pains in stomach and chest is it gall stones or something else please help?

[bigmal]

hello everyone,i am in the united kingdom, this is my story
last year i was 245lbs overweight and 43 years old,in september 2002 i went on a weight loss and fitness regime, by january 2003 i was down to 198lb perfect bodyfat and very fit,i have 5 children the youngest disabled so i figured i needed to do something about my level of fitness etc.then in march i started to have chest pains across the lower ribs but mainly the centre of my upper chest,these pains got worse and started waking me up at night and stopped me from sleeping.i was only getting around 2 attacks per month, the attacks became more frequent lasting around 4 hours very painfull and unstoppable, and eventually 3 months after the 1st attack i had a very bad one,which felt like a heart attack (not that i have ever had one).in hospital  my blood tests were done with an all clear given and i went home, 2 days later back in emergency hospital another attack,sent home no treatment given unknown cause,then 7 days ater massive attack,rushed to hospital, acute pancreantitus diagnosed,kept in hospital for 48 hours on a drip with no food or drink allowed and i was discharged , as soon as i got home i felt ill rested and felt terrible,gp came to my home and said he was unsure, but an mri scan would help, (i had  a normal scan with ultrasound in hospital but was all clear)
7 weeks from leaving hospital i had an mri, and had not had any further attacks or pain,mri showed a possible gall stone in bile duct and i had an mrcp (camera down throat)nothing found, and was told that it was  probably a shadow on the mri scan and the gall stone had gone,went home happy it was all finished then 1 month after mrcp i got terrible pains after eating dinner and spent the day in bed,that was 1 week ago and i now have pretty constant pain in my stomache and around my lower rib area,the pain starts bearably dull lasts up to 8 hours and comes ang goes at different pain levels. then goes until the next time,i have stopped eating fatty foods,fizzy cola etc but still get these pains,my doctor says it is indigestion, but its not,all standard indigestion remedies do not work at all,i do not smoke and have never drunk.have i still got gallstones or pancreantitus or some gastric bug, when i go to my gp i get same old theory, that it was a gallstone and that my stomache is acting the same as a pregnant womans stomache in as much as it was streched when eating a lot and now hurts because it is shrinking back,
please help me with your advice, many thanks

[bigmal]

hello agin.
            thankks for the advise,i been back to my gp, who did blood tests again and some levels were high,he is referring me back to my consultant for an urgent  meeting, (urgent in the uk really means wait a couple of months).i have a strange problem and although everyone seems to instantly say gall bladder removal, i have had all scans mri scans ,mrcp etc, but nothing ever found, i think any surgery should only be done for a found and just cause,but no one has actually found anything, i only ever suffered 1 bout of these attacks and since the last one back in june of this year,i have suffered mild chest pains  which went from top chest to lower belly,within a week and have now completely gone,i feel the best that i have ever felt for a very long time.if i had a gallstone that was travelling about,is this actually abnormal,i am a realist,but if everything is ok now,do i actually need more ops, please reply,i look forward to your answers,thanks  mal

[krisg]

Gee, I'm sure glad you got some pretty good advise here.  It seems that when a woman complains of the same thing (i.e. pain attacks, stones on MRI)  they just shake their heads and give the old standard advise (IBS, live with it!)

[Kevin Pho, MD]

Surgeon has suggested in his comments below that gallstones are a strong possibility - and I agree with his assessment.

If the evaluation for gallstones turn up empty, you may want to consider other causes for your discomfort - ulcers, inflammation of the stomach or esophagus or GERD.  An upper endoscopy would be the most comprehensive test to evaluate for these diseases.  I would also consider a test for H Pylori which is a bacteria associated with ulcers or inflammation.  These tests can be discussed with your personal physician.

Followup with your personal physician is essential.

This answer is not intended as and does not substitute for medical advice - the information presented is for patient education only. Please see your personal physician for further evaluation of your individual case.

Thanks,
Kevin, M.D.

[bigmal]

by the way i am a male,thought i had better let you know thanks

[surgeon]

by far the most common causes of pancreatitis are gallstones, and alcohol (particularly heavy binge-drinking.) You didn't mention drinking, and we'll assume it's not a factor. It's very common to develop gallstones with rapid weight loss. Your pain pattern is very consistent with gallstones. You had evidence of a transient stone in the bile duct. Ultrasound is not foolproof. All of these facts point strongly to one thing: you have gallstones, they are causing pain, and have caused pancreatitis. That's dangerous. They may be quite small; they might be treatable with stone-dissolving pills, which might make sense in that there was a (hopefully) one-time reason for getting them. But I'd say you need the issue addressed again: either re-image your gallbladder, or see a surgeon, or both. Just my opinion, from afar.