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
smd2019 jw454
Posted
did you end up having your gallbladder removed? did it help your symptoms? I'm in the same situation. scared surgery wont help but my symptoms keep getting worse.
sheila18527 smd2019
Posted
Hi thank you for reaching out to me I can really identify with your desperation because I suffered for two years with severe pain my pain happened to be in my middle upper abdomen and left upper quadrant so they kept treating it like it was just stomach pain and putting me on multiple acid reducing medications which did not help I had an upper endoscopy a colonoscopy and ultrasound and finally I had someone tell me to go to a general surgeon and I did and he had been doing surgeries for about 25 years and he said it's your gallbladder and I said but all my tests for my gallbladder came back normal and he said I know but it's your gallbladder he said I've seen people with so much pain and your gallbladder can cause pain almost anywhere in your body and the tests all come back normal but it's your gallbladder and I said so okay what do we do to have it taken out and he said we need to go for a HIDA scan because the insurance will require that and then I can take it out for you so I went through the HIDA scan and it showed that it was functioning at about I want to say 75 to 80% and I went back to see him and he took the gallbladder out with the scope which was minimally invasive so small scars but prior to having it out I was vomiting after I was eating if I ate anything with fat in it I had so much pain I was pretty much on crackers and ginger ale for diet I took numerous medications for other health issues which can also tire out the gallbladder so anyway I went in had the gallbladder out and I felt better almost instantly didn't have to take any pain medications because the pain before the surgery was so bad I just took Tylenol. I asked the general surgeon to take a picture of my gallbladder and it was scarred and full of adhesions and full of microscopic stones that could not be seen through the ultrasound or various scans that they did and I guess that this is not uncommon. so I have been sharing my story on this particular blog and encouraging people to not give up and to find a general surgeon who would be willing to remove their gallbladder. as far as I'm concerned you don't have anything to lose .. so that's my opinion I own it and I do not struggle with the daily pain anymore and I am really grateful. I do have to be careful of eating fried foods or foods with a high fat content because they will go right through me and cause diarrhea at times so I pretty much just avoid those foods. I pray for you to find a solution and feel better hope this was helpful
smd2019 sheila18527
Posted
Thank you so much for your reply and sharing your story. I had the HIDA done and mine was 64%. I saw a surgeon who said my story matches gallbladder even though every test has been negative. he is willing to.take it out but was clear there are no guarantees it will help. I am scheduled for next week but so anxious and worried it wont work or cause more issues. But at this point it's been 6 months and I am miserable ! praying so much this works and I'm doing the right thing.
mike11794 smd2019
Posted
my hidascan showed 87 percent i have been dealing with this off and on for 3 years but the last 6 months its always there sometimes on the left side sometimes on the right side pain under ribs and back also all of my test are negative dr s dont act like hida of 87 percent is no big deal but im miserable and dont know what to do
Gm88 mike11794
Posted
I know exactally how you feel, very frustrating, just keep after doctors. i have had all tests and all negative for gallbladder. finally my dr going to refer me to a surgeon for gallbladder because I told her I wanted it out, every dr I went to said it sounds like gallbladder, everything else has been ruled out. I have had this for 5 yrs
mike11794 Gm88
Posted
thank you let me know how you feel after you have yours out thats Probably my next step I can’t go on like this I know that thanks again
SaiHall mike11794
Posted
They should probably just remove it. The normal ejection fraction is about 35-65%. If your ejection fraction is 87%, then your gallbladder is see as overactive.
mike11794 SaiHall
Posted
thats what i thought but the gi dr acted like the number was fine.
