“i’m glad i found this discussion, although it seems a bit dated.
i’ve had multiple tests to try to identify the pain in my upper right side (that is also present right in the center of my abdomen). i’ve probably had 5 CT’s, blood work, HIDA scans, ultrasounds, colonoscopy, endoscopy, etc. All showed a healthy gallbladder, no kidney stones, no ulcers, an all around healthy person who was being inflicted with pain and frequent visits to the ER, crawling around on the floor of my apartment in pain, pulling over on the side of the road, etc.
the GI referred me for gallbladder removal and said i had gallbladder disease, because that seemed the only explaination. after another year of suffering, i decided to have the surgery (surgery was the last option for me – i did not want to have surgery). the gallbladder removal was done with no issues (sept 2008)
i woke up after being sent home that evening (a friday night), knowing i was dying and asked my now husband to call 911. frantic. i was put on a morphine drip and screamed in pain until saturday night when the finally found the source. a bile leak. thankfully, it wasn’t enough to kill me.
an ERCP procedure was scheduled for sunday morning to stent the leaking bile duct into my small intestine. monday morning, i was opened up again and washed out with 5 liters of fluid (the bile was sitting on my organs still, cooking me from the inside out). i was discharged a week later and told to have the stent removed in 3 weeks.
after 20 lbs of weight lost (i weighed 142 and am a 5’8 female pre-op) and 3 weeks of the stent, i started having massive left side pain. i was admitted back through the ER. the stent had obstructed my pancreas, and i had pancreatitis. another week in the hospital.
i was treated for months post-op for what i called ‘gut checks.’ it’s like being upper cut in the stomach (right/center) from the inside out. these could hold for 2 min to 2 hours and last for days at a time.
it’s august 2011 and i have these same problems still. i have gradual onset pain i can feel ‘building.’ i still have the ‘gut checks.’ i had a CT that shows only ovarian cysts on the OPPOSITE side and everything else is completely normal. i’m a 28 year old completely healthy active woman with a pristine diet. i want my life back. if you have shared any of these issues, i would love to hear your story.”