Mel Zeisler
If the acid reflux medications are not working, and likewise for the bland diet, you could be having the same problem an ex-girlfriend of mine had, also at about your age, whereby nobody, even doctors, wants to believe that you have gallstones, mainly because you keep telling them that your pains are in the middle of your chest rather than on the left side where the gallbladder is located! . As a general health consultant for my family and friends, self-taught by many of their problems and mine, and by excellent books, the internet (now), etc., even then (early in my new "career", after giving up El. Eng'g.), I could sense that this could be a case of "referred pain" - projecting in an unusual direction, probably due to stones caught in a little duct to the left of the gallbladder. I got her to new doctors, and to a hospital, all of which led to her having her gallbladder removed! The result: no more pain, and she's been fine ever since! . Sometimes, the problem is that the doctor doesn't have ultrasound or Catscans, or other special tests performed that can identify (almost invisible) cholesterol stones rather than more easily visible calcium salts. Thorough testing is needed, and quickly, to avoid infections, etc.. . But I'm not sure that your medications cover the possibility of peptic ulcers, so just get yourself a well-esteemed specialist in GI problems first! (Where are you located? I may be able to recommend one.) . By the way, most gallbladder operations, as in the case of my friend, are done laparoscopically - via little holes through which fiber-optic viewing ducts and removal tubes and tools are inserted for this (painless) "operation". Recovery time is usually less than 3 days; the chance of an infection afterwards, as happened with another friend, will be quickly recognized and remedied! Have no fear! . I'm not a doctor, so I should only be considered a better guide for you than you have (evidently) had so far! Good Luck! [I live in Forest Hills, NY, by the way.] . (An afterthought is the possibility of an "esophogeal hernia", usually developed by fat people, with big stomachs and nervous or restless eating habits. A new operation is now available for this condition. Ask your doctor for an opinion.)