My dr says i have acid/gerd but i have a constant upper right side back ache that never goes away. I know i have a gallstone which i have known about for 12 yrs but dr says i am fine because he pressed in my gallbladder area and i wasn't in pain. Can you have right side back/shoulder ache but no actual pain in the front where your gallbladder is but still have gallbladder problems
Hi, I only had intense acute pain when having a flare up where you can't stand up straight and feel desperate. on a day to day basis I had nagging background ache right side through to back and a sensation like a tight band around chest / stomach. I had gallbladder which was enlarged, inflamed, infected and gallstones, everyone's level and description of pain varies and what you feel as discomfort and ache someone else may say painful. Doctor's diagnosis doesn't sound very conclusive to me. Can he not refer you to a specialist?
He is sending me for an endoscopy because he thinks its oesophageal reflux. I have had all my bloods done which were ok.
Do you think he his going in the right direction? We go along with what gps tell us but you could ask for a scan , pretty quick inexpensive and painless to see what has happened with your gallstone after 12 years. Some people to say they have reflux caused by their gallstones. Hard to call but you could at least be waiting for both tests at the same time. Then at least you will have some more information. I would have thought in my inexperienced, unqualified opinion that your stone would have continued to grow in that time and 12 years is a long time without having another look, I'd of thought. Just a suggestion though.
Thanks octavia. I might go back again and ask for an abdominal ultrasound. Do you know much about gallbladder flushes?
I read a lot about them as I was desperate to avoid surgery and an awful lot on the internet say a success. My stones were quite large 2 x 2cm. I was afraid if , and my personal opioion it was a big if it did work , what if it got stuck. I did talk to the surgeon about it at my first appointment and his opinion was that what people see is not stones from their gallbladder. Also as I had thought he said very dangerous to have gallstones stuck and an emergency situation. Didnt seem worth the risk to me.
Can you not get a CT SCAN to verify gallstones?
Thats what i am afraid of octavia that i do a flush and it gets stuck etc.
I would personally be very cautious with this. I know on the internet some people say they removed hundreds of stones this way. At the end of the day you want to be alive and well. A scan would tell you how big your stone is at least or if you have formed more in this time. I dont know anything about gerd etc to be honest. I only occasionally had heartburn and it has stopped completely since gallbladder gone. It is so confusing wen doctors can't give you a definite diagnosis to work with so you can decide what to do. Hope you get some answers soon. Another thought just come to me. At my pre op the nurse said gallbladder trouble brings on a huge variety of various abdominal issues that are different from person to person.
I am waiting to see what the endoscopy finds first. It's the back ache that never goes away that i can't fathom out.
Yes I had like a gnawing sort of ache in my upper right side at the back that was never comfortable particularly if I'd sat on a hard chair or done a lot of lifting or carrying and I wondered what it was. Glad to say, touching wood that symptom seems to have gone now.
I see people are saying something about flushes. Do not do ot. They don't work and can make things worse.
Get a scan done and blood test.
Eat a low fat diet and drink a lot of water. Avoid fatty, greasy, and spicey foods. Skim milk is ok other dairies will make things worse.
Do not do the flushes. They dont work. My us and asked my surgeon about them, they don't work and cause more issues.
Are you drinking water? Walk around. Don't over do it.
I got up in major pain in my stomach and back in Oct. I had my gallbladder removed in Nov.
Back pain is no fun. Try icing it or use a heating pad. My back pain went away and it was manly my stomach that hurt.
Hang in there and good luck.
Lori
Sounds very similar to symptoms I'm having regarding back pain. I've been getting a dull back ache in my lower right back and my rightside. I too was told a year ago I had bad acid reflux and my gallbladder wasn't/isn't sore when pressed upon. I have an ultrasound booked for Fri 13th Feb but am wondering if it is gallbladder related. I have been told in another thread that it sounds like I have gallstones. However my pain/ache doesn't get any worse regardless of what I eat, surely if it was gallbladder it would get worse after eating? Also my stools are yellow everytime now. I don't mean to hijack this thread, I just felt my symptoms are very similar to the thread starters.
Mines the same LeeL it doesn't matter what i eat the back ache is there whatever.
Hi, I have had a similar experience with gerd and the back pain. The first endoscopy I had the doctor told me I do have some gallstones but they are not the problem, but he didn't offer any other possibilities (private doctor). I have had a few other endoscopys over the years from other doctors (public doctors) and the response is always a casual "we will just take your gallbladder out" with no discussion and a flat out refusal to discuss other causes for my problems. I have a sister who had her gallbladder removed and she has regretted it as it did not solve her problems and has possibly caused more.
I think that many doctors are not picking up on the symptom of back pain. I was checking out the ingredients of a digestive supplement a natropath gave me and it is to support the pancreas. I looked at the symptoms for pancreatitis and found the symptoms are similar to gerd but include the specific type of back pain I (and possibly you) experience. Check it out before you do anything.
So far I have been controlling my symptoms with diet (low fat, no sugar, vegetarian) and occasionally over the counter medications ( the presciption ones didnt work very well ). Hope this helps.