Gallbladder Symptoms but all tests are Negative

I had all the symptoms you are talking about:

* Extreme nausea and vomiting mostly after eating (didn't seem to matter what, but always after foods that had any fat in them at all)
* Acute pain in upper abdomen which came and went (I thought it was the upper middle of my stomach, but after the doctor did her pressing thing, found indeed it was slightly to the right)
* Pain radiated to back sometimes under shoulder blade
* Definately worse after eating anything fatty or "strong" tasting, sometimes get the pain within minutes of eating but often wouldn't be until several hours later or in the middle of the night
* Alternating constipation and diarrhea (often really bad - ie poop shards of glass one day and then runny burning acid the next)

My symtoms started a year ago when I ate flaxseed so I thought I had developed an allergy to flaxseed (took me a while to find out what was causing them since flaxseed is usually hidden in other things). But about two weeks ago started getting my "flaxseed reaction" to a lot of other things I was eating and now, almost everything I eat that has any sort of fat content below 1g.

Finally went to the doctor three days ago. She said she was almost 99% sure it was some kind of gallbladder problem so she booked me to have an ultrasound, took blood tests and booked me with a surgeon right away.

* Blood tests perfectly normal - no infection, liver problems, nothing
* Ultrasound showed all organs normal - no inflammation, wall thickening, stones etc

Yesterday, I had the appointment with the surgeon. She said that it was not uncommon to have gallbladder problems after having a baby (I had a baby three months ago, my second). She talked about a condition known as:

Chronic acalculous gallbladder disease (also called biliary dyskinesia)

This condition produces all the symptoms of gallstones, but does not show up on any tests. Its pretty much just a disfunction of the gallbladder muscle. This is how the surgeon discribed it to me:

The liver produces bile to digest your food and stores this bile in the gallbladder. When you eat, your body releases a hormone known as CCK which causes the gallbladder muscle to contract and release bile to digest the food. When you have a disfuction of this muscle, the gallbladder goes contracting like crazy (causing the pain) because it can't release the bile. Which is why a lot of people have indigestion problems also with the disease.

Links here or Google it:

umm.edu/patiented/articles/what_gallstones_gallbladder_disease_000010_1.htm

Anyway, surgeon booked me to have my gallbladder removed in three days.

IMPORTANT NOTE:
Insurance may not pay for you to have your gallbladder removed unless you first get a HIDA scan. This scan injects a patient with CCK (the hormone produced by eating which causes the gallbladder to contract to release bile) and then traces the "ejection fracture" of the bile. Even if the ejection fracture is normal and the test comes back normal in all other ways, most people on this forum who have had this test confirm that it brought on their symtoms (ie, nausea and pain) really badly. My surgeon confirmed that the scan would come back normal but the CCK hormone causing the gallbladder to bring on pain and nausea would be a confirmation that the patient does have Chronic acalculous gallbladder disease (also called biliary dyskinesia). Once that is confirmed, insurance will pay for the gallbladder removal.


My surgeon assured me that she has done a lot of these procedures and 100% have had their symtoms disappear and often lots of other problems have gone away too that they didn't think were related!!!

I'm looking to next week!!!

:-P

so I am 2 weeks and 3 days post surgery and I decided to have a Mrs. Fields chocolate chips cookie with walnuts yesterday, because after all, my doctor said I could go back to eating normally after my surgery! Well, I thought I was going to die!! I have had chocolate in the last 5 months, but this was the first time with nuts, and NOT good. Same old right side, under the rib pain, just like before GB surgery. Geez, what the heck is going ON???

I have a friend who has had her GB out and she said they told her it can take about a month for your liver to adjust to the idea that is taking over for you GB, but my doctor never said this. I'm beginning to wonder if maybe I have something more going on, like something stuck in my bile ducts. I thought I read you can get to those in basic lap. surgery.

Soooo frusturating!!

denise

Thanks to all for sharing their stories ! I'm reading that a good, listening dr. can make all the difference and am looking for one in the So. Cal area - east of Los Angeles.

