Gallbladder Issues...
 

My gallbladder only functions at 11%, the GI doctor says I have biliary dyskenisa and refuses to due surgery due to everything else I have going on. He says it would be too risky, and may not alleviate the pain. For about seven months after being diagnosed the pain went away while on the medication Bentyl. However, the pain is now back with a vengeance. I plan to see the GI doctor again soon, but was wondering if anyone had any ideas of how to alleviate the pain. It would be greatly appreciated. :)

The amino acid Taurine may help move things along for you.

I'd try this, as it is not dangerous or over stimulating.
1 or 2 grams a day should do it.

I've done this myself. Taurine helps the bile flow better by complexing the cholesterol out. Then the spasms lessen.

I hope you are not using the medication metformin... this can really do a number on the gall bladder! Also SSRI drugs increase serotonin in the GI tract and may increase cramping. SSRIs are used for depression etc. Some people have trouble tolerating the GI stimulation from them.

People with bile flow problems, should not eat large meals. And avoid too much fat as well. Smaller meals with small snacks inbetween, can help. You don't have to avoid ALL fat, just only in moderation.
(things like bacon, fried foods, ice cream, etc are best avoided)

Thank you, I will be sure to bring this up when I see the GI Doctor. My diet is not really an issue I don't eat any foods high in fat or fried. Basically protein, fruits, veggies, and small amounts of healthy starch. I am not sure about the medications though, as of right now I am taking bentyl, midodrine, l-dopamine, and celebrex. Also I have just come off a round of prednisone, and cipro. Do you think that this could have been a trigger to make my gallbladder act up again?

Cipro I am afraid to say, can cause neuropathy. It damages the nerves. If taken with and NSAID, or prednisone the effect is larger.

I have a thread about this with links you can read:
http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/post661103-2.html
Click on the links, because there is quite a bit of information there.

I wish doctors would acknowledge the experiences of many patients who develop nerve problems following this drug and its cousins!

Dr. Cohen MD, seems to be the only one who is publicly concerned!

There are two things with the gall bladder. Sludgy thick bile hard to pass, which may turn into cholesterol stones with time.
The other is spasms of the bile duct...which is called the sphincter of Oddi. Drugs can affect this, the most common being codeine and morphine. But you know it is possible that a bacterial dysbiosis is affecting this area too. When people take antibiotics, good bacteria that live in the GI tract die off, and the bad ones remain and cause inflammation.

There is a food intervention that may help you alot. I had a terrible gall bladder attack in Sept, and a friend suggested Kefir to me. 3 days on Kefir stopped the attack which I believe was partly triggered by metformin. But now that I am so much better, I think I had a mild inflammatory infection there from years of antibiotic use for various infections over the past 40 yrs.
I've used Bentyl in the past, but in the last few years found that Levsinex (it is a twelve hour acting capsule) was better, and stronger. You may want to ask to try that. You may try putting a heating pad on your right side. I found that stopped alot of spasms for me too. Sometimes enough to not need any drug at all.

This is the Kefir I use:
http://www.lifeway.net/

I started with the unflavored, because of my sugar issues, but that is an acquired taste IMO. So now I mix 1/2 and 1/2 the peach with the unflavored. I was using 4 oz daily, and now I do 8oz 3 times a week, as a dessert after dinner. It is amazing how much better I feel all over!

The taurine really works. And it is inexpensive too. No side effects. It can help prevent stones in addition.
I see from another of your posts, that you have episodes of hypotension? Is this when standing up suddenly? This can happen from Bentyl or the Levinsex, but usually people get used to that.
The taurine also helps the heart and nervous system. Our bodies make our own taurine but that may fail I guess in some people. So the taurine may help other issues you have now as well. (but no promises on that one).

Some healthfood stores have taurine.
But also many online places (tend to cost less than stores).
This is the one I use...
http://www.amazon.com/Jarrow-Formula...8452359&sr=8-1
I also give this to our cats, when I feed them human quality tuna or chicken that is not cat food. Cats cannot make their own taurine and it is added to all their commercial foods. I have one older cat, Oreo, who has a rare GI cancer (in remission now) and the Vet doesn't want her losing weight, so I give her extra protein foods and add the taurine to them. She eats it right up.
(she tends to vomit some canned soft foods, so she is getting rather spoiled around here! ;) )

Wow, thank you so much! I had the hypotension issue before the gallbladder issue. Honestly, everything has been a bit of a mess for the past three years. As of now the hypotension is very well under control with 10mg of midodrine every three hours. As for the gallbladder and antibiotics I feel like I'm on a hamster wheel and can't catch up. Everything that has happened has caused my immune system to not function very well. I contract infections often and the only way my system can fight them off is by using heavy antibiotics and steroids. About two weeks ago I had a walking phemonia, which is why they gave me cipro and the prednisone. The heating pad sounds like a wonderful idea and I will give that a shot right away, as for the Kefir I am going to wait and ask my doctor, thank you again you are extremely thorough.

