Normal testing and still have bad gallbladder/pain?
Posted , 83 users are following.
Is it possible to have all normal testing and still have a bad gallbladder?
Since the 1st week of sept I have been suffering from RUQ pain, nausea after meals, sometimes nausea out of the blue, pain in my right shoulder blade, fatigue, lack to no energy level, 12 lbs weight loss, pain in my right shoulder neck area, mix between constipation and diarrhea but mostly constipation and heartburn! The pain is constant and never goes away.
All of my testing keeps coming back normal. Ultrasound of the gallbladder, Hida scan (my result was 48%), Ct Scan, celiac biopsy, h.pylori, other blood work( amylase/lipase normal), endoscopy, MRI, ct of the head, pelvic ultrasound! We have also had a 2nd opinion with a GI Dr and established with a new GP and spoke to a surgeon (we have another appt 11/12)!
All testing keeps coming back NORMAL!!! (Which is good)
Can all these test still come back normal and you still have a bad gallbladder?
Has this ever happen to anyone?
Certainly I'm not the only one this is happened too! Any help is welcomed!
From the USA
Thanks for reading
5 likes, 151 replies
Themex79 jw454
Posted
I am going through same thing here! I have had horrible RUQ pain!
First and second dr thought it was my appendix.
Hospital told me 3 years ago they though I had a gallstone that passed!
Last dr sent me for a C scan with contrast.
Present Dr really listened and said he really feels like my gallbladder is the issue!
He said it's great news that my blood work was fine but he is sending me for ultra sound in next couple weeks and from there if they don't find anything they are gonna do hida scan!
I have been eating an extremely low fat diet and it really reduces the pain!
I am doing a lot of holistic stuff in mean time... drinking dandelion root tea (actually tastes good) I am also taking milk thistle and bike salt!
Tomorrow is thanksgiving sonInmay cheat on my diet a bit and hopefully not in a ton of pain!
ashley40565 jw454
Posted
Hello!
I am an 18yr old female and I had to drop out of my first semester at university because my gallbladder made me so sick.
I experienced all of this as well! RUQ pain that was twice so extreme that I had to go to the ER. I lost 20 pounds (I currently weigh about 100 now). Nausea, no vomiting. Only to be sent home because all tests seemed to be normal. I had a huge blood work up done anywhere from 5-10 times. Only thing abnormal was something in my liver called bilirubin and I was told I had Gilbert's Syndrome, I've been told it causes bilirubin to increase when something is wrong in your body.
This is the only thing that kept the dr's going.
First go around at my first dr;
I had CT with contrast- normal
Ultrasound- only showed sludge (they said that they can't do anything about sludge)
HIDA- normal (52%)
I went for a second opinion. I knew something was wrong and I was not going to let someone give up on me. This doctor ordered blood test and ultrasound.
Blood tests came back with my bilirubin lower than before.
My ultrasound came back NORMAL. No sludge!
I was devastated because I thought There was now not even a little bit of evidence that it's my gallbladder causing all of this.
This dr didn't give up. He sent me for another HIDA scan. (Mind you, it's only been two months since my first HIDA)
Today, I got a call from my Dr. I was told this HIDA scan came back very abnormal, gave me the number to a surgeon and told me I need to call them asap.
Guys, please do not give up. Almost all of my tests were normal up until a week ago. Push for repeat tests if it's been awhile. I don't know why the first HIDA was normal and now this one, two months later, is very abnormal.
Keep pushing.
Guest ashley40565
Posted
I am a 25 year old female.
A lot of what you described has been happening to me!
A few differences... but enough similarities!
In late November, i woke up one day not feeling well. Hoping id get better I didn't, and ended up going to the ER a few days later, I had no appetite, horrible feeling of nausea (I never have thrown up during this) and stomach pains mid and to the right side which increases after food. I have also noticed the heavier I eat the worse it gets. When they touched my right side below my rib cage I would cry instantly. I still feel sick to my stomach everyday since, I've lost 20lbs since December and eating is not something that was once enjoyable.
