cheer up

Socagrl:

Sorry to hear of your pains. Yes, gall bladder pain occurs under the rib cage on right side and can be stabbing, achy and last awhile or come and go.

Your BM situation sounds like it could be gall bladder as well. Stools tend to get very soft, sometimes off-color, i.e., very pale and/or greenish, as you mentioned.

People with gall bladder "attacks" can get nauseated for no apparent reason and also have vomiting. I was nauseated but never vomited. You might also get pains right around your belly button or anywhere in the right abdominal area, though the upper quadrant is most common.

Yes, discomfort can wrap around your right side and/or be felt in your upper back, just below the shoulder blades. It's in the same locale as your upper abdominal pain would be on the right side, except the pain is in the back.

Certain foods can set off discomfort, or your pains can come at times for no apparent reason. Gallstones are formed by cholesterol (not the same cholesterol that's in the blood). If you eat a lot of sugary, and white flour products like sweets and pasta and potatoes, you may have more stone formation.

Some people have a diseased gall bladder WITHOUT stones but the first step in finding out what's wrong is a simple abdominal ultrasound. It's painless and doesn't take very long. If they see stones, my guess is that's what's causing your problems.

An attack of a stone's trying to pass into a bile duct is horrid -- as bad or worse than a kidney stone or labor. It is stabbing, unrelenting pains in the abdominal area that can last from about 20 minutes to many hours. Mine lasted 2 1//2 hours only and then disappeared as quickly as they came. Some people get violently sick to their stomach at the same time.

But...a gall bladder attack can also just be those pains you're feeling -- an attack doesn't have to be dramatic or horribly painful.

My surgeon said I had had MORE attacks than even I had thought, when he took it out and saw all the scar tissue. On the ultra sound, the gall bladder looked healthy enough and some tiny stones were seen. The smaller the stones, the more likely you will have trouble.

Have you gone on any diets where you had rapid weight loss at any time in your life? Have you had any children? Women are more likely to suffer from gallstones than are men, but after age 60 it evens out.

If you are not feeling good and are tired of it, go see your internist or a gastroenterologist and tell him/her your symptoms. You don't want to wait too long because it doesn't get better. And you don't want to end up having surgery on an emergency basis and possibly have to have a very large scar instead of the tiny little laparoscopy scars. With lap. surgery, you are back on your feet within a few days, literally. I was back at work at exactly two weeks post-op, and I'm 55 years old! I think I could've even gone back to work a few days earlier, but my surgeon said he gives everyone at least two weeks to recover sufficiently.

If you are unwell, please go see your doctor -- and let us know how you're doing!