hi well i have posted before and for this similiar problem and i still have no results.
My doctor reckons that i have reflux but i beg to differ (just instinct i suppose) anyway he has put me on Zoton. Which doesnt make a difference since i have attacks on this medication.
Anyway my symptoms are I have this severe dull ache under my ribcage and it can last for up to 7 hours at a time. This does not happen all the time this severly but i can ave this uncomfortable feeling mildly more often than not and then i may have a real bad attack. I am suffering from alot of wind which i never use to and it is quite smelly now. Sometimes i may feel sick after eating. Over all i feel real yuck especially at the end of the day. I sometimes cant wait to got to bed because i feel my best when i wake up the morning.
i hope that someone has some insight into this as it is starting to get quite depressing not knowing what is wrong
katrina
Ps i have also been getting a little lower back pain lately

[This message has been edited by rina (edited 04-25-2003).]

[This message has been edited by rina (edited 04-25-2003).]

Hi rina - what tests has your doc run? Upper GI, endoscopy, abdominal or gall bladder ultrasounds, hida scans? I hope he's not making this diagnosis based on your verbal complaints of symptoms and just prescribing meds willy-nilly. You could have gall bladder malfunction, gastritis, ulcers, GERD, etc. If you get no answers from this doc, find another who's willing to look into your problems more. You shouldn't have to feel this way!

Good luck,
Katie G

Thanks Katie G for responding.
I have only had a gallbladder ultrasound and it came up negative.
I have also had blood tests for coeliacs disease as it is in my family and it came up neg too.
Thursday i had severe cramps on and off all day and i had really bad diahrea and i thought that is was a bug going around. then i felt not too bad yesturday tummy a bit achy and felt full of wind at least thats what i think it was and today i have the diahrea again and across my chest feels tight like my boobs are sore etc and i have that uncomfortabel feeling in my tummy again so i dont know if this is something completely different or the same prob getting worse.
anyway thanks for your reply
katrina

As I understand it, a gallbladder sonogram will only show if there's actual gallstones, not for non-gallstone gallbladder disease.
The CCK HIDA (pipida) nuclear medicine scan is what generally shows gallbladder disease even in the absense of gallstones.
From those symptoms, I'd say that test is definitely called for. If I were you, I'd ask your physician about it.

And I wound up at this forum because I suspect I have adhesions, because I was suspected of having gallbladder disease, but my CCK HIDA scan said my gallbladder is functioning normally.
But on an old message in this forum, I found a post by someone who said their CCK HIDA scan was normal, but when the surgeon went in, he found an inflamed gallbladder covered with "scar tissue".

Interestingly, that's what adhesions are - scar tissue.

You haven't had any past surgeries have you? The reason it's likely I have adhesions is that they're predominantly a problem from gyncological surgery, and I did have that.

The reason I felt the need to post here about that is that your symptoms sound an awful lot like my own.
My first family practice doctor kept telling me I had the flu, week after week.
I've now been in pain and sick every day, non-functional, since February (it's now the end of April).
That's not a bug!

Thanks for the reply.
I have had 3 ceasers but that is the only surgery that i have had.
since my last post i still have not been feeling the best i still feel uncomfortable in the upper ab.
i also feel stabbing pains in my right breast and still have the diarea only in the morning though and still not wanting to eat that much.
Anyway i am going to another doctor this week and getting a second a opinion.
will let you know what happens
rina

Buy the way lckwp what were your symptoms exactly?

I suggest you read this thread too: http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/Forum42/HTML/001087.html
Because I also posted there, and from what you're describing, you're probably going to be sent for that test.

At this point, if you haven't had the CCK HIDA scan, I would think that the most likely thing is gallbladder disease... you do seem to match the criteria for that, as it's been explained to me.

From what I'm told - upper right quadrant pain, nausea, diarreah, pain & queasiness from eating, are all classic gallbladder problem symptoms.
Also, another indicator that it's a gallbladder problem would be if you have particular problems with fatty foods, fried foods, and possibly bananas. (Though from what I've learned now, apparently it's different foods with different people. And might vary depending on if it's gallstones, or just gallbladder disease - which I guess are 2 different things.)

And if you've only been sent for a gallbladder sonogram so far... Believe me, there are TONS of tests beyond a gallbladder sonogram!
Though your physician was apparently very smart to send you for that first! Because my primary care physician didn't, and the gastroenterologist I saw seemed to give me the impression that he thought that would've been the first test I should've been sent for. (Gallbladder disease & gallstones are apparently VERY common. In fact, so common that the first question the gastroenterologist asked me was "Do you still have your gallbladder?" I said, "If everyone has one, then yeah, I 'still' have one." hah. Apparently it's very common to have it removed!)
At any rate, there are more tests that could be done that might show exactly what's going on with you.
And I think Katie G is exactly right, that for the doctor to make a diagnosis based on your description of the symptoms and to start prescribing medications willy-nilly, without having checked you out physically with tests, is not appropriate if your symptoms are severe.

