# Hepabiliary Scan (aka 'hepa scan')



## Marriah (Mar 19, 2002)

This is the last in a long line of tests. Its not one I've ever had.  Can anyone tell me how its done? Is there an I.V. used? I understand its to test your gallbladder. If your gallbladder is not functioning well, does it cause you any pain?Any answers are apreciated.Thanks,Marriah


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## sillyface (Oct 12, 2003)

are you sure it's not a HIDA scan? i'm getting one of those, to check my gall bladder too. maybe in the states they call it a HEPA scan, short for Hepatobiliary Scintigraphy. ok here's what it is. it tests the function of the liver, gall bladder and small intestine. you are given a radionuclide injection through an IV. the liver picks this stuff up and they can watch as it goes through the gall bladder. if they cannot visualize the gall bladder within an hour or 2 after injection, it means the cystic duct is blocked. so anyway, serial images are obtained over an houe. if nothing is seen in the first hour, they take more images in 4 hours. then they give you a fatty food and then they watch the size of the gall bladder to see if it can drain. this looks for blockages in the gall ducts. since i'm getting this too, i was wondering what syptoms are you having?karen


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## sillyface (Oct 12, 2003)

oh , now i read your whole post. let me tell you about my symptoms. i have severe right upper quadrant pain. i's right behind my ribs and refers to my back as well. whenever i eat something fatty i end up doubled over in pain. i usually end up in the ER getting morphine IV. when the doctors see me, they are all sure i must have gall stones until they do an ultrasound, and they can't find anything wrong with my gall bladder. i even spent three days in hospital they were so sure i would need surgery, but nothing showed up on the tests. so i'm waiting for the HIDA scan. unfortunately the wait is about 6 months. how long is it for you?karen


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## Marriah (Mar 19, 2002)

Karen, thanks sooo much for taking the time to reply.  I guess its the same as a Hida scan. Hepatobiliary Scan is what is on my regestration sheet, but I heard someone refer to it as Hida.Anyway, my symptoms...episodes with intense vomiting/retching, uncontrollable D. Each time lasts about 12 hours, but has been getting a little longer. It normally happens in clusters, multiple times for a couple months, then I will go a long time with no sickness. I have been in the ER too many times to count. Nothing will stop an attack. No prescription med my docs have prescribed over the years has done a thing, either preventatively or in halting an episode.I have found no relation to food, environment, medication, ect. that would show a 'trigger'. My gi is leaning toward severe anxiety, that I internalize my...everything. But were doing the tests to just make sure. I'm grateful he's being so thourough, but goodness, its a pain.My latest doctor is a friend of ours, and he will stick with me until we figure this out.It really does sound like your gallbladder. My step-grandmother was having similar problems, and they did the usual tests on it. Nothing ever showed anything wrong. Finally, as a last resort, her Doc did surgery to remove the gallbladder. When they got in there, it was a mess. Her gallbladder was terribly diseased.So whats the total time it will take to have it done? Do you keep the IV in the whole time, or do they take it out when the med is injected?I'll be having it done this coming Thursday. (I was suppossed to have it this past Friday, but I was too stressed out and didnt have a car.)marriah


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## sillyface (Oct 12, 2003)

they told me to plan to be there all day. like you go in the morning and they do the first scan, and then they send you for a fatty food. and then they do it again. and if they have trouble visualizing anything, then they have to do it like in 4 hours. i wish i could have mine done as soon as yours. i love our health care system in that i can go to the doctor whenever and not have to pay for it, but when you need to see a specialist or have a special test done, it takes SO LONG to get in, it's ridiculous. i guess this scan is not considered an emergency.karen


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## RitaLucy (May 3, 2000)

I had this test. It is a painless test. I didn't have stones either but I did have chronic choleycystitis and I had my gallbladder removed about 2 months ago. I am still having upper right quandrant pain and spasms and pain also now on my left side and under my left shoulder blade as well. I could have some sludge or a stone maybe in the common bile duct. I am so mad that my surgeon did not check this duct while I had the surgery. He said they don't check that duct unless the liver enzymes are elevated and mine were not. I could also have SOD. I have been medicating this week with bentyl, nexium, and librax. Today I have been so groggy and it has barely taken the edge off. I see my Dr. on Monday... I wonder now if the saga will ever end.Don't be afraid of the test..it is an easy one to handle. Be thorough and careful though in your decisions after you get your results. If you don't have stones on a ultrasound, you could still have stones. (I have heard plenty of gallbladder stories like that). You might just have a low functioning gallbladder like I did. Mine was functioning at 15%. Let us know how it all goes.


