Post Gallbladder surgery pain.

[lisa]

I had my gall bladder removed in early December VIA the laproscopy method.  My recovery has been relatively uneventful with the exception to the fact that I cannot lay on my left side. This position causes me to have a burning, crampy  pain in my chest cavity as well and in and around the area of my right shoulder and up  the right side of my neck.   The pain is so intense that it actually causes me to be unable to breathe and I need to change position immediately.

Should I be concerned or is this a common symptom after this type of surgery and if so,  how long until it goes away?    

Thank you very much for any help that you may offer.

Lisa

[Andy]

I had my gallbladder removed in '95 & expected my symptoms to disappear. No luck. I continued to have attacks very similar to those I'd had before the surgery. My symptoms would exacerbate & remit (at times they would be quite mild) without me taking any particular precautions. Unfortunately, whenever I did have a flare-up, I'd go back to my internist, who was unable to come up with anything. He sent me back to the gastoenterologist who'd initially confirmed the gallbladder diagnosis. More bloodwork, 2 more scopes, CT scan, stomach acid ph test, motility test, all turned up nothing. Trials on Prilosec, Pepcid, Prevacid, Bentyl, Levsin, Donnatal,and Propulsid (what a nightmare that was!), all to no avail. Finally, my gastro mentioned the possibility of Sphincter of Oddi dysfunction (also called biliary dyskinesia or Odditis). I just recently began to research this condition. Apparently, the sphincter at the end of the common bile duct can malfunction & spasm (either before or after gallbladder surgery) & produce symptoms which we recognize as being related to gallbladder attacks. My gastro recommended that I have ERCP & sphincter manometry (a procedure which exams the bile ducts for stones, obstructions, or abnormal pressures in either the sphincter or the ducts). Stones & obstructions may be removed and/or the sphincter cut to relieve pressure. Unfortunately, there can be some very nasty complications with this procedure (primarily pancreatitis, either mild or acute, as well as long-term complications which might actually make your conditon worse). Having read about & been informed of the risks by the doctor who was going to do the procedure on me, and having read posings by people who've had it done (mostly negative), I chose NOT to do it. I will try diet (eliminate fatty & fried foods, chocolate, dairy, spicy, citrus & anything else that can irritate the digestive tract, at least for awhile), medication (nitrates, anti-spasmodics, and calcium channel blockers have been shown to be of some benefit), relaxation techniques (stress has been shown to be a provacateur of this condition), aloe vera (2 oz. three time daily to soothe the digestive tract),exercise, and any other technique that I come across that may be helpful. I will say that this condition has waxed and waned over the last five years without any precautions on my part except one: the Liver/Gallbladder Flush. I'll post that later for anyone who might be interested. It really helped me in the past & offered lengthy periods of relief. Oftentimes, after I completed this procedure, I'd find gallstone-like objects in the toilet the next morning. Yellowish-green, crystalline masses. Invariably, the area around my liver felt much better & my symtoms would disappear. For all I know, somebody else may have tried this & posted it. In the meantime, good luck to everyone & I'll report back in the future as to my progess, now that I know what I'm dealing with & have plotted a course of action.

[Bestboyfriend]

Hello everyone, (this story has a happy ending) my girlfriend was suffering from the exact same symptoms as all of you, sharp pain in right shoulder, burning pain under rib, numbness whole right side, the worst of the worst. I stayed by her the whole time and was like many of you who suffered by seeing our loved ones suffer. So I started to research, this was just before her first hida scan and after ct scans, blood work a milloion times, everyone saying she's crazy. I figured out that this was something with her gallbladder. 2 days later doc says she has 3% bile pass. Before she can even see the surgeon and a little while after a plate of wheat pancacks, I have to take her to the e.r. After alot of crying and morphine, they take out her gallbladder. They released her that day and after eating some crackers, she goes right bAck into the same pain. So I did more reasearch and found the "ciliac" syndrome, it may be listed above, thank you very much if it is. Anyway, while she said eveything was throbbing I touched her gland under her right jaw and she cried even harder, that's when I realized that she was having an alergic reaction. (I saw someone have a reaction to peanuts) I gave her 2 benadryl and after a few minutes she said the throbbing and dizziness has gone down.  I Researched some more and found out about how glutens can over time, make your gallbladder shut down or get stones. I looked at the cracker box and sure enough, wheat. What happens is kids go to the doctor with all these symptoms and the doctors just come up with something and let you wither in pain for ages, while they go on eating food you would never know had gluten and no one makes a connection. After a while, the gallbladder goes and nothing happens. If you want to test yourself, then the next time you have an attack, feel your glands, if they're swelled, then that's probably your problem. I asked the surgeon about ciliac and he had no idea. once you put two and two together you'll realize that many doctors and surgeons need a slap. I also realized that this affects women alot more than men. I hope this helps you because my reasearch saved my girlfriend from alot of heartache. Oh, we also talked to a girl who went through this and she gave us alot of advice, she said reading lables and just knowing what to look for will save your life.