I mean, I don't know how severe your symptoms are. Are they significantly interfering with your living a normal life & functioning?
The thing that kind of caught my attention was when you said "i hope that someone has some insight into this as it is starting to get quite depressing not knowing what is wrong"... That seems to me to indicate your symptoms are severe enough to be causing you concern.

The concensus among people I know, and many doctors, seems to be that if you're concerned that there's something wrong, there probably IS something wrong. Nobody knows your body like you do, after all! Now, whether or not it's a serious problem... Who knows. Chances are it's not life-threatening... but if it's life-impeding, that's still pretty serious, in my opinion.

We all deserve to at least have a diagnosis! Even if there's no cure, just knowing what's wrong could give you some relief in a way. So definitely tell your doctor everything, and go for whatever tests they think might be able to show what's wrong.

As for adhesions...

Fact is, gynocological surgery (particularly multiple gynocological surgeries) is predominantly the cause of problematic abdominal adhesions.
C-sections would definitely qualify as gynocological surgery.

In fact, my sister is an OBGYN RN nurse, and she said that all she has to do is know that someone has had a previous c-section to know that their 2nd c-section is going to take MUCH LONGER, because it takes longer for the obgyn surgeon to cut through the adhesions from the 1st c-section to get to the baby.

And apparently all abdominal surgery causes surgical scar adhesions. MOST OF TIME THEY DO *NOT* CAUSE SERIOUS PROBLEMS. Most of the time they do not cause pain or sickness AT ALL. But sometimes they do, and it seems that gynocological surgery is the most usual cause of the problematic adhesions.

Here are some links to information on adhesions so you could check out the symptoms for yourself, and decide whether or not you fit the profile & should pursue more information on it.
http://www.generalsurgeryinfo.com/gerhart5/ http://www.bombobeach.com/ http://www.adhesions.org/index.htm

If nothing else, at least you'll have some more information, even if it's not the cause of *your* problems, you might be in a position to educate someone else about it someday. http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/wink.gif
I think it's too early to suspect adhesions in your case. But hey, at least if you wind up like me, having a lot of tests with no answers, you'll be one step ahead of the game. http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/wink.gif

The reason I mentioned it is just that some of what you've said reminds me of my own situation. (Though not exactly in every way... just similar.)

My own symptoms...

The biggest problem-causing symptom is the pain.
I almost always feel now that my innards no longer fit in my right torso the way they used to.
I sometimes feel like there's a 50 pound rock inside my right torso, and sometimes with a vice grip around it.
I get stabbing pains or aching nagging pains several different places on my right side. I get these pains sometimes simultaneously, or one at a time, or some combination of some of them, and in varying degrees of intesity & length of time. (I always have pain somewhere now, even if it's just a nagging severely uncomfortable feeling.)
The positions of my pains:
Right underneath my right breast.
1-2 inches below my bottom rib on the right side (about 1-2 inches right of my belly button).
In my right side, towards the back, at the waistline.
Where my ovary used to be in my right pelvic region.
The pain seems to spread an achiness up into my shoulder blade on the right, and into my neck, and down into my thigh - and even at times seemingly my right knee & ankle. (I suspect it's "radiating" because of having the pain so constantly - or, as one doctor suggested, there might be a nerve involved.)

The pain seems to be aggravated by:
Eating & drinking, though not until a few hours after I eat usually.
Eating and drinking soon after I've eaten before. (IE: the sooner I eat, the worse the pains. If I go for a day or 2 without eating, I get some relief.)
Sitting in chairs. Even when I'm better than usual, sitting in a chair, or god forbid driving, always brings on the bad pain or increases it. (I now view chairs as the work of the devil. haha.)

I have had diarreah, occasionally constipation, and extremely abnormal stool almost constantly for months now. Sometimes it seems like I get constipated, only to have diarreah when I do go.
I sometimes have an uncomfortableness in my lower abdoman region along with the pain, that makes me think I should be having a bowel movement soon, sometimes for days I'll feel like that and NOT go. And then when I AM ready to have a bowel movement, I get the REALLY AWFUL pain all over my right side - in my upper right side near my ribs, and even up higher, for anywhere from 10 minutes to a few hours. And then when I do go to the bathroom finally, it's an URGENT thing. And I usually have SEVERAL urgent bowel movements within a day or so. (Like I'll go anywhere from 48 hours to 6 days without a bowel movement, and then have 6-8 substantial bowel movements within a 24-48 hour period, instead of going every other day which was once my habit.)
Also, my stool (and apparently this is indicative of a gallbladder problem), is almost always a light yellow colour (like baby stool), and if it's not, it's actually green. OR, it's undigested or only partially digested food.

