Should I go to the ER or urgent care?

[lintscreen]

I have had a handful of these stomach episodes before, and they usually go away on their own.

Basically it starts out about an hour after I eat and it just feels at first that I ate too much and an really full. As the evening goes on, it gets worse and worse. It's focused in my upper abdomen. Nothing seems to help: pepto, tums, etc, I usually wait it out and it goes away. It started at about 5 last night and hasn't stopped. I couldn't sleep, but did manage to get about an hour. It's 6:30 and I still feel it, although it isn't as bad as last night.

The pain doesn't seem to improve in any position except sitting w my legs curled up.

Would the ER or Urgent care be able to help me or should I ride it out and see the doctor in the morning?

[Saint Monica]

Gallbladder is my guess. I found it helpful to avoid salty, spicy and fatty food.

[snickers]

I would go to urgent care only because here when you go to the er you can wait anywhere from 1 hour-12 hours. By the time your seen, your pain might be gone. However, if you wouldn't have to wait long I would go to the er, because they can run tests on you right there, even if it isn't as bad as last night it would be nice to know why it keeps happening. It does sound a lot like your gallbladder though.

[snickers]

I could be very wrong, but I think in order to be diagnosed with gallbladder you have to do during an attack. I had them several times and would then go to my dr. he told me I have to go to the er during an attack so they can test for it. Maybe that's just my doctor though.I haven't had it happened to me since though so I cannot contest to what happens if you do go when you are having an attack.

[Redpoppy]

I was at urgent care for a stomach issue (bad stomach bug bounced back a week later) and they were tying to determine if it was just heart burn or gallbladder. When I said I had no health insurance the doctor told me to jump up and down. No increased pain meant heartburn, increased pain when jumping meant possible gallbladder and tests at ER. Luckily it wasn't worse.

So you could try jumping the next time it happens. I'd just bring it up with your PCP.

[Kore]

Apr 28, 2013 9:01:20 GMT -5 snickers said:

I could be very wrong, but I think in order to be diagnosed with gallbladder you have to do during an attack. I had them several times and would then go to my dr. he told me I have to go to the er during an attack so they can test for it. Maybe that's just my doctor though.I haven't had it happened to me since though so I cannot contest to what happens if you do go when you are having an attack.

I agree with gallbladder. They can diagnose by ultrasound whether you're having an attack or not (I know only bc I never had any attacks; I had the upset stomach & a dull pain between my shoulder blades).

[nursewife]

I would go to er as they can draw blood labs ASAP as well as have an ultrasound done to see what's going on. Not sure how urgent care is in ste states, in Canada it is for more minor stuff. Utis, strep throat etc.

[keyslover]

Apr 28, 2013 9:01:20 GMT -5 snickers said:

I could be very wrong, but I think in order to be diagnosed with gallbladder you have to do during an attack. I had them several times and would then go to my dr. he told me I have to go to the er during an attack so they can test for it. Maybe that's just my doctor though.I haven't had it happened to me since though so I cannot contest to what happens if you do go when you are having an attack.

Nope. I wasn't having a current attack. They did an ultrasound. Found sludge

[LaceyV]

Apr 28, 2013 8:57:22 GMT -5 jillianashley6 said:

I guess gallbladder as well. And honestly, I prob wouldn't go to an ER or UC for that. I'd wait call my pcp tmw, get in immediately, then ask to get an upper GI scan done so they can see if that's really the issue. You should be able to do all that in a week, and meet with a surgeon to see if surgery would fix the issue.

In the meantime avoid all spicy and fatty foods. Sorry!!!

Exactly this. When I had gallbladder issues the ER basically gave me a pain killer and told me to see my PCP.

[snickers]

Apr 28, 2013 10:11:41 GMT -5 keyslover said:

Apr 28, 2013 9:01:20 GMT -5 snickers said:

I could be very wrong, but I think in order to be diagnosed with gallbladder you have to do during an attack. I had them several times and would then go to my dr. he told me I have to go to the er during an attack so they can test for it. Maybe that's just my doctor though.I haven't had it happened to me since though so I cannot contest to what happens if you do go when you are having an attack.

Nope. I wasn't having a current attack. They did an ultrasound. Found sludge

I am glad you didn't have to wait at the er. Sorry they found sludge

[snickers]

Apr 28, 2013 10:15:50 GMT -5 LaceyV said:

Apr 28, 2013 8:57:22 GMT -5 jillianashley6 said:

I guess gallbladder as well. And honestly, I prob wouldn't go to an ER or UC for that. I'd wait call my pcp tmw, get in immediately, then ask to get an upper GI scan done so they can see if that's really the issue. You should be able to do all that in a week, and meet with a surgeon to see if surgery would fix the issue.