Results:
CT -normal
2 Ultrasounds- one thought maybe nonalcoholic fatty liver (another person said I didn't fit the profile that seemed off and removed it considering I have significant Pain not just some small discomfort in my right side and 2 days after the first ultrasound it showed no presence of a fatty liver)
Gastric emptying Scan- Normal
Had to practically demand an endoscopy....
ENDOSCOPY -slight inflammation in the biopsy of the duodenum no H. pylori or Ulcers or any other significant findings
They wanted to just give me SSRIs and say I have hypersensitivity and again I pushed for more.
So far now...
HIDA scan- said normal (never gave me a %)
Manometry and pH level- my motility testing said my esophagus muscles have low peristalsis (decreased function) not as tight as it should be (hypotensive) and I have reflex... thought maybe an autoimmune disease but blood work didn't show It was positive.
-tested blood work three times
A week ago said I have high bilirubin levels which could be due to Gilberts syndrome.... which my bilirubin levels were normal before all of this and there is documentation of that. also Gilberts doesn't explain my constant nausea, difficulty due to pain when eating, and my pain in my upper right hand side (right next to rib cage)
Next steps the doctor said is...
MRI
round of antibiotics
possible colonoscopy
then SSRIs....
I honestly feel like its my gallbladder, so many similarities why would I have pain in my right abdominal, nausea, stomach pain after eating which worsens with certain foods.
I've only been going through this for a few months, its a constant battle with doctors hoping someone believes you. I was going to apply to get into an MBA program. I was schedule to take it in December, apply and accomplish my dream of getting a Masters degree at my choice of school. Now I feel like im out of control of my own life, I've had to move back to my hometown and have family take care of me. I hate being taken care of.... I tend to be independent but this has lead me to become dependent.
Finding this forum makes me realize I have to continue to listen to my body, and Doctors are humans....
dan9737 Guest
Posted
I have had a lot of the same symptoms that have lasted for six months now. It started with extreme severe nausea that had me lying on the bathroom floor praying to vomit, but I never did. After several trips to the ER, I saw a Gastro Doctor Who had an ultrasound done on me that initially said that I had gallstones. He said I needed to find a surgeon to have my gallbladder removed. Before I can make it to the surgical appointment however I had another attack and went back to the emergency room. They did another ultrasound there and said that they could find no stones, and then I was told that the technician read the first scanned wrong and that I did not have gallstones. While at the hospital I had a HIDA Scan done and they said it was normal. My Gastro doctor also did an upper and us copy and found a very small ulcer and then said that I also have GERD. He put me on a PPI which reduces the stomach acid in your stomach. I was also put on a very strict low-fat diet for the GERD and ulcer.
I still continue to have problems so we decided to do a colonoscopy, which was all clear. In mid November, I had some fatty foods for the first time in a long time because we had a family wedding, and that night I had a very bad attack. Not only was I nauseous but I felt terrible and I went to the emergency room and I had elevated liver function numbers as well.
My Gastro doctor then had me consult with a liver doctor. To make a long story short my liver numbers started coming back down and I decided to try to find another Gastro doctor, and I got a referral for a very good one from a friend of mine.
He did and endoscopic ultrasound on me and found that I did have gallstones. Delivered Dr. now wants me to consult with a surgeon again for gallbladder removal because of my symptoms along with the elevated liver function numbers. If there are problems with the gallbladder, it can inflame your liver as well. When that happens not only can it make you nauseous and give you Gastro symptoms, but I can also make you feel fatigued and very ill.
I have found if I stick to a very low fat diet I gradually start feeling better, but if I have one bad fatty meal it throws my whole system off again and it can take weeks before I start feeling halfway decent again.
I’m older than you, I’m 52, but I am in excellent condition. I exercise almost every day, and very fit, and I’ve never smoked.
Ultrasounds can be wrong. Sometimes gallstones are hard to see on regular ultrasounds. If you can I would push for an endoscopic ultrasound. Find a top notch Gastro doctor. You’ll probably have to go to a large city in California for that.
