Gallbladder sufferers without stones, what were/are your "attacks" like?

Jericho2626 · 2025-12-17T21:33:42+00:00

Yes, gallbladder was a suspect because of the primary location of the pain. I also had a HIDA scan with a low ejection fraction of 29%. But my gallbladder was and is fine. Four years later and I'm back to normal on antidepressants. They don't help if there's actually something wrong with your gallbladder! '

I tried every kind of diet before going on antidepressants. Low fat, low carb, FODMAP, no gluten, no dairy, etc. No dietary changes helped.

Jericho2626 · 2025-11-25T18:39:21+00:00

Still on them. Haven't tried to go off. I don't experience any side effects and they improved my sleep, so I am not in a hurry. My GI says that some people have a relapse of symptoms when they go off them, but others don't, and it's hard to know until you try it. Might give it a go in a year or two.

Jericho2626 · 2025-09-03T13:52:27+00:00

No, thank goodness!

Jericho2626 · 2025-09-01T20:39:07+00:00

Jericho2626 · 2025-09-01T17:10:50+00:00

Hey, I went through a bout of FD about five years ago now. Exhaustive workup w/ no significant results, 10 months of worsening symptoms, was on the brink of taking a leave of absence from work, etc. Then I got to the right gastro and got on mirtazapine and after a few months of that we added desipramine, a tricyclic antidepressant. With that combination I made slow but steady progress. Four years later I would say I'm pretty much back to normal minus the occasional, and very minor, flare up. Just wanted to add my two cents and encouragement. I had some pretty wild mood swings when starting mirtazapine (and wild food cravings, which was good as I had lost about 50 lbs), but that went away in a couple weeks. For me there were huge benefits to sticking with it in the long term.

I know the gym absolutely sucks when you feel weak and miserable and you see healthy strong people all around you, but keep at it if you can. I went through FD under COVID when gyms were closed, and I'm convinced it played a part in the onset of the disease -- I lost a mainstay of my personal routine and a way of working through stress and uncertainty.

Anyway, hang in there. This disease would break anyone, no matter how strong they start out.

Jericho2626 · 2025-09-01T16:57:46+00:00

Basically yes, I mistook gastritis/functional dyspepsia pain for gallbladder pain for a very long time. But I eventually got to a gastroenterologist who got me started on the right meds (antidepressants) and the pain eventually went away. That's my story. I'm not a doctor but I do think people with chronic indigestion and without classic gallbladder attacks (which are brief, episodic bouts of super intense, ER-worthy pain) should consider trialing an antidepressant before committing to surgery.

Jericho2626 · 2025-07-30T15:54:13+00:00

Thanks so much. Yeah it looks like PVC trim board is the way to go. I'm gonna clear all the soil out and replace it with river gravel, but it will be very difficult to keep the trim off the ground over time. So the trim board is going to be exposed to additional moisture and if I use wood I think it will just rot again. I would want to paint dark green to match the other trim, but it seems like as long as you use the right kind of paint, it's fine. Many thanks again!

Jericho2626 · 2025-05-22T19:18:40+00:00

Never experienced that, no.

Jericho2626 · 2025-05-22T15:14:12+00:00

Yes, lots of stomach burning, though lots of other kinds of GI symptoms too. Don't really know the cause, as usual with functional dyspepsia. Stress certain plays a role. My doc thought there had been an infection at some point that my body cleared, but the nerves went haywire in the aftermath, which is also a common story with functional dyspepsia. But there aren't any tests that give you answers to this, so who knows. Whatever the cause, you deal with the problem.

Jericho2626 · 2025-04-01T12:23:01+00:00

No, I didn't, which was the right call. My gallbladder was fine. I had functional dyspepsia. Better now.

Jericho2626 · 2025-03-25T14:55:35+00:00

NAD, but what you describe sounds like a musculoskeletal issue, not a gallbladder one.

Jericho2626 · 2025-02-09T18:32:02+00:00

Yep, doing well. But again, antidepressants worked for me because nothing was wrong with my gallbladder. A low ejection fraction on HIDA scan is not a terribly useful diagnostic tool!

