I was sent in for an emergency ultrasound today to check if I had gallstones, but to no surprise it came back clear. The pain started last week; It was an onset attack; I vomited, had chills (no fever), felt faint, and had severe crippling pain in abdomen which was mainly in upper right side under the ribs. (This excruciating pain lasted about 5-6 hours.) I have yellow stools and during this unpleasant time have orange/ yellow oil in my stool as well, it has a really fatty smell (fatty stool?), excessive gas and bloating, full sensation in right side of abdomen, sore/ tender right arm and shoulder blade, excessive phlegm in throat, but the pain in my right upper abdomen under the ribs and back is still severe and always there. Laying down also hurts and so does moving around, it feels as if something is under there. Does this sound like a dysfunctional gallbladder or gallstones, because my home doctor certainly thinks it is, but my ultra sound detected squat. Are there other ways to determine if this is gallbladder related? I was diagnosed with IBS a while ago because they can't find where my pain is coming from, attacks seem to have improved after giving up gluten completely. Any help & insight would be greatly appreciated! 🙃
J'ai subi une sélection de différents scans et tests qui se sont tous révélés normaux. Mon consultant était catégorique : j'avais un problème de vésicule biliaire en raison de la douleur et des vomissements intenses. J'ai subi mon opération en janvier de cette année. Je suis sans douleur et je continue de suivre un régime pauvre en graisses.
Mon consultant a déclaré que j'avais une vésicule biliaire élargie avec une maladie de la vésicule biliaire.
I presented very similar to that but first ultrasound showed gallstones. Was waiting to see surgeon then ended up getting admitted to hospital with severe pain and fever and yellow stools again. They did ultrasound again which showed a distended gallbladder but no sign of any stones. Have just had a HIDA scan as pain is right over the gallbladder and all symptoms point towards it being gallbladder related. Waiting to see surgeon again in a few weeks for result of this scan. Think I'm gonna just ask for the gallbladder to come out no matter what the result! Pain is unreal and have been living off a low fat diet for the past few months too!
Ask for them to send you for the HIDA scan to check how well the gallbladder is functioning. There's also an MRI or CT they can do. Good luck!!
Thank you Gwyneth, I'm calling my GP tomorrow to ask her if I can get a CT scan and a HIDA scan as well, to see if this is the root of my problem. Hope you're feeling better.
Thanks for your reply Scottie, I hope they find what's wrong with me, I think this is the worst pain I've ever felt! Did you have similar attacks? I have always had stomach problems especially after eating. Before I cut out gluten I would wake up in the middle of the night with severe abdominal pain that kept me up 5 hours easily but the right side under the rib pain is new to me. I'm also on the lowfodmap diet which has helped a lot! I hope I can get the CT scan and HIDA done asap.
Apart from original ultrasound which showed gallstones my other ultrasound and MRI came back ok.
waiting on HIDA scan now though. Really hope that shows something or that the surgeon I see agrees to take my gallbladder out. I'm positive thats what it is!
Had first attack in December which lasted about 8 hours and felt really rough for a week or so after it. Then another attack in April and about 4 since. 2 in the past 2 weeks though and that's on a low fat diet too. If you're an inpatient then the ct scan will get done really quickly. I only waited 12 days on the HIDA scan after discharge from hospital. Still feels like an age when you're not feeling well and don't know why. Hope your GP is fab and sorts it for you!
Sorry to hear that, I hope you get a proper answer from your HIDA scan! The pain under my right rib is making me go crazy. It feels like something is pushing against my liver or rib. If the pain subsides will it still show on a CT scan or a HIDA scan? And did you ever have yellow stool or oil in your stool? I really hope it's gallbladder related so they can fix it.
J'ai eu des problèmes similaires. Ma douleur dans le quadrant supérieur droit a commencé il y a environ 4 mois et est constante. On dirait que quelqu'un a un pied coincé sous ma cage thoracique droite. Elle se déplace occasionnellement vers mon dos et mon épaule. Ce n'est pas vraiment aigu ou extrêmement douloureux, juste ennuyeux et constant. J'ai des selles jaunes, mais pas de nausées, de frissons ou de fièvre. Je mange très sainement et environ 80g de graisses, 275g de glucides, 170g de protéines par jour en termes de macronutriments. Je mesure 1m75, pèse 77kg et ai environ 15% de masse grasse et m'entraîne 6 jours par semaine (ce qui rend parfois difficile de ressentir la douleur en dehors de ma région abdominale, puisque la plupart de mes muscles sont douloureux quotidiennement).
J'ai subi un scanner sans contraste (je suis allergique), une échographie, une endoscopie, un scanner HIDA (qui a montré un taux d'éjection de 89%, que je pense être élevé mais que les médecins disent normal), et des analyses de sang à répétition, tous revenus normaux. Je n'ai pas de jaunisse. J'ai des varices sur ma cage thoracique droite, mais elles ne ressemblent pas aux varices en forme d'étoile généralement associées à une maladie hépatique avancée.
On m'a récemment prescrit du WelChol, ce qui a grandement réduit les selles jaunes et molles. Donc cette partie est maintenant solide, mais toujours de couleur anormale. On m'a également prescrit de la Nortriptyline (orthographe ?), un antidépresseur utilisé chez les patients atteints du SII pour traiter les douleurs abdominales. Cela ne semble pas aider pour la douleur, mais aide mon humeur certains jours (logique). Tout bien considéré, je pense que mon problème vient de la vésicule biliaire, mais je n'ai pas de diagnostic définitif. Je pourrais devoir consulter l'Université du Michigan pour obtenir un diagnostic.