I’m going to the surgeon this afternoon to consult for gallbladder removal.
I hope this helps and the best of luck to you.
jamie07503 Guest
Posted
I have had some of the same issues as you, but my GI has been fantastic. I have suffered from reflux for years. 14 years ago I had a fundoplication. Over the years I have had, what I thought was recurrent reflux, but now I am thinking it has been gallbladder all along. My GI did an endoscopy, colonoscopy and a ph study. All came back normal. Had an ultrasound and it came back normal. Was scheduled for a HIDA scan. My GI said my symptoms sounded like gallbladder and that I should just have it out. I saw the surgeon before I had the HIDA scan and he said that it sounds just like gallbladder and that even if the HIDA was normal that we should take out the gallbladder anyway. So in the end I didn't have the scan and am having the gallbaldder out in two weeks.
I hope you can find some answers and I hope I am on the right track!
chris36698 jamie07503
Posted
Hi-
Happy holidays. Let me know after your surgery, please. All my tests were normal, except I have bile reflux, stomach polyps, off and on clay, white, foul stools (sorry), no appetite, burping, belching, very sick with digestion. Awful to be so sick...
chris36698
Posted
And severe nausea hour on end that keep me up all night or wake me.
jennifer70914 jw454
Posted
I'm in the same boat as a lot of these other people. Nausea and vomitting has been going on for 2 1/2 months now as well as heartburn, on and off pain urq with low back pain. Also constipation or diarrhea. Blood test, ultra sound, CT with contrast and HIDA scan all came back normal.
It's taken me months to get in to have testing and the symptoms have defiantly slackened but couldn't get in for testing when things were very bad.
I have no appetite, fatigue and take zofran 8mg 3 times a day to keep down a bland mushy diet. I've lost 20 lbs and don't know where to go from here.
I talk to my Dr Monday to go over results and where to go.
I'm hesitant to go thru with gallbladder removal as a gamble to try and make this better. My GI keeps sashaying gastritis. Has anyone had symptoms like this for this long from chronic gastritis?? 32 yo female and don't know what to do. Please anyone advise.
rachel05155 jennifer70914
Posted
Belly9021 jw454
Posted
I recently went to the ER with left upper abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting.
All my blood work and x ray came back normal but my ultrasound said I have a good amount of gallstones and they wanted to remove my gallbladder
I declined and said I will check in with my Primary care Dr the following week.
I've been drinking lots of water and trying to be more conscious of what I'm eating and feel better but depending on what I eat I feel the need to throw up
My Dr said everything looks fine ..And just want to clarify that I've never had excruciating
Dr said everything is fine he doesn't see a reason for surgery but I should follow up with the surgeon just in case to look around
It's been a week now and depending on what I eat I have a feeling of throwing up ... Not sure if that's gallbladder gallstone issues ..I never actually throw up it's just always in my throat feeling
I want to avoid surgery if at all possible but does this feeling the need to throw up go away??
