Have bad gallbladder - is pain on left side related?

[kickanxietysbutt]

I'm hoping there's somebody out there who's had gallstones or sludge that can tell me whether or not they've had pain more often on the left side of the body than the right.  An ultrasound confirmed that I have both sludge and stones, and after five months of pain and not knowing what's going on, I was thrilled to hear that the problem is something so easy to fix.  I know gallbladder pain is traditionally associated with the right side of the body, but up until a week and a half ago, I had no pain whatsoever on that side.  I have had a lot of upper back pain just to the left of my spine, tons of acid reflux, left rib pain, and before I had a lot of pain on my left side (hip / abdomen area), which has since subsided.  Now I have pain all over, but I'm wondering if anybody else has experienced pain like mine, more on the left side.  The ultrasound tech and the nurse I saw said pain on the left side of the body is fairly common, but the surgeon said those symptoms don't sound related.  Anybody have any insight?

[Stricter]

Actually ten days ago I got my gallbladder removed. On the sixth day I started feeling heaviness and burning under my ribs after drinking a glass of milk early morning. On the eighth day a severe pain and heaviness started, eventually there was pain on the back side. I went to my doctor who recommended drip with painkiller and rises , I was hospitalised and suggested test of pancreas and blood. My pancreas were normal but there were signs of infection in blood. I was given antibiotic and omeprozole. Then he told me before being discharged from hospital that he might get me tested for h.pylori. You know I didn't have pylori before , what happened I got the infection immediately after surgery. What do you say...?

[Mommapacemaker]

I have had H pylori before will I always have that.now I have gullblader. Stones that need to be taken out.just wondering if its anything else.?

[Lorus65]

Once you test positive for h. Pylori, you will always test positive. That does not mean you still have the bacteria though. It's kind of like the tuberculain skin test, once you have a positive skin test, you would always test positive for it but it doesn't mean you have the active disease. It just means you were exposed to it but didn't necessarily have the active disease. I guess they both leave antibodies that these tests detect.

[Lorus65]

Once you test positive for h. Pylori, you will always test positive. That does not mean you still have the bacteria though. It's kind of like the tuberculain skin test, once you have a positive skin test, you would always test positive for it but it doesn't mean you have the active disease. It just means you were exposed to it but didn't necessarily have the active disease. I guess they both leave antibodies that these tests detect.

[Lorus65]

Once you test positive for h. Pylori, you will always test positive. That does not mean you still have the bacteria though. It's kind of like the tuberculain skin test, once you have a positive skin test, you would always test positive for it but it doesn't mean you have the active disease. It just means you were exposed to it but didn't necessarily have the active disease. I guess they both leave antibodies that these tests detect.

[Jodeeh]

I also have never had any kids. I'm very skinny, 110lbs and 5'5. I do not drink alcohol, I do smoke tho, that's it. I don't eat as good as I should, but I kno people that eat way worse than me and have no problems...

[Jodeeh]