You really should get your Vit D tested when you see the doctor.

Low D depresses the immune system. Many people are fairly low in D levels today in the US. Get the test and if you are low, do not accept the RX D2 offered..as it doesn't work. D3 is the active form, and based on your tests, you can figure out a dose for that.
More on D here:
http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/thread92116.html

People who raise their D levels, often stop getting infections, and colds.
Stop the infections, and you stop the need for antibiotics which in the end carry a heavy biological price! (new studies show many antibiotics can cause neuropathies, by damaging your mitochondria in the cells).

The Kefir has TWELVE probiotic strains in it. Far more than any probiotic pill or yogurt. It is just fantastic!

I have had gall bladder issues all my life. I was born with a congenital condition called Malrotation of the GI tract. I have grade 2. I have had 4 major testings for gall bladder that all come back "normal" over the years. So I know how awful it is and I have found solutions for myself beyond the doctors.

I also avoid gassy vegetables, and that helps me. Cabbage and I have been enemies for 4 decades! LOL

Again thank you, is vitamin D12 of any value because I take 1000 IU of that a day? Also can taking advil on a regular basis cause more damage to the gallbladder? I am aware that it is not the best thing I should be taking with my other mediations. However, I have re-dislocated my left patella, which I had surgery on a few years ago, and have been taking advil to alleviate the pain and reduce the swelling. I am going to physical therapy for that now, and see the surgeon again in a few weeks to see if they need to redo the surgery.

Advil mixed with the antibiotics of the fluroquinolone family:
Cipro, Levaquin Avelox etc seems to accelerate the damage.
It may also add to the risk of tendon rupture which happens with no warning up to a year after taking these drugs together.

Your post has a confusing term in it.
There is B12 and Vit D . Within Vit D is D2 which is the only RX form and very historically old BTW, and D3 which is OTC and
the active useful form. That link I gave has the new study showing D2 RX came out 87% less effective than D3 in humans.
If you buy your own Vit D3 it is the OTC form. Some foods and supplements still have the D2 in them, but that is changing as the makers switch over to the D3 now. So you have to read labels to see which form is in milk, vitamins etc, now.

There are OTC patches called Salonpas that may help you use the Advil less. They are very effective and worth a try. I use them myself. You want the new "arthritis" patch which is the strongest, but more expensive. But I use the older original formula, with methyl salicyclate in them. I have a right knee issue too, among other "old lady" issues. ;) I had a standing job for 40+yrs, and essentially parts of me are now retiring.

I would wonder if you are having tendon issues, if you have had Cipro or Levaquin more than once in the past. Mention that to the doctor you see, so he can evaluate that risk.

Sorry I meant to say that I have been taking Vitamin D2 I am also taking B12, everything gets so jumbled up after taking so much stuff.LOL. I will be sure to ask about the tendon issues the orthopedic surgeon says I have a shallow grove where the patella sits and the ligaments aren't tight enough to hold the patella in place. It is strange because it was fine for the three years since the surgery and is now acting up again, and I have done nothing to irritate it. The OTC patches seem like a good idea, will they help with swelling too? Do you think the gallbladder could just be inflammed from everything that has been going on? I am going to have my SED Rate checked again this coming week.

It is hard to say with gall bladders! Mine comes and goes.

My first was when I was about 25, I was very ill with a high
white count (38,000!). Doctor put me in the hospital and thought I had a ruptured one...but it turned out to maybe be a small bowel obstruction. That was when all the tests revealed my twisted up intestines. I personally think the gall bladder is twisted up too.

Anyway I can be fine between attacks. I used to keep my heating pad near the bed just in case most of the time.

The Kefir has been incredibly stabilizing however. While I had that diagnosis of cholecystitis from that hospitalization, I think it was my small intestine all along because with heavy medication it fixed itself, and I avoided surgery. My ultrasounds show no stones still, even now that I am old. I wish I had access to this nice Kefir back then. I could have avoided much anguish.

The taurine helps during bad spells too. If I eat a large meal, I can be iffy still. Surgery does not really help if the spasms are at the duct level. So don't jump into surgery unless you exhaust other avenues like the taurine, heating pad, and lifestyle changes. I've met many patients who continue with gall bladder difficulties even after the gall bladder is removed.
This is because the problem is at the sphincter of Oddi.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sphinct...di_dysfunction

You might try also some magnesium supplements. When people are low in this mineral, there are muscle spasms all over the body. When very low, it affects the heart muscle.
Either choose foods high in magnesium,(whole foods) or a quality supplement, at 1/2 the RDA.
Here is my magnesium thread:
http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/thread1138.html
Estimates in some studies suggest up to 70% of Americans are low in this mineral. Do not use magnesiumOXIDE, as it is not absorbed. My thread has food suggestion and explanations about other supplements of use. There are even lotions now you can apply to the skin. Proper magnesium levels are needed for muscle relaxation.

