Hi, I totally feel your pain. I'm a 24 y/o female, and my gallbladder emission fraction is 7.2%. I have been having pain for over a year. Underwent endoscopy, ultrasound, ct scan, 2 hida scans, numerous blood tests, etc. Ended up in the emergency room with what the er doc said was "gastritis," but it actually was a gallbladder attack. I saw more gi's than I ever wanted to see. I finally had a gi test my gallbladder, (it took them a year to think that my gallbladder could be the problem.) my scan showed that my emission fraction is 7.2%. But I have no gallstones, either. My gi said to have my gallbladder out asap. So I saw a surgeon this morning for a consultation. He told me that my emission fraction is a "little below normal" and that having my gallbladder out won't necessarily relieve my pain. He's not sure that my gallbladder is causing the problems or if it is something else. He didn't seem to think I needed it out. But i'm going to have it out this friday.
I'm sorry that I don't have any advice or words of wisdom for you, but I just wanted to let you know that you're not alone in being a young female with gallbladder issues. Please let me know how your surgery went and if you have any suggestions as to how to get through surgery and recovery.

Guest, I have all the same symptons as you do, has now been close to 2 years. I would be very interested in how the gall bladder operation turns out. Does it show any definite results?

Hi bocro, here is the story...
I was scheduled to have my gallbladder out on friday, jan. 2. I was all set and prepared to have surgery that day. I went to work that mon. And tues. Before, all was fine. Tuesday night my stomach hurt a little, but since it pretty much hurts everyday I didn't think too much about it. Then I wake up in the middle of the night, 2 am wed. Morning. I was vomiting worse than I had ever in my life, complete with diarrhea. I vomited up bile about 5 hours straight. I couldn't even keep down sips of water. You know how when you throw up, you usually feel better afterwards? Not this time. I kept feeling worse and worse. So around 7 am I went to the er. I was immediately started on iv fluids and was given morphine. The pain was the worst pain I had ever felt in my life. I had an ultrasound around 9 am (just to make sure there was no blockage.) I told my docs that I was supposed to have my gallbladder out that friday. They called my surgeon and he came and talked to me in the er. We decided that since I was already there, in a lot of pain (well, not so much after the morphine), and obviously having problems, they went ahead with the surgery that day on wed. The surgery went just fine. I was completely under and taken to my hospital room afterwards. I stayed in the hospital that night. Yes, I was in the hospital on new year's eve. The hospital stay was just fine, I fell asleep early that evening. For dinner, I was allowed liquids, but no solid food. Not that I was that hungry anyway. Nurses came in and took my vitals every few hours, no big deal.
I went home around noon the next day. I was allowed to eat solid food for breakfast. By then I was pretty hungry. They gave me pain killers, but I only took one. I really was not in any pain the next day. My neck and back hurt from lying half-raised, but that was it. But that was pretty minor in comparison to the night before. My stomach muscles were weak for a few days, but I got over that pretty quickly.
A week after surgery I had my follow up with my surgeon and he told me that my gallbladder showed signs of chronic inflammation and he also found adhesions on my liver near my gallbladder. He said the adhesions were a fairly normal thing and he removed those also while he was in there. I asked him if my gallbladder caused me to be so sick that night or if it was just a stomach flu that had weird timing, and he said that it was probably the gallbladder, but he couldn't be sure.
The surgery was a scope, so I have 4 small incisions on my stomach. The stitches are internal, so they'll just dissolve eventually.
So the surgery was really no big deal. I had read that afterwards you can get bad diarrhea, but almost 2 weeks after surgery, that hasn't happened.
So far I do feel better, but i'm still in the recovery stage. I'm recovering from being so sick that night and from surgery, so my body had a lot of insults on it at once. I decided that it will probably take about 6 weeks to 2 months to really know what kind of a difference this surgery will make. It might take a little bit for everything to get back to normal and for me to get back into my regular routine. So far everything has been fine. I feel a little tired, but that is normal.
My advice (based on what I went through) is to have the gallbladder out. I think the best thing you can do is get a good surgeon. I checked out my surgeon's cridentials on-line before the surgery so I was comfortable going in knowing he'd do a good job.
I feel confident that I made the right decision to have it out. With my emission fraction so low and the gallbladder showing chronic inflammation, I think the signs all point to the gallbladder as being the culprit in my stomach pain.
Please let me know how you are doing and if you decide to have it out. I can recommend a great hospital and a great surgeon.

