# Need Your Input on HIDA scan experiences



## ~JR~ (Sep 1, 2001)

Hi All:Well, I finally got the HIDA scan scheduled. I'm just wondering if anyone can tell me exactly what to expect. The lab told me I had to have someone present to drive me home. This surprised me a little. Why would this be the case. Do they do sedation? Anyway, any experiences you can share would be appreciated.JR


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## BQ (May 22, 2000)

JR, I think this is the test that you are referring to. ERCP? I have never had one so I can't relate any personal experiences, but I'm sure others here can clue you in. The reason for the need for a driver is probably the mild anesthesia that is given during it. Here is link to info on ERCP: http://www.gicare.com/pated/epdgs20.htm Hope this is the same test you are talking about and that this helps.BQ


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## TechChick (Jun 27, 2002)

I have had a Hida Scan and a ERCP. They don't use any sedation for a Hida Scan but they do with an ERCP. The Hida test was easy, they hook you up to an IV and they inject a hormone called CKK to see how your gallbladder contracts. The ERCP they scope you and inject dye contast into your bile ducts. The ERCP comes with risks though, like pancreatitis. I didn't get it with my ERCP though. I have to have another ERCP in March. Good luck and let us know what happens


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## ~JR~ (Sep 1, 2001)

Hi:Thanks!!! I'm not having ERCP, just the HIDA, and just wondered why they made a point of saying I would need someone to drive me home. JR


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## NancyCat (Jul 16, 1999)

JR- Probably cause you are having a "proceedure" they are giving you general instructions that they give everyone.


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## ~JR~ (Sep 1, 2001)

Hi Nancy:You are probably right. Thanks. I am just nervous because I never react well to procedures of any kind, even the simplest ones. JR


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## Lori B. (Jan 19, 2003)

I had the HIDA scan a few years ago and they told me the same thing. I think they tell everyone that. I took my mom with me but I didn't need her to drive me really, but it was good to have her with me because I was nervous. It was a super easy test, all I had to do was lay there and I didn't feel a thing. I was really scared before hand and I had no reason to be! I thought the gallbladder contracting would hurt or something. But in my case....my gallbladder was not functioning at all, whatsoever. That test was a lifesaver for me. My gallbladder was infected and gross but I didn't have any stones at all. I had to have it removed soon after the test. It was a relief and I felt so much better for the last few years, until my IBS started acting up again recently. Anyway....don't worry, the scan is a breeze. Good luck!


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## ~JR~ (Sep 1, 2001)

Thanks Lori for your encouragement. I guess I'm less afraid of the gallbladder pain than I am of possible vomiting or IBS cramping during the injection. Apparently, the stuff they inject you with can cause both, and that's what scares me. It is nice to hear that you thought it was an easy test. I'm glad that surgery helped you!! What were your symptoms prior to surgery? JR


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## Lori B. (Jan 19, 2003)

