Stomach Issues

it sounds more like reflux or acid if it only happens when you have an empty stomach. gallblader disease is caused by the bile duct being blocked by either a stone or sludge. when you eat fatty foods. the liver tries to expell bile so that it can process the fats. if the bile duct is blocked it causes intense pain and it last for more than 5-15 minutes. the gallbladder kind of pulsates trying to expell the contents and that is what causes pain. its not just fatty foods but also spicy or hot foods. everyone is different so just because you dont have the classic symptoms doenst mean its ot the galbladder. the pain is usually in the right side under your rib cae and it feels like it is shooting all the way through to you back. kind oflike a stabbing knife type of pain. ihave seen patiets that come in for shortness of breath and it is probably because the pain is so intense that it is the symptom that they feel the most. sometimes the pain is accompained by nausea, or and and vomiting. maybe if you monitor when the pain comes how often and what you have eaten in the last couple hours before it hapens and then go to your doctor.
I am a nurse so i knew exactly what i had. but i put it off as long as possible because we are the worst patients.i had been on weight wtchers because being overweight sometimes exacerbates the problem so i thought if i lost weight i could prolong the surgery. i went on vacation to hershey pennsylvania and jsut had a bite of choloclate and i thought i was going to die. i took an early flight ome and went stright to the ER and then to surgery. the pain never did go away the whole time. it was ameserable flight . but as it turns out and as i knew it would be, it wasnt a big deal. i was back at work within a week, with restrictions of course, like no heavy lifting.

We just went through this with my teenage daughter. She was in the hospital for a week with the kind of pain you are describing and it got worse. It ended up being Gasteritis (I am sure I didn't spell that correctly)which is an excess amount of stomach acid being produced as a result of stress and anxiety. The doctor put her on a mild anti-anxiety medication to take at night (to turn her brain off - she thinks all night and has trouble sleeping - she is a little OCD)and Nexium once a day. It really seems to be helping. We also got her involved in positive ways to deal with stress. She runs, journals, talks to a youth leader, does sports and stays active to channel her anxiety and manage her stress. We also employ lots of relaxation techniques chamomile tea and of course tons of prayer. Another thing that the doctor told her was to eat small meals frequently throughout the day. So every couple of hours, she eats a yogurt, or something and smaller portions at lunch and dinner to balance her day. Finally, tons of water - this has all really helped her a lot. Not only is she able to manage the stomach pain but also recognize stressors.

I was having similar problems and it ended up being my gallbladder! I had alot of stones and had to have it removed which was easy. The doc told me if it is my gallbladder, then I will most likely have pains after eating fatty foods. Due to the inflamation in there. i would go to the doctor just to be sure before you assume though. Let me know how it goes!

It could be a hernia.

Not just fats...also Dairy...I found that out the hard way. Sounds like this is your gall bladder to me and it will only get worse. Take care of your self. J.

Hi C.,
Before your abdominal sensation turns into a Gallbladder problem you might be interested in learning about Maya Abdominal and Uterine Massage. I specialize in this technique and teach clients how to perform the massage on themselves. I have worked with many women with similar symptoms and feelings of acid reflux, heart burn, ulcerations... Give a call if you would like. Clearing this up sooner than later will be to your advantage. Peace, L. Golub...Owner Holistic Pathways ###-###-####

Does not sound like gall bladder to me at all. I went through 7 months of torturous pain when I was pregnant because they did not want to operate until my son was 7 mos. old. Gallbladder usually happens if you rest after eating. Most of my attacks woke me up in the middle of the night. The first time I thought I was having a miscarraige-scared me badly. The pain is very strong and almost crippling in your back. The pain does not subside without medication. I had to go to the hospital several times to get shots of demerol. Diet can help slightly but by the time I was having surgery I could not even eat a piece of toast with out vomiting. If it is gallbladder the pain will be so severe you will feel the need to go to the hospital!

Hi C. - It sounds like something else. Gall Bladder pain is like terrible gas pains high in your body, also with pain between your shoulder blades. I just had mine out about 6 months ago when my daughter was 7 weeks old. And your friends are correct about the fatty food thing. Good luck - I hope a doctor can help you figure out what is wrong.

I had my gallbladder removed a few yrs ago. I had excruitiating pains high in my stomach & at varied times (with or without food), but MINE would last for HOURS - definitely not minutes. Mine started yrs ago, but we didn't figure out what it was until I got pregnant & an attack landed me in the hospital emergency room. Dr's always told me to try prilosec type drugs. If they don't help, ask your dr to check for gallstones. Unfortunately - that's not the first thing they check for, so you have to be proactive & ask them to check you out for gallbladder. An attack can come on from even 1 moloscule of fat - so it doesn't HAVE to be from "fatty foods" - just anything that has ANY fat in it. Estrogen levels are a leader in what makes us prone to problems with our gallbladder. My husbands cousin had gallstone problems too (4 months after her 2nd birth) & her symptoms were slightly different from mine, so I'd definitely check it out with your dr. I hope this helps.

