Gallbladder is finally coming out! (Overactive)

Digestive health
1

I’m hoping this will be fixing a long and tiring journey of trying to figure out what’s wrong with me. I’m a 30yr female. I’ve been battling what I hope and now the surgeon believes is my gallbladder.

I’ve had every test in the book last year. X-ray, ultra sound (my gallbladder was compressed and staying that way) , CT with contrast, Hida scan (EF 83%), Up and lower scope.

I had a small bowel follow through in Nov. but the barium went through me too quickly and caused me to use the bathroom like crazy in between scans. On my results it says protocol was not followed...whatever that means. I was not charged for it thankfully. The barium did make my stomach cramp horribly and I didn’t want to take the test that next week so I took a little break from any tests. I just fought thru flare ups for a couple months. After a year of all kinds of tests and saying your results are within normal range it starts to take a toll on you but I continued to stay positive.

My pain is always under my right rib which is more often here lately.

Sometimes it will feel like pressure like someone is pushing  there. Or it can feel like a pinching feeling. 

 Sometimes it goes into my back and shoulder blade.

It will spasm at times under my right rib but not too often. 

Pressure in my chest sometimes like someone is sitting on it. 

Diarrhea 85% of the time and goes light colored sometimes with flare up.

Nauseous at times but usually goes away quickly

Extremely tired

Temp has been staying around 99.5-100.5

Can’t gain weight (I’m normally 130 and I’m 110lb) 

I Don’t have much of an appetite, no appetite at all with flare up. When I do get hungry I get full quickly.

My eating habits were not good for a while I will admit. I love food and miss getting hungry for it. I eat a lot of tuna,salmon and pasta right now and seems to help. I can’t eat many eggs or fried food or will cause me to flare up. I even had a flare up last week from rice and chicken. 

I tried to ask my primary doctor and GI about overactive gallbladder’s or hyperkinetic biliary dyskinesia. Both brushed it off and said it all looks normal. My GI said that one of my panels was slightly elevated for Chrons but not enough to be diagnostic. I was then asked to have a small bowel follow through to view if I had Crohns there and that test didn’t go too well. I then decided to ask a surgeon his opinion. I presented him my info and half way through he said let’s get that gallbladder out. He said he was very familiar with overactive gallbladder’s and that it is a thing just not many doctors have studied it. He’s taken out 100’s of gallbladder’s where the tests were all “normal” but in fact it was not. 

So Mar. 2nd hopefully will be the path to feeling better and back to myself. 

I’m keeping my fingers crossed it is my gallbladder and not Crohns. If anyone has anymore info with similar issues it would be greatly appreciated! 

Thanks!

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Overactive gallbladder makes to much bile and constant tummy issues much like celiac and IBS. There is a diet to follow if you can stay on it will help with pain issues.  Also what helped me was eating no junk foods fried fatty foods. Keep a journal of foods you eat to determine the trigger foods that cause the pain issues. Also eat special foods like ferminted foods and probiotics. You will see a huge change by following improved diet.

 In the case of stones the pain in in the right side to back under shoulder blade very typical extreme pain much like having a heart attack.cannot take a full breath and may cause other issues if left unresolved. Usually stones show up thru xray.

take it slow and keep track of pain keep a journal of foods and pain any new symptoms and if it becomes worse go to ER.

see the patient forum on these disease helps to understand the pain and contol the foods in diet 

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My doctor actually admitted he knew very little about gallbladder issues. What you describe is very similar to the symptoms I experienced.

Try eating a low fat diet: nothing fried, nothing spicy, no alcohol, no baked goods except bread,  no takeaways, no fast foods, switch to low fat spreads, skimmed milk, low fat dressings, 0% fat yogurt and frozen yogurt. Base meals on wholemeal pasta, brown rice, boiled, mashed or baked potatoes. Eat white fish, chicken turkey, vegetables, salad and fruit.  Bananas are supposed to be good for gallbladder issues, also coffee, rice, pears and toast. Lots of people can’t eat eggs, as the yolks are fatty, but some can. It is a drastic change for you to make, but if you’ve a gallbladder disease or stones, you can control the symptoms pretty well by eating like this. It won’t stop attacks completely but they will happen less often and be less painful until you have surgery. Eating several small meals instead of three main meals also helps with the feeling of pressure.

Hope everything resolved soon.

