Pain still after gallbladder surgery - Gastroenterology

by Sunshine5270, Mar 19, 2003 12:00AM

I feel your pain! I also had the pain you describe, with no "medical" reason. My opinion, and this is from 1-1/2 yrs of research and trial/error, it's a bile problem caused by the removal of the gallbladder. The gallbladder stores and releases the bile when you eat, and when they remove it, the bile is just continuously "running", so to speak. I suggest you watch your diet. I have become lactose intelorent since the gallbladder came out, so I avoid dairy. Also avoid very high fat foods. Eat 5 or 6 small meals a day, instead of three. I wish you luck. I have managed to get rid of most of the breastbone, right upper quandrant and back pain through following diet.

Sunshine

by surgeon, Mar 19, 2003 12:00AM

sludge in the gallbladder is a sort of "gray zone" thing: it may not mean there's anything wrong, but it can. So it may well be that the pain you were having was unrelated to the gallbladder, and that's why it's still there. Your story of lots of coughing prior to the pain raises the possibility of injury to the rib or muscles or cartilage attatched to it. That can take a long time to heal.

by Out of answers, Mar 19, 2003 12:00AM

Thank you to everyone for your thoughts and suggestions. I thought from the beginning it was pleurisy or that maybe I pulled a muscle or cracked a rib with all my coughing during the time I was sick with Bronchiditis. One morning I just woke up with the pain, which was the end of December. I made myself real clear to all three doctor's that I had Bronchiditis and coughed contiously for a month, but they all just kinda ignored that part saying it was not related to that. So like I said, I had my gallbladder removed and I still have the same pain. I was wondering how long, if it is a muscle pull or injury to rib, it will take before it heals or will I have to go in and have some kind of surgery to repair it? I wore a rib belt for two months that seemed to help a little. What about the numbness and tenderness under breastbone, is that related also? Thank you.

by Lillibet, Mar 20, 2003 12:00AM

To: out of answers

Hi,

I have the same kind of pain you talk about since gallbladder surgery. I use a heating pad daily, and sometimes I take a hot bath to see if that would help. I am having a colonoscopy and endoscopy done on April 7th to see what's going on....

I still can't eat anything spicy or a trace of fat, so it makes you wonder why go through gallbladder surgery if you have to live the same way as before!

I didn't have sludge nor stones, but they based the gallbladder problem on the fact that I could not digest fats, and was in terrible pain with each attack.

Let us know what you find out. I'll do the same

by Meg111, Mar 21, 2003 12:00AM

I had the same post gallbladder surgery pain that you are describing - the same pain that I had before the surgery - upper right quadrant and pain radiating thru to my back. I tried to find the food that was causing it but couldn't narrow it down to anything. I was put on Pepcid for 1 month. It took the entire month for the pain to go away...but it finally did.

For the first 3 weeks of the Pepcid...it didn't matter what I ate...the pain would still come. However, I quit drinking coffee on the 4th week...and that's when my pain subsided. I am now drinking coffee again with no pain. So I'm not sure if the Pepcid "healed" my stomache and not drinking coffee helped that...but it seems to have been a good combination. It's been over 1 month since I have had pain. Good luck!!!

by leslie48, Apr 09, 2003 12:00AM

I am a 48 y/o female...had a choli via scope end of Feb.'03...at my post op appt. I was still having similar pain, so was refered to GI specialist, who did an ERCP anticipating a stone in the sphincter of Odi. When he dilated the sphincter, it was so painful I woke in the middle of the procedure! Freaked all of us out, but they got me back to sleep finally, and did a sphincterotomy. This recovery was more painful than the first. Now, 4 weeks post s-otomy, I feel okay as long as I don't eat ANYTHING. Doesn't seem to matter what or how much I eat, the pain is relentless right-upper-quadrant. I am on an antispasmotic, which doesn't seem to do much, but I am not willing to see what happens if I stop taking it. I take it four times a day...30 min. ac plus one before bed. Nobody wants to talk about what may have happened when that tube was down my throat and I was thrashing and wretching around before they finally got me back to sleep, as it was a "new young doctor" who did the procedure, on a Sat. by himself with two nurses assisting. My question is, "how long is reasonable to experience this pinching pain after these two surgeries" and "is there anything to take to keep it from hurting so much, that is not addictive." I keep getting the brush off when I talk about the pain. Should I get a 2nd opinion? By the end of the day, I look 7 months pregnant, and it is to the point that I dread eating anything, and that's fine with me. It is not worth the pain anymore. I am usually a happy, healthy active woman and this is getting really old. I appreciate any input. Reading some of this information is really discouraging. Thanks.

by lisa27, Apr 13, 2003 12:00AM

I am having similar problems....

