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jessirich · Jun 6, 2008, 06:36 PM

I have been having stomach problems for about two months. The problems consist of being nauseous after eating, stomach swelling and being hard, keeping me up at night, stomach pains usually from my belly buttom to the top, and sometimes on my right side. It is really starting to bother me a lot, but I do not have insurance. I was just wondering if anyone else has ever had these problems when they were having gall bladder problems, or if maybe it sounded like something else?

twinkiedooter · Jun 17, 2008, 05:34 PM

I had gall bladder problems when I was 40. It all started slowly. I was eating TV dinners a lot for lunch that had too much fat content in them. I would get nauseated and bloated. The real fun came when I had a shooting pain on my right side under my bra in the back that literally took the wind out of me and I had to lie down in agony for a few hours until the attack went away. I had to go and have a blood test done to see if it was my gall bladder causing the problem. Yes, it was. I then had to be admitted via the ER as I had been having this problem for more than a month. My face was turning yellow and pasty. I was operated on using the new laproscopic surgery. What should have been a 45 minute operation turned out to be 4 hours. It seems that my gall bladder had been pumping "gravel" into my pancreas. The pancreas was making me ill. I had a temp of 103 and stayed in the hospital for 4 days (what should have been a 1 night stay). To put it mildly I was one sick cookie. The dr told me that had I not had the operation performed that day I probably would not have been alive too many days after that (less than 3 is what he said). Look up online what symptoms you are having and compare them to the net's symptoms. One thing I will tell you right off the bat - eliminate any kind of fat from your diet now. Look at the content on the labels for the fat content. You should have no more than (I think it's like 3 or 5 gms) a day. After my operation I could not eat TV dinners unless they were very low in fat content or I would get nauseated and get diahrrea. You can prolong the operation just so much but if you don't do something soon you might be like me and just barely make it to the hospital in time...

jessirich · Jun 17, 2008, 05:56 PM

Originally Posted by twinkiedooter

I had gall bladder problems when I was 40. It all started out slowly. I was eating tv dinners a lot for lunch that had too much fat content in them. I would get nauseated and bloated. The real fun came when I had a shooting pain on my right side under my bra in the back that literally took the wind out of me and I had to lie down in agony for a few hours until the attack went away. I had to go and have a blood test done to see if it was my gall bladder causing the problem. Yes, it was. I then had to be admitted via the ER as I had been having this problem for more than a month. My face was turning yellow and pasty. I was operated on using the new laproscopic surgery. What should have been a 45 minute operation turned out to be 4 hours. It seems that my gall bladder had been pumping "gravel" into my pancreas. The pancreas was making me ill. I had a temp of 103 and stayed in the hospital for 4 days (what should have been a 1 night stay). To put it mildly I was one sick cookie. The dr told me that had I not had the operation performed that day I probably would not have been alive too many days after that (less than 3 is what he said). Look up online what symptoms you are having and compare them to the net's symptoms. One thing I will tell you right off the bat - eliminate any kind of fat from your diet now. Look at the content on the labels for the fat content. You should have no more than (I think it's like 3 or 5 gms) a day. After my operation I could not eat tv dinners unless they were very low in fat content or I would get nauseated and get diahrrea. You can prolong the operation just so much but if you don't do something soon you might be like me and just barely make it to the hospital in time.....

Wow. That would really suck. I have been doing this for the past 2 months. I can't tell if my skin is any different in color though. I checked yesterday on webmd's symptom checker and the top choice was gallstones. It really bothers me because I don't have the money to check it out. What kind of blood test can they do to check it? That may be a cheap route to look for it.

twinkiedooter · Jun 17, 2008, 06:28 PM

I don't know the name of it but it is a specific blood test that they do for this type of thing. You may want to call a clinic and see what they suggest as far as blood testing, etc. Are you having sweating problems at night or have a fever? I had sweating problems and a slight fever before I had operation done. I only got yellow colored skin near the end.

jessirich · Jun 17, 2008, 08:26 PM

I haven't seen any yellow coloring on me anywhere, but I have also been out in the sun. Sometimes I feel warm, but I have not taken my temperature. I also have had some sweats, but I have been getting cold more too, some.

J_9 · Jun 17, 2008, 08:29 PM

You can check for jaundice (yellowing of the skin) by looking at the whites of your eyes. Are they yellow? This is a more accurate way to tell jaundice than by looking at your skin.

Do antacids help at all?

jessirich · Jun 17, 2008, 08:40 PM

I have acid reflux disease on top of it all, so I take them all of the time anyway. It doesn't help this though. I thought it would, but it doesn't. I even take rolaids with gas reducer, and they don't help. I thought it could be gastrointestinal problems at first, so I tried those a lot. It just keeps getting worse and worse. No matter what I eat, my stomach swells. It looks like a ball. Here lately though, I have been getting a headache and becoming a little dizzy. I don't know if this goes with this problem, or something else, but it has recently started to happen.

