Post operative gallbladder pain

[PoisonIvyleaf]

I had my gallbladder removed 4 months ago by keyhole surgery beginning of November 2007.  Since then I've had nothing but problems and pain.  I also have diverticulosis which doesn't help anyway.  The GP says that 4/10 suffer with problems - that was a great comfort  not!  I don't feel well at all.  Had an infection in my bellybuttom short after the op, had bad nausea when I got hungry and after I ate.  This has settled a bit but I still feel nauseated when hungry.  My bowels alternate between diarrhoea/constipation but this could be attributed to my diverticulosis anyway and pain killers.  I was given 30/500 solpadol and started feeling really ill and started getting awful irregular heart beats - galloping then missing beats.  Was put on Propranalol (beta blocker) to control this.  Then I read in the side effect list of the Solpadol that this shouldn't be taken if you've recently had a gallbladder op.  I have osteo-arthritis as well so as I can't take aspirin wanted pain relief for everything.  But now I can't take that.  I have nothing I can take that helps any of my pain.

My abdomen is 'sensitive' anyway, I get crampy pains down the left side which is the diverticular disease I have.  But the pain I have since my gallbladder was removed is under my right rib and occasionally across to the left side.  It feels as if there is 'something there' constantly under my right rib, it feels badly 'bruised' any movement makes it worse so its affecting my general activity and really restricted me doing housework.  The whole business has made me very depressed and I'm in tears every day.  I used to drive but sold my car and travelling in a car is very uncomfortable especially when going round corners as it pulls my stomach/gallbladder area.

I've got an appointment next week for an upper abdomen scan.  I'm dreading what they might find as I'm now terrified of hospitals and having more surgery.  I now get panic attacks - in fact I'm a complete mental mess and exhausted as I'm never free of pain and haven't got anything to relieve it.  The only thing that helps a little is Valium but the GP is very reluctant to give me very many i.e. 14 2mg tablets per month - THAT'S NOT ENOUGH.

Somebody please write and say they've had all these problems and that THEY GOT BETTER.  So far wherever I've read, I never see that anyone recovers fully and is painfree.


This discussion is related to Post Lap Chole. Recurring Pain - SOD?.

[hopefull10]

seems I didnt get the whole message out but also have a feeling of a lump in my right side under my ribs in my abdomen and never knew what this was, also I get a ache in my waist on the right side.Does anyone else get this please?I had my gall bladder removed in May of last year.

[hopefull10]

t I am trying to say is that it is comforting to know that others are feeling the same.Thanks for the explanation of nerves finding each other, so perhaps this is the aches I am getting too.
    Thanks again.

[miserable_sinner]

Haven't read all the replies, but just wanted to reply to the op and say how I sympathise with you.  I had my op at the end of Oct last year and all was going well until just recently.  I'm starting to get the colicky pain in my right side and up round my back.  Also really bloated and look pregnant again.  I'm finding it really hard to tolerate fatty foods and am back on the meds again - metoclopramide and ranatidine. My GP is sending me for liver function tests and I'm assuming that after that it may be scans to find out if they've left any stones behind as he did ask me if I was sure they got everything out.  

Before I had my op I came here to have a look around, just to find out what I'd have to go through with the procedures I was having etc.  I was a bit scared by all the negative experiences.  I was so grateful to have what seemed like a normal recovery with no issues.  It didn't last long! Lol!  

Also wanted to say op that I too had the palpitations!  I'm glad I'm not the only one.  They got so bad that they began to get really uncomfy and hurt my chest.  That was the main reason I went back to my GP this week, but he's said my heart is fine thankfully.  Are the palpitations a normal side effect of a cholecystectomy or is it just the drugs?  I thought it might be the drugs I was taking so stopped taking them.  That was back in November and I'm still having the palpitations. My GP seemed a bit nonplussed by them.

Anyway op, I do hope that you get it all sorted out soon. X

[shurely]

Sorry for all of your problems. I can imagine how discouraged you get. I tell myself all the time that things could be worse. That doesn't help sometimes but its very true. Hope you're feeling better today.