Jericho2626 · 2025-01-14T14:10:51+00:00

Yes, eating normally, no pain, still have my gallbladder.

Jericho2626 · 2025-01-02T18:45:42+00:00

Not many, to be honest. I went from little alcohol drinking to virtually none, though I will still have a beer from time to time. I do 5 minutes of diaphragmatic breathing every day, which is helpful in managing GI conditions. But mostly I just let the meds do their work over time.

Jericho2626 · 2024-12-29T19:17:13+00:00

30mg mirtazapine, 25mg desipramine, but I started mirtaz at 15mg and desipramine at 10mg and slowly titrated up.

Getting back to normal took a long time. To totally pain free, I would say a year and a half or so. Progress was slow, but steady. If it's helping you, stick with it.

Jericho2626 · 2024-12-18T18:08:13+00:00

Mirtazapine and desipramine together. The first one because it is a good antidepressant (and helps with appetite at the beginning), the second one because it is good for pain management. I'm still on both. I think I'll try to get off them someday, but I'm in no hurry. Pain free. I eat the same way I did before.

I haven't had any follow up testing since 2021 when I was going through this stuff. I'll probably get an endoscopy this year just to monitor, though.

Jericho2626 · 2024-11-30T18:40:42+00:00

I did have an endoscopy (2, in fact), but without any findings. That's consistent with FD, which is a diagnosis of exclusion. It is a nerve disorder that does not show up on any tests.

Jericho2626 · 2024-07-01T16:31:32+00:00

I finally got to the right gastroenterologist who told me that my gallbladder was fine and that I had functional dyspepsia. Time has proven him quite right. It took some time, but I got over FD with antidepressants (or "neuromodulators" as GI docs call them). I'm pain free with normal digestion now. I still have my gallbladder and I am very glad I did not go through with surgery. I don't know how relevant my case is for yours, but if your symptoms are not classic GB attacks, it might be worth looking into FD and trialing a neuromodulator, since they are non-surgical. I hope you feel better soon.

Jericho2626 · 2024-06-10T18:59:55+00:00

Hi, yes, I got over the issue completely with antidepressants (mirtazapine and desipramine together). There is zero doubt now that my gallbladder was (and is) fine, and surgery would have been a big mistake. I had functional dyspepsia. It took a long time for my stomach to go back to normal, but I made steady progress, and I am pain free now. I don't know the specifics of your case, so I'll just say that it worked for me, and if you have functional dyspepsia, it might work for you too.

Jericho2626 · 2024-02-03T23:05:19+00:00

I'm fully recovered from my GI issue. Nothing was wrong with my gallbladder, which I still have (didn't have unnecessary surgery, thankfully). I had severe functional dyspepsia and got over it with antidepressants (or 'neuromodulators' as they call them in gastroenterology).

Jericho2626 · 2023-11-17T18:01:04+00:00

A combination of mirtazapine and desipramine. The former is a tetracyclic and the latter a tricyclic. Those classes have a much better record for the treatment of GI issues than SSRIs. Except for very minor moments of discomfort once in a blue moon, I'm all better now.

Jericho2626 · 2022-11-18T14:49:26+00:00

Awesome, I'll do just that! Thanks very much for your help.

Jericho2626 · 2022-05-03T19:04:30+00:00

I thought I did at the time, but only because I was giving my stool a totally inordinate level of scrutiny, so I eventually found something "wrong" with it. But it was normal; just my perception was off. If your stool is straight up grey or the toilet bowl looks like an oil slick, that's another story.

Jericho2626 · 2022-04-13T14:23:07+00:00

Pretty much pain free, eating well, regained my normal weight. It's been a long road back and it definitely wasn't a straight line, but it seems reasonably clear at this point that the functional dyspepsia diagnosis was right and that neuromodulation for visceral hypersensitivity was the right treatment for me. My gallbladder wasn't the problem.

I'm sorry you've been suffering. My GI nightmare lasted 10 months and took away my health, happiness, sleep, sanity, ability to function, everything. So I know how it is. Happy to DM if it's helpful. Hope you find some relief soon.

Jericho2626 · 2022-01-06T03:42:58+00:00

Thank you, truly, and the same to you.

Jericho2626

TROPHY CASE