I will start up the magnesium again for sure, I used to take it all the time, but I got lazy when the doctors gave me other medications that I had to take. It all gets to be a really big hassel. Yes, that is my biggest fear and why I won't get the gallbladder out. I am terrified that the surgery would do nothing to get rid of the pain. You have given me wonderful suggestions and hopefully one of them will be the key to getting this back in order. I won't be able to see the GI doctor though for at least another two weeks, because the one I trust and go to works in Maryland and I live in Florida. That seems to be the way it goes with all of my doctors, the ones down here can't help me. They say I'm not an adult yet, but at the same time I don't fit into pediatrics.

Well, I am confused. You list on your first post that you take Celebrex? Now you also take Advil too?

You should not be taking these two together. Celebrex is an NSAID too.

I'll clarify what I said:
Taking Cipro (antibiotic) with Advil may create neurological damage.

Here is a list of the types of damage Cipro can cause in some people:

from:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ciprofloxacin

I think you and your parents should read this link carefully.
And discuss this with your doctors. When people start going to specialists... today they do not always keep in touch with each other and serious overlaps in treatments or serious side effects are not shared and the patient suffers for that.

This quote is from the Levaquin page of Wiki. It goes into more detail:
from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Levofloxacin
Also using this family of drugs in pediatric patients, is risky. And recommended only for infections not responding to other agents.

I also see, on your PD post, that you have a previous diagnosis of LYME disease?

I am concerned for you because of this new posting of adding Artane to your list of medications. The interaction with Bentyl is significant. Your GI doctor gave you that, and now a neurologist wants to add in another drug that works in the body the same way? You should not taking them together. And you should not be using Celebrex and Advil together.

Please study up on the internet about your medications.
Rxlist.com and the drug checker at Drugs.com are excellent sources of information.
http://www.drugs.com/drug_interactions.html

Thank you, I know of the celebrex and advil issue I am just at a loss of what to do. I re-injured my left patella, which I had surgery on about three years ago. On the celebrex alone the swelling would not go down, when taking advil alone the pain everywhere else was not okay. I want to thank you for making me aware of the significant side effects between the Bentyl and Artane, there is no way I will be starting this medication before talking to both the neurologist again and the GI Doctor. Yes I had Lymes when I was about five years old, I lived up North at the time, it was caught early enough that I was given the standard round of a moxicillian for about 45 days. After that everything was fine up until a few years ago... I had the Lymes checked repeatedly and they say that I do not have enough bands showing up on the blood work for it to be considered Lymes again. Plus I'm pretty sure if it was that I would have seen a drastic improvement when they were treating me for Lymes... Right?

It is possible to still have that LYME

http://www.ajnr.org/content/30/6/1079.full

Doctors do not agree at all about this disease.

Since you had a diagnosis of Lyme in the past, you should be
considering it now as well. Neurological Lyme exists..getting it diagnosed and treated is difficult however.

I know I've been tested multiple times for it and I was considering doing it again. The problem is from my experience, doctors jump to treatment before getting definitive proof of what the disease is. I had a false positive for lupus like a year and a half ago and was put on high dose steroids for a month before they retested my blood and found out that it wasn't lupus. With the Lymes if they just want to start treating again then they would be going straight to the IV meds and that worries me, because if it is not the lymes then I was reading up on it and the meds can box your kidneys. I am aware that everything has side effects that just seems a bit extreme for a possibility... you know?

With all the things--
 

--you've been listing through these threads (this one especially), and given that you are so young, you might want to get a work-up from scratch at a major teaching hospital or medical center.

Not that you shouldn't bring results of previous tests and a concise, written medical history with you to this (including your medications over the years)--a fresh set of eyes, or several sets, might help, and some more elaborate testing may be available.

What I'm seeing from all this is someone whose symptoms may at this point be very difficult to separate from those caused by drug interactions, and someone who for whatever reason has had a very scattershot approach to testing/diagnosis. I'm finding it difficult to keep your situations straight and organized in my head, and I bet a lot of doctors would have a similar difficulty.

All drugs come with trade-offs.

As far as kidney problems, taking two NSAIDs together is very
hard on the kidneys.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Non-ste...lammatory_drug

So you are taking TWO of these drugs together. Not safe for you.