4

Fifteen years ago, it took the Gastro doctor three years to diagnose and remove my gallbladder.   I had much the same problems you describe.   Be happy you have found a surgeon who recognizes that the tests aren't always conclusive!   Even after they remove it, you may have bouts of diarrhea.   For that, have your doctor prescribe Cholestryamine (you may already take that).   Your body won't handle the bile you make very well after the gallbladder is gone and this powder that you mix with water or juice will bind with the extra bile and stop the occasional diarrhea.   Additionally, I have had intermittent pain where my gallbladder used to be.   For that, he has prescribed omerprazolem 40 mg tine-released capsules for the inflammation caused by the extra bile.   That has helped with the inflammation in my stomach.   Good luck.

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Thank you for the reply. I kept a journal of everything I ate. And got to the point even bland rice and chicken would cause a flare up. After getting down to 109lbs and haven’t been that since I was 13 I decided to speak with a surgeon. Today it was removed so I’m hoping for some relief in the near future.

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Thank you for the reply. I’ve had this going on off and on for years and finally got to the point a bland diet wasn’t working. I lost way too much weight and starting becoming malnutrition due to it. Today it’s out and hoping for the best! 

7

Thank you for the response! It’s been a journey for me and hoping this helps having it removed today. I have diarrhea around 90% so I’m already used to that haha. I’m just hoping to gain some weight back and get some nutrition in me. I’ve been weak,tired and in pain too long. After a while it starts getting to you but I’m staying positive. 

8

This morning it’s finally removed! My gallbladder was inflamed and the surgeon sounded very confident my gallbladder was my issue. On top of that he noticed I had really bad scar tissue and adhesions in my lower stomach I suppose due to my CSection almost 4years ago. He went in thru my belly button and cut it off what it was attaching to. He said that was probably causing some issues too and would of caused some serious ones if he wouldn’t of seen that. 

I did have some issues around my stomach area around there but didn’t think much of it. Craziness!

So I’m a bit sore all over my stomach now. The worst was when I stood up at the hospital for the first time after surgery and I had the worst pain in my shoulder and neck. I couldn’t breathe because it hurt to do so. I was advised that was normal but I almost passed out from the pain it was so bad. It still comes and goes but I’m hoping all this gas will pass and help my pain some. Been moving around as much as possible. Going to try and get some sleep now after I took some pain meds.

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oh I'm surprised. You did get the doctor to follow thru good for you! Wish you well on the road to recovery! It's a long road for some be sure to ask for the food diet. Once its removed its job to break down fatty foods leave us in some tricky food dilemmas. No fatty rich foods ,Fried or eat out. Back to food journal again and smoothies. I ate lots of yogurt, keifer, & probiotics really helped.,In a few months your body will adjust and you will feel so much better. I hope you get a few pounds on to! I was so happy to get rid of mine I felt free of the stones never worry about that again. 

take care hoping all goes well for you from here!

I had had mine out when I was 27 years old . Terrible pain with stone attacks went on for a few years until the stones showed up in Xray. 

 

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How are you feeling now? I hope you’re doing well after surgery. I have an overactive gb and my surgery is in 6 days. Scared that it’s not the real issue but they ruled everything else out. Look forward to your reply!

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Lindsloo how are you feeling, I’ve had this issue for a couple years but in the last two weeks I’ve lost 12 pounds and I’m small like you. Nausea even when not eating that comes and goes. Very weak, and no appetite, forcing myself to eat. 

How have you been since your removal?? 

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Ren56472 any luck with removal??

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@SharyeJane I feel sooo much better. No more pain in my stomach, appetite is much better. Gaining weight has been tough but I have never been one to eat much in the summer with the heat. I don’t miss my Gallbladder one bit. I was having pain every day with it and now I haven’t felt anything there. I’m very thankful I talked with the surgeon and he took it out, I just wished I would have spoken with him sooner because I felt so bad for too long. My gallbladder was inflamed when the took it out and he said he had no doubts that was my issue. It was nice to have someone that had knowledge about overactive gallbladder’s too.

I wish you the best and hope you start feeling better soon! 

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@lindsloo I’m so glad to hear you are doing better. I’ve been desperately wondering if surgery is the right call. I’m thinking it is. I’ve had the dull upper right hand side pain on and off for 2 years, sometimes it does get pretty bad. But this last two weeks waking up feeling sick everyday regardless of food, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea or constipation depending. Yet all blood work showing fine, US showed fine,  except back in April when I did the HIDA and it showed 89%. I’m betting that’s probably the source of everything and just causing it to get worse. Thanks for taking the time to reply to me!