I just got my hida back. Low and behold, 8%. The nurse I spoke to said 20% is normal but everything, everything i've read says 30-35% is the lower range of normal. Unless those percents are on a different scale but I am betting that the nurse (or assistant, whoever it was) just doesn't know.

No real pain to speak of. Just some bloating and discomfort. Anybody have any tips on how to find a good surgeon based on local area? Nobody looks forward to surgery, this will be the first for me. But at least it was diagnosed quickly and hopefully that's the only issue i'm having (in my mind I was working myself up all the way to the possibility of colon cancer at age 29).

Hallmatt,
i was told similar percentages. The textbook definition of "abnormal" is 35%. But my doctor (who I like and trust) says she and a lot of other doctors use a lower threshhold of 20%. My doc said she's not going to remove a gallbladder unless it is absolutely necessary, so she uses a lower % to determine if surgery really is necessary.
To find a surgeon, a lot of hospitals have surgeon info on-line through their website. That's how I found (or checked up on) my surgeon. Have a surgery consultation first. If you like the surgeon, then go for it. If you don't, or if it isn't a good patient/surgeon fit, or if something feels off, then don't do it. I can tell you the name of my hospital and surgeon if you like.

I am also 23 years old and am having some gallbladder problems, I was told that a was not a typical patient because of my age, I am not over weight, and I do not fall into any of the other categories, but I my doctor brought me a study on how long term use of birth control or other hormone supplements can cause gallbladder problems. Just thought you might find that interesting.

one of the most common mistakes Dr.'s do is do gallbladder ejection (or emission) fraction studies on patients who have recently (past 8 hours) been given morphine or any other opium like pain killing drug. The morphine blocks the action of the cck used in the test. It will likely result in a falsely abnormal test.
They can do a hida (hepatobiliary) scan while the patient is on morphine, but is is pointless to do the ejection fraction part. It will be useless.

Okay, so a little over a month ago my ob/gyn diagnosed me with endometriosis and put me on demulen, a type of birth control pill that made me wake up every morning at around 2 am and have violent vomiting fits... They also found an abnormally large cyst on my left ovary that I had pain meds for... But after getting on nausea pills for my fits every night, I still get sick sometimes and when i'm throwing up, I have this hot burning in my upper back and chest. Someone told me this may be a sign of gallbladder probs... Has anyone ever experienced this? Any input would help greatly.. Thanx, holly

Wow...I'm so glad that i'm not alone in this. I'm 25 years old and I work at a hospital so I get a lot of interaction with the doctors. Anyway, about 8 months ago I had and still have major abdominal pains, nausea, the whole bit. Went to my primary. Ran some blood, lactose intolerance, h. Pylori - everything negative. Then she diagnosed me with gastritis. Still got sick, forced her to give me a gi consult. Got a hida scan and showed my ejection rate to be 8%, he also told me to get my gallbladder taken out. Now mind you this is like 6 months later. The last 2 months, when to see a surgeon, he wants an ultrasound - feels that it's not my gallbladder. Of course it's normal. Now he wants me to have a colonoscopy. I'm getting another surgical option. I've talked to numerous docs at my hospital and they have all said that my gallbladder needs to come out, it has something to do w/gallbladder bile duct dyskinesia (like a stenosis). Apparently blood work, ultrasounds, ct scans can all be normal but the hida scan will come back w/a low ejection rate. Also if you have the nausea and the abdominal pain during the exam when they give the cck, md's will usually still want to take the gallbladder out even if you have a normal ejection rate. You just have to be very pro-active in getting things done. Hopefully i'll have the surgery within a month, I can't stand getting sick anymore.

