Anybody ever had gallbladder problems???

I had asked everyone about tendinitis and right as I was starting to get better from that I started having really extreme pain in my mid back and wound up in the ER a couple of weeks ago because the pain was just too much to stand. So they do CT scans and blood and urine and all that and come to the conclusion that it must be a bulging disc since they didn't see anything. So I go and see a back specialist and he gets me an MRI and today he said my back is fine and the abdominal pain that I've been having is not related to muscle spasms and told me to consult a GI doc. The ER had given me pain meds and muscle relaxer but I had taken them and the back dr today told me that he wouldn't give me any since the MRI didn't show anything. So I ran in to a lady I went to church with for years and she's the manager of my dr's office and she told me it sounds like my gall bladder and helped me get in with the dr so I can get a referral to a GI dr. I was just curious if anyone has deal with this and can tell me some things that helped them. I am preaching in a revival all week and that sorta complicates things. I have some old hyrdocodones from when I had a vasectomy and they told me I could take a half of one and should be fine to go and preach tonight. I'm seeing the dr tomorrow and maybe he can get me to the specialist. I just though maybe someone has been through this before and maybe could tell me what to expect from surgery and things like that. Maybe certain foods that helped you also. ANY help would be appreciated because man I am hurting BAD!

 

Yes! Man an "attack" is EXACTLY how I was describing it to myself! It seriously feels so bad it will literally bend me over dude. You think I should eat like fruits and oatmeal and things? I actually thought it was muscle spasms from a strained back that I was having. The funny thing is the cat scan didn't show anything a couple of weeks ago. At least they said it didn't. Maybe now it has progressed to a state where it will be more obvious? They were actually looking for kidney stones though. It took morphine to really knock it out that morning! That's when you know it's hardcore. I suppose that must be what it's like to be "high" or whatever because I was doing my best to persuade my wife and the nurse that the flowers on the curtains were literally moving up and down. LOL. That half a hydro I took a couple of hours ago has relieved me. So you just had times where it sorta came and went as well?

 

I'm getting the HIDA scan in the morning. Dude I honestly feel sometimes like my life is in danger. They told me today that I for sure don't have gallstones. Man I got a shot of numbness through my body today and it made me feel like "out of control" for just a split second. It was extremely scary. The dr told me today that if this test tomorrow comes back "normal" that I will then have to see a GI specialist. Was the HIDA scan how they ultimately how they found out it was your gallbladder causing problems? Also was it more than just stones and you wound up losing your whole gallbladder? I want mine gone and I want it gone now. I can't stand this feeling. I've never felt like this before.

 

No they've not and that's what's so horrible. I have some muscle relaxers because of when they thought it was a bulging disc but only 5 left. I had some hydrocodon left from after my vasectomy from last year but it's almost gone but even THAT doesn't really knock it out. I can't eat or drink anything after midnight tonight and can't take any meds after midnight. I'm hoping and praying these muscle relaxers work because if they don't I'm gonna be up all night. A pastor buddy of mine had this same problem and he didn't have stones either but just an infected or like blocked gallbladder or something like that. That sorta comforts me really to think that maybe that's why my problem is and I can just get rid of the gb and get back to living a normal life. This is horrible.

 

I had that HIDA scan today and it was HORRIBLE for me. My back is already sore and it killed me to have to lay on that table that long. Then they shoot that stuff in there that makes u nauseous and I thought I was about to meet my maker. That was the worst part. They told me I will get the results tomorrow and if it is not my gb it might be an ulcer even. That would make sense since I AM a Steelers fan. Lol.

 

Well all the symptoms I've seen of ulcers are not actually symptoms I have. The specialist's office told my wife that my dr got the results at like 1:30 or 2 today but they didn't call and tell me anything. I don't know whether to take that as a good or a bad thing. I appreciate the well wishes though. I seriously need them. I just have this horrible feeling that something is really wrong. I'm naturally pessimistic so I guess that's just normal for me.

 

LOL. I should have mentioned I'm a Steelers fan and maybe could have bypassed this whole thing. The dr would've just been like "Ahhhh you're a STEELERS fan?! Yep. It's an ulcer." LOL. Out of curiosity, what would they do if it was an ulcer? Do they take them out or what?

 

Thank God I finally got to the results back. They just called and said it is definitely is my gallbladder and since I'm in so much pain (literally slept about 1hr last night) they are actually working me in today for a consultation to set up the surgery. I can't wait to get this thing out of me! 33 years of this gallbladder was long enough!

