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

[huffmama]

I have been having severe abdominal discomfort for aprox. 1 year. April 99 was is hospital for tests all of which reveals a
non functional gall bladder. Put on medication to finish out the
school year. June 99 had gall bladder removed. I was pain free for about 7-10 days. The the pain returned as before surgery.
Returned to surgeon who ordered more tests that revealed
nothing. Have lost 30-35 lbs and am on limited diet non fat,
non dairy, not spicy foods and especially no salads. All of which send me into extreme stomach spasms.  I have a tightness in
my abdomen under my belly button that feels like someone hasa super human grip on me. I also have vomiting and diarreha. Is there help for me out there?

[cynthea]

I am adding my name to the list of those with post cholestectomy pain. I had my gallbladder removed in 1986 and have had recurring "ghost gallbladder" pain off and on ever since. I've had endoscopy done and liver enzymes blood work which from time to time show elevation but no cause found. I wonder about stones being in the duct? Also often after this pain I will notice a change in the color of stool from normal to very light in color. Is this not an indicator of a stone? The pain generally begins in the right midsection and radiates to the right back and up the neck and jaw. It feels like a gripping, grinding pain that travels sometimes from right to left deep within. I generally just remain very still until it passes. There seems to be no one thing which precedes the pain as a causitive. Don't know what good this forum is when the doctors don't seem to know the cause or to even be concerned. I've been told that it was "nothing" and "it is your heart" and was put on a medicine for angina which didn't do a thing. Had stress test done....no problem found. But the pain still recurs and I shudder when the now familiar pressure begins.

[Karen S.]

I have been diagnosed with bilaiary dyskinesia, which is a 5% functioning gallbladder. My worst sympton is fullness in my chest which feels like someone is cutting off my air supply. My breathing gets labored, I drink 3-4-5 cans of 7-up, belch 10-15 times over periods of 2-3 hours, & then feel better. Along with chest pain from left to center to right, pain in my arm, heartburn & just a few major stomach aches.  I also have recently been diagnosed with GERD & Hiatel Hernia. I feel triple wammied!!!!! My gallbladder surgery is coming up, however I don't know how much longer I can live like this. I can't go anywhere without my 7-up. I have restricted my diet severly. No caffeine, alcohol, spicy foods, fatty foods, greasy foods, salads, cheeses. It feels like a heart attack & I have had a complete heart work up. I have even had an EP Study of the heart all they found was a rapid heart for which I take a heart pill called Zebeta daily. I also take prevecid 2 times a day for the GERD & Hiatal Hernia.  My main question & concern is will the gallbladder surgery help all of these symptoms. Are they somehow related. Most have the same symptoms according to my research.  It's to the point where I am truly affraid to eat.  Can anyone shed some light please & wish me luck.  Thanks in Advance

[Andy]

Hi to all fellow sufferers:

[Andy]

I'm new to this board, but can definitely relate to a number of postings here.  I suffered from gallbladder-related symptoms for at least 10 years, beginning during my first pregnancy.  I had pain in the upper right quadrant/liver area, burning stomach pain just beneath the breastbone & through to the middle of my back, a shaking feeling just beneath the breastbone (as though someone had tapped a tuning fork & placed it there & which sort of radiated throughout my body & into my arms & legs, like a humming sensation), chest pain, pain behind the right shoulder blade which radiated into the right arm & sometimes into the neck & face, nausea, headaches, dizziness, even blurred vision when an attack really got going, alternating constipation/diarrhea, and light colored stools (indicating that enough bile was not getting through). These attacks would last for hours, and at first I did not realize that they were related to eating. I just seemed to be sick all day long. But when you stop to think that you eat three times a day & that attacks can last for hours, you begin to recognize that being sick all day  is very possible. I went from doctor to doctor looking for answers. I had bloodwork, ultrasounds, MRIs, CT scans.  Everything was normal. Eventually, I began to notice some patterns. Certain foods really seemed to have a negative impact, particularly greasy or rich foods. I did some research & concluded that my symptoms sounded very much like gallbladder.  I checked into family history & discovered that my mother & both grandmothers had their gallbladders removed, and that my mom's problems had begun with her pregnancies also. Finally, I went to my internist with my suspicions & he ordered additional testing. Even so, further ultrasounds, more bloodwork, two scopes (colonoscopy & gastroscopy) turned up nothing. Only when I went in for a CCK Hidascan (this test measures actual gallbladder activity, not only whether or not you have stones) did abnormal gallbladder function show up. Surgery was ordered.  Continue>>>

[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.