I am a 16 year old female and gallbladder problems run in the family. I went to the er yesterday (easter) after waking up from a nap with extreme pain under my ribs that was taking my breath away. It was not the first time I had experienced this. I have had 3 prior episodes in the past 3 weeks which were all during the middle of the night that wake me up from my sleep. I have x rays and they saw nothing put gas in my stomach. I feel sick to my stomach, but nothing will come out. Bending over with my arms on my legs help relieve the pain. The doctors think that it might be bilairy colic I go back in to the hospital today to get an ultrasound on my right upper quadrant. They told me to stay away from greasy foods and have a healthy diet,which I already have because I am on weight watchers. If anyone has any information on my symptoms, please tell me.
Please help!
Does sleep bring this on?
Does eating bring this on?

After reading a few of these messages, I can remember being in most of your shoes. Back in 2000, I started having severe pains mainly in my back on the right side. I told my doctor about it. He recommended an obgyn to evaluate me, the obgyn couldn't find a source to my problem...So I continue on until the pain started to be more frequent so again I made an appt with my doctor...He ordered an ultrasound...Nothing. Few months past, the pain is happening a few times everyday. He ordered a ct scan....Nothing. By this time, I am crying everything they tell me that I am fine because I wasn't...I was hurting. A week after the ct scan, my body decided to throw a curveball into the picture. I needed up having to go the hospital because the pain so severe...I ended up passing a kidney stone. Great news right?! Wrong. After seeing a kidney specialist and having him do two different types of tests. He found nothing...He recommended that my doctor to a test on my gallbladder to see if it was functioning correctly. So after a year and one month the test result showed that my gallbladder was functioning slightly under the average. He referred me to a surgeon who explained to me that my gallbladder might not be the root of my problem. I didn't care, I saw hope for being pain free so I told him I wanted it out. That was in sept of 2001. Today is 4/8/05 and I haven't had a problem since. Hope that helps.

Some asked about gallbladder symptoms, if sleep brings it on, or eating brings it on...Basically i've found if ur gallbladder is not functioning, anything can bring it on. I've found a steady diet of light sandwiches homemade, not out to eat, and no mayo keeps the pain at a minimum and less nasea. I can eat bean burritos with sour cream and cheese iwth no problems either. Other foods either cause pain or nasea or both. Ive had mine for 3 years, and have had several hida scans and have had ultrasounds as well. At long last, the last hida scan has revealed by gallbladder is only functioning by 10 percent. It is swollen and inflammed, and I don't like surgery, but I am ready for it because it means the end of being in pain and getting sick.
Laying down on my right side aggervates the pain even more, the only thing that relieves the pain somewhat is laying back in a recliner where no pressure is put on the gallbladder.
Nothing will help the backpain.
If you think its ur gallbladder, it probably is. We know our bodies. I have no gallstones. Just a non functioning gallbladder, that would be on its best behaviour during other hida scans. They decided to put more of that stuff in than normal, which made me sick sick sick but the effects only lasted less than 10 minutes.
Right now, I can't imagine being pain free, but I am ready for it!.

I am a 29 year old woman who has been in pain for almost a year. The pain is mainly in my right upper side below my ribs but radiates to my shoulder blade and sometimes up into the right side of my chest. I was treated for acid reflux which relieved some of the pain, but wasn't getting to the root of the problem so I decided to go to a gi specialist where he did several blood tests...Normal, an endoscopy (camera down the throat to check out the stomach and esophogus) ...Normal, I had 2 ultra sounds that showed my gall bladder was contracted but no stones. My hida scan revealed a function of 18% which is higher than the messages I have been reading but is still considered abnormal. I am scheduled to have my gall bladder out tomorrow and just hoping that this is indeed the problem. I thouroughly trust my doctors and surgeon as they are among the best. This will be my first surgery so I am unaware of if I will have problems with anestetic but I am just ready to be pain free.
A question though....Does it hurt when you push in the area where your gall bladder is? If so what is the sensation like?
Mine feels like a stinging, burning sick feeling rather than like a sore spot or muscle pain....Very strange.
In relation to eating....I don't normally eat high fatty foods, but found that the pain is more frequent towards the evening after eating and have I been woken in the night by pain as well.
I'll keep you posted after my surgery :)

