HIDA and EGD? or one will do?

Posted by jac59 @jac59, Oct 8 12:08pm

Wondering what would be best considering financial situation as well as best way to diagnose.
I have been having abdominal pains - upper and lower. I did have an abdominal ultrasound that showed some gallstones, and a small spot on liver, but they said nothing that would mean much for the pains I'm having. 1.5cm gallstones.
I have heard that HIDA scans don't show much compared to the EGD. I have both scheduled. They said the HIDA scan will cost me $913 out of pocket to help meet deductible. Wondering if I should get the HIDA, or if the EGD should be sufficient.
Thank you!
jac59

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jer22 | @jer22 | Oct 11 8:03am

Very good question, keep us advised on updates, I have some of the same issues.
Thanks
jer

Sue, Volunteer Mentor | @sueinmn | Oct 11 8:20am

@jac59 I would say each has their place. I did not have gallstones, but I had classic gallbladder symptoms. Doctors insisted it "can't be the problem" - until a HIDA scan showed my gallbladders was only performing at about 25%. When the surgeon removed it he called it "chronically inflamed, largely non-functional."

standinginfaith | @standinginfaith | Oct 12 9:03am

I had both.. the CT didn't reveal how bad the situation was.. and the HIDA scan showed it had alot of "sludge".. the gall bladder guy got it out in less than 1 month..with a comment "why hasn't someone looked at this sooner"... needed to come right out.. prayers for you!

rozy288 | @rozy288 | Oct 12 10:54am

A EGD won’t show gallbladder.
I’ve had 4 , it’s to look down esophagus into stomach area .
The Hida scan is specifically for gallbladder ( long test , I couldn’t do it laying down on table 2 -plus hrs ).
Too much anxiety.
EGD was easy and fast and no real prep .
I still have 7 chronic digestive disorders daily ,11 yrs now and getting worse by the day .
Good luck on everything.

flourface | @flourface | Oct 12 1:28pm

Just get the Hida scan, as you have gallstones. I had many EGD’s that didn’t show anything until the Hida Scan. Very easy just get it done asap. Good luck. 🍀

slkanowitz | @slkanowitz | Oct 12 9:36pm

Jac59, i’m confused as to why either test is being recommended if you have one and a half centimeter gallstones showing up on ultrasound. That’s enough to give anyone pain and reason to remove a gallbladder. Why are they saying your pain is unrelated to the gallstones? The EGD doesn’t show gallstones, and the Hida scan is used for determining function of the gallbladder when stones don’t show up on imaging. I would be asking those questions!

jac59 | @jac59 | Oct 13 8:51am

I ended up getting the HIDA scan. Guess the gallbladder is fine. "Gallbladder ejection fraction of 75% - normal is greater than 33%. No scintigraphic evidence for acute Cholecystitis".
And apparently, 1.5" cm. gallstone is passable. So peace of mind, I guess. Now onto the EGD.
I do have an appt. with a functional medicine dr. She is going to do some labs for me. Going gluten free, dairy free, and sugar free does seem to help. Some doctors recommend the FODMAP diet to help figure out what foods to eliminate from diet. Many say that's hard to follow. It needs to be done for 2-6 weeks - depending on dr. recommendation. I am trying the anti-inflammatory diet, as recommended by my functional medicine dr. It is starting to help. Also, drinking aloe juice really seems to help, which suggests that there is an ulcer.
The American diet is the worst. I heard of one doctor who said his wife needs to be gluten free here, but when visiting her home in italy, she could eat any and all breads and pastas.
Thank you all for your input!