All of my symptoms started around the time that I got married and we bought a house (age 21). Something about that lifetime commitment and 20 year mortgage seemed to freak me out, imagine that. *L* Also, I had a very high-stress job in accounting. So anyway....my symptoms were very bad nausea and dry heaves but never vomit, urgent diarrhea especially after eating, and being very nervous and panicky about silly little things. It just wasn't like me at all, to get that nervous and panic. I thought I was losing my mind! I kept thinking of all the high stress things I had done in the past without ever getting sick, so I just couldn't figure out why I was getting sick and freaked out over every day life kinda things, like getting my teeth cleaned at the dentist, etc.So after suffering with this miserable nausea, diarrhea and panic for several months, I went to the emergency room out of desperation and dehydration. They gave me some fluids, a shot of Phenergan, and a blood test for H. Pylori (came back negative.) So that was it for a few more miserable months (all the while I am believing that I just have a nervous stomach and can learn to control this all myself.) The fact that I was passing mucous in the toilet and nearly fainting and couldn't leave the bathroom due to nausea was ruining my life. I eventually have an ultrasound on my gallbladder which only checks for stones, and I didn't have any stones. I had an Upper GI test done (SOOO unpleasant) and nothing showed up there either. My family doc said well I think you just have a spastic colon, here take some Librax and watch what you eat. So I did that for a while and eventually I had nausea 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and I started having pain under my right ribcage. Not terrible pain, just a nagging ache that would come and go throughout the day. Soooooo....went back to the dr. to tell him this, and he schedules the HIDA scan. I was very nervous before this test because they told me at the dr. office that the test would "induce a gallbladder attack." And I am thinking "That is horrible! It will hurt and I will vomit!" No one bothered to tell me that nothing like that would happen, so I was petrified. As soon as we got to the procedure room where the test would be taken, I told the nurse that I had to use the bathroom and that I was very queasy and nervous. She was soooo nice. Apparently a lot of the people she does this test on feel the same way. I went to the bathroom and finally came out and they put an IV in my wrist, like on my hand sort of. Anyway, needles don't bother me because I never look and I also try to think of song lyrics in my head or something like that, to take my mind off it. Anyway, they injected some stuff into the IV and told me that we could walk around the hospital for about an hour and wait for the drugs to start working. They took the tube out of the needle but left the IV needle taped in place, on my wrist. It wasn't a problem! I sort of ached a little but it was no big deal. I didn't want to walk around so we went back to the waiting room and waited about 45 min. and then they called for me. Went back into the room and laid down the table. The nurse had made it comfortable for me and added two extra pillows, since I told her I can't stand to lie totally flat on my back when I am queasy. The room was dark and quiet and she told me all kinds of funny stories and made me feel so much better. It's been 5 years so I can't exactly remember if she held a scanner over my torso or if the scan happened from overhead...I didn't even know it was happening. Before I knew it, it was all over with! No pain, nothing. I found out my results a few days later from my family doc, who told me my gallbladder was functioning in the negative value, meaning it wasn't working at all and hadn't been for some time. So I assumed that after my diseased gallbladder was removed, my life would return to normal. That happens to people whose only problem is their gallbladder. Sadly, I also had IBS-D in addition to the gallbladder problem. But getting my gallbladder removed really helped me a lot, I felt so much better and the nausea pretty much went away totally. I have had short bouts of IBS (like maybe I am sick for one day and that's it) throughout the last 5 years and now recently, it has flared up much worse for me and I've been feeling bad several times a week since about Oct. 2002. So here I am, back on Librax and taking Ativan ONLY at before big events or times of great stress. I am sorry this is so long, I just felt like getting my whole story out there. Let me know if you'd like to know anything else. If you need to have your gallbladder removed, well I can tell you all about my experience as well. The best way I can summarize all of this is to say....It's never as bad as we think it is going to be! Good luck!


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## ~JR~ (Sep 1, 2001)

Thank you Lori for being so honest and open about your experiences. It really is appreciated. My HIDA scan is scheduled for February 4, and I hope it goes as easily as yours. My pain in the right upper quadrant is also something really nagging, coming and going all day, sometimes getting severe. I also have a lot of nausea, though this is fairly well controlled with supplements and Pepcid.Thanks again for sharing your experience. JR


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## shadow (Nov 30, 2000)

Hello, JR,Don't worry. My HIDA scan was a breeze, and I'm a big worrier. BTW, they didn't tell me to have anyone drive me; I drove myself so I find that interesting.I had an ultrasound of my GB followed by the HIDA; both were normal (suprisingly to me).The one thing I did do was explain to the technician that I had IBS and if I said had to get off the table, then I had to get off the table. Once I knew that was OK, I was just fine.Pat


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## ~JR~ (Sep 1, 2001)

Thanks so much Pat. I hate having procedures as I never react well to them so it is encouraging to keep hearing of positive experiences. My colonoscopy took me a year to recover from as I did not have a good experience with that at all. JR


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## Tlyon (Feb 20, 2001)

Hi JR. I had a HIDA scan, it was a breeze. I just laid on a table for awhile and watched my gallbaldder on the screen. I did not have to have anyone drive me home either. Didn't make me feel bad in any sense. I guess you just need not to worry, it really isn't a big deal. Good luck.


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## teresagurn (Jan 3, 2003)

JR, I wanted to give you an example of why you might want to bring someone. The HIDA scan was probably the 5th test I had to determine what was wrong with me. My husband had come with me to all the others and was totally unnecessary. So I told him not to come to the HIDA scan. The lab did not tell me to bring someone either. I went in, got the injection and laid down on the table, contraption thing. I couldn't eat or drink for some period before the test, I think, can't remember all the specifics. Well once they gave me the injection to induce the gallbladder attack, I knew it. I had the pain and wanted to vomit, etc, fortunately the not eating meant i had nothing to vomit but I ws experiencing serious anxiety and pain. The Lab Tech was really nice and tried to comfort me but it was real pain and naseau and cramping I was expereincing and I couldn't move because the test was going on. So after the test, I call my husband and tell him I can't drive for a while because i just had the equivalance of an attack. He offered to come pick me up but that meant leaving a car there, so I told him I would wait until I felt up to it and just head home. I spent the rest of the day in bed, exhausted and feeling yucky, just like after a real attack. So JR, my advice to you is that if can have someone come with you , do it. Also make your work aware you may or may not be in after the test depending on how you feel. If you feel fine afterwards, great, but if you don't, you will be glad to have someone take you home. Good Luck. I hope I didn't scare you, just help you understaand why the Lab told you that and you know what could happen. Good Luck, you will make it through!!


