Mmmm ... gallbladder sludge

lucycantdance

Hi everyone.

I apologize if this post is repetitive. I'm just intensely frustrated and kind of afraid, and I needed a place to vent/ask questions. I've read through many previous gallbladder question posts, but of course, each case is different.

My problem is a chronic pain under the right side of my rib cage. It's mostly a dull pain with occasional sharp pains. Sometimes it radiates around my side and to my back. It also feels as if someone stuck a deflated balloon up there and then blew it up. It's tender to the touch. I tend toward nausea and vomiting more than anyone else I know. Sometimes I have heartburn/acid reflux, sometimes I don't. I've had this problem for three years now. My symptoms do not seem to be contingent on my eating habits.

When it initially came on (February of 2007) my doctor ran an entire plethora of tests. I had x-rays, CT scans, barium studies, blood panels. Everything came back completely normal. It got to the point where the doctor said he didn't know what else to do. At the time I thought he was pretty thorough, although now that I've read up on it I realize he did not do the gallbladder functioning test (I forget the true name). He did say that no stones were found on the x-rays/CT scans.

Three years later and the problem has only worsened. I recently switched doctors and this doctor isn't satisfied with the lack of diagnosis, so it looks like I may be jumping into testing again. She did say that sometimes the gallbladder collects "sludge," which doesn't show up on image scans. She is going to review my previous medical records once they are transferred. Then she will call me back to discuss the problem further.

I forgot to mention this to my new doctor, but I'm also wondering if I've already had gall bladder attacks. Twice in the past year I've had odd bouts of nausea. I'm often nauseated, but these were an intense burning/bloating sensation right under my breastbone. Bad enough that I felt like I couldn't breathe and could only lie doubled up. This led to vomiting a couple of times before the pain went away.

Also, this may not be related, but the last couple of times I've been in for check-ups, my pulse and/or blood pressure has been slightly elevated. I am 25-years-old, I eat healthy, and I am a triathlete. I feel that I am an unlikely candidate for high blood pressure.

Frankly, I'm terrified. I have a phobia of medical problems/procedures and the idea of having my gallbladder out makes me literally tear up and struggle to catch my breath. Of course, I have exacerbated this by reading all of the post-surgical horror stories on the internet.

Thank you for listening.

Lucy