Gallbladder or ulcer - either way, I am really worried ........

[BambinoBoo]

Since the New Year, I have experienced 3 episodes of pain several hours after eating a heavy/greasy meal - which I don't do too often, so they were about 3 to 4 weeks apart. The pain started as a dull ache in my back but settled under my right rib. I found it worse to lie down and it was relieved slightly by water but completely by an antacid. TMI , but I also had the sensation that if I could pass a lot of wind it would go away, but I couldn't. I'm a bit of a worrier at the best of times so I went to the doctor.

I explained to him that I had a very stressful year - 2010 was a one thing on top of the other nightmare for us and culminated in the buyer for our house committing identity theft against us - but that the episodes started after so perhaps not connected to stress. My doctor suspected an ulcer as I have a history of H Pylori (had triple therapy 8 years ago) and prescribed omeprazole. He also did a stool sample which came back normal so no HP. He then said that it could be gallbladder related so I am going for an ultrasound scan in 4 weeks and got my letter this morning. I guess, this is what has triggered the worrying again. I stupidly googled "gallbladder" and so much stuff came back that I have got myself into a real state about liver disease, cancer, jaundice and god knows what.

I have been eating really healthy and drinking plenty of water (the latter of which I am a nightmare for not doing - my mum thinks it could be kidney stones! Yet another worry!). I feel really good physically at the moment and did inbetween attacks too, but the worry is there constantly and I'm finding it hard to focus at work. I'm now wondering if when I have my scan that I'll be left hanging on for the results which will be more worry. My DS is only 2 and that's all I can think about.

Bloody hell, I just previewed this and it's a bit of an essay. I must apologise for going on. I just wondered if anyone has been through the same, and what happens at the scan. Do they talk you through it at the time, or does it go back to the doctors? Thank you for reading.

Take a deep breath. Don't google. Sounds a bit like possible gall stones...the radiologist will be able to see them instantly and if you are smily and chatty will probably show you on screen so you can go 'ooooh'. And then you can discuss with your doctor whether they need removal or whether you just avoid fatty foods in future.

I had gall stones, had my gall bladder out about a year later - done and dusted and honestly nothing to worry about. Keyhole surgery - tiny scars - pain gone.

Thank you WorkingItOutAsIGo I do really need to take a deep breath you are right! My mind is on constant overdrive and my DH is going mad at me for googling.

I will try and be happy and smiley and hope that the radiologist talks me through it. Thanks again.

Hiya, Bambinoboo, please try and relax if you can as getting yourself upset and worried will only make you feel worse. Please stop googling, it really is not helpful unless you have got a definitive diagnosis, and then it is useful to find out more about your illness. Take it that a little knowledge is never good, I am a nurse and when I google some medical things it is amazing and shocking what you can read, makes me nervous sometimes, and I have the medical knowledge to understand what I am reading.
With your scan, you will probably have to fast for a few hours before the scan, which is usually an ultrasound scan, identical to what you would have had when pregnant, except that they scan further up your tummy. Not all radiographers are allowed to give out results until checked by the radiologist, it is against some hospital policies, but your gp should get a exult usually within 2 weeks. The ultrasound scan will look at your gall bladder and whether you have any stones in it that are causing a blockage.
Do you have any nausea or food intolerance when you have your pain? Best think to to in the meantime beforee your scan is to try and avoid fatty foods, if you still experience pain then it might be heartburn/excess acid that is causing the pain. Do you get any pain in your shoulder?
I have had surgery on my gall bladder recently, not for stones but because the bile wasn't flowing quickly enough causing me chronic pain and nausea, so I can symphatise with how you are feeling.

Thanks Am36butfeel66 . I am going to stop googling right this minute. My doctor said much the same as you ? if you know what you?re looking for it?s great, if you don?t, it?s frightening. I also found out that the hospital's policy is to send scan results to my doctor which, as you said, can take up to 2 weeks so at least I know what to expect on the day now. Thank you for that as I really had no idea and would have worried if they didn't say anything that it meant bad news. I have a 9am appointment which is good as I'll just need to miss breakfast.

I have seen threads on here about how much pain gallbladder problems cause but I have never had what I?d describe as doubled over severe pain as some MNetters have described. I don't get pain in my shoulder either.
In answer to your question, I'm not sure if I have food intolerances but I am definitely allergic to certain foods - raw apples, tomatoes and certain fruits make my tongue and lips itch and swell up so they're out. I also get some kind of reaction when peeling potatoes like it makes my hands really itchy. I try to avoid bread, pasta and pastry where possible as find they bloat me and give me heartburn, and have replaced any diet coke I had with water as that bloated me too - along with avoiding greasy food since the last episode. I'll be a stick in no time at this rate
I am also watching my wine intake as again, when I googled all this liver stuff came up and scared the bejesus out of me, but I more often than not keep within the weekly guidelines.