I just left urgent care describing most of the same symptoms I read here. I pretty much sound like a textbook case, however, was told to take tylenol and continue my Prilosec. (i've been off it for awhile).. and got a lab slip but ultrasound not scheduled immediately.. have to wait until mid-October. I'm not happy about this complacent care when I described the symptoms so concisely.

ok i need everyones imput...in 2005 i was bent over in pain and went to the ER did the whole Hida scan endoscopy thing with a result of 70% and the doctor had no idea so he told me I had IBS I looked up the symptoms and reaized i had none of those symptoms i rolled with the punches and after a few months i was ok...after eating fatty foods i get that pain you all talk about on the right in my rib cage as well as when i eat anything dairy related...recantly about two weeks ago i have been having unbareable pains followed by dizzy spells and pale ness..i am 23 i teach 2nd grade i'm usually full of energy nad love life...lately i am pretty much in bed everyday miserable, cranky, tired, in pain, pale, and don't want to do anything, i was in the hospital for 5 days in tears becuase teh pain was so bad. the took blood everything was fine, unrine..normal...CT with and without contrast..normal...ultrasound...normal..small bowel followel through i had a little intestine thickening but at my follow up the doctor said my GI tract with just all out of wack adn everythign was ok i didnt have IBS or IBD or COLITIS or any of that good stuff which is good and he biopsied it for everything! I also had an endoscopy where he said i had an ulcer but the plce where my ulcer is has no relation to where my pain is which is over my galbladder...and ive been on meds for 2 weeds now and no improvements...i had a second hida scan adn the ejection fraction rate has now dropped to 51% which is still technically fine in the doctors books...but in my opinion from 2005-2008 it went from a 70 to a 51 that cant mean its working like its suppose to so why isnt something going to be done now...instead my students are suffering becuase some days i cant get out of bed i'm in so much pain or when i do get out of bed ill be walking and feel like im going to pass out and have to go home...what do i do????? Someone please help throw me ANY SUGGESTIONS!!! the doctors are looking at me like i am crazy now...i refuse pain meds becuase the dope me up and make me goofy and i just want results not masking the issue so i can get back to work and be myself..all i wana do is go to the beach one weekend and hang out with my friends not lay in bed and be grumpy =(

Read my post a few up. These symptoms sound like a classic Gallbladder problem.

I went back to my surgeon yesterday for a post-op appointment and what do you know?? After removing my gallbladder and sending it off to the lab for a pathology examination, it was chronically inflamed.

Yet nothing showed on any scans, ultrasounds or tests!! My surgeon said that wasn't unusual since the inflammation was occuring on the side right against the liver and is usually hidden from ultrasounds.

Go to your doctor and tell her you have gallbladder dyskonesia and you want your gallbladder removed.

I got a little pain last week after the surgery and I thought "oh no, its back, it wasn't gallbladder after all" but I rode it out and now (almost 2 weeks later) I can eat anything I want, including fatty dairy and pizza without any pain or nausea at all!! Its wonderful!!

Good luck!

I recently had my gallbladder removed although I "passed" all of the tests...my HIDA scan came back "normal", colonscopy fine, endoscopy fine. I had an ultrasound (found a kidney stone but that is another story), CT scan (found the same Kidney Stone) and still was nauseous, vomiting, upset stomach, diarrhea, pain in my mid right quadrant, etc etc,

THANK GOODNESS I had some terrific doctors because all along they were guiding me towards gallbladder removal but had to get the tests out of the way to satisfy the Insurance Company.

I had my gallbladder removed about 6 weeks ago and found my appetite right away. My surgeon "prescribed" Papaya tablets (Trader Jo) and just taking it easy with my food choices.

I feel much MUCH better now though I still have to watch what I eat a little bit (no fried food but yes I can have a grilled cheese sandwich now).

If your physician is giving you a hard time about getting the gall bladder removed I suggest finding a different doctor. Old school doctors can keep you in much unnecessary pain while a better educated (ie recent information) doctors can get you ship shape in less than 4 months...

THANK GOD I FOUND THIS BOARD! I have been having abdominal pain - mostyl upper right quadrant and just overall bloating - for 3 months and I'm freaking out. I got results from my HIDA scan today and was told it was normal. I've been treated for H Pylori, had ultrasounds and an upper endoscopy all to no avail. And in the last week, the most severe, acute pain has spread to my upper left quadrant below my rib. It's hurts when I lay on either side and particularly when I'm driving or sitting for long stretches. Just about everything I eat exacerbates the pain. I am so sick of oatmeal, crackers, bagels and soup I don't know what to do! Now that I've seen these posts, I feel armed with some info to take the doc. It seems fairly common for gall bladder issues to simply not show up on the standard tests. I feel confident that is IS my gall bladder and that it's causing problems for my pancreas now. I have an appointment next Wednesday so I'm looking forward to getting this resolved.