[PoisonIvyleaf]

I think what makes it worse is all the other things I have that cause pain anyway and it's just been said to me that I might have fibromyalgia.  So that's osteo-arthritis in both hips  / osteo-arthritis in thorasic spine affecting 2 vertebrae and I get pain under my left shoulder blade (physiotherapist won't do anything as he said it would have no long-term effect - accupuncture didn;t work but then he did only put 4 needles in - one on the top of each foot between big toe and next one in and one one each hand in the 'pad' between the thumb and index finger - known as the 4 gateways.  He'd only done 6 months accupuncture training and I personally know that trained accupuncturists do about 3 years and I don't think he used the right tsubo points anyway),  Anyway - I still get slightly puffy ankles - no-one knows why.  My irregular heart beat - galloping then missed beats the gp thinks is due to stress and put me on Propranalol - was told to gradually reduce them - on the 3rd day on havingt just 1 x 10mg tablet.  Then there's the diverticulosis - my guts just play up and if I get wind etc or constipated (due to painkillers side effects) then I get cramps and pain.

The gallbladder stuff you know all about.  BUT the overall whammy of pain from what I've mentioned above not to mention the mental effect it's having on me really makes me so down and miserable.  You truly feel you'll never ever get better - be free of pain - or able to live a normal live and do normal activities every again.

What doesn't help is all the other **** that's happened to me over the last couple of years either - but that's another story and all you want to hear here is being specific regarding gastro-intestinal issues.

I don't have any friends, social life etc. etc. so that makes me feel very isolated and alone - not great is it.  Hard not to sound the typical victim and poor old me - but facts are facts - this is what I live with and I'm pissed off feeling like this.

Sorry - not a good day today.

[shurely]

Just wanted to tell you that I agree that your explanation was great! Why can't drs. put it like that? You are so encouraging. Thanks for being here for all of us!

[PoisonIvyleaf]

Bless you for your beautiful explanation - it all makes sense loud and clear when you explain it like that and yes those nerves are telling me loud and clear lol.  The whole thing was scaring me so much and as you know, the 'little voice' in the brain that's so good at convincing you that there's a problem has been rabbiting away ten to the dozen !!

I really do appreciate your post you've no idea how much comfort and support that has given me.  Thank you. XXX

[CalGal]

Have you ever had a deep, deep cut? And have you watched it heal? if you have, you'd realize that it can take a heck of a long time for everything to heal and to have the pain disappear. When you start to heal, the body puts out 'quick tissue fix' and knits everything together to make sure there's some kind of a barrier in place. That could take only a few days, but then it starts remodeling the whole thing over the next 6-8 months to make sure it's permanent and tough - so it can withstand stress and strain. During that time it tears down the old 'scaffolding' and resturctures it and fills in the gaps with permanent tissue. And during that time you've got nerves that are constantly being impacted by the remodeling process. In addition, some nerves have been cut during the surgery and those nerves are very unhappy with the situation. Some try to regenerate and reconnect, others can't. But there's a lot of 'firing' going on that's unnecessary in your mind, but for the nerves it 's an important process of trying to reconnect.

I don't think there's any way of giving you a time frame. Just think of all of those tissues and nerves, though, desperately trying to hook up, fill in and reconnect. Right now they're not very happy with what happened to them, and they're letting you know loud and clear.

[PoisonIvyleaf]

No my level of pain isn't as bad as you describe.  Just had the scan and the doctor said he couldn't see anything that could be a post op complication of the surgery.  I have to see the GP again after Easter so I wouldn't be surprised if she does another blood test for liver function.  Thank you for the advice.

It is comforting to hear that the pulling and soreness can go on for some time - what would you classify as 'some time' though.  My Uncle had problems for a whole year but is okay now.  If only someone could say that it will settle because I've met a mixture of folk who have either had no problems at all to those who have had problems for months and months and even 2-3 years down the line still get occasional pains/discomfort.

[CalGal]

There are many people that have no problems at all, but you won't see them on the boards because they're happy and don't need to post.

Are you following a low fat diet? I know many docs say you can eat anything you want, but you're not going to be able to process fats the way you did before you had the surgery. Many people find that it takes quite awhile for their system to return to normal.

Pulling and soreness can go on for some time, unfortunately.

But if you're having pain that is similar to what is described as severe pain in the area of the gallbladder - not just discomfort - pain that radiates into the back, pain that feels like you're having a heart attack, pain that has you doubled-up on the floor, you should talk to your doc about 1) having an MRCP to see if there are any changes/abnormalities/stone in the common bile duct, 2) make sure to have liver function tests run to see if there's any 'backup' of bile into the liver, 3) have your pancreatic enzymes checked, and 4) if necessary, talk about the necessity of having an ERCP with manometry done to check for elevated ductal pressures. But the ERCP should be the last option because it is invasive and carries with it the risk of pancreatitis.