OMG, I'm in the same exact boat as u!! Originally went to dr for stomach pain. Did no tests, assumed it was an ulcer cuz I told him my symptoms of normal pooping mixed w a tiny bit of Constiaption here and there.. He had me go to lab and get tested for h-pylori, which was negative, and a thyroid test, and nothing wrong there either.. He put me on some ulcer medication, not knowing for sure if I even had an ulcer. Felt good for two days, went back cuz of chest pain and shoulder pain and back pain, stomach pain on top of that, but only on the left side of my stomach.. Checked my vital signs, all was good and told me its anxiety and sent me home. Week or so later, had bad stomach pain again, w a little nausea, Cold and hot, back pain, then started throwing up. All pain got worse, went to er, got EKG, which was fine, got CT scan, which was fine, and an ultrasound that showed I had some "sludge" in my gallbladder and there was some inflammation. ER diagnosed me w "Bilary colic", but that's only when I'm having an attack. Referred me to a surgeon. While waiting for the appt w the surgeon, I went back to dr for severe chest pain, right shoulder pain,stomach pain on the left side of stomach ,  and horrible back pain. SEVERE. I told him about my ER visit and that I have "sludge". He said it's not a big deal, and ur symptoms probably r not from ur gallbladder cuz u don't have stones, and that my gallbladder is on the right side so left side pain can't be gallbladder problems.... He also said I wouldn't need to have it taken out. He told me to c a psychiatrist and prescribed me some Xanax temporarily while I waited for my future appts cuz he's probably sick of seeing me and thinks I'm a hypochondriac.. Which I am, but still. Met w surgeon, he was not convinced that my my symptoms r from my gallbladder "sludge" either, mainly because pain is on left side of stomach. Surgeon referred me to GI specialist. They did a colonoscopy and an endoscopy. Took biopsie to test for celiac disease, which was negative. Went for my follow up w GI specialist, and she said all is fine, there's nothing wrong w me. I said but I have sludge in my gallbladder and I'm Having full on gallbladder stone symptoms. She says to c psychiatrist also.... Thanks. Went back to surgeon. He's trying to say I have IBS.. I don't have diahrea, just very light constipation here and there, but I poop everyday. So, I said I wanted a HIDA scan. He said ok. If HIDA scan comes back normal, am I going to accept that it's just IBS? I said idk yet. It's Saturday, and my HIDA scan is this Tuesday. I hope this isn't IBS and I hope it is just my gallbladder, cuz I kno there is no cure for IBS and I heard the medications can make u even sicker sometimes...  Idk if I should get my gallbladder taken out or not.. Surgeon has pretty much said if it's ruining ur life, then get it removed, if it's not, keep it in, but u might still have problems after u get it taken out... Any insight would be great.

[Bekahlorraine3]

God  bless you, as I've felt many of this! Did you ever find any relief or answers?

[Donna3300]

I was told every time you have a child- it stresses your gall bladder out. So the more children the more gall bladder problems. With my 4th child I was sick constantly! There was nausea, vomiting & pain.. I had to suffer through until he was born the Drs said. But 6 months into my pregnancy, I had a bad car accident and lost my baby. Afterwards, they put me on percocet pain meds for broken pelvis, hips etc.. That also caused my gallbladder to act up! The Hidalgo scan said 0% function! But Dr refused to operate bc of all the trauma and surgery I'd already been through! I got down to a size 0.  I couldn't eat anything but crackers. Then they put birth control bc I couldn't get pregnant in that condition. Guess what? Same deal as being pregnant to your gall bladder. I finally got better & stopped the meds and stayed away from greasy or spicy foods. It calmed down - no problems! Ten years later, I was put back on pain meds for arthritis  & AVN. (bc of accident) This time it had to come out, I was sick as a dog for months but no insurance- so the hospital would do Nothing! Finally got insurance and it was removed - what a relief!

[LauraMixon]

I started having pain in my left arm that was dull and achy. It came and went, but there always a discomfort in my left arm. My family has had history of gallbladder issues. Both my parents had gallbladder surgery and my older sister as well. From what I can say...and from what my mom has told me, she's convinced I am beginning to show signs of gallbladder problems also. At first, I thought I was having a heart attack as the pain went from my left arm to my chest...I was relieved when I realized a gallbladder attacks can mimic a heart attack. As the days went by...the pain began to radiate to my right side as well as my left side...so I'm in pain on both sides. My lower back can ache and hurt and then my upper back starts to ache as well.

Though a few months prior, I had blood work done to test my TCH level and it turns out I have Hypothyroidism. I don't know if these sudden pains have anything to do with my thyroid or not, but I'm assuming my medication needs to be adjusted. Without medical insurance, you're pretty much screwed.

I'm still dealing with these random pains and discomfort...I just hope other people can give me some answers so I can have a peace of mind.

[Lovethesummer]

Aevans93, did your pain go away after surgery?