Barbara,

I get this same thing and I've been trying to figure it out for years. It's been getting worse lately. I wonder if it's Crohn's but I don't know.
hugs,
Sarah

Hey hey! I had this EXACT pain 3 years ago and had my gall bladder removed as a result. Although mine was removed because it wasn't working properly not because of stones.

Anyways, before they figured out it was my gall bladder they suspected many other things so this might give you some ideas of what other things may cause upper right flank pain.

1) IBS. To me this seems so unreasonable but according to the docs IBS can cause a great deal of pain in the upper right bend of the colon.

2) Acid Reflux. Again why this would be centered to the right was never answered but they swear up and down it can cause pain where the gall bladder and liver are located.

3) They say to make sure they check the bile ducts because sometimes stones can get left behind in the duct.

4) They checked my liver (ultra sound) to see if there were any problems there since it can cause pain in the upper right flank.

5) Check for upper GI tract disorders.

They did CT scans, ultrasounds, HIDA scan, and x-rays of the area. Eventually they found it so if maybe you ask to have some of these done they can find it in a real hurry for you. Hang in there!

Okay I will have to say that I had this problem for years...they took my gallbladder and it was in horrible shape. Just a pus pocket by the time they got in there. A couple years later the pain started again. I got so bad in a couple of months that I lost 20 lbs and was so weak. If i did eat the pain was so bad and most of the time it either went straight thru me or it came back up. I went to ER and GP...finally I called and made appt. with the surgeon that took out my gallbladder. He took one look at me and could tell I was very ill. He made a appt. with a specialist. He felt I needed a ERCP. Its a procedure that looks into your biliary tree that goes to the liver and pancreas. I waited a whole week to get into see the specialist and he said we could have a look and do the procedure done. He made it for the following week. He got in there and was unable to open my biliiary tree. It was so inflamed that he couldn't even get the stent in. It took 3 more times plus 4 hospital stays before he could get it opened. He feels it is caused from the lupus. My problem is also it always causes pancreatitis and is very painful. Please be strong and have them look at your biliary tree...go to a GI specialist. Mine was severe but its because I dealt with the pain for to long and didn't get the treatment I needed earlier. I now feel the pain and I go in and see him ( am this month) and he does another ERCP and opens it back up for awhile. It has helped a lot.
Take care
Tishka

Ditto! This pain in my upper right side, a burning, stabbing pain that literally doubles me over is what lead me to the doctor in the beginning back in 1996 and I was diagnosed with lupus in 1997. I too had my gallbladder out because they thought that was the issue, then they did an exploratory lap because the pain continued, they found nothing. Then I had two massive rectal bleeds, they opened me up and found part of my intestines had olcerated, most likely they think now because of lupus inflammation and they have not totally ruled out chrohn's for me. Her I am 13 years later, several surgeries later and I am still seeking relief from the severe pain I get in my upper right side! I truly think it is most likely inflammation from lupus, I get inflammation in my rib cage and lungs. The wierd thing is the pain is not the same as the pain that I get when inflammation in my ribs and lungs on the left side, so I have no idea. If any of you find out what it is and find anything to relieve the pain please pass it on.

Hugs,
Mel

You know if you had a lot of stones, you could still have some in there. I talked to my sis who is a surgical tech and she said that they see this all the time. She is constantly going back in and removing stones. I had mine out, but I didn't have any stones it was not functioning properly. I wish you the best, but I would definately think this calls for a doc's visit.

OMG...I feel so sorry for all you guys had to go thru and are going thru. I have always had stomach problems but nothing near to what you guys have had to deal with. Geez...Barb, listen to these women and have your billary tree looked at. This is a horrible thing to have to deal with ontop of lupus. Im so sorry you are having such terrible stomach problems.

Tishka....thank goodness you found a good dr. who figured out what was going on with you. What a miserable way to have to live. I cant even imagine how terrible that experience must have been. Oy vey.

Barbara, if everything comes back normal with your tests (I would see your gastro dr.), you may want to try eliminating gluten from your diet. I have celiac disease which is also an auto immune disease and i had pain like you described from it. Usually, you notice a difference on a gluten free diet within the first couple of weeks. Its a pain in the neck diet, but if it helps, its worth it.
hugs

thank yall for your replies..the pain isn't constant havent had it for awhile and bam it came back..and yes it doubles you over the pain is so bad! Its eased up again but sore..i'll let yall know what dr says..have a great week!

Barbara
Pay attention with what you are eating...does certain things make it happen. Mine is protein...meat is really bad. Any grease or such...ouch. And the worse problem is I have to starve myself to get it to stop. Thanksgiving is not a good holiday for me...lol but sometimes its bearable and other times its bad. When the pain comes try to think of what you ate for the last two days...not just that day.
Mel ... I too have had intestine issues. Mine inflammed so bad it twisted. The have called it IBS and now Crohns...shoot its lupus. My GI doc even said that is what it is...I have inflammation in my body and my insides are very effected. I eat light foods...fresh vegies and fruits. I can't eat meat very well...and I do eat fish. But not often. I am so sorry you are having this issue also. Hey just yell when you are having problems...I do understand!!!!!!
Tiska