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## KimmiAnn (Sep 11, 2003)

RitaLucy,I had my GB out 6 months ago. I still have the RUQ pain. My common bile duct was checked during surgery and it was clear. I never had stones. Mine was detected on the Hida Scan with a fraction rate of essentially 0. What I have found that has eased the pain is to totally avoid dairy. I have ben using Lactaid milk, it is lactose free. The pain has pretty much subsided. Except for when I hit the bag of Halloween candy over the weekend. The pain came right back. My GI doc suggested I may be lactose intolerant without my GB and to try giving up dairy. So far it seem to work.Kim


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## sillyface (Oct 12, 2003)

i'm finally egtting my hida scan tomorrow. i'm nervous and excited, because i get to eat a fatty food so they can see what it does to my gall bladder. painful, but i miss fatty foods. i think i'm going to have a cheeseburger and fries







anyway, i'll let you know how it goes.karen


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## mirage^^ (Jun 18, 2003)

Hello,This all sounds to familar. I had my gallbladder removed about 6 yrs ago after the HIDA scan showed a non functioning gallbladder. Basically all I had was a shriveled up prune in me. Prior to removal i had EXTREME pain on my right side under my ribs and back. Vomiting and bad D.







Unfortunatly, one thing the doctors dont warn you about when having you GB removed is the onset or worsening of IBS. I have now suffered with IBS D for almost 6 yrs. Coincidence?


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## sillyface (Oct 12, 2003)

hi miragei talked with my surgeon about IBS being worsened by removing the gall bladder. that's why he's been waiting so long, he wants to be sure i need it taken out before he does it. anyway, i have constipation. he said if it's not my gall bladder, it is IBS, or i could have both. i have never had a problem with D, so he thinks if i did get it removed, it might be ok. but there is a significant risk. he said in theory the biliary ducts take over the function of the gall bladder, but sometimes they can empty too quickly, and then you have D. so i'm not sure what i want to happen. al i know is that i can not live with this pain much longer. the tech who did my test today can't tell me my final results, but what we do know for sure is that my gall bladder is slow to fill, and that when it does fill i have pain. so that could indicate some inflamation. i get the results from my doctor in a week. i think being on naprosen has really helped with the pain, which makes sense if my gall bladder is inflaimed. but i can't stay on it forever. so i just don't know what i want to have happen. thanks for your story though. it's a tough decision.karen


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## mirage^^ (Jun 18, 2003)

Hi,Well hope things go well for you. I know what a PAIN *literally* it can be.


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## sillyface (Oct 12, 2003)

so apparently my HIDA scan was normal. i talked with a family doctor today. he said he's not sure if it is significant that my gallbladder filled slowly on the test and that's when the pain started. but basically he said they probably won't take it out. he didn't have more answers for me thatn that. i'm still waiting to talk to the surgeon.i just want to know what it is!!!!!karen


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## sillyface (Oct 12, 2003)

so i've been trying to call my surgeon for 2 weeks now to find out specifically what he's going to do about my case. i wanted to ask him why my hida scan is normal if it showed my gall bladder is slow to fill. i just want to understand it. anyway, he had his nurse call me this morning to tell me my results are normal and there is nothing he can do from a surgical stand ppoint, so he's referring me back to my family doctor. she can then refer me to a GI. problem is i can't get in to see her until jan. 2. i'm having so much pain recently, and all i can do is take pain meds, and try to give my belly a rest by not eating very much. it is soooo frustrating. everything takes so long here to get done. now i have to wait forever for another referal. let's get this show on the road already. i was really hoping i could eat a little more normally by christmas time. this sucks.karen


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