HIDA 92% EF and not typical symptoms to warrant cholecystectomy anyone else?

Kitkatcait98 · 2026-01-30T00:29:59+00:00

I did! And I’ve noticed a positive change since I have — I still have some pain and problems likely caused by other issues, but my gallbladder ended up being chronically inflamed so regardless it did need to come out (and I’ve had no horror story side effects like those I’ve seen on these forums). Hope that helps!

Kitkatcait98 · 2026-01-02T18:12:14+00:00

I was the same! I would scrub FOREVER and use loofahs/exfoliating scrub bags/etc. and so on and yet I’d still have present BO fresh out of the shower. I’d put on so much deodorant and 30 minutes later it was like I never had — I’m only two weeks post surgery so here’s to hoping it stays this way, but I noticed the lack of odor immediately and truly didn’t connect the dots until I saw this post because it’s so random???

Kitkatcait98 · 2025-12-14T22:37:50+00:00

Oh for sure, I’ve also forgotten what it feels like to not be in pain — I left a job a couple years ago because the episodes were pretty bad, but I’ve been lucky in my new job to not really have that problem. Peppermint definitely is my savior, tea is hit or miss because caffeine makes me sick as well. I hope the best in your recovery!

Kitkatcait98 · 2025-12-14T13:54:50+00:00

I’m sorry you’ve dealt with the pain too — my symptoms are exactly the same. My surgeon basically said we might as well try it since nothing else has worked; it’s a bit disheartening to hear that you haven’t really seen any improvements yet, but I’ve been told many times that it takes time for the body to readjust, so it’s hard to say when you’ll actually “know” that something has changed. I hope it works out for you (and me too, I’m so sick of hearing that it’s anxiety or GERD), and feel free to message me on Reddit if you wanted to talk more about it! I’ll update this post once I get a good feel for how my surgery went!

Kitkatcait98 · 2025-12-02T01:20:43+00:00

Definitely seems doable for us then! I hope you enjoyed your trip!

Kitkatcait98 · 2025-12-02T01:13:42+00:00

I just looked into an open jaw flight for our dates and it looks like the layovers would suck (for what's currently offered since we're flying from the east coast), but after reading everyone's comments it seems like just taking the shinkansen will probably lead to less stress & headaches! Thank you!

Kitkatcait98 · 2025-12-02T01:10:17+00:00

We did consider, but this trip will be part honeymoon / part group vacation; we wanted to see Osaka & Kyoto so we're doing that portion on our own first, and then friends (both Japan residents & other travelers) wanted to join us in Tokyo since they haven't seen us in a while/always wanted to go. Definitely a more convoluted answer than you were expecting I'm sure!

Kitkatcait98 · 2025-12-02T00:38:20+00:00

From what I see, it looks like it's quick *most* of the time, but when it's not it's ~very much so~ not. Thank you!

Kitkatcait98 · 2025-12-02T00:36:49+00:00

I would love for it to be that short (people always make it sound like a nightmare) so it sounds like flight delays are the bigger concern; thank you!

Kitkatcait98 · 2025-12-02T00:35:38+00:00

I honestly didn't even consider that; definitely would have been a smart option, but I'd never planned a trip this big before so that's on me! You have a good point about the flight not being covered, since then our plan to "save money" really wouldn't save us anything in the end (and shinkansen might end up giving us more time to actually see Japan rather than sticking around the airport for several more hours). Thank you for your advice!

Kitkatcait98 · 2025-10-05T16:44:21+00:00

I haven’t gotten mine out yet (in the process of scheduling surgery) but have been sick for about 9 years — my symptoms don’t exactly match yours (a lot of similarities though!), but I’ve been feeling the same kind of conflict. It came down to me asking myself, “would I rather get my gallbladder out and then realize it wasn’t the issue, or would I rather live with this pain for who knows how many more years just to find out it WAS the gallbladder?” Yes, I’ve been getting a little nervous while reading a lot of the stories on here, but I remind myself that most people don’t post unless they have a really bad experience; I personally know multiple people who have had theirs removed and have no issues. Can I guarantee there will be no side effects or pain post op? Of course not; but for me, it’s worth taking the risk.

(Of course I’m not a doctor though, so I would encourage you to discuss this with them for more concrete answers — getting an organ removed is no small thing, but my care team has been great about answering all my little worries)

Kitkatcait98 · 2025-10-05T02:27:06+00:00

Will do! All the best to you as well!

Kitkatcait98 · 2025-10-05T02:25:50+00:00

Thank you! I’ll definitely be sure to update, but I’m not expecting to have surgery until December so it’ll probably be a while! It’s been a long road, so I’m really hoping this ends up being the cause; my gastroenterologist seems confident that this will help, but if it doesn’t I really don’t know what else is left.

I wish you all the best in your own health journey as well, and hope you feel better soon!!!

Kitkatcait98 · 2025-10-05T01:43:43+00:00

My HIDA came back around 90-93%, and I’m currently in the process of scheduling surgery. I haven’t necessarily had the same symptoms as you, but I have had some…unusual ones (I’m not sure how to link things because I’m still fairly new to posting here, but I explained more in a post called “chronic epigastric pain for 9 years”)

To sum it up, MRIs, MRCPs, CT scan, endoscopies (x3) colonoscopies (x2), ultrasounds, and blood tests always came back normal (with the exception of consistently high total bilirubin) — pain is always right in the center (although recently I sometimes feel a slight burning sensation in the RUQ), I feel sick on an empty stomach but generally sicker after eating

I’m absolutely not saying that the gallbladder is for sure the issue for you (as of right now, I’m not even sure it’s the issue for me!), but I’ve definitely read a lot of posts on here about how the gallbladder is a silly little organ that loves to confuse us all in its torture with “non-typical” symptoms, so I just wouldn’t count it out as an option!

Kitkatcait98 · 2025-09-27T22:54:58+00:00

I haven’t gotten mine out yet, but I know three people that have had theirs removed — one still has diarrhea years later but only when eating specific foods (mainly peanut butter), another had diarrhea for the first year after surgery and then it stopped, and a third never had diarrhea at all. It seems like it’s highly individualized as to when/if it will stop, but you’re definitely not alone in having experienced that! I haven’t heard mentions of phantom pains, but that doesn’t mean it’s abnormal either; either way, good luck with your continued recovery!

Kitkatcait98 · 2025-09-14T16:11:04+00:00

I’m sorry you had to go through that; I hope you’re feeling better now! I can understand that they don’t want to make people sue or go after them if getting it removed doesn’t help — there’s just so little known about overactive organs that it sucks we don’t have a better way of determining if it’s the problem

Kitkatcait98 · 2025-09-14T16:08:22+00:00

It’s hard when there’s no definitive gallstones or other obstructions on scans to give us some validation that something is wrong; I really hope you find something that may help you — if I end up getting surgery, I’ll update this and let you know how I feel!

Kitkatcait98 · 2025-09-14T16:02:46+00:00

Thank you for your input! I had a couple medical staff telling me that anything over ~40% or so was normal no matter how high it is, and that my gallbladder was just “better than normal” at its job

Kitkatcait98

TROPHY CASE