I’m convinced this is my gallbladder, I need some help.
Posted , 9 users are following.
I’ve been reading people’s stories on here for months so I thought I’d share mine.
I’ve had bowel issues for the better part of a decade now; started when I was about 13-14 (I’m 23 now). I get diarrhea for no reason; the foods that bother my stomach one day, won’t blther it the next day. I had episodes almost nightly where I was getting woken up in the middle of the night out of a dead sleep to the most intense stomach pain and diarrhea of my life. You know the feeling: sitting on the toilet, barely able to sit still, sweating your ass cheeks off, ugly crying, hoping you just die right there? Anyway.
Those episodes stopped for a few years, but the random bouts of diarrhea persisted. 99% of them happen at night, but I’ve had a few during the day. The pain is instant, and only gets worse from there. The longest attack I’ve had lasted about 14 hours.
Fast forward to 4/28 of this year, I landed myself in the ER because of the pain, I couldn’t take it anymore. They did blood work, CT, and ultrasound. Everything was spotless. I was mad, went home and forgot about it. But the attacks were STILL happening. This past Tuesday, I had an attack where the pain has still stayed with me. Which had never happened before, and I still have pain. It feels like someone is taking the organ by my right rib cage and giving it a good squeeze and not letting go, ever. Then it’ll burn sometimes, then it’ll ache, then it’ll feel squeezed, and the process repeats itself.
The attacks themselves feel like I’m having a heart attack. Pain under my ribs and my back, sweating, chills, bright yellow/pale yellow diarrhea that’s sludgy, fatty looking, and smells god awful (TMI? Maybe.) once the attack is over, I’m exhausted and feel like I just got hit by a bus, I’m so sore.
I’m at a loss as to what to do. I just came back from yet ANOTHER ER visit for them to do another ultrasound and labs and have them tell me “well, you have abdominal pain but we don’t know why”. I’m getting more and more frustrated as time goes on. I have a HIDA scan scheduled for this Friday, and if that comes back clean, I have an endoscopy scheduled for next Thursday morning. I’m trying to get other people’s opinions since no doctors are telling me what they think it is.
0 likes, 30 replies
kim27235 marissa78371
Posted
Hi Marissa. The following paragraph got me:
The attacks themselves feel like I’m having a heart attack. Pain under my ribs and my back, sweating, chills, bright yellow/pale yellow diarrhea that’s sludgy, fatty looking, and smells god awful (TMI? Maybe.) once the attack is over, I’m exhausted and feel like I just got hit by a bus, I’m so sore.
Gall bladder attacks are often confused for heart attacks. I get all my pain in my back, and only once or twice have had pain in the front, right between my boobs. One attack of mine caused sweats and chills, my bowel movements are often mustard colored and have a weird smell. Really hard to describe, but if I had to I'd call it a sweet smell. My attacks leave me drained, not quite hit by a bus, but sore and tender.
Could you have a diseased gall bladder without stones? Have you looked into Crohn's, IBD, Celiac disease, intolerances etc?
marissa78371 kim27235
Posted
It’s possible to have a low functioning gallbladder but not have any stones or sludge. In fact, 99% of the people I’ve talked to or read about say that that is the case. The HIDA scan tests how your gallbladder processes and gets rid of bile. They inject you with a radioactive tracer and see how long it takes your gallbladder to get rid of it. The longer it takes, the slower your gallbladder is reacting. Anything below 40% ejection is considered bad.
At this point, I’m ready to have it removed no matter what.
jeff4242 kim27235
Posted
Have you had yours removed? Do you get episodes of loose-yellowish diarrhea too?
kim27235 jeff4242
Posted
I haven't had mine removed yet but have loose mustard coloured diarhhea.
karen_35577 marissa78371
Posted
Yes I thought the same as Kim's reply. Did the ultrasound show any gallstones?? Of course your gallbladder can still not be functioning properly without stones?! It's such a tough one when you can't examine the inside of the gallbladder?! Your pain is right in the gallbladder spot under the ribs, right side that can radiate to the back or shoulder blade. All you mention sounds like it. I have a large stone but no pain just weekly bouts of neasea after eating, bloating, gas, (this doesn't let me eat large meals). Constipation mostly which sometimes turns to diaheria. Stool yellow colour since sick 2 years ago. Excessive weight loss, 45 pounds. If your HIDA scan comes back negative I'd consider it out!! Being woken up is another sign which my surgeon said they don't know why that happens with gallbladder patients!!?! Keep on it!! It's so frustrating but we have to keep fighting for answers!!!
kim27235 karen_35577
Posted
jeff4242 karen_35577
Posted
jess64557 marissa78371
Posted
marissa78371 jess64557
Posted
I get the same abdominal pain, nausea, and acid reflux. I was put on omeprazole to try and control it, but it hasn’t really touched the problem. I do get a lot of shoulder pain but only if I’m sitting for too long, as it hurts my stomach to sit for too long, too.
jeff4242 jess64557
Posted
jess64557 jeff4242
Posted
marissa78371 jeff4242
Posted
They just put me on Tramadol for the pain for me. They told me to take Pepsid, but that wasn’t doing anything for the constant pain, it was just trying to line my stomach somehow.
jeff4242 marissa78371
Posted
You still have your gallbladder correct? Do experience bouts of diarrhea as well? What are your symptoms currently?
marissa78371 jeff4242
Posted
99% of my attacks are at night, and some of them wake me up out of a dead sleep with awful excruciating stomach pains. Symptoms are usually abdominal pain on my right side, center of the stomach, and in my right shoulder. Feels like I’m either having a heart attack, or I got kicked in the solar plexus and can’t catch my breath. I usually have gas that smells god awful, and stool that smells god awful. It’s usually bright mustard-y yellow, sludgy, fatty stuff that I didn’t even know my body was capable of producing. The pain is so bad, I’m usually sweating and on the toilet not able to sit still. Usually the only thing that solves the problem is diarrhea, and then the pain goes away, but the last couple of weeks, the pain hasn’t gone away. I went 6 days without an attack and then had 3 in a row, 3 nights in a row. Now it just feels like someone is squeezing my gallbladder and not letting go, or it burns randomly.
kim27235 jeff4242
Posted
I was just given oxycodone (endone) for the pain in the ER, and have had a script filled for some at home. It stopped the pain and cramping and gave me relief. Thankfully I've managed OK without it for the last few days but I'm not doing much more than sitting around the house. I am very worn out from 2+ weeks of constant gallbladder pain, in varying forms.
jeff4242 kim27235
Posted
kim27235 jeff4242
Posted
Hi Jeff, I actually started my own post a few days ago. I'm 48, diagnosed about 8 years ago with attacks on and off. This time around I had an attack that lasted 2+ weeks but I'm finally on the mend. I organized an appointment with a private surgeon for a few days time and will hopefully get answers soon. My symptoms are nausea, back pain, chest pain this time around, vomiting and diarrhea.
jeff4242 kim27235
Posted
Guest marissa78371
Posted
jeff4242 kim27235
Posted
kim27235 jeff4242
Posted
This time around I have lost 6 kilos in 2 weeks, but it seems to have stabilized since I've started eating little bits again.