I guess that I feel better already by making changes to my diet and by avoiding certain things, but it would be nice to know if there is an underlying cause, and to stop my DH thinking that I'm mad.

It sounds like you have already made some sensible changes to your diet which will help if you have excess acid or gall bladder probs. Gall bladder pain doesn't always have to be double over pain as it can depend on whether you have any stones, how big they are, and where they are. I as I said didn't have any stones which meant for me that my pain wasnt as painful as most, but I had it more frequently. I remember when I was a student nurse that there was always a saying that gall bladder probs happened to women who were fair, fat, forty, and fertile! Lol.. I have dark hair, medium build, and not yet forty so I certainly didn't follow the norm! .. But I never was normal lol...
I found when I had my pain that I didn't like the smell of food, especially fatty food, and didn't want to eat anything with fat in it, which is why I asked about fod intolerance, but that doesn't happen with anyone. I also have excess acid in stomach causing gastritis (inflammation of stomach lining), and was also put on omeprazole.
Glad that you are going to stop yourself with googling as it really isn't helpful to your situation, as the more you read the more stressed you get, which then can make you feel I'll too, and if you are prone to stomach probs they can get worse when you are uptight too I have found.
I hope that you can just take each day at a time at the mo, and it might be helpful if you get the symptoms again that you keep a food diary to see if your pain is related to what you have eaten I.e. Fatty food, alcohol etc.., so that you can show dr at app if ultra sound scan is ok.
Good luck with it all. Try not to worry about what might or might not happen, as you will end up stressed out. X

Sounds like gall bladder to me. I used to get pain in my right shoulder, which moved down to under my ribs. And, I felt like if I could do a huge burp I'd feel much better, too! The pain became unbearable. I had my gall bladder and 56 (!) stones removed by keyhole surgery, and have never looked back. Good luck

I'm having my gallbladder out in June (scan revealed loads of stones) and your symptoms sound just like mine.

Stop Googling and get a scan arranged.

In the meantime, I found a hot water bottle on my tummy really helped, as well as the usual painkillers.

Sympathies - gallbladder pain is horrible.

Not sure whether I'm allowed to mention brand names on this, but I will try anyway. I find that taking Buscopan helps with my pain, you can buy it over the counter at chemist, or get it on prescrition. It has helped me, and at hot water bottle is also good. X

I have one or the other too. I have had a scan for gallstones which was clear. My doctor is treating me for an ulcer but I am not convinced I have an ulcer. I dont get heartburn and the pain isn't pain that makes me double over.

I hope you find out which one you have got and get it sorted soon. Its horrible and you have my sympathy.

To Kuckingfunt, I didn't have any stones in my gall bladder either, and although I do have heartburn and on medication for it, I knew myself that the pain I was getting wasn't to do with my stomach. I kept going back to the dr, and was then sent for a scan called a HIDAS scan, which is a scan which looks at how long it takes for your gall bladder to fill and then empty,...they found in ne that my gall baldder wasn't emptying quickly enough, so I was given the diagnosis of gall bladder motility dysfunction. I find with it that my pain isn't the doubling over pain, but more like a stitch type pain which is there quite frequently and also have nausea which is feels like morning sickness most days. They have removed my gall baldder to see if it will help my symptoms but there are no guarantees that that will help. I am 5 wk now after the op, but I suffered complications after it, so it is too early to say whether my symptoms have improved yet as they are worse at the mo, but that could just be because of the setback after the first surgery.
My advice is to go back to gp and ask to be sen again at hosp if you don't think you have heartburn. Has dr mentioned you having an OGD?

you can get a spasm of the duct of Oddi which is quite painful and this can be brought on by lots of things including stomach acid,codeine related pain killers.

I've been back to the doctor today - now he has said its IBS - after 3 months of tablets for an ulcer.

I asked about the hidas scan and he said he doesnt think it is necessary because my ultra sound was clear

I am getting sick of this now.

To Kuckingfunt, I think your dr is wrong in what he has said about the hidas scan, as there would be no reason to do it if your ultrasound scan showed that you had stones, as the stones would obviously be the cause of the pain. My hidas scan was done because my ultrasound was clear!! Makes no sense to me really! IBS I know can cause a lot of pain and discomfort as I have it too, have you got any other IBS symptoms like diarrhoea, bloating and constipation?