From August of 2011 to December of 2011, I lost 20 lbs, going from 125 to 105. In December of 2011 I started noticing extreme bloating and severe fullness after eating as if my food was not digesting, which would last the entire day and get worse as I ate more food throughout the day, only feeling better with long fasting(15+ hours). This has lasted until now. The past couple months, I ve had an endoscopy , a gastric emptying test, a small bowel barium x-ray , a upper right quadrant ultrasound, and a HIDA scan with CCK. All were normal except the HIDA scan. My gallbladder never appeared after 4 hours and they never injected the CCK. My GI doctor told me this may be what is causing at least some of my symptoms. I went to see a surgeon, who told me that my symptoms appear to be inconsistent with what he said were the only 2 reasons for results like mine, inflammation, and a gall stone blocking the duct(I asked about sludge and he said sludge usually shows up on an ultrasound). He said if that were the case, I would be in severe pain where my gallbladder is located. I am really looking for answers. All of my tests have come back normal except for the HIDA, and the surgeon doesn t seem to believe it. I am really worried and am looking for any information I can find. Although I am not a doctor, I ve read that gallbladder problems can FEEL as if your food is not digesting(although clinically I KNOW mine is digesting), and bloating and an unusual feeling of fullness can occur. I have also read that rapid weight loss can contribute to gallbladder issues. I guess what I m asking is, out of all these tests one comes back abnormal and the surgeon is not willing to accept it as abnormal, so MUST you feel severe pain as the doctor said for a test to come back the way mine did? And do my other symptoms(fullness, bloating) fit at all with my abnormal HIDA scan result?
Hello! Thank you for the query. You have the right to insist that this is gallbladder only if you do suffer from symptoms like: upper right abdomen pain radiating to the back, nausea and vomiting, pain after a meal especially when it is fatty or spicy food. Otherwise, there is no reason for gallbladder removing. Looking into the tests you have had performed, I cannot see colonoscopy and abdominal CT. Weight lost and bloating can be a symptom of colon cancer. Colonoscopy is very important in ruling it out. Abdominal CT with oral contrast is another test which should be done to visualize pancreas. Regular ultrasound won't tell anything about its condition. You should also have some blood tests: amylase, lipase, urine amylase, CEA, CA 19.9, CA-125. Stool tests should be also performed. Only if really all other reasons of your pain will be ruled out, and you do suffer from symptoms located in the upper right abdomen, you may ask a surgeon for laparoscopic gallbladder removal.  Hope this will help. Regards.