Is it my gallbladder?

Discomfort began this past Wednesday.  After I ate anything, I would feel very bloated had pain in my right side and also down in my bowel area.  Same symptoms on Thursday.  THEN,  on Friday night, I attended a baby shower.  Ate some of the fare that was offered...nothing that bothered before.  About an hour later, I was in so much pain, I thought I was dying.  Right side and lower bowel.  Wound up in the ER where they did xrays and took some blood tests.  Nothing showed up, so they told me I had the stomach flu and sent my home.  I'm not buying it, people.  That was not the stomach flu.  Just wondered it anyone has had similar symptoms.  All day today I have eaten very bland and light foods.  Have had no problems today.  However a little sore in my abdomen from all the pain last night.  I would appreciate any advice and words of wisdom that you could offer.  I am planning on calling my surgeon on Monday, but I already have a monthly appointment scheduled with him for the 20th.  Thanks all!

Oh and one other thing I forgot to mention.  Burning in the center of my chest.  And I kept burping up this terrible acid. Ugh!!!

When I had a gallstone attack, it was right in the center of my chest, under the breastbone.  It felt like the world's worst heartburn, but nothing I tried would work - pepto, tums, pepcid, maalox, whatever.  I rolled around on the floor in the bathroom, in such pain I could barely function, until after several hours it finally subsided.  This was at least 15 years before my WLS, and for some reason it didn't occur to me to go to the ER, like a dummy.

So your burning sensation fits, but the "right side and lower bowel" not so much, at least in my experience.

(edited to correct typos!)

The location of your pain doesn't fit.  Like the other poster said gallbladder pain tends to be in the upper part of your abdomen...for me it was the upper, slightly to the right just under my rib cage.  it was very tender to the touch.  When the ultrasound tech did her job it was VERY painful...I was in tears.  I had no heartburn.  I was nauseous for days.  Then I ended in the ER because I was throwing up all day non-stop.  

When I had gallstones, it was while I was pregnant. I experienced pain on the right side upper shoulder, under my ribs and into my back. It sounds like you need to be checked soon... Here's some info from the trusty ole innernetz:

Symptoms of gallbladder attack: chest pain in the right side (caused by stones in the bile duct or inflammation or swelling of the gallbladder itself). Nausea or queasiness, vomiting and gas are frequent. There may or may not be belching or burping. The gall bladder, which sits just below the rib cage to the right of the stomach, is very tender to touch. It can be so painful that it takes your breath away.

You may not be able to walk without bending over. Sometimes the pain radiates through to the back shoulder blade on the right side or in the middle between the shoulder blades. This is pain from the gallbladder referring to the back of the shoulder. This back shoulder blade chest pain is one of the most common yet unknown symptoms of a gallbladder disorder. This can come and go or be constant. It may be sharp, excruciating or dull. It may also occur especially at night.

A gallbladder attack will typically last for one to four hours.

That is not where GB pain is at. Mine would start under the breast middle, travel to the right and then end up in the middle back where it would "campout" for hours until it passed. If it is GB do not let it go like I did back in '91 because I ended up in the hospital for 117 (yes - 117 that is not a typo) days with panacreatitis. I was one sick cookie and it affected my health for the rest of my life. 

I recently had a bowel obstruction (Jan 18th and had a 4 day hospital stay) and the area that you are describing is where my pain was at. The pain was the double over at the mid section type and if there was a scale of 1-20 then I was a 15. It was horrible and I had nausea and the dry heaves. There are no xrays or CT scans that will show where the obstruction is at. What will show it would be an upper GI or a small bowel follow through. I have had numerous prior open surgeries and am full of adhesions so my pain was caused by a lot of them being tugged and pulled with the bowel being twisted. The bloating for me was gas that was trapped from the bowel being blocked and twisted and it did go away eventually. I still am tender in the belly area. For me they are taking a wait and see approach because if they go in and do an fixing of the adhesions they will develop again. It is just a fact of how the body heals and reacts to being cut.

Follow their instructions for the bland foods and in fact I would stick with clear liquids and then full liquids (cream soups, thicker juices, oatmeal, sherbert, SF ice cream) for a few days. Good luck to you.

Possible appendicitis? Please do contact your doctor and follow through with getting a diagnosis.

My gallbladder attacks hurt in a band across my lower rib cage, not in my lower bowel. Getting my gallbladder out was a great relief.

MBENTZ: First off: My credentials/disclaimer:

54 yrs alive/34+ yrs nurse/ 22+ mama/ almost 10 yrs post RNY/ gangrene gall bladder at age 16

Have NOT physically seen you/palpated your abdoman/read your lab results/your x-rays/your CT scans/NOT a physician/surgeon

Okay now..my best cyber gestimate:   Sure "sounds like" GB attack. I say "attack" because they can certainly come and go...until a stone gets stuck, in the common bile duct--then can't go anywhere--and can result in extreme pain and sometimes a ruptured duct/emergency surgery (that does NOT happen alot nowadays, with modern sonograms, etc-but doesn't really show up on plain X-rays)-white blood cell counts USUALLY elevated, but do not HAVE to be. Your GB is located up and around the RIGHT side--so--yes--that is where you nmys feel the pain-and it usually radiates to the chest, and very often presents itself as a cardiac incident-which is why the EKG is the first thing thy will check. Your chest "pain" was quite possibly the bile washing back up in your esophagus because it couldn't get thru the bile duct.

It is VERY common for anyone who has lost a large amt of weight-or any weight quickly-WLS or not-to be prone to develop "stones"-gall bladder, kidney, etc...At 6 months out I got "gout" in only one TOE, and thought I was gonna die... Our uric acid gets high, cuz we sometimes can't get in enough fluids, no matter how hard we try..

Now..what to do...My best "advice"...If the pain goes back TODAY...go back to the  SAME ER-they will have the prior tests and can compare today's results...Be your own best advocate-you have to be-or take a big mouth friend/relative with you..Insist on them calling in a GI doc/Surgeon consult-Bariatric consult, if they have one..If pain not urgent today...stay on the CLEAR liquids..call your doctor FIRST THING in the morning-again-be your own advocate-be pleasant, of course--but do not take "no" for an answer..I say to stay on clear liquids--and nothing after midnight, so you can already be prepared for any tests you doctor may wish to perform..Oh--and speak to Dr's nurse/asst--not just the front desk person...

There's a ka-gillion things I don't know squat about..you just happened to hit on one of my strong suits..

Above all--trust your guts (no pun intended)--as it sounds like you DID already. Even if there is NO pain at all tomorrow, still cal your dr. at the very least he/she needs to know you went to the ER, so they can get the records, to review, and have in your office chart.

Please keep us updated. I guarantee you there is a lurker, learning from you, and your experience, right now

 i had the same symptoms and it was my appendix

TIPA-excellent point--and, with only those symptoms to "go by"...a person could also be "diagnosed" with appendicitis, a heart attack, burst ovarian cyst, and about a dozen other anomalies I can think of right off.. (ER medicine was never my specialty field, so I'm pretty rusty here)

That's why I always stress for people to be their own best advocate, and to FIGHT, when they know something is "not right". I don't care how many initials a health care professional have after their name. Nobody knows our bodies like WE do!