[ruth tate]

I HAD MY GALL BLADDER REMOVED IN DECEMBER,99. SINCE THEN I HAVE HAD SEVERE CHEST PAIN JUST LIKE WHEN I HAD THE BAD GALL BLADDER.
MY SURGEN RAN A BLOOD TEST TO SEE IF IT WAS PANCREATITAS, BUT IT CAME BACK NORMAL. I WENT TO MY REGULAR DR. TODAY AND HE IS STUMPED, I AM STARTING TO THINK HE DOUBTS MY PAIN.
THE PAIN IS IN MY CHEST AND GOES UP MY NECK WHERE SOMETIMES ITS HARD TO BREATH.
DOES ANYONE HAVE A SUGGESTION?
THANKS,
RUTH

[Annette]

Comment to Leticia:
In light of the complications I have had for the past 4 months since my gallbladder surgery, I would NOT recommend surgery!!!!!!!!  Spare yourself the trouble and seek the help of a dr who uses "natural" methods of healing.  Colon cleansing, liver cleansing, etc.  If I could do it over, I would NEVER had had my gallbladder removed!  I have WAY MORE problems now than I did before with no answers.  Drs do the surgery and then walk away from you.  NO answers when it doesn't go the way they expect.  If natural methods don't work, then resort to surgery but use it as your LAST resort, not first!!!

[Andy]

I expected my symptoms to disappear. No luck. They never disappeared completely, although I would have periods where they would be better & other times when I would have flare-ups. The symptoms themselves were nearly identical to those that I'd had before the surgery. It was like having gallbladder attacks all over again. I also noticed that stress would set these attacks off. After more testing; stomach acid ph test, motility test, another 2 scopes, 3 cardiac stress tests, more bloodwork (all tests negative), and trials on Prilosec, Prevacid, Propulsid (what a horror that was!), Levsin, Bentyl, Donnatal, it was finally suggested that I might have a problem with Sphincter of Oddi. Apparently, this sphincter at the base of the common bile duct can malfunction either before or after gallbladder surgery & can create symptoms similar to those that we recognize as being related to gallbladder attacks. I only just recently began to research this conditon, called "biliary dyskinesia" or "Odditis". My gastroenterologist recommended ERCP & sphincter manometry (a procedure in which the bile ducts are examined for stones,obstructions,and abnormal pressure in the ducts or sphincter is evaluated). Stones or obstructions may be removed, or a cut in the sphincter may be performed to help release pressure. Unfortunately, there are often nasty complications from this procedure (pancreatitis, mild or acute, as well as long-term complications that may actually make your conditon worse)& no promises that the procedure will even work to eliminate your symptoms. After reading about the risks & hearing about them from the doctor who was going to perform this procedure on me, as well as reading postings from people who've had it done (mostly negative), I chose NOT to have it. I will try diet (avoiding fats, chocolate, spicy foods, citrus, etc. to ease some of the GI symptoms and try to prevent sphincter/duct spasms) and medication (nitrates, anti-spasmodics, and calcium channel blockers have been shown to have some benefit), relaxtion techniques (stress has been shown to be a provacateur in this sydrome), aloe vera gel (2 oz. three time daily) to soothe the stomach, as well as any other techniques that I may come across that may be of benefit. I can tell you that this condition has exacerbated & relapsed (during which symptoms were fairly mild) for me over the past 5 years without any special treatment from me except for one: the Liver/Gallbladder Flush. If you've never heard of it, it is something that you might want to consider trying. I always found it to be of benefit in the past, especially before I had my gallbladder surgery (it really provided relief). It seems to clean out the liver & gallbladder & I often found stone-like masses (yellowish-green masses that often looked crystalline & had the consistency of candlewax) in the toilet on the morning after having completed it. Invariably, my pain around the liver area would disappear & my symptoms would subside for lengthy periods of time. I'll post the procedure later for anyone who might be interested. For all I know, somebody else may have tried it and posted it already. In the meantime, good luck to all. I will record my own results in future, now that I know what I'm dealing with & have plotted a course of action.

