left-side pain for 1 week post-cholecystectomy

[Mo72]

Hello,

my wife had gallbladder out (laparoscopic) 1 week ago. The surgeon did not report any problems with the operation. Since then she's been having pain in her back, mainly on the left. She has also had some very yellow diarrhea, but we read in the pamphlet that this might happen for a short time after the surgery. Nobody ever told us about the possibility of back pain; the surgeon did not seem to think it could possibly have anything to do with the gallbladder/bile duct.
Our question has four parts:
1. How frequently does this kind of pain follow cholecystectomy within a week? In other words how common is this side effect?
2. How frequently does this kind of pain go away by itself?
3. In cases where back pain is indeed a transient effect of cholecystectomy, then how long does it tend to last?
4. If it doesn't go away by itself, is there anything we can do about it? Anything that doesn't involve more cutting?

Thank you very much for your attention to these questions.

[Kevin Pho, MD]

To answer your questions:
1) The incidence and length of post-operative pain would vary depending on the patient.  The average time to performing normal activities is 1-2 weeks.  

2) 30% of people would require pain medications to control the post-op pain, in the rest of the cases, the pain most likely goes away on its own.  

3) It is possible that back pain may be due to the surgery, however to be sure you should follow-up with your surgeon to ensure that a more serious complication (i.e. bile duct leak) isn't present.

4) If the pain doesn't go away, I would suggest follow-up with your surgeon.  I repeat ultrasound should be considered to evaluate for this.  

Followup with your personal physician is essential.

This answer is not intended as and does not substitute for medical advice - the information presented is for patient education only. Please see your personal physician for further evaluation of your individual case.

Thanks,
Kevin, M.D.

[clintmd]

Yellow diarrhea is worrisome for C. difficile colitis.  I would ask that stool studies be performed.

[surgeon]

There are possible causes related and unrelated to the surgery: how far to go to investigate further depends on the severity, and the course it's following (getting worse, or better), and the presense of any other symptoms. Pancreatitis is a possibility, as is bile duct stone, or even a small leakage of bile. Also, even with the small incisions of laparoscopy, it can affect for awhile how one carries oneself, and any abnormal stooping, etc, can put a strain on the back. Back pain is common for a while after any kind of surgery on the abdomen. If I were her surgeon, I'd consider starting with a couple of blood tests if it weren't showing signs of improving soon.