jags89 Belly9021
Posted
BeaGem Belly9021
Posted
Hello , a friend of mine told me she removed the gallstones by consuming 2 tables spoons of olive oil and then followed by drinking apple juice. Three times a day and only for 3 days...and then she passed them. No surgery needed. I have all the symptoms of gallbladder attacks, but ultra sound and scan showed it was fine-they found cysts on my liver and that I have a fatty liver and a cyst or growth on my my left kidney-whole other load of problems...but back to my CHEST PAIN-symptom of gallbladder, nothing. I keep thinking it's my gallbladder because I had been on a KETOGENIC diet for 2 weeks before this happened. So i thought the keto diet(high fat/low carb diet) was the problem but I'm not sure that that's the case. They did EKG twice within two weeks of these pain attacks and they said everything is normal..including blood work-all normal levels. I've reduced all my bad habit eating and have been eating ONLY organic foods and spring water--started taking MCT oil...I'm yet to see my cardiologist on March 12-basically because my GI doctor wants to make sure my heart can take being put under for the endoscopy and colonoscopy. We shall see...since I had stopped eating large meals in one sitting , and drinking water ONE hour before or after, and NOT during my meals-it seems my gut is digesting what i eat better. I stopped getting heart burn and no more attacks. I know when the pain would start coming in, I would have to sit up straight and BURP it out....then the pain would not come full force. I'm feeling better....but I do know my GI doc said I had a hiatal hernia from endoscopy done 2 years ago that could have been causing the pain. I hear a corrective chiropracter can fix that .... but now I"m also juicing cabbage to fix the lining in my stomach since he also said I had a small ulcer... I'm taking MCT oil..and it's amazing. Energy is proven (only one half a teaspoon is my dose- the label says 2 tablespoons daily, but I got all jittery when I first took it (3 days ago) and the amount I took was not even 2 tablespoons, but more like one tablespoon...so NO MORE...2nd day i took 1 tsp, and today , I took half a teaaspon.--1/2 tspn is best for me right now. Anyway....i will do EVERYTHING I can to AVOID removing my gallbladder---thanks to all for their posts.
froglay51 jw454
Posted
I've been having same pain and problems for a very long time. I do have ibs and acid reflux but things have gotten much worse pain radiating to my back. Dr. thought was my gallbladder so had sonagram in November. It showed stones but said were so tiny that she didn't think were causing problems. Also blood test didn't show problems either. They ordered Hida scan yesterday. I never had cck though cause layed there for the hour so had to inject morphine and gallbladder finally showed up. The technician said cause it hadn't showed up that my gallbladder was bad and not taking in any bile and what it showing up after morphine met it was chronic. Called dr. today and told her still felt terrible and she put me on a liquid diet and then after 48 hours go on the brat diet. The doctor assistant also told me that my scan was normal so Im very confused. I don't understand everything I have read says if they have to give morphine to open gallbladder then its bad. Help please?
katherine42413 froglay51
Posted
Hi, when I went for my hida scan they were going to use morphine but they decided to use the fatty drink method to get the gallbladder from working. Did they only give you the one injection which is the radioactive tracer and then nothing, as that won't do anything on its own. All the morphine is another way of getting the gallbladder to work. Did they tell you the ejection fraction as that is the reason why they do this procedure to see if your gallbladder is working properly or not. I would ask for your ejection fraction. They seem to have given you contradictory advice saying the gallbladder was normal and chronic. A liquid diet is quite common to check gallbladder pain as generally gallbladder get worse when you eat so this way they can see if they're in pain without food. Blood tests don't always show anything hence the tests you are having to rule things out as there's alot of organs in one place that give similar symptoms.
I don't have gallstones but from everything I've read quite often its the small stones that can cause the problems.
Is your doctor a gastroenterologist that specializes in biliary problems as I believe that helps. I'm in the UK and I've been passed to physician and surgeon who are specialist in this area. Let us know how you are getting on and get that ejection fraction that will explain alot.
cheryl77330 katherine42413
Posted
colonoscopy due this week....pain is constant and not subsiding upper right. You mentioned a specialist in biliary problems do you have any recommendations in the London area?
many thanks.
katherine42413 cheryl77330
Posted
Hi Cheryl, I take it she's having these tests done under the nhs, I didn't have a colonoscopy but if this comes back as normal then she wants to ask for a HIDA scan and that'll show how well her gallbladder is working. I found out that the cystic duct from the gallbladder was dilated hence why my gallbladder was only working at 14% when it should be over 35%.
I'm afraid I'm over 200 miles away from London so I don't know a specialist, but if your daughter goes on the hospital website that she's had the tests done at she can look at the gastroscopy consultants and general surgeons and what their specialtity is. I've found that most are either upper gi or lower gi depending on the problem but I really think she should have a hida scan. All my tests apart from that came back as normal.
I'm sorry I can't be of more help, but the hospital website is a start and I found that those consultants also take on private patients as well.
Let me know how she gets on x