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Pain after Gallbladder Removal
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MedHelp Member's Question

Pain after Gallbladder Removal

by Suffering after Gallbladder removal, Sep 19, 2002 12:00AM
I have been suffering for 2 years.  I had my gallbladder removed

and the pain returned 2 months to the day.  I have had MRI, Endoscope, ERCP, Cat Scan, Ultra Sound.  I went to a pain management clinic and an Osteopath and even tried Acupunture



I've seen the top Gastro Doc at MGH in Boston and no one can diagnose what is wrong with me.  They left me with only one choice exploratory surgery.



Can someone email me what test they can do which will show

what this is.  It's like they never took the damm thing out.



I am reaching the end of the line.  I can't take it anymore.



I haven't slept well for 2 years.  2-4 hr  a day.



I stopped taking all the pain medicine they gave me because it

was just masking the systoms that something is really wrong.



If anyone knows a good doctor in the Boston area that can help me

please email it back to me.



The pain stays in one place right hand side just under the rib cage ( where my gallbladder used to be )



HELP ME

thanks
Member Comments (13)

by nadia, Sep 20, 2002 12:00AM
I have had the same thing happen to me, except that my pain never stopped even after the gallbladder was removed. It radiates into the chest and back area and is quite disabling.  I have to wait 6 months to see a specialist because of backlog.  My problem is that I have no other symptoms except pain, and the doctors don't take it very seriously. I want more testing done and don't really know what else to ask for since I have had just about everything done.  I truly believe the pain I have is something pre-existing to the gallbladder condition. My doctor thinks it may be sphincter of oddi dysfunction, but I was told by the person who did the Hida scan that it would have shown up there. So I am at a loss as well.  If you have any luck with your surgery please let us know.  Good luck!

by Nanny, Sep 20, 2002 12:00AM
To: nadia
Sphincter of Oddi usually can be determined with an ERCP with monometry, have you had this done?  I don't know whether it will accurately show with a HIDA scan.  If you think this may be your problem, I've pasted some information about this below.  You may have developed pancreatitis as a result of the SOD.



Sphincter of Oddi Dysfunction



Sphincter of Oddi dysfunction and papillary stenosis are conditions which occur when this sphincter (opening) mechanism is disturbed. When the hole is too tight, there is a backup of bile and pancreatic juices. This can cause pain (biliary colic). More prolonged obstruction may result in bile leaking back into the blood stream, resulting in abnormalities of the liver function tests, or even yellow jaundice (discoloration of the eyes and skin). Also, blockage to the pancreatic orifice can cause pancreatic pain or attacks of pancreatitis.



Papillary Stenosis can be caused by passage of stones, or scarring after treatments (e.g. endoscopic or surgical sphincterotomy). Papillary stenosis usually results in sufficient backup of bile flow that there is stretching (dilatation) of the bile duct. This can be recognized by scans and various x-rays, including ERCP. Papillary stenosis requires endoscopic or surgical treatment. The hole is enlarged by cutting, to improve drainage. Occasionally it is necessary to do a surgical bypass (choledochoduodenostomy, or Roux-en-Y hepaticojejunostomy) to insure that drainage is effective.



Spasm of the Sphincter



This is a more difficult problem. It may be one  manifestation of other muscular spasm problems in different areas of the body (such as the esophagus or intestine--irritable bowel syndrome). However, in some patients, it is the prevailing complaint, and requires focal attention. The pain symptoms are very similar to those caused by bile duct or gallbladder stones. Indeed, sphincter of Oddi dysfunction most frequently occurs in patients who have previously undergone removal of the gallbladder (cholecystectomy). Some patients present with unexplained attacks of acute pancreatitis when the pancreatic sphincter is involved predominantly.



Diagnosis of sphincter of Oddi Dysfunction



Initially, tests are aimed to make sure that there are no stones present. Standard ultrasound and CT scans are not very accurate in detecting or excluding bile duct stones; newer techniques such as MRCP and endoscopic ultrasound are more sensitive, but not yet widely available. Most patients are investigated with ERCP. The doctor can examine the drainage hole of the bile duct at the papilla of Vater, and inject dye into the bile duct and pancreatic duct to look for stones and other forms of obstruction. The possibility of sphincter spasm (dysfunction) is considered only when these other conditions have been excluded. Dysfunction can be recognized by a special technique during ERCP, called sphincter of Oddi manometry (SOM). This involves passing a small catheter (tube) into the bile duct and pancreatic duct, to measure the squeeze pressure.

by Bluitt, Sep 20, 2002 12:00AM
I would like to thank you for sharing what you are going through reguarding you gallbladder, because I am going throught the same thing at this time.



I have have my gallbladder removed one year and three months now but the pain only stopped a little while.  At first I thought this was a sever case of gas and that I could have been going crazy because my gallbladder was gone.  The pain has gotten so bad that I've have to vist the ER several time this year, there hasn't been anything such as pain medication or any other type of medication that has helped with my pain at all.  Now my doctor is dicussing surgery