dawn74277 sheila18527
Posted
My daughter is 15 and has been dealing with this since October. She has pain in upper abdomen, nausea, bloating, and stomach noises that causes her embarrassment. The pain gets worse about an hour after she eats so she's not eating and has lost about 10 pounds. She has had 2 ultrasounds, endoscopy, CT scan, hide-a-scan, blood panels, tested for celiac, h pylori, given meds to relax stomach, and taking meds to increase appetite, prilosec, and gas-x. She has seen 5 doctors ranging from general practitioner, pediatrician, ER doctor, GI doctor, and now pediatric GI specialist. Our last visit with her she was told to consult a nutritionist and counselor for concerns with eating and anxiety and a third ultrasound. She left there in tears, saying she knows she's not eating right and is anxious about everything but that is not causing her stomach issues, her stomach issues are causing eating and anxiety issues. She has not attended school since this started. Her school has a virtual option this year and she signed up for it in October when this started. She has not seen friends or attended different events because she is so worried about how she will feel. I am very concerned with her mental well-being. I have read the different replies on this post and am thinking of consulting with a general surgeon. I know she is young and gall bladder issues are not as common in teens but my instinct is that it is her gall bladder. We are both so discouraged and getting desperate. I pray for someone to listen and have the answers she needs.
cindy49814 jw454
Posted
Last Sunday woke up throwing up and had right side pain. Went too doc on Thursday still had the pain on right side I know its my Gallbladder because i had same thing off and on for 10 years. PCP said probably so. Next morning woke up back pain and right side pain and headache. So off to ER 6 hours later Blood Work,CT Scan, Ultra Sound all normal still in pain Doctor looks at me like I'am nuts. Called my PCP she said you should have puked on his shoes than maybe he would have listened. So off for more test. I have had adhesions before but that was 15 years ago. I have Parkinson also so im about tired of all this crap when no Doctors will listen.
SaiHall cindy49814
Posted
I'm a bit curious...what were your symptoms with your adhesions and what have you done about them?
emily53791 jw454
Edited
hi all. About 4 weeks ago i started to have awful diarrhea and upper right quadrant pain. i have been to the er 4 times. i have Received a HIDA scan, a CT with contrast and an ultra sound. everything has come back normal. im still in horrible pain. i can only eat limited things. i saw a GI dr and he did stool sample and those were fine. For those of you who have has normal scans with gallbladder pain how did you finally get a diagnosis? Was it truly your gallbladder or did something else mimic the pain?
NormaJeen7777 jw454
Posted
I'm new here and your post was first I saw. I am experiencing similar issues all highlights and hallmarks of gallbladder and RUQ pain. this has continued for going and week two. I’ve had chronic flareups in the past but never like this. Fasting blood work and other bloodwork all good and recent ultrasound shows no stones. It did show I had a fatty liver indicative of hempatic stennois . Cholesterol was the only thing at 251 which is very high for me I try to eat healthy I don’t eat fried foods I know it can be hereditary but would this be causing all this pain I don’t go back to the doctor until next week. i am only eating once a day with crackers soup jello and bland drinking green tea and making diet changes To when I can feel like eating more. Any insight and other testing I can request I would like an open MRI
cathy04005 jw454
Posted
Definitely feeling frustration with this pain/discomfort! the good thing is i am not just imagining the symptoms. ultrasound negative, blood work normal, HIDA scan normal. I am beginning to put pieces together. Since before Thanksgiving I have been having bouts of dizziness/vertigo generally early in the morning just after waking up. Dr said it was due to dehydration - drink more water. Never thought about GI issue until I was reading comments here. I am no longer having the sharp stabbing pains but more a constant dull pain in the RUQ which often radiates to my back almost like a hot poker poking all through my right side. I am hypothyroid and have seen suggestion in other research there is a relationship. I don't know. Today during the HIDA scan I thought this isn't going to reveal anything....so here I sit tonight after eating supper with this nagging discomfort that is not in a text book! Thanks for listening!
rachellou1208 jw454
Posted
If they can't find the stones it's hard to detect that is the issue depends how small stones are and when they are testing, if they are doing so when everything is OK they won't find anything. It may be you have stones more than the bladder being effected, gallbladder pain comes and goes it's the nature of the illness I know lots of people who have had pain like you are having and keep being told. There isn't a cause. ALL I can suggest is when your really ill try get them to test then because it's. When u are ill with the issue they need to be testing not before, timing is the key.