Internist: Didn't Diagnose Gallbladder Pain

[ELB]

As far as whether to change docs...yeah, I don't think it is at all unusual for a competent doc to suspect gall bladder as the culprit for the pain you described, and to not dismiss it immediately just because the first check doesn't turn up something that can be seen on a graph.

More generally, I have seen a lot of docs due to the illnesses of others in the family, and different docs have different experiences, attitudes, and prejudices about people's diseases and symptoms that affects their diagnoses. If you are having a problem and the doc is not figuring it out or is dismissing it, find a new doc.

My gall bladder story:

When I was about 22 and a brand new 2nd Lt, living by myself, I got a godawful pain one Sunday afternoon right after I made myself dinner - felt like someone was slowly driving a thick, dull, wooden stake thru my back just about where the bottom of my rib cage was. I was raised by people who only went to the doctor if one was REALLY REALLY sick, so I toughed it out for about three hours and then went to the base ER. They told me it was indigestion and gave me a suppository. ! Thanks a lot. It hurt for about two more hours, then it was gone.

Didn't happen again for along time, but maybe once year or two, it would show up, usually late evening or middle of the night, when it wasn't convenient to go to the doc, and gee whiz, ERs are for emergencies like heart attacks and broken legs, not indigestion even it if was painful. So I would tough it out for about five hours, then poof! It would be gone, I'd get a little sleep, and drive on.

This went on for about 20 years, and I never thought to tell my regular docs about it because I only saw the doctor once a year for my annual physical and I would always forget about it because it only happened once every year or 18 months, or maybe two years, just really infrequently.

Until I hit my 40s. Then it started showing up more often. Twice in a year. Then three. Etc. My wife bugged me about going to the ER, but like I said, you don't go to the ER for indigestion. (I did note that it would happen with one to three hours after eating.).

Finally one day I remembered to say something at my annual physical exam, because it was happening more often. I described it as above, the dull wooden stake, and the doc grinned at me, and she said, "You just gave the classic text book description of gall stone attack. Let's get some pictures." And off I went to the sonogram people. My doc was surprised that I had not gone to the ER for it (after the first time), I've discovered since it's pretty common, and it is usually recognized, at least to the point that pain meds are given to help cope.

And still it took about three sonograms over about six months to definitively say "yes, stones, GB needs to come out." No one doubted that there was a problem, but they were reluctant to do surgery unless they actually saw something.

The surgery was easy -- the coolest part was I participated in a study to help guys on the battlefield. The anesthesia people were experimenting with put knocking people out solely using IV injections, rather than gas -- they said the IV method would be easier to use in theater. So I said yes, they put me under (fast!) and it went really well. Have not had a single pain like that since, and what's more, I have not found any foods that I can't eat because of it (that seems to be a problem for some people).

But I would like to find that original ER doc (actually, I think it was a PA) I saw back in 1982 and smack him upside the head. Indigestion my-fourth-point of-contact.

[jimlongley]

jimlongley

Thanks!

I'm very sorry to hear about your medical situation.

One of the things most of us (me) take for granted is our good health, until it departs...

I've another friend with Crohns, (as I'm sure you know about being another form of inflammatory bowel disease) and he's suffers dreadfully.

If I don't eat right I suffer badly too, and I usually eat wrong, but I also make other around me suffer too.