[livingwith]

can anybody help me? I am in constant pain in the area under the ribs on the right side, going into the back. I have it ALL the time. I wake up with it and go to bed with it. It gets worse when I eat, but even if I don’t eat it is always there. I have every test there is and nothing shows up. I know gall bladder disease is triggered by eating greasy foods, but this is triggered to get worse by any food at all. Even if I don’t eat I have it, but it isn’t as severe. I hav...Read the full article

[gibson07]

I am a 28 yr old female who had these same symptoms for years. I repeatedly went to the E.R. only to constantly be told that it was inflamation in the stomach lining and chest walls. After several years of pains and discomfort, it became unbearable, I went to the Dr. and was sent to the hospital for a ultrasound. My gallbladder was full of gallstones and this was only the beginning of my problems. My gallbladder was infected and I was admitted to the hospital for emergency surgery. The surgeon thought that I could have laser surgery and have the stones removed, but the stones were plentiful and I had to be cut. I was in the hospital for 7 days, 2 was spent in I.C.U., I went home with drainage bags and pain so unbearable it was unreal. Two weeks after this awful surgery, I still had drainage bags, pain, and unfortunately GALLSTONES! I ended up back in the hospital with a bad case of staph infection. I had to have another procedure done, called a E.R.C.P. to remove the remaining gallstones. Because I still had a lot of infection, the G.I. Doctor could not remove all of the stones that was left. As I am sitting here responding to this post, I still have gallstones.

My advice to you, is to get checked for gallstones. The longer you wait to get the problem resolved the worse the outcome will be. If you do have stones and don't get them removed, they can cause infection and eventually cause your gallbladder to rupture, which could be fatal.

[louise tanner]

Dear Gibson--Thanks for your reply. I have already had an ultrasound and they say I have no gallstones. Nothing shows up in the tests, so they don't do anything.

[bvernille]

Have you had the HIDA scan done on you yet? It is where they inject a dye and basically watch it go thru your liver, then gall bladder and on. During the test, they basically make your gall bladder squeeze - it tests to see how well it is working.

I have the dull ache and sometimes fires up. I do not have gall stones, at least yet. But my gall bladder is running at 10% and the surgeon says 35% is normal... I now how to decide if I want my gall bladder out or not. Apparently if you do not have gall stones, the decision is questionable... but it still hurts...

Without gall stones, the surgeon could not promise me that taking it out would make the pain go away, it is a 50/50 chance. But I guess if it starts hurting more and more, I will take the chance.

Just thought I would ask and let you know you are not alone!

Brandie