I had gall bladder surgery in 1995. My symtoms were a dull ach in my left shoulder blade that would keep me awake at night especially after I had eaten anything greasy or rich and spicey. The only relief I got was sleeping in my lounge chair and by morning I felt better. I had micro surgery and was up and about within in a day. I would definetly be checked out before the gall stones get worse and complications arise.

C., maybe the acid is irritating your stomach. When we don't eat something, our tummies get an ache. I use to get those feelings that sound similar to yours, and I often wondered why, because I hadn't eaten anything, so I thought that it couldn't be something I had eaten. But, the doctor had told me, I needed to eat something to help neutralize the acid. Try soda crackers, or bread, and see if it subsides. Take note when these feelings
are occuring so when you go to the doctor, you can give him an idea, so he/she can make
a more accurate diagnosis.
Hope you're doing better....if not, go see the doc!! J.

I get that after drinking milk. or cheese products. It's gas??

gave up dairy and I am ok.

C.,

You may want to look into whether it is acid reflux. I have acid reflux and that sounds like the same symptoms. You can buy something over the counter like zantac or pepcid to first find out if that takes care of the symptoms. Otherwise there are prescriptions your doctor can write for you like prevacid that will help symptoms and heal the problem. Hope that helps. The best way to find out what your symptoms are is probably to go to your doctor if they get much worse.

Jennnifer
Lakewood, CO

Hello C.,
My background is that of an MD, although I work as a hands-on healer today. What you describe sounds like you may have developed a stomach ulcer, which can be eased by over the counter medication, anything that on a physical level could neutralize the stomach acid. Try to not "go hungry", eat small meals in between. Sucralfates help heal the damaged mucosa, which you can find naturally in licorice, so eat those, preferably natural ones. The same you can find in sweet wood, the root of the plant from which licorice is made.
Plus: look at your life and see, what may give you stress, worries, etc. - feel free to contact me at ____@____.com for more personal advice, if you want to. I have the gift to tap into the psychology of the disease, sort of a "Medical Intuitive"...if you'd like to know more -

Good Luck and don't hesitate to contact an MD, if you prefer Western Medicine. Otherwise a good Integrated Manual Therapist (IMT) trained by "Upledger" or an experienced Osteopath maybe a good help for you.

All the Best K.

I had the exact same thing. Kind of an aching feeling right in the middle under my diaphram. When I'd eat, it would go away. As time went on it got worse and didn't go away as quickly. I found out I had gastritis which is a precursor to an ulcer. It is the inflamation of your stomach lining. Treatment was to take Tagament for 12 weeks. Tagament just reduces the amount of stomach acid so that the lining can heal itself. It worked great and after just a few days of taking it, I felt much better! I had this 2 years ago after having my 5th baby. I'm headed to the doctor today for the same thing and i just had my 6th baby. Maybe for me it has something to do with all those pregnancy hormones and heartburn I had in the third trimester. Certainly make an appointment with your doctor. They told me if it goes too long without being treated, you can form an ulcer. The tagament isn't anything strong by all means, but certainly prevents a very big problem from forming! Good luck!

I had the same thing, diagnosis - Acid Reflux. I'm on the generic equivalent of prilosec which you can get over the couner. I don't take it all the time and I try to watch what I eat some things trigger it more than others - caffeine's a bad one! Try the prilosec? See your doctor.

My mother-in-law had the same problem, but the pain was accompanied by nausea/vomiting, and diarrhea. Do you have those symptoms too? Her diagnosis is DIVERTICULITIS. How often do your painful flareups happen? She had such bad pain she would have to go to the doctor to get a shot and some antibiotics. Now she controls it with diet but sometimes it flares up again - maybe twice a year. Anyway, I would say if the pain doesn't go away you probably want to check it out - especially if you have any other symptoms.

Hi C.,

It does not sound like your gall bladder to me. I had mine out several years ago and when I would have a gall bladder attack I would have pain between my shoulder blades and intense pressure in my chest. It almost felt like a heart attack. It would also feel like I had to burp really bad. I would def. go see your doctor. Hope this helps.

V.

May be heartburn--or reflux--have you tried tums or OTC Zantac 75 or Pepcid complete? K. RN

Hi C.,
My cousin has gall blader issues for about a year while she was pregnant and she realized it was bad and eventually had to have it removed. With hers and others I have heard about, attacks last for hours and the pain is so unbearable she can not move. Most had or have high doses of codine and other strong medications just to null the pain. If this is ache is that bad, then I would go see your doctor because it could be gall bladder issues. However, 5-10 minutes is not normal for the attack length.
However, I have horrible acid reflux and I get an ache all in my chest and back that is terrible! It hurts and is like an ache. This will act up either with or without food. It too last 10-15 min. I take zantac over the counter medicine and it goes away quickly. Nothing is worse than an ache, I hope you find out what it is and I hope this helps!