Every so often since last month I am having sharp stabbing pains on my left side and the middle left side of my back. Pain worsens with deep breaths. The pain stays for a few days and then goes away. I notice when I drink a lot of caffeine it tends to come back. Went to the Family doc and she advised it may be my Gall Bladder. She checked for bladder and kidney infection but that was negative. She said the gallblader pain is usually on the right side but something could be causing the pain to be on the left side. What do you think?

She told me to call my lap-band doctor to see if they ever heard of anything like this.

Definitely call your lapband doc. When my stomach lining was irritated, I often had pain in my back/side on the left. With getting my band totally unfilled, it allowed my stomach to heal and I do not have those probs any more. Worth a call! That would also explain why caffeine bugs you more; it prob irritates the stomach more, thus causing the flare up.

My gallbladder pain never hurt my side (I had it removed in Aug). It hurt right down the middle, always centered. It would move up, down, up, down - but never to a side. That's part of why it was so hard to reach a diagnosis. Do call, but it doesn't sound band-related from the info above - as it lasts for days, irritated by caffeine, etc. The sharp pain with deep breaths can be a sign of being stuck, but you'd likely have constant pain that got worse with deep breaths, and it definitely wouldn't go away only to com eback with caffeine. I'm surely not a doc tho, so do call.

I have not been banded yet but I have had that same pain. I was in and out of the hospital and they ran all of the tests for gallstones but found nothing. However, when I finally had an appointment with a surgeon he mentioned that it sounded like my ejection fraction (contraction of the gallbladder) was low. I had a Hepatobiliary (HIDA) scan which confirmed the same. This problem does not show up on the CAT scans or ultrasounds! Hope this helps!

I had a major gall bladder attack (rushed to the ER cause I thought I was having a heart attack). Pain was severe in the middle of my chest then radiated around the left side. Definitely sounds like it could be gall bladder. Did they do an ultrasound on you?

My insurance is switching the 1st of february, so I won't do any test till after. Did the pain stay there for a couple hours or days? My lasting about 2 days and then the next 2 time only lasted like a couple of hours. I haven't had the pain since last week.

Jax, it sounds like the same thing you had.

I only had one major attack and that was enough for me to get the surgery done right away. I think it was within a couple of weeks and during that time I watched what I ate to make sure I avoided a reoccurence. It was definitely something I didn't want to repeat. I had pain so bad it made me nauseous. I know that some people will have periodic episodes depending on if the stones are restricting the flow of bile (or something like that). I didn't have a blockage so didn't have to have emergency surgery but if they had said I should have surgery that night I would have done it!

Do some research on the Internet about signs and symptoms and see what you find out, but it sure sounds like gall bladder to me.

I have searched a good bit but everything on the gallbladder, says the pain is on the right side. I know the pains are stabbing and the deeper you take a breath the more it would hurt. I felt like I didn't want to breathe. thanks so much for the info.

Mine was definitely right beneath the sternum and radiated around the left side. I would still have your doctor check just to make sure.

Good luck!

Yes the pain felt like it was in my left breast all over the left side and into the back. The pain is not stabbing anymore but every once in a while I can still feel the feeling is still slightly there in my back area. I will get checked after the 1st of Feb. Thank you!

In the meantime, try to keep your diet low in fat. For some reason it aggravates the situation. If the pain gets so bad that you are getting sick, don't hesitate to go to the hospital. If one of the stones blocks the duct, it can be fatal! Any particular reason why you are having to wait until after the 1st?

My insurance is switching to a cheaper deductable through work and it goes in effect on the 1st. I see my lapband Dr. on the 4th so I hope I can put it off for a little while, I havn't had a really bad attack since Dec. Another symptom I think I have is nausea, I just ate dinner and I am really nausea.

How are you feeling? There is another woman on the boards here who just had an ultrasound today and it looks like she has gall stones. She is waiting to hear from the surgeon. If you have a severe attack, please go to the ER as soon as possible.

I had to reply!

I'm currently awaiting my gallbladder surgery. I've been having major attacks. I think the attacks are completely different for everyone. My family members that had it removed told me "nah, it can't be. That's not how it felt for me." But my back would be a dull ache and then the middle of my stomach (underneath my breasts) would be in excruciating pain and tender to the touch. My back would hurt all over (left and right shoulder blades) ... the latest attack that sent me to the E.R. lasted over 10 1/2 hours. It's definitely worth looking into the gallbladder thing. I think the symptoms are little bit different for everyone. Has the pain been causing you to be nauseated? The pain for me was so awful I was throwing up regularly. The pain meds aren't much better and make me throw-up too ... blah. Good luck!!!!!! =( You poor thing, I feel for ya.

I would also have them check your pancreas. I had pain on my left side, and it was awful. I ended up being diagnosed with Pancreatitis, and I know caffeine can aggravate that as well.