Sometimes I get nausea. Though usually it's just extreme queasiness.
I most often have the queasiness or nausea when I first wake up (anywhere from an hour to a few hours after I wake up), and when I'm pretty tired (which is often because I don't get enough proper sleep anymore).
I can't say eating brings on nausea. At times, yes, but it doesn't seem linked to eating really.
IE: I sometimes have a fear of eating, even if I'm hungry... but that's just because I know it makes the pain worse.

Though some foods definitely seem to be worse for me than others.

I have been experimenting and trying to keep track of what I eat, and what difference it makes. And so far, this is my conclusion:

Spicy food does not make any difference. But the fact is, I've always eaten spicy foods and never had any problems linked to them, so I'm either more tolerant, or the latest research is true that spices don't make any difference with stomach problems, or maybe the type of spices I eat aren't the culprit.

My episodic pain & bowel issues started upt to 2 years ago, and seem to be more linked to stuff like pasta at that time.
Nowadays, it seems like vegetables are the safer foods for me. If I go 2 or more days without eating AT ALL, and then just eat vegetables, they go through me within a few hours, with no increase in pain. (Even really spicy vegetables like navratna korma, curry, saag or schezhuan.)
Chicken, bread products, cheese, seem to cause more pain.
Rice, potatoes, and cooked vegetables (like brocolli, carrots, cauliflower, water chestnuts, sugar snap peas) seem to be safer.
Pasta, corn, oatmeal, pizza, cookies, are things I've decided not to eat at all anymore they seem so problematic for me.

Thanks again for your reply.
Well i went to the new doctor today and i really liked him. I had a few other probs that i wanted to see him about and he helped with that as well.
Anyway the abdominal pain and diarreah since thursday is from a bacterial infection and is treating that.
The pain that is under my ribcage etc he does not seem to think that is reflux but more an ulcer but wanted to get on top of my stomach bug and the other probs first and said that the meds that i am on at the moment (zoton for reflux) will not get rid of the ulcer that i need antibiotics and the meds that i am on for my tummy may actually help with the ulcer so i have to go back in 2 weeks ( as we are going on holiday in a week ) and he will see how i am
but i was impressed with him.

so i will let you know how i go in 2 weeks time
thanks so much for your replies

Hi rina. Thank goodness you went to another doc and feel like you're finally getting some answers. If the medication doesn't work, I'm sure more abdominal tests will be ordered for you. Various abdominal diagnoses may have very similar symptoms and it's crucial to run the right kind of tests to determine the real cause. You may also have multiple diagnoses too (I had GERD and GB inflamation, as well as IBS-D).

The above poster is exactly right with all the advice given so I won't repeat here.

Good luck and keep us posted,
Katie G

Rina: Whatever your problems might be - ulcer gallbladder bowel, whatever... If you have an infection, that could certainly be why you have more severe constant symptoms. There's nothing that an infection can't make worse!
I mean, who knows, maybe an infection is your only serious problem. And once you recover from that, your previous symptoms will be more tolerable and less frequent.

Yeah, you probably will be sent for more tests. Particularly if you had symptoms in the long-term, and most particularly if you're not any better from medication.

But the up side is - there are very simple tests to tell if you have an ulcer. And from what I understand, if it is an ulcer, that's certainly treatable! So I wouldn't worry too much at this point. It sounds like you're on the right track.

If I were you, in your position, I would look up what dietary modifications are suggested for ulcers, and try that - adjusting diet that way is not dangerous, and it might give you some more relief in the meantime.
I know that experimenting with my diet, I HAVE gotten some relief by cutting out whatever seemed to make it worse.

One thing I'm very disappointed with - with today's medical treatment, is that it seems that these days there's less emphasis on diet than there used to be.
For example, I was told I'm possibly hypoglycemic. But that my insurance won't pay for a dietician! So I guess these days, you kind of have to do your own research to find out about that - or pay for yourself to see a nutritionist or dietician.
Thank goodness for the internet... There ARE many respectable sites with information on diet.
I'm more & more under the impression that diet is highly important, even for people without any specific digestive problems or any particular medical issues.

Hey rina, I'm having pretty much the same thing you're going through abdominal pain docs saying I have reflux and I think somthing else is wrong.
I've been put on pills doctor said, if it doesn't get better in 3 weeks then I'm gonna have to get x-rays done with that barium stuff but I think I suffer from anxiety as well because I constantly think I have cancer anything that I can think of I can't relax either.



[This message has been edited by moderator4 (edited 04-30-2003).]