# Gallbladder function and thyroid



## Redbuster

Does anyone know if thyroid levels effect your gallbladder function? I had a HIDA Scan and my gallbladder is working at 32% which is only 3% below normal. I have continuous pain in my upper right abdominal area. After a year of having many test.... Colonoscopy, Abdominal CT, MRI of my back, EGD and many more. My doctor is wanting to remove my gallbladder.

I have had my TSH suppressed to .03 for almost a year now to see if that would help with chronic uticaria. Still itching but now this issue with my gallbladder has risen.

Any comments would be great. At this point I am getting a second opinion trying to ride out the pain till then.

thank you


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## Andros

Redbuster said:


> Does anyone know if thyroid levels effect your gallbladder function? I had a HIDA Scan and my gallbladder is working at 32% which is only 3% below normal. I have continuous pain in my upper right abdominal area. After a year of having many test.... Colonoscopy, Abdominal CT, MRI of my back, EGD and many more. My doctor is wanting to remove my gallbladder.
> 
> I have had my TSH suppressed to .03 for almost a year now to see if that would help with chronic uticaria. Still itching but now this issue with my gallbladder has risen.
> 
> Any comments would be great. At this point I am getting a second opinion trying to ride out the pain till then.
> 
> thank you


Boy; I am sorry to hear this. However, yes.....................so many with thyroid disease and other autoimmune have diseased gall bladders. See; with thyroid disease, everything is botched up. Intestinal motility, BP, Glucose.................you name it.

I trust you have ruled out allergens as a cause of the uticaria? Things like gluten and other meds?

Here is a really good list for uticaria and by the way, Lupus is mentioned so I wonder if you have been tested for Lupus.

http://www.urticaria.com/app/causes.asp

Worried for you; do let us know.


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## daisydaisy

no grease....less fat...healthy green foods. Less to no sugar drinks.....all of that will help calm down and manage your system over time. I'd give it 3 months being really gung ho about it to see a good difference. As well...my parents had gallbladder stones and friends and the only thing that helped avoid surgery is OAT TEA. Its non sprayed horse oats. You steep it and boil it on med-high for 45 minutes. Then you drain the tea in a pitcher. Its good for 3 days. DRINK like water...it cleanses you. It has to be the whole grout oats...nothing broken down, nothing refined. You can get some in a health food store.


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## usmc4myson

Redbuster,

I had the exact situation. HIDA scan showed function of 20%. No stones. The pain would have me on the floor. This was in 1999. Had my gallbladder out. There is no way to actually improve the function once it is reduced so much. Your gallbladder is not functioning. It is better to remove it than to be in chronic pain, in my opinion. I also had weird episodes of idiopathic uticartia before I had the gallbladder removed.

The surgery is relatively easy...of course all surgery has risks...but by two weeks post op, I felt pretty good.

Now, 11 years later, I occasionally have phantom gall bladder pain, but it is NOTHING like the pain I used to get.

Best wishes in your decision making...and thanks for asking your question. I never knew that there was a connection between my Hashi's and the problems I used to have with my gallbladder until tonight!!!


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## ambock64

I have the same symptoms: I was just diagnosed with thyroid issues though final results are pending. I have also been having HORRIBLE GI problems with pain in the upper right side towards the bottom of my ribcage. Had a HIDA, came back fine. Had a gluten intolerance test came back fine. Decided to give up gluten anyhow....it's now been a month, although not 100%, I'm no longer having that pain in the upper right side. There is a stool test out of Texas (from a lab with COLA accreditation) you get through the mail that tests for gluten intolerance without having to eat gluten and also the genetic predisposition for it. It is pricey (I think about $300), but I'm purchasing it when I have some money. When I find that link, I will include it. Good Luck!

Found it! It is a company called Enterolabs:

https://www.enterolab.com/StaticPages/TestInfo.aspx


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## Johnny Mango

Hi All, New to this site. Very interesting topic with the gall bladder. I started having gall bladder pain about 10 years ago. Doctor said it was stress and put me on Nexium for acid reduction. It did help, but now I'm thinking it was Hashimoto's in conjunction. I was diagnosed with Hashi's 4 years later. Still have some gall bladder pain now and again and wow does that sucker hurt when it flares up.

I suppose I will have it out eventually. But not today.


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## Andros

Johnny Mango said:


> Hi All, New to this site. Very interesting topic with the gall bladder. I started having gall bladder pain about 10 years ago. Doctor said it was stress and put me on Nexium for acid reduction. It did help, but now I'm thinking it was Hashimoto's in conjunction. I was diagnosed with Hashi's 4 years later. Still have some gall bladder pain now and again and wow does that sucker hurt when it flares up.
> 
> I suppose I will have it out eventually. But not today.


Hi, Johnny Mango and welcome to the board. I am sorry to hear this but yes; it would seem there is a relationship between thryoid disease and gallbladder disease.

http://www.gallbladderattack.com/hypothyroidismandgallbladderdisease.shtml

Eventually, you need to have it out if the doctor concurs. You don't want to get gangrene. Or systemic infection.


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## gofigerr

I was having trouble with bloating and pain between my shoulders on the right side for about 3 years until they finally discovered my gallbladder was only funtioning at 6%! They took it out. No stones, just stopped working. No explination from the doctor, said it just happens but that I didn't fit the typical profile for a bad gallbladder patient. So maybe Hashi's related.


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## eorhythm

Late to the party, but I wanted to chime in that I had the same symptoms a few months ago -- right upper quadrant pain for weeks, bloating, grossness. It went away very suddenly one night when I felt myself actually pass...well, I assume it was sludge. How delicious! I had done a HIDA scan with 39% ejection fraction, so I wasn't about to have it out yet. I'm glad I didn't see the surgeon I was directed to.

I have little doubt the pain is hypothyroid related because I've had it happen once before. Every time my thyroid poops out, so do I. Well, literally. Kind of. Point being, the two correlate. It makes sense when you consider the higher levels of cholesterol possible while you're hypothyroid, and I'm sure it puts the liver under undue amounts of stress. I'm glad it's over for now, but I'm aware it may return.


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