8-9 Years ago I had upper right pain that felt like a knot right above my liver the GI Doctor Thought I had a problem with my gallbladder because I was throwing up after I ate the pain was much worse.. and went around to my lower back and up my spine It was so bad sometimes I fell down with spasms...... Well even thou the ejection factor was fine but my continual pain waas a 10 plus they removed my gallbladder.....

Well needless to say this really made the pain worse and now they were telling me that they believed I was just seaking pain therapy or it was just in my mind.... I went on to other doctors for other opinions I knew I was real sick and was going to die if I just quit..... 10 months later my legs started swelling up from serous water retention... and My doctor said that
I would be ok just start taking these water pills and sent me home... However the next day I was so sick that I was almost in a coma The pain, vomiting, dirarria, spine pain my legs were so swelled that they were on the verg of bursting.... I called a friend of mine who was a foot Doctor and he called a friend of his an Internal Medicine Doctor Who told me to get to his office now!!!! When I got there he examined me(I will Never forget the next sentence as long as I live) To my wife and I he said, Billy
you are in liver faailure and will be dead in 2-3 weeks There is nothing I know of to stop it... Your liver is not processing fluids nor is your bile duck draining the fluids really,,,,, This is as bad as ir get I can send you Home with liquid morphine oryou can go into the hospitol.... But I still wouldn"t give up I said no there has to be something... He said that he heard of a Doctor surgon in Seattle that might be able to save me but I only had a 10% chance...... I was taken to Seattle and three later was in surgery
They cut open the bottom of the common bile duct {which is the main bileary duct) it had grown shut a very rare event also I had pancretatis,
and spinter of odi put off spasms which caused toe pain from my kiver to my back.... Anyway one week after surgery I was told that the original problem is one that is mis dianosed 98% of the time, peaple are called
crazy when the doctors can't find the answers on a test... Listen here is the important part when you have upper right pain that radiated to the back this is caused from spasms called the spinter of odi (Google that phrase)
Then when the gallbladded test normal remenber that there is a test called an ERCP Google it these are commonly by a gastrololigist or I went to an digestive disease specialist these guys know thier stuff Get a second opinion from someone more specialfied they can do an ERCP which is a tube down the throat and looks at the liver , gallbladder and looks at the bile and many times the sludge can be thick and get clogged in the botton of the bile duct then they slide a laser down the tube and drain the bile duct... This may just save your life!!! please don't believe every Dr. unless
they can show you undisputed proof that its the gallbladded Ask for and demand an ERCP proceedure it doesn't hurt and it will save your life....
Read up on bileary dyskenesia, sphinter of odi, common bile duct disease.
and read the symtoms the life you save may be your own .......

