What’s wrong with me, hospital clueless

[elm26]

Yesterday at 1pm, I put my 6 month old on the rug with his toys and went for a wee.

As I was walking back I had a sudden severe pain in my right side radiating into my lower back and up to my shoulder, I was in agony.

I called DH who was luckily only on a job 15 mins away, he came straight home and took one look at me and called ambulance, I was shouting out in pain they gave me gas and air and morphine.

I had an emergency CT when dye last night and also have a catheter as lost the ability to wee. Nothing showed on CT, they got me settled on morphine and today I’ve had a transvaginal scan which shows ovaries and womb look normal.

Gynae can’t find a reason so they’ve stopped painkillers and just giving me paracetamol but somethings wrong I feel like somebody’s twisting my insides. The gynae consultant was horrible and said the surgical team will come see me if they think it’s worth it?? So I’m waiting for that if they come.

I’m in so much pain and genuinely scared they’ll send me home not knowing what is wrong with me.

Has anyone has anything similar?

I had something very similar. When I got to a and e they thought kidney stones and gave me some medication but I was so out of it I don't know what that was. Then they said twisted ovarian cyst. Nothing much showed up on any scan but it was agonising. I was being sick too. Afterwards I had a couple of really nasty UTIs so I think probably it was kidney stones. To be honest I have never known pain like it. I hope they get it sorted OP, don't leave until they have.

I assume they've checked for Cauda Equina?

Sounds very similar to a gallbladder attack - well, mine anyway before I had it removed. It is excruciatingly painful. They passed it off as a viral infection for a while. Ask for a blood test to rule out gallbladder issues. I really hope you feel better soon x

OP ask the nurse in charge. Tell them the pain pattern. Ask about everything pps ahve said kidney atones, gallbladder and say you're not going to be able to manage the pain unmedicated.
Ask them to ring PALS/give you the contact details to complain about the "if they think its worth it" comment. Some Drs behaviour is appalling and the managers of the hospital will want to know about it

If the nurses are good/competent they will advocate with/for you. And be glad to do it.

If they are mediocre they will still want to help resolve things as they have a long shift and want to reduce hassle.

I hate hospitals. Spent way to much time in them.

Ask them about kidney stones, twisted bowl, and pancreatitis. Ask them to test for them and make sure you know who you are talking to. Have a pad of paper, write down date, time and if they refuse to investigate who said no. Or have your DH do it. Ask them why they are refusing further tests when you're in such pain. That's fine it's not Gynie, they then need to pass you to another specialists (gastro) to investigate. Ask, specifically to meet with Gastro team. Its really hard when your in pain and on strong pain killers, best to have DH be the gatekeeper but when he's not there keep a pad by your bed to take notes.

Upper right quadrant pain is classic gallstones. My friend had it and said she had never experienced such bad pain. While awaiting an operation (she was on the list for months) she had to go back to A&E for morphine so many times they thought she was an addict.

I ran this through Claude for you. Even if it's wrong it gives you something to insist on. Don't say it was from AI....

Synthesized symptoms to identify likely gallbladder or kidney pathology

This is a really distressing situation, and her instinct that something is genuinely wrong deserves to be taken seriously. Based on the symptoms described, here are some possibilities worth considering — though of course only her medical team can diagnose her.

The most likely candidates given the full picture:
Gallbladder/biliary issue is a strong contender. The combination of right-sided pain radiating to the back and up to the shoulder (classic biliary referral pattern), pain under the ribs, diarrhea after evening meals (a hallmark of fat intolerance linked to gallbladder problems), nausea and vomiting all fit. Crucially, gallstones are frequently missed on CT — they're much better detected on a dedicated abdominal ultrasound. It doesn't sound like she's had one specifically targeting the gallbladder.

Kidney stone/ureteric colic is also very possible — sudden severe flank pain, inability to urinate, and radiation to the back are classic. CT with contrast should catch this, but timing matters and small stones can occasionally be missed.
Intermittent ovarian torsion can show completely normal on a scan between episodes, because the ovary untwists. Her endometriosis history increases her risk.

What she should specifically ask for or say to advocate for herself:
"I have not had an ultrasound specifically of my gallbladder. I have right shoulder pain, right-sided pain under my ribs, and diarrhoea after every meal — can this be ruled out before I'm discharged?"

"I still have a catheter in because I cannot urinate. I do not feel safe going home unable to urinate and in uncontrolled pain."

"I would like it documented in my notes that I am refusing discharge while I still have a catheter and undiagnosed uncontrolled pain."

That last point is important — hospitals are much more careful about discharging someone who formally refuses and has it noted.
She is right to be worried, and the fact that she needed morphine and is still in significant pain with a catheter in place is not nothing. She deserves a proper answer before going home.

