Unexplained pain in the back and strong nausea - help please!

Digestive health
1

Hi to all, i’ve been sick for 2 months now. It all started after taking heavy medication for a sinusitis involving antibiotics (amoxicillin), painkillers, omeprazol, antihistaminics, etc. Doctors believe there is no link between my symptoms and those drugs but I think it is worth mentioning. Due to heavy pain on the right side of the abdomen and dark urine I decided to stop the treatment after 2 days.

However the next day I had pain on the upper right side of the abdomen, both on the front and the back. After one week nauseas started, on almost a permanent basis, together with the pain.

I went to see a gastroenterologist who decided to make me go through blood tests, stool test, urine test, abdominal echography and CT scan. All this have nothing apart from some sludge in my gallbladder. But the gastroenterologist did not pay much attention to it as the walls of the gallbladder were not thick.

Since things did not improve after a month I also performed colonoscopy and fibroscopy which only showed light gastritis.

The doctor made me pass another echography which says no stones but does not say anything about sludge.

We even did a cerebral scan but still did not show anything. Today, I still have all these symptoms, together with tiredness, bad sleep (which is related), dizziness and more general pain.

I am getting desperate and would like to receive some advice. I had some hope on the gallbladder but doctors are skeptical. Also, they believe now everything is in my head and ask me to relax. But I am pretty sure that the pain and nauseas are there and I am not inventing them!!!

I read in this blog that I can also do a HIDA scan. Do you think this is a good idea?  Thanks in advance for your help.

2

Philippe.

well ! You could have been me writing ✍️ this 3 years ago.

i also had course of 10 days antibiotics for a nasty tooth abscess of ethromycin.

and some days later started with bad gastro probs !

and that’s how my story began !

and it’s been a hell of a 3 years let me tell you !!!!

and I was told in my head theirs no link etc etc etc but it was not in my head ,their is a link , and it’s what started off all my problems FACT.

i also went to many chemists and learned their is not a single antibiotic in the world that does not carry a RISK !

of causing gallbladder issues and disturbances in the gallbladder because it all must pass through the liver with the potential to damage it !

not one single antibiotic on this planet !!

but for some very strange reason , the medical world 🌍 seems not to recognise this , or wishes to ?

and I wish I had time today to tell you my horrendous story that still continues, but I must go to Isle of Wight today and I need to leave in ten mins.

one question I would like to ask you is this ?

did you get and or have you got light coloured peanut butter stools at any point throughout this ?

anyway I had some tests ,not near the amount you have had mind you but some bloods some ultrasound a ct and an Mrcp to name a few.

and was told similar to yourself .

and was told different diagnoses every time which was fun !!

and I’ve ended up with a near death experience having to pay privately to have my gallbladder out in an emergency as my gallbladder was gangrene and full of puss etc and the surgeon said I had hours to live and I’m very lucky !!

so as far as I’m concerned , I think yr on the right track !!

ide say at a guess it’s likely something to do with yr liver or gallbladder or both !!

get a FIBRO SCAN of yr liver done is my advise !!!

i must run but stay in touch please and philippe. I ASSURE YOU YOU ARE NOT CRAZY NOT MAD AND NO THIS NOT ALL IN YOUR HEAD ,YOU ARE CORRECT.

must rush off sorry.

3

Hi i went in to hospital june last year to find sludge in my gallbladder i was in a lot of pain.. was in my abdominal area right hand side at the top.. i was in for a week had antibiotics to treat the inflamation an was on morphine, tramadol an paracetomal.. the pain wasnt goin an i was also told it was all in my head which i was motified with.. i managed to calm the pain down with a strict low fat diet.. but after christmas an new year thinking i was fine eating what i want and it flare up again.. i went for a scan to find there was nothing and next day i was back in hospital with pain.. i was told my gallbladder was inflamed and the gallbladder surgeon said he was treating me for gallstones going off my symtoms and how much pain i was in as he said i was a stone maker from previously showing sludge.. i was told that they would of been able to get a clear picture of the gallbladder on the ultrasound from the pain i was in..

I am researching different ways of flushing the gallbladder and having been having an alkaline diet..

Sorry to hear what your going through hope this helps..

4

I feel your pain. I had horrible nausea for months. My primary also said it was in my head. No appetite for weeks and nausea are symptoms of something. I had lots of blood work and tests which revealed an enlarged appendix. My gastro M.D. sent me to a surgeon who ordered a hida scan. I am now 2 weeks post o.p. someone listened to me. My advice, find another M.D.. cleArly there is something wrong. I hope you get some answers and relief soon

5

Many thanks for your answer!! I really hope that you are feeling better after these 3 years of pain. I will be very curious to know more details about it. 