I have suffered with gall bladder problems for 15 years. Because I have crohns disease, my doctors blamed this for my symptoms. I've had five ultrasounds. No stones. (i am 49 years old). I finally told my doctor i'm sick of the pain and bathroom problems. I know I don't have stones but I do know it's my gall bladder. Sure enough, the hida scan proved <25. Just enough to aggravate me. If the doctors had done their homework, they would have known that 90% of crohn's disease patients have gall bladder disease, as well. I'm scheduled for surgery this thursday. I can't wait to feel better!

My pain started in september of 2004. I've been through pap tests, ultrasounds, bloodwork, 2 ct scans, kub, upper endoscopy, kidney evals, bladder scope amoungst other things including ibs medicine, medicine for gurd, nortripcoline(sp?) for pain. I went for a hida scan in may but never received the results. I went to a follow-up yesterday with my gastrologist and at the end of the visit - after she told me to try citrocel (because it might be a minor intestinal blockage) I told her I never received them the results to my hida scan. She ordered the results from the hospital right away and we find out that my gallbladder is functioning at 10%. She gave me a recommended surgeon and told me to schedule a visit. I knew in the beginning that it was my gallbladder because my mom just had hers out. The problem was that the ct scans and other tests usually only show stones, tumors and inflammation. The hida scan shows the ejection fraction. I've had pain in my abdomen for a long time accompanied by back pain both right and left pain - no nausea. I guess i'll be heading for surgery soon. Good luck to everyone else!

I am 25 y/o and last weekend had gallbladder attacks on and off - had no idea what it was. Ultrasound showed no stones, bloodwork was perfect. Went to my pcp and he ordered a hida and egd. Had the hida thursday and after cck inject felt nasuea but no pain (except from laying on the table for 2 hours....) ejection fraction came back 14%. But I have no pain at all now even if I eat regular. My egd is a month so pcp recommended to wait on surgery until we get results back from that. I also have gerd triggered asthma (with no pain symptoms) so I take protonix for that.

I figure if I am not in pain there is no reason to have gallbladder removed even if it is functioning low?

I have been on birth control for 3 years for obvious reasons and also due to 5cm cyst on ovary (now gone). May have endo but am afraid to have laproscopy. Pain is not that bad but comes and goes.

Has anyone had gallbalder dyskinesia without pain?

My daughter is 12 years old and just had an ultrasound done on her gallgladder and it was normal, then my pediatrician said we needed to have a hida scan done and we were told that her gall bladder was not functioning. Does anyone know about someone this young having gallbladder problems? I am reluctant to have surgery because of my daughter's age but this may be the route we have to take. If anyone has information on this please write back. Thanks

I have heard there is a link between endometriosis and gallbladder disease. Women who have endometriosis have low progesterone and that will affect your gallbladder. I know many women who have endo who have had there g.B. Removed. I am scheduled for surgery in 2 days. My ejection fraction came back just slightly under normal but I have exhausted all other possibilities. I have had ruq pain for a year. Mine is chronic. It rules my life. I am always in pain. I got diagnosed w/ endo a month ago after undergoing laproscopic surgery. I only went to the gyno because I thought it may be the source of the ruq pain. It wasn't but I definately do have endo and fibroid tumors. All estrogen driven. The past year I have had a ct of my lungs, 4 chest x-rays, 4 abdominal x-rays, a colonoscopy, an endoscopy, 2 ultrasounds of the abdominal organs, countless bloodwork, an h-pylori bacteria test and multiple liver panels. I'll post the outcome. I only hope that its my gallbladder. I want my life back.

It is true that estrogen stimulates the liver to produce more cholesterol (which is what the gallstones are before they calcify) and turn it into bile. So too much estrogen can lead to gallbladder problems.