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## shadow (Nov 30, 2000)

It might help JR if we tell him/her our results. I don't know if they are connected to how we felt or not. So, again, my HIDA scan was a breeze and my GB was good. Anyone else?


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## ~JR~ (Sep 1, 2001)

Thanks Teresagurn and Shadow; I would like to know what the results showed for you. I definitely will take someone with me to drive me to and from the appointment. I am more frightened of the nausea/vomiting than of the gallbladder pain because vomiting always causes me so many problems with my stomach and esophagus that takes forever to go away. I guess it is normal to be nervous about any test, but I am always especially nervous because of bad reactions. I even had a bad reaction to the contast they inject for a CT scan. JR


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## shadow (Nov 30, 2000)

Hang in JR. When's the test?


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## ~JR~ (Sep 1, 2001)

Shadow:My test is scheduled for February 4. Another problem since having to wait so long only adds to anxiety. I am much better off when scheduling a test to have it done very soon so I don't have so much time to build up anxiety. Plus not knowing what this pain is from (and elevated liver enzymes to go along with it) is a little scary. Thanks for all of your input. JR


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## shadow (Nov 30, 2000)

Sure, I understand that. I get freaked over relatively routine things sometimes, so I understand how something you've not had done before can be unnerving.Here's a secret I've taken to the last few years -- keep in mind I have always been a highly anxious, worrier type of person: I've been telling myself the world could end in the next week (morbid, I know) so I won't worry about something until the day or two before hand. It actually helps keep me calm - I know, warped but whatever works, right?Pat


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## Lori B. (Jan 19, 2003)

JR,I saw you mentioned elevated liver enzymes and I wanted to tell you that mine are elevated too, and they have been for years. I refused to get a liver biopsy (no needle in the liver for me, thank ya very much!) but my doctor thinks I have a condition called fatty liver, which is all conncected to the bad gallbladder/no gallbladder and the fact that I am insulin resistant, which is basically one step away from being Type II diabetic. My elevated liver enzymes are nothing more than numbers on a piece of paper for the time being, meaning that I do not have any liver related symptoms or jaundice or any indicators of liver disease. But I will tell you one thing I know for sure, if there is something wrong with your gallbladder, it will definitely cause your liver enzymes to go up. ALT enzymes specifically, which I think measure damaged or irritated liver tissues. A sickly gallbladder can cause all of that.As far as teresagurn's post about a terrible HIDA scan experience, I have never heard of that happening to anyone and I know it must have been miserable for her. But please do not assume anything like that will happen to you. If you are truly freaked out about the test and what might happen, find out if you can take a valium half an hour prior to the procedure. A lot of hospitals don't advertise this but they are glad to give valiums to very nervous people who are freaked out about tests. My mother in law had a scan done on her neck where they injected dye and she was soooo freaked out and scared beforehand, they offered her valium and it really helped. And as far as dreading the nausea and vomiting, I try to think about it like this....a hospital is the BEST place for something like that to happen! I mean, I have been sick and about to vomit at Wal-Mart and at a restaurant I think that would be far, far worse than getting sick in a hospital where they see vomit and scared people on an hourly basis. Vomit is like nothing to them, they don't even care, they just mop it up and get on with their business. I don't know if any of this philosophy helps you at all, but it is one way to think about it.


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## ~JR~ (Sep 1, 2001)

Thanks Lori!! Your comments are really appreciated. My doctor has mentioned fatty liver too, but he doesn't think that's what it is given my test results, which show no evidence of that, and the fact that I have always been so underweight. But you never know. Biliary dyskinesia is the working diagnosis at the moment, which can cause the elevated liver enzymes. Given that we have ruled out all liver diseases known in the universe, and all that has come back positive on any test is a liver hemangioma, he is convinced it is probably a dysfunctional gallbladder. I guess you are right about the vomiting problem. I just hate the thought of it!! JR


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## shadow (Nov 30, 2000)

How did it go?


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## teresagurn (Jan 3, 2003)

Hi JR, Sorry I have been off the boards for a while. How did the test go. My results were something like 14% meaning my gallbladder wasn't working. I hope the test went well for you. Let me know.


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## tprose1 (Mar 14, 2002)

I had that HIDA scan several years ago but had no problem with the test. I had to eat some kind of 'oatmeal' type thingie that supposedly had something in it. I want to say nuclear, but not sure if that's right. It was done by nuclear medicine. My gall bladder was diseased too and I had it removed shortly after. I've had stomach problems ever since....well, actually they started bout a year later, and they keep getting worse.Sorry to ramble on so....pain pills, ya know


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