Need help please, people here seem to be very informed
Posted , 5 users are following.
I have known I have had gallstones for years. First seen on chest X-ray 20 years ago following an injury falling off a horse
About two months ago I started having diarrhea about once per week. Then I had what was thought to be a gallbladder attack. I went to the emergency room and I had an ultrasound and blood work. All blood work came back normal, including liver and panreatic enzymes. Ultrasound showed multiple gallstones but no thickening of walls or signs of infection. Liver and pancreas were normal on ultrasound. The ER Doctor said my gallbladder should come out and I should see a surgeon
I had to see my nurse practitioner for a referral for the surgeon and she would not make the referral because she felt I did not need surgery because of no wall thickening of gallbladder and I had no infection
I explained I frequently had mild to moderate pain under right side of my ribs and still had diarrhea with cramping about once a week, especially if I eat a high fat meal.
She still thinks the diarrhea is caused by the IBS and said that if the diarrhea was caused by a gallbladder issue I would not have stomach cramps
I had a CT scan about five years ago following another injury ( I need to stay off of horses ) and the CT scan showed mild diverticulosis. Not sure that could be a part of all this
Thank you all
I am a 53 year old female living in the U.S
I am going to be in Italy in the fall to work on a film, I need to get some answers before than
Marylee
0 likes, 11 replies
adrian333 Tnfilmgirl
Posted
If it helps it seems to be common to misdiagnose IBS. Quite often its gallstones. My specialist said most people have diverticulitis, which doesn't bother them. I got temperature, racing heart rate and nausea with gallbladder attacks, dizziness and the pains also, but not diahorria? Still can't spell that.. People are different though some do, some dont
lynda20916 Tnfilmgirl
Posted
Well, that's pretty bad for a nurse to contradict a doctor's instructions, don't you think? You need to go see a gastroenterologist, who can do the tests to properly diagnose and treat you.
Not a GP, who knows very little about the digestive process or a nurse practitioner who doesn't follow orders. Call the practice where the nurse is located and get a referral, and tell them about the nurse, who is making decisions she's not qualified to make.
If you have yellow liquid surrounding your stools, that liquid is caused by excess bile being released into your small intestine, which could be because of your gallbladder being bad. IBS is a catch-all diagnosis, which lumps several conditions into the end result, which is diarrhea.
You could also have bile salt malabsorption. Get yourself to a gastroenterologist. It's the only way you'll have a chance and finding out what's going on.
Best of luck to you! Let me know how you're doing!
Tnfilmgirl lynda20916
Posted
I am furious that the nurse responded in this way. I was so taken back I did but say anything to her.
I truly appreciate you responded
Tnfilmgirl lynda20916
Posted
Again, thank you so
Much
lynda20916 Tnfilmgirl
Posted
You're welcome. I can appreciate that you didn't say anything. I'm really good at formulating the response I should have made long after the conversation in question has ended. The nurse reached a decision without having the medical knowledge to make it. She's endangering her patients, and some one should know.
I don't know how many times this has happened to me when I really needed medical help, but it's happened enough.
Bile salt malabsorption happens because the body no longer makes a hormone that allows the bile to be reabsorbed by the body at the end of the digestive process. No one knows why this happens. The mayo clinic has developed a blood test for the hormone.
But you need to get to a gastroenterologist--so don't give up! xx
lynda20916 Tnfilmgirl
Posted
One more thing, there's a medication that can be used to absorb the excess bile. It's called cholestyramine. If you have bile salt malabsorption, it will take care of it.
Every gastroenterologist should know about this medication. GP's and nurse practitioners, not so much!
Let me know how you get on!
Tnfilmgirl lynda20916
Posted
Thank you so very much
s503 Tnfilmgirl
Posted
Hi! I also got the IBS diagnosis but I always knew it was my Gallbblader, I started having diarrhea 4 years ago and then it was diarrhea and abdominal cramps😩, Most of the time after a fatty meal, the doctors that I saw said that diarrhea is not a symptom of the gallblader problem but I have met a lot of people that had gallblader issues and diarrhea was the main symptom , I'm having my surgery next week and hoping that at least the cramps will be gone, good luck to you and I hope you feel better soon!
Tnfilmgirl s503
Posted
I am going to call the practice and demand they get me into a gastroenterologist as soon as possible
The abdominal cramps are horrible at Times, yesterday I ate two freshly made doughnuts which were friend, my stomach is still cramping
Again, thank you
Beenthruit Tnfilmgirl
Posted
I also feel the nurse was exceeding her authority.
I had my cholecystectomy in February and I feel so much better.
It does seem that healthcare professionals often misdiagnose gallbladder symptoms. I certainly had diarrhoea as a symptom. Every time I ate anything containing fat, I'd be running to the loo soon afterwards. Can I suggest you eat a low fat diet as this does help? I also suffered loss of appetite months before the attacks started. I was also very tired, suffered night sweats and felt unwell. During attacks which sometimes lasted up to four days at a time, I also had nausea, headache and shivering as well as extreme pain centrally and to the right of central under my ribs as well as right sided shoulder pain. But everyone's symptoms seem to vary. I think right sided pain is probably the most common symptom.
Make an appointment to see a doctor, not the nurse, and insist on a referral to a surgeon.
Tnfilmgirl Beenthruit
Posted