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Hiatal Hernia, Esophagitis, and Gallbladder Inflammation

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Posted 5/3/2013 1:00 PM (GMT 0)
Hey Everyone-

Need some advice/help here or some more detailed info.

A few months ago I had a lot of pain related to gallbladder problems. I went through everything... a CT, Ultrasound, bloodwork, HIDA scan etc. Turns out my gallbladder only works at 12% and that I dont know have gallstones or Cholecystitis but I often get a swelling in that part of my abdomen and pain along with back pain.

My GI doctor wanted to rule out everything else so I've done a Colonoscopy and now a Endoscopy. Colon was completely clean with no problems but the Endoscopy showed a 2.25 cm Hiatal Hernia and swelling of my Esophagus. My doctor thinks all my discomfort comes from this and not my gallbladder and has no recommended surgery anymore, even though before he did and I was hesitant.

My problem is I have never really had "reflux" problems except occasional burping. Never really had chest pain or anything. Most of my pain is on the right side and on my lower ribs.

Anyone know if Gallbladder problems can lead to a Hiatal Hernia/Esophagitis or if those can lead to gallbladder problems??

I'm not sure what I should do about the surgery now or if I should just keep taking this Heartburn medicine n ulcer liquid (even though I dont have any ulcers??)

Thanks for the help~
Posted 5/3/2013 1:34 PM (GMT 0)
Gallbadder working at 12%.....hmm get a second opinion! If your gallbadder isn't working I believe in most cases they remove it. A bad gallbadder can cause all kinds of abdomal and back pain.
Posted 5/3/2013 6:07 PM (GMT 0)
I agree with Doggbones, get another opinion
Posted 5/3/2013 6:25 PM (GMT 0)
Yes, do get a 2nd opinion. I'm one year out from gallbladder removal due to my 0% HIDA scan, and have improved so much over the past year (it was gradual improvement, not instant). I had 24/7 chest pains, back pains, sometimes into shoulder and arm before gallbladder removal. They ruled out heart then insisted it was gerd and put me on various meds to fix it, which of course never helped. It's now a year after gall bladder removal and the chest pain is completely gone, I still get burpy at times but that's it. Huge difference from where I started. Went from sitting on my recliner all day wondering if I was dying to going back to work and taking a 2nd job. There is no guarantee removing your gallbladder will fix everything, but for me it was worth the risk of trying. I consider myself lucky it worked, as I do think they were guessing a little bit that it was the cause of my chest pain.

My surgeon wasn't convinced I needed it removed pre-surgery, but changed his story post-surgery after he got in there. He said it was sticking to the surrounding tissues and was going to be a problem. Keep an eye on your gallbladder, my mother in law ignored it for years and ended up with gangrene and emergency gallbladder surgery.

Post Edited (88keys) : 5/3/2013 12:38:31 PM (GMT-6)

Posted 5/4/2013 4:15 AM (GMT 0)
I gotta agree with everyone else. Get a 2nd opinion soon. Mine was working 24% and within 2 weeks it quit working all together. My surgeon scheduled the surgery the same day I first saw him.

Take care,
Bill
Posted 5/4/2013 8:13 AM (GMT 0)
Thanks everyone, I will definitely seek a second opinion.

Does anyone know if there is a connection though between gallbladder issues and Esophagitis or Hiatal Hernias. Thought it was weird these problems started after my gallbladder started acting up. O
Posted 5/7/2013 6:58 PM (GMT 0)
Yes, it's definitely a good idea to get a second opinion. I had an ultrasound and a HIDA scan done and my doctor found out that my gallbladder was working only at 13% and that i had been having a lot of gallbladder attacks so i had a lot of scar tissue around my gallbladder. I also have a hiatial hernia and Erosive esophagitis. I was in constant pain, i had this sick feeling in my stomach that would not go away. My doctor recommended getting my gallbladder removed because i was having so much discomfort and pain. So i went through with the surgery and it's the best thing i ever did. Immediately after i recovered from the surgery(which was very easy for me) i noticed a huge difference in how i felt. That sick feeling in my stomach was gone and i felt 10x better than i did when i had my gallbladder. I'm really glad i went through with the surgery because it has helped me a lot.
Posted 5/7/2013 7:11 PM (GMT 0)
Anyone get headaches or pain in the back of their neck from gallbladder issues??
Posted 5/31/2014 6:55 PM (GMT 0)
i see this posts a bit old but just seen it so thought id reply , hopefully u have all bee treated and are better now , ive just been diagnosed with both gallstones and a hatius hernia , back to the gastro thursday to see if they are going to remove gallbladder and/or fix hernia , so i believe they are linked as i was fine untill a couple of months ago and then suddenly i get both , i was really short of breath,fast heart rate and sick for a few weeks then started getting all the gastro symptoms so not sure if the being sick made me get them both or the breathlessness was coz of them , i have constant pain in my chest and feels like a tennis ball in my throat (not sure if thats the hernia or stones) and i get attacks of terrible pain in my chest and under right rib that last hours at a time n nothing eases it that i believe is the gallstones
Posted 11/11/2019 10:21 PM (GMT 0)
Know this is waaaay past the original posting but I thought maybe I should post a reply anyway. For years I suffered what I thought was gallbladder problems; turned out to be a hiatal hernia. After my chiropractor pushed my stomach back down (took a visit/week but dwindled down to every few months), the gallbladder symptoms went away. I suppose it had something to do with the pinched nerves ? from the hh. No swelling, no burping, no pain in abdomen or shoulder or back, no digestive issues anymore. If you already see a good chiropractor, you may ask about it or tell your MD to learn the technique to fix it.
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