[Joanne Bergstrom]

Well, you can add me to the list of people who have had their gallbladder out and are in chronic pain.
     I had mine out after feeling nausea and some small amount of pain. That was 9 months ago.
     Immediately after getting it out, the nausea was intensified. The pain was so intense, it felt like I had been shot with a bullet. Laying on my right side was impossible. It took me 6 months to have a solid stool. (Never a problem before).
     I have had every test and tried every drug available. I am still in pain. The nausea is better, but not better than before the operation. The pain is in my solar plexus, my right and left upper quadrant.
     I have been told that it is "post cholysyscestomy (sic) syndrome" and that it will clear up in a year. I have my doubts, and of course, hopes.
     Oh yes, I also now have very deep burps that are never ending and independent of eating or not.
     Does this sound familiar to anyone? God, I wish I still had my gallbladder. I wasn't half this sick before. Other than this, I've never had any health problems before.

[Annette]

I find these comments so interesting.  I had gallbladder surgery in Oct 99 and have had pain since.  I had pain in the middle of my chest prior to the surgery.  I was told I had gallstones but after surgery there were only sand particles in the gallbladder.  I now have pain in the area where the gallbladder was, in the front and back, as well as back pain, which I have now been told is a pinched nerve (unrelated to the other pain).  In the past few weeks, I have been experiencing pain every time after I eat in the area where the gallbladder was.  Anyone experience this?  Why do I have more pain now than before the surgery and pain whenever I eat?  Any suggestions?  My dr is now saying its my colon but I am skeptical.  I have pain in the chest, back and side.

[dean]

I had lapriscoic gallbladder removal in early December.  For years I suffered what I thought was heartburn or reflux or maybe a hiatal hernia.  I would get a lot of pain in the middle of my chest around the solar plexus and it would radiate into my upper chest. I am 39 years old and I must of had this pain for about 10-12 years.  The past couple of years I have put on some weight and the pains got worse.  My doctor put me in the hospital last year to rule out my heart.  6 months later I had an endoscopy which showed nothing.  A couple of months later I wound up in the emergency room with the most sever pain of my life. (and I have had several kidney stones) The pain was in the middle and right side of my abdomen.  My liver enzymes went through the roof and they told me it was a gallstone.  Luckily the stone passed but they told me the gallbladder had to come out.  

Since the surgery all the pain that I had been having  over the years is gone. The surgery was painfull for the first few days but the recovery went by quick.  Now I still feel a little week but I am ok and for the first time pain free.

It turns out my gallbladder was filled with stones and not working.  How could the doctors mis diagnose me for that long. Over the years I must have taken a million antacids or thought I was having a heart attack a hundred times. The doctors excuse is that my symptoms were not typical gallbladder sypmtoms. It took winding up in the hospital in what could have been a life threatening situation to figure out what was wrong. So if any of you are experiencing the same type of pain as I did, having my gallbladder removed has taken away the pain.
I hope this is helpfull to someone.