I had my gallbladder removed via laposcopic surgery in August of 2001, this being my only health problem ever. I am 23 years old and of normal weight and good health overall, but got stones from the birth control pill!

Anyway, after a slow recovery (not too slow, but seemed forever), I found that after 3-6 mo later I was getting terrible stomach aches again. Gastritis, the doc told me, and I went on Axid which helped a lot. Now, after being off Axid a while, at least 6 mo. I find pain in my gall bladder spot, tender, as it felt when it was first healing post-op, and last weekend I had violent vomiting in the middle of the night and morning for NO REASON! I had eaten only a few crackers! What is going on? I am afraid now I have something else!!!! Anyone know what this could be?? Also, there was a tiny bit of mucousy blood in my vomit.... like the kind you see on the tissue when you blow your nose during a dry winter.

by jenrn, May 30, 2003 12:00AM

leslie48, I read your note from April 9,03 and I hope you are still following this. I have been having pain for 3 months in mid to right upper abdomen. I feel fine until I eat. It doesn't matter what or how much I am, I am in agony. My stomach looks like I am 6 months pregnant after I eat. I have had an endoscopy, CT, Ultrasound,Gallbladder scan, Upper GI. All were normal. I have been set up twice for surgery (first for gallbladder, second for bowel obstruction)and they canceled both. I have lost 17lbs in 3 months and I am at my wits end!!!I am a healthy 33year old woman. They have decided that my stomach motility is slow and it does not empty fast enough therefore I have so much pain and discomfort. They gave me Zelnorm (which is for irritable bowel syndrome-which I don't have)and this will speed up my GI tract. I will be starting it in the morning and I will let you know if it works. I am a nurse and I am extremely frustrated with how this whole thing has progressed. I am glad that I did not have my gallbladder out after reading all of these notes.

by krisg, Jun 04, 2003 12:00AM

personally, I think doctors are much too quick to remove a gallbladder. Alot of docs don't take the time and patience to run proper tests and to rule out ALL possibilities of other problems before having gallbladder surgery. Therefore alot of people end up with additional problems after having surgery. It's a shameful cycle. I know first hand of pain and misery after having my gallbladder out 5 years ago. The pain I had before the surgery was nothing like what I suffer with now. The only advise I can usually give is to go to as many doctocs as it takes until you come across a doc who LISTENS to their patience, and takes time to really want to help you. Also, it is very important to gather ALL

by krisg, Jun 04, 2003 12:00AM

sorry my cat stepped on the keyboard!

Gather ALL your medical tests and notes from all hospital stays and doctor visits. This is what I chose to do about 3 years ago and finally pieced together important documentation to lead me to a diagnoses. I also traveled out of state to a dr. and hit the jackpot.(so to speak) He listened to my "story" and read thru my medical records and spent about an hour with me on the first visit! Wow, no dr. ever did that before. Just wanted to say that getting all of my records, I was able to study them and have proof when I went to a dr. and I also learned alot too.

Good Luck

by navy mom, Jun 10, 2003 12:00AM

Hi I to have had my gallbladder removed and that was'nt what was causing my problem. I have severe pain in the upper middle of stomach and I've been to 8 different Drs and no one can seem to have an anwser to where the pain is coming from. I've had every test possible and most of them 3 to 4 times and still no anwser to where the pain is coming from. I've had this for 2 and half years now and lived on pain pills. I've been in the emergency room countless times and they would give me shots of demerol and send me home. Just 5 days ago I had to go to emergency room because the pain was so severe I could not take it and the E.R. Dr. did blood work on me and said I had Pancreatitis. This is the first time in 2 1/2 years I've heard the word Pancreas. They say it's a possiability that this has been my problem all along. I will find out more in a couple of days when I go for my MRI. 6/10/03

by krisg, Jun 12, 2003 12:00AM

To: navymom

Glad to hear that someone finally figured something out for you. The sphincter of oddi muscle that allows exit of bile and pancreatic juices, sometimes clams shut and causes severe pain. I know, as I have experienced it on and off for 5 years. My pain has always lead to elevated liver enzymes (the bile duct side) or you can have pain from pancreatitis (the pancreatic side). Ususally one or both ducts get back-filled with juices and cause horrific pain. Yes, a couple of shots of demoral usually help me until the attack calms down. Seek out an excellent gastro. specialist that deals with bileduct/pancreatic diseases. There are some minor surgeries that may help. I had a biliary sphincterotomy done in Feb. and it has calmed my attacks down alot. They only come about every 3 weeks or so and the pain only lasts 1-2 hours. A big difference from before the surgery. Some lucky individuals get complete relief from these procedures as well. Good Luck.