I wish I had found this forum 4 months ago. I am 33 and 220 lbs. I now weigh 175 lbs. Here is my story and hopefully it might help someone. On July 26th 2008 I ended up in the ER 45 minutes later after eating Taco Bell with extreme abdominal pain. After getting there the Dr. said ran test and said it was just a virus and here are some antibiotics sent me out the door. I didn’t think much about it until 4 days after that I had another attack after eating a fatty meal. I started to have panic attacks like something was wrong pain, shacking, freaking out. I went and seen my family dr. the next day who said the same thing as the ER Dr. That I must have a virus and here is some medicine for your nausea and call me if it gets worse. So I waited another 5 days until I couldn’t take it anymore and called my family dr up and he had me come back in where he ordered an ultra sound and CT. After waiting 3 days for the results to come back the Dr. told they were all normal. Still being nauseated all the time with pain he referred me to a GI DR. I had to wait 2.5 weeks before I could see a GI dr. In the mean time I really did not know if I was going to make it that long. I was extremely nauseated I was losing weight from not eating. I finally had seen the GI Dr. who immediately orders a hediscan. I go in the next day for my appointment and that afternoon the DR. calls me back and saying my gallbladder is not working, it is only at 6%. He then had me go to the surgeon that same day. The surgeon admitted to the hospital to do the gallbladder removal. I was so glad I finally had an answer why I was nauseated all the time. On 8-23-2008 I had my gallbladder removed laparoscopy. I had lost 18 pounds when they admitted me. The surgeon told me that I had a diseased gallbladder that was enlarged and black with black bile in it. He told me he ran dye through my ducts to make sure they weren’t clogged. He said everything looked good. I was for sure that was it. I went home and a week later I stated having abdominal pain again. I called my GI dr up and he sent me to the ER where they ran some test and said everything looked ok. Another week went by I was still in a lot of pain I called my GI dr again and he said go back to the ER which I did and they ran the same test, blood work, CT scan, x-rays and couldn’t find anything. So after a month had past from my surgery and nobody that could tell me why I was still so nauseas and in pain that I couldn’t take the pain and nausea any longer and was going to head down to the Scott White center in temple TX. I called there and they told me it would be 3 weeks before I could get in but the lady was very nice and told that they had 3 GI dr. that left there facility a few months ago and were in my area. So I got the names of those DR and called them but they were 2 months out before they could see anyone. I told the lady on the phone that I was in some much pain was there nothing sooner? She said, the Dr. will be on call at the ER for GI problems go the the ER and ask for the GI who is on call. So I took a chance and went to the ER hoping they would call the GI doctor on call. The ER did same CT scan, blood work, x-rays and couldn’t find anything. I begged the ER dr to call the GI dr and see if he will admit me. After begging and being 2am they admitted me the hospital 9-19-08. I seen the GI dr on Saturday and he ordered a MRI and wanted to look down my stomach. He came back to my room that night and told me that I had a stone in my common bile duct and that all the CT scans would not ever see them and the only test that would is a MRI because of the different angles the MRI takes pictures. Plus he told me my stomach has been full of Bile for the last two months which has caused all my nausea and part of the pain was from gastritis that was the results of letting the bile sit in your stomach. The Dr. did an ERCP to remove the stone and opened my sphincter of odi so if I produced another stone it would pass through. He also said there is a chance I could get pancreatitis because when they do the ERCP they go through the sphincter of odi which also connects to the pancrease. Anyway after the ERCP he removed the stone and I got pancreatitis because the tube nick my pancreases twice. I stayed in the hospital until 9-26-2008. I went home hoping everything would be ok. I waited a week and i still was in some pain which my DR said I would be because of the procedure. Three weeks went by and things didn’t get any better so the DR called my back in. He ran some more blood work and anther CT scan which at that point showed I had a nodule in my abdomen and one in my lung. He then admitted me again to the hospital where they treated me for an infection. I was released on 10-31-2008. Since being release I have not be nauseated nor throwing up. All I can say is don’t let it go on a long time. I believe that if my family Dr. would of order my hediscan early when I first started to get sick I would not have been in such bad shape. I have a lost a total of 35 lbs since July and wish I would have read this forum before now. Ask for a MRI, Hediscan, Ultra Sound, blood work, don’t wait, and don’t let them tell you it is just in your head.

%-) I have had all the test and all negative so they say. I had the scan yesterday it was suppose to take 1 and a half hours this took almost 3 hours, the techs kept telling me the gallbladder was strange and at first not filling up, so we waiting almost 2 hours then started the second stage which gave me lots of abdominal pain and bloating. to which they said again that it was not functioning right. a gentleman was getting his done the same time I was everything started the same time only he left way before I did, which at first without any explanation I assumed they had just forgotten me. THey finally explained what I stated above. while I was waiting they were putting his on the computer and said his percentage number which was 73%. I didn't think anything of it until, my doctors nurse called me last night after she got the results back from the radiologist to my disbelief she states there is absolutely nothing wrong with my gallbladder and sent me to have my stomach scoped today again negative. I requested the radiologists report from the yesterday and to my surprise there is no way it was about me, it stated that the test took 90 minutes and the organ started functioning properly in 5 minutes. and at the end my function percentage was get this 73%. Would this be considered a coincidence or did someone mess up, They were training a new tech that day and he was doing quite a few things wrong but who knows I just know I have severe upper abdominal pain, bloating, and quite a few other symptoms. %-) %-)

If your tests are coming back normal and you still have gallbladder-like symptoms, you may want to google SPHINCTER OF ODDI DISORDER. It is a problem with the duct that releases the bile from your gallbladder into your small intestine. If that duct isn't working right, the bile backs up and causes pain. The only way to diagnose it is with an ERCP. I also recommend a low fat diet to help control the pain. - try keeping it under 15 grams of fat a meal.

