Please advice, Gallbladder problems

[noni06]

Hi everyone, I hope you can give me some advice.

I have been experiencing RUQ abdominal pain for almost 4 years now. I have been to many doctors and have had many tests done. 2 upper and lower endoscopies which were alll normal except a little bit of inflamation in my stomach. I was diagnosed with gastritiis and IBS.

I took the medications that the doctors prescribed ( antidepresants, muscle relaxers, Ibs medication and prolosec) and never felt better so I quit the meds and tried to deal with the pain on my own. I changed my diet to a low fat mostly vegetarian diet and felt a little better.

Two years ago, I started developing new symtoms such as headaches, severe RUQ abdominal pain, nausea and really itchy skin. By this point I was tired of doctors, so I tolerated the symtoms until I couldn't take the itching anymore. I visited a dermatologist who run some blood tests and found out that my bilirubin was a little high. He sent me to a GI doc who run a couple of liver function tests which all came back negative except for the bilirubin. He said some people just have higher levels of bilirubin and its nothing to worry about.

I was precribed antihistimines for the itching by the dermatologist and declared healthy. I tried to go on with my life by ignoring the stomach pains, because the doctors made me feel like a hypochondric or a drug sicker everytime I complained about the pain. I have never taken illegal drugs in my life and always reject prescripions for pain medicine because I don't believe in masking symptoms without finding the cause first.

About a year ago, I took a pathophysiology class (nursing student) and during the lecture for gall bladder disorders, I realize that I have been having symtoms of gall bladder disease all along. I went to a GI doc again and had an ultrasound and a Hida scan which were both negative. I'm still experiencing RUQ pain and itchy skin due to high bilirubin levels.

I'm convinced that all my health problems the past four years were caused by my gallbladder, but I have no proof. My question is, is it possible to have a diseased gallbladder with negative test results except for the high bilirubin levels? Can I find a surgeon to take out the gall bladder without evidence that it is diseased?

I'm so deperate at this point, I will pay a doctor out of my pocket to get this done. Please give me your opinions.

[VivaLasViejas, ASN, RN]

I'm really sorry, but it is beyond the scope of a nursing discussion board to offer medical advice or a diagnosis for your condition. Please seek the advice of a qualified physician or nurse practitioner to help determine the cause of your symptoms and resolve the problem.

Good luck.