And yes I did get clearish stools just when I had the treatment. Since then it’s been very irregular, from clear to dark and all types of aspects. 

As of today I still hope that all this will just vanish like this, but I am less and less convinced...

6

Thanks June. Your operation was on the gallbladder or appendix? And are you feeling better now? It feels good anyway to see that I am not the only one who is treated like this by doctors. And it is also sad... 

7

You know your own body. Definitely worth getting the HIDA scan done. I had severe nausea and constant pain by the time I finally got my gallbladder out. Had 3 ultrasounds. 1 which showed small stones. 1 they couldn’t see the stones but the gallbladder was very distended and had a lot of pain over the gallbladder when being scanned. Then the third they think they saw small stones again but couldn’t be sure. Definitely get a HIDA scan done and maybe ask for ultrasound to be repeated as well. Hope you get some answers and relief soon xx

8

The HIDA scan is a good idea.  It will tell the doctors how the gallbladder is actually working.  The pain is not in your head.  Just because the walls of the gallbladder aren't thickened, doesn't mean it's working properly.  

9

Thanks Lynda, I will definitely go for it!

10

How long was the whole process?

I was also wondering if the pain was permanent and acute or just intermittent? In my case the pain is on and off, and i do not see a perfect correlation with my eating times.

11

Please let me know how it goes!

12

Between first getting the pain and getting the gallbladder out?

Had my first attack December 2016 but silly GP I saw said it was a UTI 🤦🏼‍♀️ . Then had another attack in April 2017 so saw GP again and she thought gallbladder when I explained symptoms. Then got ultrasound end of May and results 2 days later. GP phoned with results and said she was sending referral to surgeon as in that time I just hadn’t been feeling right at all. Got to July and ended up admitted with suspected cholecystitis and was in for a week. Discharged still in a lot of pain and had HIDA scan as outpatient. Saw surgeon almost 3 weeks later and he put me on list for surgery. Admitted again 2 days after that with cholecystitis and got the gallbladder out 6 days later. Didn’t feel too bad between April and June but then from end of June to when I got the gallbladder out was constant pain and nausea. Mines wasn’t correlated with eating either xx

13

Only had the gallbladder out.am better than before but still not feeling 100%. It is sad to be dismissed by a doctor especially one who has been your primary for years. I am going to find a new one

14

Lynda is correct. I didn't have stones but the hida scan revealed how the gallbladder wasn't working!

Good luck and I hope

15

Hi Philippe.   I had my gallbladder removed 15 years ago and have this pain off on on since then.   It took them 3 years to decide to remove it, which was terrible, but the pain SINCE the surgery has been worse.   I had pneumonia and took strong antibiotics three weeks ago and the pain where my gallbladder used to be has been almost unbearable since then.   New gastro doctor doesn't think the pain is related to where gallbladder used to be and believes it may be an ulcer or other STOMACH issue.   Put me on Pepcid 20 mg (non-prescription) and that seems to help a tiny bit but he will do a scope on Feb. 5.   Ordered lots of tests.   My only advice is keep after them if the pain doesn't go away.   If you are vomit undigested foods a few hours after the eat, that is a sure sign you need your gallbladder removed, but like I said, it took 3 years before I got them to remove mine.   Sometimes you can take a drug called GEMFIBROZIL or if you have diarrhea, CHOLESTYRAMINE powder, that may help.   I WOULD do the HIDA scan...whatever they have to do to get to the root of the problem.   Do not just give up because it doesn't eventually go away.   

16

hi .. i had intially digestion issues before  8 years, when hida scan taken they said my gb not working, but no stones. I did not remove it , but i run in to digestion issues every other day like bloating,burping,etc. Recently lot of burping/bloating where ultrasound shows gallstones now. I have dizziness,bloating,burping ,fatigue,etc

17

Ok thanks Scottie, this was really a long process ! Good news is that you’re feeling ok now.

18

Had g/b removed two years ago as some stones showed up on ultrasound.  Mainly had nausea and diarrhoea.  Post op,this got a little better for a while, then it has got worse and i am having to take anti nausea meds .  After a course of amoxicillin in December the acid reflux. Nausea and diarrhoea is worse again and dr has tried ppis for acid reflux. They made me feel awdul and stopped reflux but not diarr. 

I dont know if dr is looking at right thing, she always just said ibs but the foul smelling yellow diarr to me seems like its related to gb now.

just dont know which route to ask to go,down next, is it  g i problem, or loss of g b problem.

i see 10% get these problems post gb surgery and wonder if i m one.

19

all i know is that i thought removal,of allbladder would solve my problems but has made them worse.  Do your researxh well, i wasnt aware of this and might have thought of holding onto it.

20

Sorry you're going through this.  Seems like bile is surrounding your stools so your liver is producing too much bile, with no where to store it.