They’ve just sent the gynae team around again and I actually can’t believe it? She’s talking to me both different contraceptive pills I said is anyone at all listening to what I am saying I want a scan on my gallbladder/kidneys whatever and I want it today I was quite angry and now I feel bad because I’m not a rude person but why are they talking to me about contraceptives right now?????? I feel like as a woman I’m just being gaslit at this point. They’re taking my catheter out to see if my bladder has started working.

It seems they have got stuck on it’s not gynae related and don’t seem to understand that they need to look at other possibilities

TBH I don’t really rate most of the medical professions ability to diagnose anything

Dh’s diagnosis of Stress turned out 6 months later and multiple visits to the GP to be stage 4 bowel cancer

My diagnosis of anorexia turned out to be stomach ulcers

16 year old Dds diagnosis of pregnancy turned out to be gastritis

Sorry to say it sounds a typical experience as a woman. It's always put down to hormones, women's health issues don't seem to be real or important to some healthcare professionals.
Stand your ground and keep on at them to get tests or scans done.

Can you have someone else there with you to help advocate for you, OP? It can be very difficult when you're ill and in pain and feeling vulnerable and the system seems disinclined to take you seriously.

Surely they can't send you home if you can't wee,?!

What the hell is wrong with the NHS these days?

This is your gall bladder. I was also vomiting after meals. Tell them that you will only be discharged after a liver scan and liver bloods are done. Mine was rammed with stones, I had a blocked duct and my fb had started decomposing when I finally got surgery. The surgeon said I was days away from dying and he had no idea how I walked into the operating room. But I’d been so gas lit into believing the amount of pain I was in was normal I just forced myself to get on every day.

I have just read through your posts not other replies so forgive me if someone as said similar. But I had the exact same issues - twisting feeling, agonising pain, being sick after 2 nights in hospital and gynae also pushing the contraceptive pill ?!! I booked a consultation with a private gynaecologist who booked me in for a laparoscopy straight away and they found I had severe adhesions and part of my bowel had become attached to a muscle and had in fact twisted. There were other issues but that was the most serious and he said he was sure that was what had caused the acute episode of sudden pain. I’ve never had any issues since. But I had all the scans in the hospital, countless ultrasounds and none had showed my bowel had twisted. Have you had previous c sections? Although I read you have had previous endo surgeries so they could cause adhesions. I had no idea scar tissue could cause so many problems. I was assessed by the surgical team also but as soon as they ruled out appendicitis they referred back to gynae. Its such an awful feeling not knowing what’s wrong. Sending you love x

It doesn't sound like a gynae issue, it sounds like spine/nerve pain or damage that has caused issues with urinating.

Just want to wish you so much love and strength to get you through until you get the tests and treatment you so clearly need. It must be terrifying feeling like you're being dismissed. Absolutely no people-pleasing and accepting what's said without challenge!

I'm sorry, this sounds horrible. The pain sounds similar to when my husband had kidney stones, he was screaming in pain and throwing up. Clearly they need to run proper tests.

Is there a way your husband or another family member or a friend can come and help you advocate for yourself? I can see it's really hard to be super pushy when you're in such a lot of pain. I think many struggling organisations behave better with witnesses.

Gallbladder scan clear so now what? She said she’s not scanning my kidneys.

My DH is on his way ASAP just sorting childcare x

I came on here to say back problems and potentially cauda equina. I can see I'm not the first to mention it - they need to check. Even if it isn't that, you might have a prolapsed disc.

That said, I'd want to follow everyone else's advice about the other things it might be too.

That said, I took DS to hospital with sudden onset abdominal pain which had him screaming and passing out (normally stoical teenager) and we still don't know what it was. Probably related to an infection in his case, which eventually got treated.

For back problems, you need a spinal MRI. The CT won't show it. But they can do some other tests for Cauda Equina.

As it came on immediately following a wee (and it affected your ability to wee) I would have thought a kidney scan would be the first thing they did!

I am stunned. Stunned. The level of not giving a shit is appalling. Wtf. Are these people human?
An utter refusal to look after you? Wtf.
I presented to a and e a at 7 pm awhile back with dreadful left quadrant pain. By midnigh i had bloods, full ultrsound and an xray with an mri scheduled for 8 am.
I was diagnosed and sent home at 6 am with a full diagnosis and meds.
Im not uk obvs and our health system has its problemw but they did everyrhing to find out my problem.

I cannot believe the absolute disgraceful way you are being treated. I know your nhs is on its knees but i always thought the people working were still good decent people in a shitty environment.

This is fucking barbaric. Im so sorry and i hope to god u get sorted.