Elevated bilirubin (2.0; 0.5 direct)
Distended gallbladder, few small polyps (3 & 4mm) - seen on ultrasound (liver, pancreas is normal)
H. Pylori Antibody (2.88)
My doctor shrugged off the bilirubin and prescribed antibiotics for the h. pylori. I've been using an alternative protocol to combat the h. pylori with aloe vera juice, mastic gum for 15 days now and I just added l-glutamine and DGL in the past few days because I'm still getting aches. I also started taking digestive enzymes before my large dinner and it helps relieve bloating. I now split dinner into two meals three hours apart since I had the bad habit of eating only two large meals/day. I eat a low-fat vegan diet with lots of raw fruits and leafy greens and have been doing so for years now. My question is, what is causing these aches: h. pylori, high sugar/fructose in my diet (from bananas, dates, sweet fruits), or perhaps it is mechanical injury from sedentary job? I tried going for a walk today and had bad aches with trouble breathing, it almost feels like an obstruction.
Thanks.
Before all of this started I believed I had a hiatal hernia because of trouble breathing correctly and general discomfort from years of poor posture. So I went on youtube and found some massage techniques I could do for relief and I fear I might've pressed too hard on my organs. But then I got a positive test for h. pylori so I thought the aches were attributed to that instead.
Right now I am just treating it like it's a duodenal ulcer.
Several days after I completed the treatment, ended up in the emergency room again after four hours of fighting "ANXIETY". My gut was a mess. Vomiting, diarrhea, chest pain, right side pain, shoulder pain, hot flush feeling on my chest and between my shoulders, thought I was having allergic reactions because my throat would go dry and feel obstructed, this always was accompanied by an urge to have a BM though I normally didn't and always happened at night right after I would lay down.
Called my Dr. in tears after about 4 weeks of feeling like this. She thought my "gut flora" was a mess due to the treatment of the H Pylori. Was told to start probiotics twice a day. Two weeks later through lots of tears and the same symptoms and feeling like I was losing my mind, I actually went into the Doctors office. I had a list of about 10 symptoms, cried and told them my quality of life was s**t now. She ask if through this they had tested my Gallbladder and of course my question was "no, should you have" with the answer being "YES". So I had an ultrasound and HIDA scan which showed the GB only functioning at 23%.
I feel like the GB issue has probably been a problem for five years but I was told everything else under the sun was wrong so I never considered the GB. Not sure if one stomach issue attributes to another but my guess is probably it does.
Never found any real positive feed back on the Mastic Gum treatment for Hpylori. There were one or two cases that seemed to have been cured with its use. So I opted for the double AB with Bismuth. In some ways I wish that I didn't go down that route but at least they have figured out the GB is not functioning properly and maybe there is an end to this mess in sight. Have an appointment the 5th with a surgeon and hope taking this thing out will relieve me of this long battle.
Hoping you can find some relief. Do ask to have the HIDA scan to rule out GB issues. My Doctor told me that it was not surprising to for someone with stomach issues to have more than one thing going on at a time. They really weren't in shock about this.
Just wanted this post, I have been struggling with digestive stomach problems, aches in my shoulder, pain on the right side, nausea, bloated lots of gas pains, heartburn that was painful constantly. The list is longer I just don't want to bore you all with it. First I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia (because of the shoulder and neck pain) and given medication which made my stomach worse. So then I tested positive for H.Pylori. I took the antibiotics excited about being able to eat again without the severe constant heartburn. I was good for about six months , well sort of , I still had to take Omeprazole daily to keep the heartburn under control. Then I started again with the pain on the right side, bloating pain if I don't eat at least crackers and more pain if I eat fatty foods, nausea, bloating. I just thought I had another Ulcer and maybe h. pylori wasn't gone. I just dealt with it for two years, it would get better for awhile and then bad again. Until one day it got bad and stayed bad, the pain under my ribs was now constant with episodes of the worst pain I have ever experienced. Every time I took a deep breathe or coughed I had pain. I finally went back to the doctor when I could no longer sing and play my saxophone. The pain from just using my diaphragm would knock me down. I had the Gall Bladder surgery, and I mean they got on it. I went to the doctor and had my gall bladder out the next week without tests. That is one painful surgery, My heartburn is gone. I mean I had to take tums, pepto, and prescription Omeprazole just to keep the heartburn down a bit. I have only taken tums a couple of times since the surgery and it worked. (I used to take tums and it didn't touch the heartburn I just kept trying it because I knew it was supposed too) I can eat normally now, I don't feel like I have to have crackers and there is no pain after I eat. Even the shoulder and neck pain has disappeared. Don't get treated for three years, have all the tests done to find out what it is.
You need a second opinion and a CT scan of the gallbladder. I nearly died in Feb. because I had a gallstone lodged in my pancreas. All my blood work was normal. Went to the ED and doc told me that my reflux was flared up. I was in so much agony. Two days later went to my PCP and he ordered CAT scan which showed stone lodged in pancreas. Sent emergently to another hospital to remove stone, which they refused to do because of the dangers of the procedure. My PCP said it was only a flare up of my gallbladder, until I had all the hospital notes sent to him and he was totally amazed and shocked at how dangerous the situation was and how lucky I was that I didn't die waiting for surgery. I laid for 3 days with that stone lodged, finally passed it because I refused to eat or drink anything on top of it. They told me I could have died. Just because the blood work was all normal and there really were no other symptoms other than severe pain in chest and gallbladder. Get another opinion and get a Cat scan, don't trust anyone that is not taking you seriously on your complaints.
I have had this problem for over one year and my HIDA was 0%. I did not have my gallbladder out and am following what the website protocol is, some supplements for bile flow and finding out the root cause of WHY it was not draining. This is what it takes to correct the issue. Read about Dr. Robert Morse The Great Lymphatic System on you tube. Contact COAH in North Carolina and get on a protocol for your gallbladder and heal your internal organs with the right ingredients. I successfully treated my H pylori with Mastic Gum and took herbal tinctures for stomach/bowel/gallbladder with much relief. Good luck and do not believe that by removing the gallbladder your problems will be over. In fact, you would create an even bigger issue by burdening your liver in the years to come. Where do you think the bile goes without a gallbladder :)
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