Negative ultrasound. Could it still be gallbladder?

Have you ever tried Flagyl?  My 17 year old son developed similar symptoms and began vomiting every morning for 6 weeks.  We tried probiotics, ultrasound of the abdomin, ect.  After I mentioned that we had visited Roatan before this started, the doctor suggested a course of Flagyl.  We did that and at first it didn't seem to be happening, so we proceeded with an upper scope.  The scope came back completely clear and the biopsies did, too.  By the time we got those results, we noticed that his symptoms had severely decreased.  I do believe the Flagyl helped.  Just a thought and hope that it gives you some relief.  This is a very frustrating and depressing debilitation.  I'm so sorry that you are going through this.

Thank you for posting about your experiences.  It is reassuring to “meet” others who have the same symptoms.  I have been tolerating pain in my right side for a couple of years.   It feels like an egg-sized water balloon under my right ribs near my stomach and it aches most of the time.  Occassionally, I have sharp pains in my stomach that reach into my back.  When that happens, I feel nauseated too and have thrown up.  Heartburn wakes me at night and bothers me after meals.  Taking Omeperazole every day is helping.  My bowels only move every three to four  days and then to the point of foamy stomach acid  passing. I tried fiber options and that was a very bad choice as I became completely blocked and had to take a strong laxative.  Taking a magnesium supplemement with my multivitamin worked for a while.  I had an ultrasound  last week that was normal.  I am also negative for H. Pylori.   X-rays and CT showed all normal.   I am going for a HIDA scan today.   Reading about your experience has reassured me (and my husband) that I’m not going crazy and imagining all this—thank you. 

I have been having similar symptoms with a few others added in. So here’s a quick back story, I apologize for the length ahead of time, just in case this gets too long. 

The first attack I had was approximately 2 years ago, my mother was visiting and I had been experiencing a few issues with acid reflux but chalked it up as stress (I was in a very high stress job at the time). My mum decided to do me a favour and cooked a nice meal of chicken with gravy and potatoes....oh the pain I experienced immediately following that meal was unlike anything I’ve ever experienced....and I’ve had 2 babies, no drugs. My husband rushed me to the ER only to have my pains start to settle as soon as they got me into the room, and by the time the doctor arrived, the pain had almost completely diminished. They said it was just “gas” pain. But for someone who has never had pain like that it’s hard to just trust the “gas pain” diagnosis.

Following that ER visit I had multiple blood tests, a cardiogram of my heart, a lung test (because of course I was having issues with breathing), referred to the GI, and she says take Tecta and follow the FODMAPS diet and this will clear up, it’s just IBS. I take tecta it’s not working, she gives me dexelant for my terrible reflux but that only fixed the reflux and not the bloating, beltching, pain, or anything else.

5 days after I was started on dexelant I had to come off due to a reaction to the medication, so back onto tecta but this time add in Zantac 125 with the dosing. 

Now I’m not one to like taking medications and I enjoy a natural approach if I can get away with it. I started exercising and eating only chicken and broccoli, sometimes I would add in rice and boom, loosing weight, feeling good, looking good but I still suffered from bloating and pain just under the rib cage and slightly to the right. 25 lbs lighter and almost no gastro or GERD symptoms, a new job I was (WAS being the operative word) enjoying and I start eating junk again.....then my trainer and dear friend committed suicide. Well out went the exercise and the healthy eating and I ended up tearing my rotator cuff in my right shoulder as well as suffering the loss of 2 more family members close behind and my job BECAME incredible stressful due to my injury. So now my symptoms have all come rushing back 10 FOLD with abdominal pain, bloating, has, beltching, nausea, stools that are all over the map in colour (sometimes light yellow) and firmness. And a new symptom to top it all off! Now I’m having these sensory pains just under the lining of the skin on my abdomen that I can only explain as saps or pain that feel like dull bits, or pinching and pain in my mid right side under the rib cage, spasms, pain in my shoulder blade and all over my shoulder, but it’s hard to differentiate the pain I’m experienced from the torn rotator cuff that I’m told can take up to 18-24 months to heal (it’s only been 6 months).

I feel like an utter mess and I just want all this pain to go away. I’m going to see my doc and ask her to run some liver enzyme tests as well as another appointment for a Gallbladder ultrasound. But I’m afraid I won’t be able to get them done before I go on vacation for 15 days in a carribean country! I’m terrified something is seriously wrong and will happen while I’m abroad, or that I’ll be in such constant pain and discomfort that I won’t be able to enjoy myself  Again I apologize for the length of this email and thank you for reading and replying

I have had a Ct, MRI, MRCP, upper endoscopy and endoscopic ultrasound.  The EUS showed some sludge but the GI dr blew it off.  My labs are normal.  I am in terrible pain at times.  I am going to ask for a HIDA scan.

My biggest question for all of you is does your pain correlate to eating or what you eat.  My does not and that is why my doctors to not think it is my GB.  They told me GB pain is tied into eating, especially fatty foods.  I’ve experimented with French fries and cheese pizza to trigger the pain and it doesn’t.

I am beyond frustrated and hate my life right now.

I definitely feel for you! I had my gallbladder removed on Feb 1st and much of the same symptoms that you're talking about, I have experienced before I got my gallbladder removed. It was apparently chronically inflamed, and had gallstones in there. This all didn't show up on my ultrasound. The only thing that showed up on my ultrasound was sludge, but no stones, and no infection.

I am so glad to have found this! I am going through this right now too. So I started getting this pain on my upper right abdominal area about 5 months ago. It was constant and it was more like a dull achy pain. For the last month though I have been getting this burning sensation...just like heartburn but on my right side and nothing actually comes up. It just burns soooooo bad. Sometimes tums will give me a little relief but not much. All my blood work has been perfect. I had an ultrasound done and it came back fine but notes say that there is a little fatty something adjacent to the gallbladder...fatty liver?  Would that cause the pain? The pain is constant, non stop and isn't debilitating at all, just really annoying. I also sometimes feel like it is "swollen" over there but not always. The doc has ordered a HIDA scan but it is sooooo expensive I have seen the comments here but how common is it really for the ultrasound to show absolutely nothing?

I have always had HLD even at 17 playing 3 different sports and weighing 120lbs my cholesterol was 200. So when I was told possible GB surgery I knew there where some diet changes I could make.. so I cut out all red meat (never really have really been into greasy things) and with my beer that I do so love lol. I did well with that for about a year and then I became pregnant with my second baby. At about 30 weeks I started having nausea  and the same old pain but just tried to blame it on pregnancy things.

My first big big attack was after a week after having the baby. Did research on flushes and decided to give it a go.. produced lots of stones (which I have a gross photo of) started feeling better.. then it seemed to happened once every couple of months.. the flushes seemed to be working but then about 2 months ago I did a flush produced a few huge stones but still felt bad tried another flush with nothing but slugged produced. 

So here I am still hurting nauseated and bloated. My labs came back fine with my ultrasound showing “mild wall thickening” again but no stones. Met with the surgeon today basically he gripped at me for doing the flushes and then said he wanted a HIDA scan before he is convinced. So suppose to do that Friday and we will see. Just getting frustrated.. I hate anesthesia and will do anything I can to avoid it but this pain is kicking my rear. Long story short I get where your coming from