any problems whatsoever. I am 53, my 2 boys are 31 and 29 and you are very lucky to have grandchildren, I have none. (But am thankful to have healthy kids and husband!)

Digestive disorders are scary and sometimes difficult to diagnose. Are you working with your Primary Care Physician? When my gallbladder attacks first began, it was always at night and that's why the trips to the ER and Walk-In Clinics. ER doctors are great at saving lives and such, but I now believe I should have seen a specialist right from the start. And yes, sadly, my friends could not begin to understand the condition I was in, although one close friend who had gallbladder surgery knew exactly what I was feeling. My own mother, who is 85 and her sister who is 88 could not understand why I was in such pain, they both claim they were at work the very next day after surgery! LOL!

It will be interesting if the CT scan shows anything. AT the very least they should be able to let you know the results the same day. The HIDA scan results may take a few days as a radiologist has to be on hand to review it. Also with the CT scan, I reacted to the contrast and had to run to the bathroom 5 times, luckily, there are restrooms next door to the room at our hospital LOL. And sorry this will seem like Too Much Info, but on this forum, there is no such thing LOL... Incidently, HIDA stands for: Hepatobiliary Imino-Diacetic Acid scan, (HIDA scan) The acronym is easier than trying to pronounce the real name LOL! Good luck with your tests, and let us know how you're doing. Ruth

Hi Ruth
I got the results of my myriad of tests yesterday and my dr. thinks it is definitely my gallbladder---still have the nausea, diahrrea every morning, loss of appetite---however, my CT scan and x-rays all came back good----did you ever have a slight headache with your gallbladder problem? I never get headaches but last week I had a nagging headache....I think they are doing an endoscope next but they are sending me to a surgeon this morning. I just wanted to give you an update---am still scared but praying, trying to stay in the moment and letting God lead me......how are you feeling? I hope all is well---lilly

Hi Ruth---I went to the surgeon today and they have my gallbladder surgery scheduled for Monday morning....I am eating very little but do get a shake and some grits and toast down everyday.....nausea has been a bit better the past two days.... I guess what I want to ask you, and I know it is a bit redundant, did you just feel generaaly "bad" before your gallbladder surgery? Like just kind of off---queasy---not much pain, but not yourself---kind of anxious---I keep feeling scared that I have something worse---but many say gallbladder can make you feel terrible----I'm just ready to get it out-----Should I let them do an endoscope too---the surgeon says no---classic gallbladder----he comes highly recommended--what do you think?

Hi Lily, I am so sorry to hear about your lab, it hurts so bad when they have to be put down, I am sorry for your loss...

What a relief to be done with the HIDA Scan and CT Scan! I wonder why your doctor(Is this your regular doctor or a gastroenterologist?) wants to do an endoscopy? I would want to know the reasoning before I let that be done to me. Incidently, if you do have it done, it's not bad at all, they knock you out and I didn't feel a thing, and I had a colonoscopy done at the same time; they suspected I had GERD and it turns out I did not have GERD.

That's good to hear that you can eat a little bit, it's important to keep yourself nourished and drink lots of water, I would definitely try to eat what you can when you feel good because it's all but impossible to eat when you're constantly nauseated. Did your doctor or surgeon have any ideas what might be causing the constant nausea? Or offer any suggestions? If it is your gallbladder, try to avoid fats, I eventually was able to drink Organic Valley lactose free skim milk and Stonyfield low fat yogurt and believe it or not, this actually helped with diarrhea, I also was taking a few TUMS, but later my doctor said to try Citrucal, but that upset my stomach.

I don't remember having headaches, but remember, the last month, I felt horrible all the time so I probably didn't notice a headache. I felt constantly bloated if I tried to eat, I had constant excessive belching and back and shoulder blade pains. I was eating 3 TUMS a day at that time and it may have helped prevent diarrhea. This may or may not help you, I started keeping a food journal that last month before my surgery, because I was still going to the doctor a lot and I wanted to be able to clearly remember what I ate and especially when I met with my surgeon, he asked all kinds of questions, I was glad I had that journal to refer to. I still keep it now 6 months later because I initially had post-gallbladder digestive issues afterward but they are slowly resolving themselves.

Sending positive thoughts your way, along with prayers. If you have any doubts about the surgery, don't hesitate to get a 2nd opinion. There unfortunately are no guarantees with surgery, I appreciated the fact that my surgeon laid out all the facts on the table for me so that I made an informed decision and I had grilled him pretty hard before he performed my husband's surgery, so I was sure I could trust him. I wish you good health and please let us know how you're doing. Ruth

The gal bladder if blocked expands and sometimes puts pressure on the digestive tract and forms a little shelf.  Sickness is the result and feeling sick as the food is not going through as it should.  Another gal bladder patient told me the surgeon had told her. 

It seems to me that lack of information and dialogue between patient doctor and surgeon is a terrible problem.  If they explained clearly then we could help ourselves a lot more.

When I had my stomach rebuilt and put back in place the surgeon told me to have a small glass of Lambrusco with food, when I was back on solid food, not lemonade, too much fizz.  Lambrusco has just enough fizz to agitate the food to get it moving.  If you do not approve take a glass of fizzy and add a little water to kill some of the fizz.  Could try it might help.

Lilly have you had a barium meal to look for a hiatus hernia. The pain you describe in your shoulder, like heart attack symptoms, sickness etc is like hiatus. The white excruciating  pain from that comes out in the most unbelievable places, face, shoulders, chest, stomach and arms. I am not a doctor and they might have already considered that with the other tests.  Most people do not need surgery for it as medication can control the symptoms of Hiatus Hernia unless it has complications.

Hi Ruth---well--I am totally confused too---I was so out of it, I hardly remember leaving---he told my husband to tell me to eat as I usually do with that PPI for two days and if I am not better, get the surgery....he felt like the diahrrea wasn't indicative of gallbladder---but I have read that it is a symptom to have this type of diahrrea where it is yellow(full of bile)--sorry to be so disgustingly graphic---I read this is because the fats are not being digested...I did sleep this evening after the procedure...I guess tomorrow I am going to call and see what he thinks and what my internist who sent me for all this thinks---I certainly don't want to remove the gallbladder if that isn't the problem but the HIDA was definitely abnormal----also, when I had it I hadn't eaten in probably three days.......this forum is such a blessing right now---you especially----wish I could take you to lunch(funny)---but seriously, it is amazing how friendships are formed---we are blessed to have support and know others care----lilly

Hi Lilly, when the ER doctors put me on a PPI(Omeprezole) because they thought I had GERD, just one of the many mis-diagnosis. I was told it would take 2 weeks to have any effect. The drug did nothing for me whatsoever, and when I went to see my Gastroenterologist for the results of my Endoscopy/Colonoscopy he said I didn't have GERD and should stop taking them. Are you noticing any difference taking them at this point?

And again, I am not a doctor, but I do remember my surgeon saying that the diarrhea is caused because the liver produces bile, which is stored in the gallbladder. In the case of a non-functioning gallbladder like mine and yours, the gallbladder can't contract and release the bile to aid in digestion of fatty foods. So the bile goes directly into the intestines, which causes diarrhea and nausea, and this is the reason he recommend a non fat diet and this was important after surgery too.

I can really understand your frustration, it is a terrible feeling to be constantly nauseated! Do you notice if the nausea is worse upon waking or at night? I wish I had advice for you, but the truth is, only you can make the decision of what to do, it sounds like you have done the research and that is a good thing, your health is most important. Please take care and keep us posted and I am wishing the best for you! Ruth