Those are almost exactly the symptoms I had before i had my gallbladder removed. Often ultrasound doesn't pick up small stones and sludge, so it's still possible you have them.
I also had MRI scan which showed stones and this was followed by two ERCPs.
Try to eat a low fat diet, avoid alcohol and spicy foods. Eat smaller meals so you don't overload your stomach. This will help with the severity, duration and frequency of attacks.
As your stools seem to be affected, be aware of the symptoms of jaundice: yellowing of whites of eyes and skin, itching, pale chalky stools and dark urine. You also feel very unwell. I actually fainted and was on the verge of septic shock due to jaundice and the pain was very bad.
It's very common that patients' ultrasounds don't show up gallstones on ultrasound. This scan is a very easy and quick way of picking up the presence of gallstones which is why it's used, but doesn't always show them as in your case. Ask doctor to be referred for blood tests and MRI.
Thank you Viashino, I called my GP today and will be going in tomorrow again. I live in The Netherlands and let's just say they have the worst healthcare I have ever experienced. I really do think it's gallbladder related, but since the ultrasound was clear the technician didn't seem to care. I have been laying in bed for more than a week and I'm scared I will never get a diagnosis. Are yellow stools and oil in stool gallbladder related? I only vomited and had chills when my attack first occurred but I feel extremely full on my right side this entire time. I hope you get better.
Thank you, I actually broke down crying at the hospital yesterday after the technician said everything looked normal. I don't get it, I have an appointment with my GP tomorrow so I'm going to ask about getting a CT scan and HIDA scan. Do MRI's work as well for this? I'm really going to push this because I believe it's my gallbladder! I have had these type of horrible attacks before which last about 6 hours, usually during the middle of the night but since having to give up gluten I have only experienced bad abdominal pain which doctor says is IBS. But last week I got this horrible attack during the morning and the pain in my upper right quadrant under the ribs has stayed. This is also the first time I have vomited from pain!
J'ai lu sur ce forum que beaucoup de gens ont des échographies claires et tous les tests négatifs mais ont encore eu des problèmes avec la vésicule biliaire.
D'après ce que je comprends, les selles jaunes peuvent provenir de la vésicule biliaire, du foie ou du pancréas. Il est possible que ce soit l'un des trois.
Je n'ai pas eu de nausées ou de frissons. Je n'ai que les selles jaunes et une douleur constante dans l'abdomen droit qui se situe juste en dessous de mes côtes, environ 5 pouces en dessous de mon pectoral droit. Cela ressemble à quelqu'un qui a mis un pied là-dessous. J'espère que mon cas n'est pas lié au foie, car je buvais très lourdement auparavant. Je suis sobre depuis plus de 570 jours, mais j'espère n'avoir pas endommagé mon foie dans la vingtaine.
J'espère qu'ils découvrent ce qui cause vos problèmes :D
Your symptoms could all be gallbladder related, Hannah. The full feeling - thought my stomach would burst. Greasy yellow stool would indicate gallbladder issue too. It's a horrible illness.
Here in uk we have long waiting lists of people needing HB surgery and patients are left in pain for months before they get surgery, so not so different from where you are.
I have the same symptoms and have had the same tests and results as you viashino. I went to the Mayo Clinic Gastroenterology. They sent me home and told me to start Omeprezole again after local gastro told me to stop. I'm missing a lot of work because the symptoms are debilitating. Mayo told me to try otc product FDGard but it makes no difference. It's been over 8 months and I've lost 80 lbs. I believe it's my gallbladder. I'm told IBS with constipation.
Mon dieu, 80 livres ?! C'est fou et j'espère qu'ils découvriront la cause pour vous. Heureusement pour moi, j'ai pu manger et bien que j'aie eu des selles très molles au début, on m'a prescrit du WelChol qui a pratiquement arrêté toute ma diarrhée et mes selles molles. J'ai même commencé à reprendre du poids, mais les choses ne semblent pas encore 100 % normales.
Par curiosité, quels étaient les résultats de votre scan HIDA ? Qu'est-ce que le FDGard ?
I had my gall bladder out a few yrs ago, I had gb packed with little stones....I really feel for you (the pain was so bad)along with all your other symptoms🤢My husband had problems(mostly like yours) and pain that he would pass out from...our family Dr and we insisted it was gall bladder but couldn't get a surgeon to do anything as tests showed nothing on ultrasound or MRI...HE FOUGHT FOR 10 YRS finally he was hospitalized and they did the open (non laparascopic)procedure...the Dr said it was the worse diseased gall bladder he had ever seen and could have ruptured or abscessed, he could have NOT recovered, the Dr said he had no idea how he lived with the pain, he had it out and even having an incision, he immediately felt better...your further testing should help but, you definitely need to keep pushing until you get an answer...so sorry you have to go through this..Best Wishes & Hope you feel better ASAP💟
Hi, thank you for your reply. My GP has referred me to a specialist for my stomach/ gallbladder etc. I will be getting a call today and hopefully get an appointment asap, but supposedly there's a long waiting list. I showed photos of my stool to her and that's what convinced her that there's something that's not right. What were your symptoms and what were your husbands symptoms? I'm curious, I still have bad pain under my right rib and arm. Does the pain go away and come back at times?