Vomiting Bile

[jenner77]

My boyfriend had his gall bladder removed last Saturday. He is now vomiting a lot of bile. He can't keep anything down. Even water comes right back up. He has suffered stomach problems for a few years now. He was vomiting bile before the surgery. Over the years he has been to several Drs and had many tests run. Endoscopy, MRI, gastro emptying study, hida scan and others... None of these tests showed anything abnormal except for the hida scan, it came back at 9% so they removed his gall bladder. He has had constant nausea, constipation and pain all over his stomach for a few years now. I know it has only been a week since his gall bladder surgery, but is something else going on??? He is vomiting a lot more now then he was before surgery. He is 30 yrs old and otherwise healthy. He does not want to go to the ER right now even though he is in pain and vomiting bile... I know you are thinking the same as me.... he should go to the ER. But we have gone before and they can never figure out what is wrong and send him home. Worth every penny to check it out, but this gets a little costly and very frustrating. His gastroenterologist is the one that runs these tests, but is not finding anything else besides the gall bladder. Oddly enough I also had my gall bladder removed 4 weeks ago and I did not experience any of what he is dealing with before or after. I am concerned with the vomiting bile and not being able to even keep water down. Is there a specific test I should ask the Dr./ER to run? We live together and I see him vomit every day. There is no reason a person should have to deal with this for as long as he has. He is miserable. Please help me....

[Banned1]

Hi Jennifer:

Could you please let us know how he makes out?  I'm worried about him.

All the best,

Sam

[sillyvixen]

maybe a psuedo obstuction  - i had this after my open choly (not immediatly) but suddenly i could not keep anything down 2 weeks later due paralitic illius - was addmitted as an emergency and NBM with iv fluids ubtill things settled down . get a 2nd opinion.

[jenner77]

Thank you for your responses. I asked the Dr after surgery if he found anything else going on and he said no. He didn't say anything about stones or sludge. The gall bladder was sent off for a biopsy.  My bofriend eats very little and for the most part it is low fat. I make the meals and its normally baked chicken, veggies and potatos. He has been takin Zofran for the nausea and protonix, they seem to help a little as long as he can keep it down. His potassium level was low before he left the hospital after surgery so they gave him an potassium iv before he left. I think it could be a bile leak or his liver or pancreas from what I have researched. We are contacting his GI on Monday. If we call when the office is closed we are just referred to the ER.

[CalGal]

Jenner, he has to contact his GI person now. Did they find stones or sludge in the gallbladder? If so, they may need to check to find out if any of the stones/sludge got 'spilled' into the common bile duct during surgery.

I know he's not eating a lot, but whatever he's eating make sure it's very low fat. He also needs some protection at the stomach level to try to minimize the damage that's being done by the bile. The doc may want to try some anti-nausea meds and the use of carafate. Make sure they check his liver and pancreatic enzymes, too.

If your GI guy can't find an answer, don't wait. Ask to be referred to a GI who specializes in the biliary system. Far too much of this goes on before someone is finally referred and the problem with that is too much damage to the system can result before a cause is found. ASK for that referral, and if you don't get one, find the nearest University-affiliated hospital and call them.

[Banned1]

If I were him, I would go the hospital immediately.  I have zero medical experience but it sounds like a bile leak, which is fairly common post-gallbladder surgery (cholecystectomy).

Good luck and Godspeed.

All the best,

Sam