Help Understanding HIDA Scan Results

Me: female, 42, with a history of abdominal pain, nausea, gas, etc., for 2 years

I've had some abdominal issues for a couple of years, with no clear answer (we've been looking at it as colitis, but after 3 colonoscopies showing nothing, it looks like that's not it). After a recent Emergency Room visit with severe pain under my right rib, they discovered that my gallbladder duct was showing signs of inflammation. After another attack, my gastroenterologist ordered a HIDA scan w/CCV.

Here's where things get weird - while doing the test, they told me that my gallbladder wasn't "showing up". This was after an hour of being under the camera. They had me stay under for another hour, before deciding not to do the second half of the test (the CCV part, I gather). The impression I got from the tech was that not being able to do the second part of the test was "not a good thing" although he wouldn't say anything specific.

But my doctor called me and said, "Well, things look fine." When pressed upon that, and isn't it a bit strange that they couldn't do the second half of the test, and that they had so much trouble seeing the gallbladder in the first place, he seemed very dismissive of the whole thing (I'm starting to get the feeling like he thinks I'm a "problem" patient). He offered to call the radiologist back to get further information on what happened during testing - and then called me back, and said "Okay, I guess we should do the test again." ??? No further information as to why.

Here's what the lab results say:

NUCLEAR HEPATOBILIARY SCAN

CLINICAL HISTORY: Biliary Colic

COMPARISON: None

RADIOPHARMACEUTICAL ADMINISTERED: ISO CHOLETEC TC99 PER DOSE 5.3 mCi RIGHT WRIST

TECHNIQUE: Following intravenous administration of radiotracer, multi-planar images of the upper abdomen were obtained at routine intervals for 60 minutes. Additional 60 minutes of imaging performed to greater fill the gallbladder.

FINDINGS:

Hepatic Uptake: Normal.

Excretion into Biliary Tree: Normal.

Gallbladder: Normal uptake identified at 70 minutes but only a very small amount.

IMPRESSION:

1. Normal gallbladder uptake. No evidence for acute cholecystitis.

2. Prompt passage of radiotracer into small bowel.

3. Due to the small amount of tracer in the gallbladder, ejection fraction could not be accurately estimated.

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My questions:

- what does it mean that the gallbladder took so long to have "normal uptake"?

- does it signify anything that they weren't able to do the second part of the test?

- is my GI correct to act like these test results means that "everything is fine"? Should I be concerned that this was his response until pushed further?

Before I get the expected response of "Talk to your doctor about that" - well, obviously I have, and my concerns are being dismissed, and it was only after pushing that the doctor was willing to re-look at the results - and if I seem a little overwrought about this, it has been two years of feeling increasingly sick, which is why I'm starting to get a little pushy! Everything I read online about HIDA tests suggests that my experience and results are not normal, and I'm trying to double-check that my suspicions are correct, and whether I should be getting a second opinion. Any help or advice is greatly appreciated...

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