abdominal pain

April7

Have they run any tests? Ultrasound? Blood work? Gall bladder problems are typically upper middle abdominal pain, or upper right abdominal pain that often can extend to the back. If your doctor is not being aggressive, ask for a referral to a GI doctor. Is this related to when you eat?

michael1977

Yes they have tests and the gallbladder did show that it was not contracting properly, but the reason they are not sure this is the problem is because the pain is constant and does not just occur after eating. They now are going to check with an instrament/camera down my throat and look at my stomach, but I still think it may be a liver issue but they don't think so because of the fact that the pain ranges down so far and around to the back. Can liver problems cause pain in these areas in addition to under rib cage?

April7

Did they do bloodwork? Whenever you have pain like that, bloodwork will show if there is a problem with your liver enzymes. Usually for that kind of abdominal pain they test the pancreatic and liver functions. Did they do this? It is a basic blood test.

Did they do the HIDA scan? What was your result? (Actual percentage)?

April7

Oh and just so you are aware, gall stone pain occurs when a stone becomes trapped or it interferes with the passing of bile. However, you can have chronic gallbladder pain if you were to have swelling in your gallbladder. Also, many people report having rebound pain for up to a day after a gallbladder attack. And finally, everyone is different. Your abdominal nerves may be sensitive and your pain threshold may be low, and perhaps your body is simply experiencing more pain than others would.

michael1977

I have had the liver function blood test and all numbers were within normal range. ALso had the HIDA scan and no gallstones were detected but they did say that the gallbladder was not operating correctly. I believe the doctor indicated it was not contracting?

April7

Michael, I suggest calling your doctor's office and asking what the percentage was. They consider abnormal gallbladder function to be below 35%. Anything below 35% warrants surgical removal of the gallbladder.

Not everyone has classic gallbladder symptoms. Some people can have pain that is more constant. I've read many stories of people who had pain all the time. I've heard other people are relatively fine, despite a low functioning gallbladder. My doctor believes my gallbladder is to blame, and I'll tell you right now before I started on Protonix twice per day and Bentyl 4 times per day, I had pain all the time. Now I have discomfort all the time, but not terrible pain. Not everyone experiences the same exact symptoms.

I truly get the impression that you should be seeking a second opinion here. Unless there are major details that you're leaving out, it seems very odd to me that they would conclude that your gallbladder isn't working properly, and then not do anything about it.