Discussions By Condition: Gallbladder conditions

Christine, I have the same thing going on. My story with UC started 4 years ago. I was having nausea and bad diarreah. No colonscopy was done back then, but it turned out that I had elevated liver enzymes. I dont know if that is connected to the rest of my story, but I think it is. Anyhow, about a year or so later, my white blood cell count was elevated and I started having bad diarreah and the upper right quadrant pain. After 2 weeks and going about 10 or so times a day I was finally able to have a coloscopy done. It showed ulceration throughout my colon as well as bad diverticulosis (sp?). I I was sent home and told that a specialist would contact me. In the meantime my bowels got better. At least to the point where I was having non formed stools about 3-5 times a day and some days more. After three months the specialist told me that I was most likely looking at UC or Crohn's disease, and I was put on asacol. The medicine did nothing and after months on medication I was still having 3-5 bm's a day and sometimes more, but I took myself off the asacol. After almost two years of abnormal bm's, I finally had a new colonscopy. This time it showed no ulcers at all, but I was still having the same amount of bm's and sometimes more. My white blood cell count has been checked regularly and has been elevated the whole time. Now all of a sudden they have no idea what the cause is. The pain in my upper right quadrant tends to come and go, and it is always a dull kind of pain. When it started I felt like someone was pushing my ribs in or that my bra was super tight. Now the pain tends to be a bit stronger. I am often very fatigued and I have random nausea spells. I also had long periods of indigestion, but no weight loss. I also have pains that come and go in my mid stomach (rebound tenderness). After my first colonscopy about 2 years ago I have also developed high blood pressure and hypothyroidism and I am currently medicated for both. I have other symptoms as well, like periodicaly dry eyes and dry mouth. Thought I might have Sjogrens, but so far they say no, since I have one more criteria that needs to be met for a diagnose. Sorry that my story turned out to be a long one. I just wanted you to know that you are not alone. I use the boards at healingwell.com from time to time and there is more then one case that has the same experience we do. Some get the ulcers back, and some don't. Sorry you are in my shoes.... Kiera

So... did anybody get anything resolved? I am a 47 year-old female, high stress management job, and I am having the same problems. Just went through a series of tests with a "top-notch" internist (so I am told) and he finds nothing. Yet I have a cantaloupe shoved up under my right rib -- I'm sure of it! I dont have any other problems, but I have noticed a change in BM's -- more frequently, particularly after eating -- and sometimes before I can even finish eating a meal. Had an abdominal ultrasound and a nuclear hiatal/upper GI test recently and everything is "normal." No explanations for the cantaloupe under my rib. I do have systemic lupus but my liver, is fine they tell me. Now I am wondering if it is Chrones Disease or ulcerative colitis as well. Does anyone know anything?

So... did anybody get anything resolved? I am a 47 year-old female, high stress management job, and I am having the same problems. Just went through a series of tests with a "top-notch" internist (so I am told) and he finds nothing. Yet I have a cantaloupe shoved up under my right rib -- I'm sure of it! I dont have any other problems, but I have noticed a change in BM's -- more frequently, particularly after eating -- and sometimes before I can even finish eating a meal. Had an abdominal ultrasound and a nuclear hiatal/upper GI test recently and everything is "normal." No explanations for the cantaloupe under my rib. I do have systemic lupus but my liver, is fine they tell me. Now I am wondering if it is Chrones Disease or ulcerative colitis as well. Does anyone know anything?The pain your descriding is the same pain I have had for a year only eventually I started having pain under the left lower rib cage. I thought I was just getting fatter and bought new bras but it seems its not that. It feels like a swelling under the right rib cage. So much so my ribs actually feel sore. The GI Doctor I went to doesnt seem to know so without any tests from him his diagnosis he says, Irritable Bowl Syndrome. All I can say it that if your symptoms don't fit into this nice little box of symptoms that fit exaclty what points to something specific they all say IBS. You must do as much research as you can and come to your doctor with your own ideas. Let them know your not going to give up. I have had a small bowl follow through, large intestine as well (drinking fluid and taking photos as they go down) Hiata scan for Gall Bladder Disease. None of these showed anything. Ulcerative Colitis and Chrons symptoms are very different than what your describing and alot easier to diagnose (my 16 year old daughter has Ulcerative Colitis) You need to first understand that all those scans (cat scan, mri, xray) are pictures that are viewed with regard to each Doctors "Interpretation" In other words, it's like the bible, some people interpret it one way and someone else another. There are several cases where Doctos do surgery based on what they see in a scan or picture, only to find out it was not what they thought. I saw Dr. Oz on tv today, and there was a woman who was told she had a hernia, they put her in surgery, only to find out that it was a harmless "flap" and needed no surgery. Again, intepretation to be something other than what it was. Some tests like the small bowl follow through can miss up to 40% of polyups that are actually in the colon. My point is just because you had a test does not mean they read it correct or caught something. I got ringing in my ears that never went away, its been a year now. I went to my regualr doc over and over and no answers. I even complained about m y jaws feeling like they had a permanent charlie horse. It was not until I went to a chiropractor and had and old mri scan of my neck sent to him from my regualr doc before my consultation that he asked me, so is your tmj bothering you? I was shocked. How did he even know about this? Well the old MRI scan showed that my right jas was shoved upward and back, causing tmj and ringing in my ears. My Regular doctor after all my visits never put that together even though he had ordered that scan. I have to ask, are your stools normal? Change in bowl movements etc?

I have the same symptoms. I have right upper quadrant pain under my rib cage, sometimes sharp like a spasm, sometimes it feels like someone punched me in the liver. I too was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis in 2002. I've been having this pain since probably 2005, although it is getting worse. So far, everything has come back normal. Are you still having the pain?

Fall of 2011, I had an ultra sound=normal; CT scan=normal; endoscopy=GERD; HIDA scan=need to remove gall bladder. Surgery Nov 2011. Now having that rib cage soreness, itching feeling you all are describing. Guess I better have the liver enzymes checked I notice it more during times of stress or after drinking alcohol.