In the meantime avoid all spicy and fatty foods. Sorry!!!

Exactly this. When I had gallbladder issues the ER basically gave me a pain killer and told me to see my PCP.

I am also glad you didn't have to wait in the er. Lets face it, the er sucks big time. People are always throwing up there *signs* Hope you haven't had any further issues (I am assuming yours has been taken out?). Also, your siggy pic is cute!

[Deleted]

I would do urgent care. Sorry you're feeling crappy Gallbladders are the worst. I don't have issues with mine but my mum does and she hates it.

[Andplusalso]

**lurker chiming in**


I would go to urgent care. Last August, I had almost the same symptoms. I woke up in the middle of the night with a really bad stomach ache. I thought it was my gallbladder as I'd had attacks before, but the pain just would not go away. I didn't want to go to the ER, so I called the nurse's line, and she told me to go to urgent care, so I did. Turns out, it wasn't my gallbladder. My appendix was about to burst. Whether you go to urgent care or the ER, if the pain is lasting for hours, you should go.

[moolarkey]

I just had my gallbladder removed this past Friday, still recovering. I kept putting off going because I thought it would go away. It doesn't help that I have a high tolerance for pain. This past Monday at work it actually was making it hard to breath. I work about 7 minutes from a hospital so I left work and drove myself to the ER. Because they weren't sure what I had they did ultra-sound, CT and chest x-ray. They determined I had a large gallstone but didn't think it merited emergency surgery and recommended a surgeon. I saw the surgeon on Wednesday and he told me the "large" stone was 5+ centimeter and basically taking up my whole gallbladder and it wouldn't be getting better. He had an opening on Friday afternoon for surgery so I took it.

It was much worse than they'd expected. It was totally inflamed and starting to affect other organs (appendix, liver, etc and he said something about the fatty tissue that connects these organs). They did 4 small incisions. 1 for the camera, 2 I think were for tools, 1 to pull the gallbladder out through. They put a net in through that incision, got the gallbladder to the surface, cut it open and crushed the stone up so they could get the whole thing out - gallbladder and stone. The gallbladder was also full of puss.

Usually laporoscopic gallbladder surgery is out-patient. Because mine was so much worse, they kept me over night and I think that was the right move. I am having to heal from the incisions, the remaining organs have to settle in to the extra space left by the gallbladder and that will take some time. I was told I'd be worn out and I am. BUT I FEEL BETTER. I was really starting to be in terrible pain, even for someone with a high tolerance. I go back to the surgeon tomorrow for follow up and should get the drain out then.

Do not wait, go to the ER. Get it checked and taken care of. I wouldn't go to urgent care. If you need surgery you might as well be at a hospital plus I have not had good experience with Urgent Care centers the 3 times I've gone to them. Only 1 time was it a good experience.

[open24hours]

Do you have health insurance? If you do, most plans have a 24 hour advice nurse you can call to help you decide.

[lintscreen]

I guess this is what I get for asking the Internet.

I took a nap and am feeling much better, I am going to try to eat, if the pain comes back, I will go in today.

[moolarkey]

Kooshball is correct, they can escape. Before surgery my doc explained how that happens, honestly I don't recall what he said but they can escape and cause other issues.

I went to a medium sized hospital, not the largest in Central Ohio but large. I walked in, gave them my info and a nurse walked me to an exam room and started taking my info immediately. They got me checked in, basics done, and doc came in. He examined me, ordered tests. They did ultrasound in my exam room, took me to ultrasound then took me across hall to chest xray and then back to my room. About 45 minutes later doc was back with all results, blood work, ultra sound etc. Told me what they found. Wrote me pain scrip and scrip for anti-nausea med which I never had to take. I did take the vicodin.

Went to surgeon Wednesday, he wrote refill for vicodin, told me to stay on bland diet. Went in Friday, had surgery. I am eating somewhat normally but smaller portions. I get hungry but not super hungry. I've been told by others to eat small meals and ease back in to my diet that I may have problems with spice and/or fatty foods in the future.

[moolarkey]

I kept putting it off because it would go away. I finally decided I wanted to know what it was and how to make it not come back. I had no idea when I went in if it was gallbladder, appendix or what. I just wanted it to stop. I think I'd been having it for months but because it would come and go I would ignore it. I often had it in my lower back, sometimes upper back, sometimes lower right or right at the top of my rib cage. It felt like I was 9 months pregnant with a15 lb kid - that feeling when they are right at the top of your rib cage, you can't make them move and you feel like you're being squished to death -the pressure was incredible. Sometimes it felt like it was pushing right on my kidneys.

I'm so glad to have all of that done.