If you have any questions you can Email me at ***@****

[battlelines]

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[sp4life]

Well i have my gallbladder remove did have some pain after the surgery but with the help of some pain pills am doing fine but my worry now its five days the surgery but still if i go to use the number 2 nothing comes I've been eating a lot of fruits, drinking a lot of water and juice with cereals, what may be causing that.
Musa

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[Karen]

hi everyone.  I had open gallbladder surgery on July 19, 2000.  Its been 5 weeks since my surgery.  I was just wondering if anyone else had the open surgery and can tell me what I should expect in the near future as far as healing and pain management. My doctor tells me I will have pain for at least 2 weeks following surgery, but I am still having trouble laying on either side.  Sometimes I also have a burning sensation in my abdomen area that I cannot seem to pinpoint.  It seems to radiate to different parts of my incision line.  I have a 9 1/2 inch incision on below my last rib and another 5 inch incision starting below my umbilicus and continuing above.  My doctor tried using the scope for my surgery,  but couldn't see,  therefore I had to have open surgery.  I would just like to hear from those that have had the open surgery and give me your thoughts about pain and incisional pain.  Thanks

[k.n.]

I had my gallbladder removed laproscopically in early May this year and have had a horrible time since then. The first 3 weeks following surgery where the worst with extreme pain in the right upper quadrant especially when I would take a deep breath. I even went to the ER 2 weeks post-op due to severe pain, which they did a Cat Scan of the abdomen which revealed a small amount of inflammation around the surgical site which they said was probably expected. My diagnoses pre-op was acalculus choleycystitis(no stones just a dysfunctional gallbladder with ejection fraction of 23%). So my continued pain post-op could not be due to any remaining stones in the duct. I was put on Naprosyn an anti-inflammatory med after my visit to the er which has helped but if I don't take it I get extreme pain in the right abdomen under the right ribs. My doctor order liver function blood tests which where all normal and He did do a sed rate which measures inflammation and mine is almost double what it should be. So, my guess is that I still 11 weeks post-op have inflammation which is not normal. Does any out there have this type of problem? I am wondering if it could be my body's reaction to the titanium clips that where left in to clamp the cysic duct. Any ideas? This is crazy to still be having this much pain. Any insight would be great.

[Pat]

To Jim in Pittsburgh Feb.22,2000
I to went in for a severe gallbladder attack and they had to do old fashioned 8" incision which was performed Jan. 18,2000.  I to have no feeling below my incision but also experiencing pain, burning, itching that I can't scratch because it causes terrible pain. I seem to have more discomfort from where the drainage tube was ripped out and across my stomach inside where the tube was. I also can't were a belt from where they tried to do the scope. I hope you feel better soon.  I have been told by different people I should have recovered in 3 to 6 months, surgeon office said a year wonder what the truth is and if they know.  I also was told to eat anything I want how can that be when you have a part of you that helped digest your fat. I also have bouts of horrible painful diarrea.  
Does the medical profession really know or are we all guinea pigs for their research?
In conclusion my surgeon refuses to see me unless my primary doctor refers me. Who refuses to do a liver enzyme test doesn't feel its necessary.

[Rocio L.]

Hello, everyone! I need your FEEDBACK!

I had what I would consider after reading this messajes, a mild attack a year ago, July '99. I would say that it was mild because it dissapeared after 30 minutes, and it was more an uncomfortable feeling of being nauseus, feeling like a presure in the bottom of my chest box and weekness.

A catscan, showed a gall bladder stone of about 3.5 cm in diametre. I was received by a surgeon in September of '99 and schduled for an operation on June 2000.  Since my first attack, I have had only 3 other similar attacks, and since January of this year, I have been feeling well and I have not have any other attack. (I was taking some homeopatic medication for a while back in January and February).

However, I do have a back pain between my shoulder blades that I never really thought could be related to my gall bladder (and the doctors never told me) until reading many of these comments, but even that pain is not intolerable. With massajes and muscle relaxants I could handle it well.

However, today, I got a call from the hospital, to tell me that due to a cancellation I can have my surgery done next MONDAY, JULY 24, 2000. Today is Thursday, July 13. That does not give me much time to really find out what other alternatives or post-operatory side effects I could expect or experience.

If I don't do the surgery next Monday, another 8 months could go by. I called the surgeon because it seems unusual and I feel uncomfortable, that I should go directly to surgery without some pre-operatory consultation. After all, it has been almost 9 months since I last saw the specialist.

On the one hand, I heard some people telling me that is better to have now the surgery than to wait until I get really sick and an emergency operation is needed. But I am also afraid that if I go through the surgery at this time, I might end up with more pain than what I have now. I am a woman in her 40's and generally, I am in good health.