Gosh while sad to read all these stories, glad to see that I am not alone. My pain started out of the blue Dec 19th, 2008 - I thought it was pluersy, infection in the lungs, as it was right at the rib cage area on the right side and wrapped around to the back side near the shoulder blade area - I have had that before - happened at night on a weekend so went to the er. He did xrays, said they were clear and gave diagnosis of pulled muscle in the chest wall. Three days later took mom to ortho for her check up and he is the one that kept looking at me "hold" that area and wincing in pain. He put me on the table and diagnosed me immediately as it being a gall bladder, sent me for my first ultra sound, right then across the street from his office, but it was negative. He still felt I needed to see a surgeon. But it was just a few days away from Christmas so thought I would wait. On 12-28 I ended up in the er again and relayed the above info and I was admtted, and had all kinds of tests, put to sleep three times, and all negative for actual gallstones etc, but they felt is was my gallbladder. Did have inflammed pancreatic bile duct, but pancreas ok and no cancer. Dischanged with no surgery - followed up after dischanged and then sent to surgeon. He didn't hestitate to do the surgery - but again stated that if might not relieve the symptoms as alot of the research I have done states. But unfortunately for me, due to pre-existing medical condition and a medication I am on, I can't stop taking it until 5-13-2009, so I will have to wait until 5-14-2009, and deal with with pain and symptoms of this awfull and terrible pain. I feel extremely sorry for you dear people that have gone for years with no one willing to help. Gpd bless

Here is something Ironic, three years ago I started having back pain in my upper mid back that would feel like burning through my chest. Never really thought about it. Had times of pain and not times of pain. Over the last year I started feeling dizzy for like one to two seconds at a time. And since i work a desk job, I have felt pain like my ribs were sitting on my liver. I have felt constipation and bloating for a long time. Headaches and such, like my head is full of pressure after I eat, released after doing head rotations for a few seconds. Last week was the kicker, I had clay (greyish) coloured stool. After that one time and is was normal size, first time in a long time I had a stool that shape. Well all I know is when I eat I am in discomfort. All I have been eating is fruit, even water is uncomfortable. Right now as I type this I had a bowl of cereal basically plain oat cereal, My mid upper back hurts, I feel pain im my sternum, warm on my right side of my face, and can feel my heart beat when I stand up. Even have had lower back pain on my right side. Right now I an feeling back pain around the bottom of my left side rib cage. I have had my appendix out 2 years ago almost. Well I guess this page tells me why go to the ER looks like they will do nothing, even though my doc wants an ultrasound wednesday, for the stool colour and he pushed somewhere and it hurt. yes right around the last rib front right side. Gee and I was thinking for years is all I had was back pains, indigestion and Irritable bowel. But have started eating healthier but that doesn't seem to stop the discomfort after eating.

Well I went to the hospital from the discomfort and they did an ultrasound and go figure normal gall bladder. After reading many posts, I was automatically thinking that. The doctor thinks something else so gave me pantoprazole Well I have felt worse over the last two days taking that. I know I hurt a lot have a bowl of granola with 2% milk. So I am going to stop taking the med and go to what has not hurt me. Also I have noticed more spasms in my legs and pain in my right thigh then calf since taking it. Aw the miseries of suffering. Why does this have to be so difficult.

Now I have had a CT scan, which came up normal on thursday. So on Friday I put something to the test. I have been mostly eating low fat foods and fruits. Stuff that I should not be to uncomfortable with. On Friday I had 2 blueberry waffles with othing on them was uncomfortable. Then two pears was uncomfortable. I have had nothing considered fatty for a month now. So when a co-worker got his lunch at a chinese take out he grabbed chicken wings. So hmmm no fatty foods, well if not my gall bladder a fatty food should be like everything else? So I ate 1 small chicken wing, I went through 2 hours of severe discomfort. Later at night I laid down to watch t.v. and even felt faint like and yes I have fainted almost a week ago.