J_9 · Jun 17, 2008, 08:44 PM

Unfortunately, with your symptoms it is now necessary that you seek medical treatment. I can't tell you via the internet if it is gall stones, pancreatitis or worse, but you need a proper diagnosis. Some of these things, if left untreated, can become a permanent disability or worse.

I understand not having insurance, as I don't myself, and I am a cancer survivor who needs yearly check ups.

jessirich · Jun 18, 2008, 05:25 AM

I called and asked the hospital how much an ultrasound would cost and they said around 8 to 9 hundred. Gosh, why is it so expensive just to have that jelly put on you and the monitor hooked up? It's like they expect everyone to have loads of money.

twinkiedooter · Jun 18, 2008, 07:59 AM

Try calling a clinic - their prices should be lower than a regular hospital. Plus they can do the blood test first to rule out gall bladder problems.

wildandblue · Jun 18, 2008, 08:17 AM

Could also be the condition called hiatal hernia. has to due with where the stomach empties into the gut, the gall bladder is right there. The person is told to sleep with the upper body elevated like put a couple extra pillows under you or put wood blocks under the legs at the top of the bed. And eat small frequent meals instead of 3 large ones.

wildandblue · Jun 18, 2008, 08:21 AM

Attack of gall stones supposed. To be as bad if not worse than a heart attack. If a person has a lot of small stones they can also block the bile duct leading to the emergency situations he's talking about. Like having appendicitis, you don't want it to come on you suddenly when you can't seek medical attention.

bushg · Jun 18, 2008, 08:31 AM

Like wildand blue said you don't want to have to have emergency surgery... you don't pick a doctor then and check him out you take what they have... that can lead to a whole other set of problems. You may get one that is prone to medical malpractice and settling out of court.

My nephew did not have insurance and got his removed and pays monthly payments... actually when they looked over his financial records and dismissed a lot of what he was required to pay.

Same with a niece of mine except her doctor botched he up so bad the lawsuit covered the charges.

Insurance or not it could cost you your life one way or the other if you don't get this taken care of... this is not something that gets better over time, if it is then I have never heard of it.

Most hospitals have a program that will look at your income and your ability to pay.

wildandblue · Jun 18, 2008, 08:41 AM

Don't rely on antacids. I used those and found myself hospitalized for 3 days with a kidney stone instead. My problem turned out to be a travelling blood clot causing the pain that I was taking the antacids for.And gall bladder trouble can be linked to that illness called salmonella, drinking unsanitary food or water. It settles in the gall bladder and inflames it.

wildandblue · Jun 18, 2008, 08:56 AM

And check for jaundice by looking in a mirror, pull your lower eyelid down and look at your eye to see if it is white or not. It always starts in your eye and spreads till your skin looks yellow.

J_9 · Jun 18, 2008, 09:09 AM

Actually, antacids can cause a whole other set of problems. Metabolic alkalosis is just one, and is considered a medical emergency.

I asked about the antacids to see if they were a relief only. One should never take antacids for more than 3 days without consulting your physician.

jessirich · Jun 22, 2008, 07:20 PM

Okay, so I went to the hospital the other night for my gallbladder. They did an ultrasound, but found no stones. Now they are doing a biliary scan, which costs almost 1,200 dollars. My doctor seems to think that it is gallbladder disease. If it is not that, then they are going to do an upper and lower gi on me. She said if it's not my gallbladder, then it is most likely my acid reflux getting to be extremely severe and I will have to go to a stomach doctor. By the time it is all done, I will have thousands and thousands of bills to pay... :(

sicksince02 · Jun 22, 2008, 11:58 PM

I think a hydi scan is the best way to check out the gall bladder. I had mine removed two weeks ago... because of Bilary Discansia(sp?) I had right side,upper stomach pain. My stomach would distend so much and get soooo hard after I would eat,that I wouldn't eat all day until I couldn't take it anymore. It really sucks about the insurance.. Have you checked out getting helped through the Govt?

jessirich · Jun 23, 2008, 05:23 AM

Yeah, they wouldn't help. Biliary scan is another name for hida scan, so I will be having the same thing that you did. I think I may get some help for the ultrasound and first hospital visit, but I will be going to a different hospital for the other test, and they don't have a good program to help with bills there. It really stinks!

wildandblue · Jun 23, 2008, 09:10 AM

Like the other posters have said the gall bladder is in charge of making bile, the enzyme that digests fat in the diet. A lean meat and potatoes type of diet is good you want to avoid fats like chips, fried foods, salad dressings. I'd avoid green vegetables entirely for now (but they do have vitamins so take a supplement) especially lettuce, cabbage, broccoli, spinach,cucumbers. A lot of produce from the market is coated with a indigestible wax to keep it fresh longer. You really need the medical treatment, don't skimp your health is everything! An inflamed gall bladder can burst like an appendix or turn gangreneous leading to blood poisoning.