Can lyme disease affect the gallbladder??? I have all the symptoms of gall bladder dysfunction, ie. bloating, pain under right rib cage, back pain, indigestion, soft loose stools. I also get pain right over my heart, which I know isn't gallbladder rielated. It is like an intermittent squeezing pain. My liver panel is always normal and a month ago I had an ultrasound which said my liver and gall bladder were normal. I am not on any meds yet, I am seeing Dr. H in New York in a few weeks. My other symptoms were constant muscle twitching in legs/ calves, these strange abdominal symptoms, brain fog that lasted two months, but is gone ( thank goodness, that was the worst!!). My fiancee also tells me I tremor when I sleep at night. I think I have bart, as I have about 12 clear stretch marks on my thighs and buttocks that are clear, but sometimes turn red when out of the shower.( I am 6'4 and 175lbs, the stretch marks are not from weight gain haha). I also have these weird brown raised spots, some are crusty, doctors dont know what they are. I sometimes get cigarette burn marks all over my body that disappear as well. Finally, I am only 25, and got a bunch of skin tags on my neck, and a bunch of wart like bumps that are skin colored over my body. I also randomly get pain in my shins and feet, but its not constant. These are my current symptoms, I have had every test under the sun. Colonoscopy, endoscopy, ekg, ecg, emg, abdominal ct scan, brain ct scan, abdominal ultrasound, brain and spinal mri, etc, etc. All normal, my doctor is extremely confused. Any help would be appreciated, especially regarding gallbladder issues! thanks!
Posted by TF (Member # 14183) on :
You have named so many bartonella symptoms it isn't funny. You probably don't have any gallbladder or heart problem, just lyme and bart.
These diseases do not show up on any of the tests you had. Mine were all normal also. That's the way it is with this disease.
Here is a list of bart symptoms from Burrascano:
BARTONELLA & ''BARTONELLA-LIKE ORGANISMS''- � Gradual onset of initial illness. � CNS symptoms are out of proportion to the musculoskeletal ones- if a patient has no or minimal joint complaints but is severely encephalopathic (see below), then think of Bartonella/BLO. � Obvious signs of CNS irritability can include muscle twitches, tremors, insomnia, seizures, agitation, anxiety, severe mood swings, outbursts and antisocial behavior. � GI involvement may present as gastritis or abdominal pain (mesenteric adenitis). � Sore soles, especially in the morning. � Tender sub-cutaneous nodules along the extremities, especially outer thigh, shins, and occasionally along the triceps. � Occasional lymphadenopathy. � Morning fevers, usually around 99. Occasionally light sweats are noted. � Elevated vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) occurs in a minority, but the degree of elevation correlates with activity of the infection and may be used to monitor treatment. � Rapid response to treatment changes- often symptoms improve within days after antibiotics are begun, but relapses occur also within days if medication is withdrawn early. � May have papular or linear red rashes (like stretch marks that do not always follow skin planes), especially in those with GI involvement.
Dr. H. will treat you for all of this. You will be in good hands.
Posted by Lymetoo (Member # 743) on :
Yes, Lyme can cause the GB to be dysfunctional. Did you have a HIDA scan? It measures the functionality of the GB.
Posted by bigz123 (Member # 23755) on :
I did not do a HIDA scan. I assumed that because my ultrasound was normal, my gallbladder was normal. Is this not the case? Thanks TF and lymetoo!
Posted by kidsgotlyme (Member # 23691) on :
I think the ultrasounds only looks for stones. The only way to tell if you GB is functioning properly is a hida scan.
I would certainly get the scan done. I had my GB removed in March, and I suffered for well over a year before going to doctor and having something done about it.
Actually, I let it get so bad that I ended up in the hospital for three days because it was messing up my other organs.
Posted by bcb1200 (Member # 25745) on :
My first symptoms were gall bladder like and brain fog. all better now!
Posted by bigz123 (Member # 23755) on :
that's so helpful, thanks!!!
Posted by bigz123 (Member # 23755) on :
BCB, Did you have bart too?
Posted by Tiramisu (Member # 15082) on :
You can do a search for past discussions about this. Lots of us had our GB's removed or had issues with them.
I had mine removed as a last resort. I had NORMAL ultrasound and HIDA results. I tried dieting, which helped for awhile.
It was when it started making me feel like I might have a heart attack that I had to have surgery. Only then did the doctor find "chronic inflammation" under the microscope.
Doesn't sound like a big problem, but it was very troublesome for me, and painful.
Posted by Lymetoo (Member # 743) on :
quote:Originally posted by bigz123: I did not do a HIDA scan. I assumed that because my ultrasound was normal, my gallbladder was normal. Is this not the case? Thanks TF and lymetoo!
No, not at all true. It can be clear of stones, but NOT be working properly.
Posted by libby333 (Member # 26573) on :
My first symptoms where GI problems and I had my gallbladder removed last July...that was before I knew about the Lyme.