Gallbladder Symptoms

Hi Katie.  Wondering how you are now?  I too am thinking mine flares up with stress.  It is really strange.  Different meals don't seem to bother it, but we have recently built a house and are moving and it has really started acting up.

Hello, my symptoms have become progressively worse since my above post. I am in daily pain in the upper right quadrant area which radiates to back and shoulder blade. I have terrible acid/indigestion symptoms. I am struggling to know what to eat because anything seems to make the pain worse at the moment. My polyp is still monitored yearly and I had my most recent ultrasound scan last week. I won't receive the results from my consultant until early November. I am constantly told that my polyp can't possibly be causing me this constant pain and discomfort and nothing else visual is showing up. This chronic pain has been going on for nearly 4 years now and the negative effect it's had on me as a person is soul destroying. Any test I have seems to come back clear. I've even had trigger point injections via the pain clinic to see if it was muscle related but they didnt make an difference to the pain. The only test I haven't had is a HIDA scan. I think my gallbladder isn't functioning as it should and this is something I will be discussing with my consultant. Sorry for the lengthy reply, you probably wish you hadn't asked ?.

Hi Katie.  Thanks for your reply.  Don't worry about how long, it helps me to know all the details.  I am going to ask about a hida scan next.  I have a hard time believing that the polyp can't cause pain.  I mean it is something that shouldn't be there, right?  I belch a lot and just suffer with the constant pain on right side that wraps around to the back....and nausea!!  Do you take any hormones or birth control pills?  

Hello, sorry for the late reply I've been away on holiday.

I used to take birth control pills but stopped taking them a few months back. I wanted to see if it would make any difference. I've recently started taking lanzoprazole and that helps with the acid symptoms. The only little pattern I have noticed with my pain is that it gets worse the nearer I get to my period starting. Once the initial bleeding starts it eases off for a day or so. I noticed this since I came off the progesterone only pill. I've yet to discuss this with my doctor.

HI, just wanted to update you that I'm now on a waiting list for gallbladder removal. My recent ultrasound shows that my polyp has grown in the past year.

How are you doing? Not in too much discomfort I hope. ?

Hi Katie!  Did they say what causes those polyps?  My pain has been pretty regular.  Nothing debilitating and I do get breaks from it, but it's everyday.  Went back to doc.  She took labs again and recommends a ctscan next.  So I'm waiting on labs...prob know by Wednesday.  And then i guess if I'm still having the pain, I will get the ct.  I just wish they would do the us again.  I would rather that than a Ct.  sometimes I will get a sharp pain that catches my breath.  Did you ever get that?  I haven't had any nausea lately.

The only information I know about polyps is what I've come across by doing my own online research. There are different types of polyps. All I know about mine is that it's singular and it measures 7mm. It's taken 3 years to grow from 6mm to 7mm. I will also to very interested to know the state of my gallbladder once they have taken it out. My consultant who is a professor in this area of medicine isn't convinced that the polyp is the cause of my pain. He is going to have a look around with an endoscope whilst I'm under the anesthetic as I'm having gastritis symptoms which are now being eased by lanzoprasole. I spoke to my gp about HIDA scan but she didn't have much knowledge about them. I was planning to speak to my consultant but didn't feel the need to because I now know my gallbladder is coming out.

When you say labs, do you mean blood/urine samples? I've had a lot of those and they always came back normal except on occasions when my white cells were lower then normal but they always seemed to right themselves. My pain is never usually sharp it's more of a very deep sore feeling like something inside is inflamed. It's persistent and I feel it in different areas under my lower right ribs and back/shoulder blade. For the the first couple of years it would flare up every now and then. Over the past two years it's got worse and now I'm in persistent pain ranging from a level 2 to a 7 on the pain scale. I have recently found that ice works better then heat in giving me some limited relief from pain. I have been reluctant to be phobbed off with strong long-term painkillers as I felt this was just putting a plaster on something that clearly needs sorting.

My advice to you would be to keep pushing. We know our own bodies and we know when something isn't right. My polyp was only found because I started having this mystery pain. If I hadn't experienced pain I wouldn't have gone to the doctor therefore I wouldn't have been given an ultrasound which detected the polyp. I don't want to alarm you but my consultant told me that if left unmonitored they can become a cancer risk. Mine is coming out because it's started to grow and not because of my pain symptoms.

Do you live in the UK or US?

Take care.

Hope you find an answer.

I can't breath very well when i am standing my belly goes tight. An it's like I don't breath through my abdomin no energy hot flushed on face am chest heartbeat in right ear an stiff neck tingly arms what about u xx

Hi K roach.  Did you ever get any answers as to what was going on?  I haven't heard of anyone else getting the hot flushed face.  I keep thinking I am running a fever.  I was relieved to hear someone else has experienced that

Yes. Breathing is difficult due to pain and the feeling of tightness over the diaphragm area. I also wake up with feeling of dizziness and headache around the back and sides of my head a bit like the feeling one is going down with flu.  A HIDA. Scan a couple of weeks ago showed gall bladder dysfunction with bile  ejection rate down to 41% by frame 11 after taking fatty drink and continuing to decrease   after that. Prior to going into hospital A&E the pain was so bad my liver function tests had been normal but on fasting and clear fluid because “deranged” An ultrasound had shown 3 stones that were not stuck in any of the ducts  but if just  their presence causes extreme discomfort they will consider taking the gall bladder out anyway. It’s scary but try not to get stressed as it makes it worse. Oromorph with Coca Cola really helpful! Sometimes just Coca Cola - my thoughts being that I’m not producing enough acidic bile to manage digestion properly! Good luck. See your doctor and if you haven’t already go to A&E and shout a bit louder. x

Thanks for your post it's the breathing that's the scarest been a year but the breathing an bloated tummy has only been 6 mouths ish waiting for the op. I haven't had much pain but I do have a very stiff neck mostly on the right