And then I wonder if there is people out there that have known to have gall bladder stones for years and have managed to live what it could be a "normal" life...

I will appreciate hearing some of your suggestions and experiences, from ALL sides, those who have had a negative experience, as well as those who have had a positive post-surgery experience... but I will LOVE to hear from those who have learned to live... with their stones!

I NEED TO HEAR SOME OF YOUR VOICES! SOON!.... Please e-mail me your comments to ***@****

THANK YOU SO MUCH!

[lyn]

How can SO many people have post lap surgery pain with no answers from the doctors?  I had my gall bladder removed in 1991 and continued to experience pressure under my right rib and pain from there radiating around to my back.  The pain (or more like "discomfort") was more frequent during the first 3 years until today.  I had what felt exactly like a gall bladder attack.  Ultrasound showed no stones; liver and pancreas were fine.  My mother had the same surgery 3 years ago and continues to have trouble with discomfort.  Not having the surgery wasn't an option -- the pain was so severe, but we would certainly like to understand why we continue to have pain and discomfort.

[Craig]

I am suprised at how many people are suffering like me.
The initial pain which forced me to the ER was so bad I was wishing to pass out. After a number of scans; my Gallbladder was removed two days later. (stones? maybe, I didn't see any). I was home after a long weekend.

Two weeks later I was back in the hospital with exactly the same excruciating pain. I was given an ERCP. Just before I was administered the anaesthetic one of the nurses said, "I hope this one goes well?" I should have got up and walked out then... Immediately after this procedure, I developed severe acute Pancreatitis. I nearly died. Now, I am out of Hospital but still in pain. It is only a couple of months since my release, so I thought it would only be a matter of time before I would return to normal...normal? I suppose, without an organ...our bodies will not be the same.
I was told, just prior to surgery, that the Gallbladder was as necessary as the appendix? What is the reality? Right now My body feels like it is missing something. Right now I am in pain. I have an appointment coming up but. . .
I am glad to be alive, but don't like the uncertainty of this 'condition'. Good luck...

[Tammy]

I had my gallbladder removed in August of 99. Still have alot of pain at the incision site and also alot of itching. I have went back to the Dr. quite a few times complaining abut this to no avail, he says everything looks great. I also would just like to say if I had it to do over I probably would not. My problem was it was not functioning properly. I still have the same type pain and the nasuea I had prior to surgery.

[Sheri]

Ruth, Sounds to me like you have a bile duct injury from your laproscopy procedure.  Why don't you suggest this to your doctor as they are not very likely to mention that it could be a possibility, from my experience. Louise, this could be your problem also, it happens 1 in 300 operations.

[Noel Keen]

i had a lap chole oct 97 at age 25.  very healthy male.

pains continued several months later.  i've had several
doctors since then.  The latest explanation are stones
that originate elsewhere and are stopping in tubes that
connect my liver and stomach (forgive me for not knowing
the techincal terms).  Doctor performed procedure where
he sent a tube down throat into stomach, found the hole,
found stones, removed stones, made hole larger.  He told
me this may have to be done again in the future.  I've
also been on a drug called actigall which supposedly
breaks down stones making them easier to "pass" or go
wherever they need to go.  

Certainly possible that my gall bladder did not need to
be removed...

Beware.

Also, when stones cause blockage, it's not clear to me
what exactly happens.  An "attack" for me is a pain
originating in the upper right quadrant of my stomach
and then spreading across chest -- exactly where the liver
is -- hence an attack on the liver.  It is always
accompanied by pains in my lower back which i always
thought were muscle pains, but my doctor said it is
most likely my pancreas yelling about something.  When
i have an "attack" i can take pain killers but vicodin
or percocet doesn't always make everything better. As
silly as it sounds, the best thing for me is drinking
some form of simple sugars -- gatorade for example.
i think the sugars help the liver deal with the attack
and makes the pain go away for me -- of course this
does nothing for the stones wherever they are...
When i have repeated attacks then i get really sick
for several days and try to eat as little as possible.

My attacks only happen about once very 4 months or so.