 

Well the good news is they are taking it out and the bad news is the dr that is doing it is a COMPLETE jerk! I went in there and he asked me what my symptoms were and I told him about the extreme pain in my side and middle of my back. So then he acts like those are not gallbladder symptoms in my back in spite of the fact that pretty much every person I've talked to have all told me that. So then he says he's gonna take it out since the test was abnormal and makes a little sketch to show me the procedure. He then walks out and peaks back in later and says they are doing it in the morning and I asked him what about my pain and he said "we're taking it out in the morning" and I said "I know but I'm asking in the meantime what can I do?" and he's just like "I don't know" and then I said "also there were some thing I was wanting to ask you because I'm a little nervous and it just seems you're being a little ambiguous about my symptoms" and he like throws the door open and COMES AT ME and throws his hands out to the side and says "HOW AM I BEING AMBIGUOUS? WHAT HAVE I NOT TOLD YOU? WHAT HAVE I NOT TOLD YOU???!!!" and I said "well first of all you've told me that I have atypical symptoms so what ARE my symptoms typical of?" and he goes "I don't know!" and I said "well alright you could have told me that and I have kids and I want to know what's wrong and there were other questions I had as well" and he said really annoyed like "what are they?" and I said "I work at UPS and I need to know my restrictions and when I can go back to work. I pastor a church and sometimes I get really excited when I'm preaching and I want to know if I'm gonna hurt myself or should I take a Sunday off. I have kids and I want to know if I can lift them. I want to know what I can eat." and he said "you can work in 2 weeks. you can eat what you want to. you can lift your kids when you get home today." and I said "I mean after the surgery" and he said "you can lift them too." My wife looked him up online and he has really bad scores for his bedside manner. I can see why now. I fully expect to go in there in the morning and have him show up in Ravens scrubs. LOL.

 

I got my gallbladder took out today and am feeling really sore. I'm glad it's gone and now I just can't wait for my body to recover from all the incredible pain and stress it has been under for the last 3 weeks or so. The dr told my wife I came through surgery fine and that my gallbladder was bad and he's sending it to a pathologist to find out if there might have been some underlying condition that caused it to go bad. They said everything else looked good in me though. I think my diet of pizza, meat, candy, and all around junk food might have something to do with it but who knows? I just want to get better. I'm still sorta stressed about the pain I feel and I guess it's just part of recovery. I just keep hoping there's nothing else wrong. I see the dr again Thursday for a checkup. Hopefully I will be feeling better here in the next few days.

 

Well I called the dr this morning because my left arm has been going numb all the way to my fingertips when I've been laying down. I hardly slept last night and would wake up with a numb left arm when I'd doze off. I called a dr this morning and they said that is probably where the tendinitis I've been dealing with since January was aggravated by the the way I laid during surgery and that also my muscles have been stiff from constant stress and pain for the last 3 weeks. I've been ESPECIALLY worried for the last week because the back specialist told me the side pain wasn't related to the back pain and then when he mentioned a GI dr that really scared me. So I've been EXTREMELY tense and haven't rested in a long time. On top of that, I've been preaching that revival and sermon prep takes a lot out of me mentally and causes me tons of stress. So basically my body has just been treated really cruelly these past few weeks especially. The dr said today that it is extremely likely that my gb problems were a result of my poor eating habits and said if there had been cancer they would have found it during surgery. You know me pretty well and know that I'm a real sorta "matter of fact" person and I can't stand not knowing something. I very rarely worry about what I do know. It's what I don't know that causes me the most stress and all these symptoms have just really stressed me out for the last little while and I guess my body is just paying the price. Did you feel this way when you had that vaccination problem? She did say that I should start feeling really better in about a week and that all my restlessness and stuff isn't exactly abnormal and my pain she said is normal as well.

 

Yeah I'm trying to rest for sure. I finally took a muscle relaxer along with the pain pill and it helped to me rest a lot more. I've had to turn my phone off because peope are wanting to call and check on me a lot. Once I took that muscle relaxer and laid down my shoulder stopped bothering me so it is probably just a lot of tension. I read that when your gallbladder hurts you for a long period that it can make your lower quadrant of your back feel like it is really stretched thin and by the time I got to the hospital yesterday morning I could barely stand up straight. I'd say that's the reason. The only problem with being a squeaky wheel with the actual surgeon is that he's not a very forthcoming guy which I'm sure you realized from what I posted about happening to me at his office. My wife actually looked him up online and apparently he's got a reputation as a complete jerk. His nurses' pastor is a really good friend of mine and the nurse straight up told me that he's not a very good guy and he can't deal with people. Just my luck I guess.