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gallbladder clips
I had my gallbladder removed laproscopicly in 2000. I have always had a bulge in my upper right side taht will hurt every so often. When I back to the surgeon about a year later he sid it was because I was obese. I have recently had a CT of my abdomen and when another doctor was explaining the results he said the clips were visible from my gallbladder surgery. Is it normal for the clips to still be there and could they be causing my pain.
I have had a reaction to all titanium earrings I've tried except grade 23 titanium.
Do you know if all clips are the same grade and if so, what grade is used?
Also since I have the reaction to earrings, would that mean I could me in a constant state of reaction from the clips inside?
Do you know if all clips are the same grade and if so, what grade is used?
Also since I have the reaction to earrings, would that mean I could me in a constant state of reaction from the clips inside?
Dr. Watters, I am certain that you are a wonderful physician and have helped many, many people. I do not blame my surgeon that poorly chosen instruments were placed in his hands and subsequently used in my operation. However, it is in very poor taste that you discredit the REAL concerns we have regarding the clips. Especially when there is testing thru MELISA to verify these concerns. I also have the same problem and will be following up with testing. Folks, we must take control of our health and not allow for these REAL health issues to take over or worse slowly destroy our quality of life. If it is proven that I am allergic to the titanium I have decided to remove my dental implant, unsure what my options are regarding the clip. Maybe Dr. Watters can recommend something. I wish you all luck and good health in your quest to wellness. Cheers!
I had my GB removed in the middle of September, ended up being discharged, 2 days later I had localized fever, chills and a white blood count of 20,000. I was rushed back to the ER and it was discovered that there were gallstones trapped in my bile duct, causing the clips to rupture. I was in the hospital for a month. My lungs collapsed, I needed a chest tube, and was put on oxygen due to the bile leaking. So much for a lap coly being a routine same-day procedure =/
would you remove clips from gall badder surgery and replace with regular sutures or know someone who will do this surgery?
This is all so familiar. I didn't know what my very sharp localised pain was a few years ago. A CT scan showed it to be a titanium clip. Perhaps it's moved due to my abdominal weight gain. It stops me in my tracks sometimes and lately is it waking me up at night if I've moved into the wrong position.
When a sonographer ran the scanner over that spot I pretty well shot off the table due to the sharp pain. And I'm highly pain tolerant.
It affects me when closing a sliding door, hanging out washing, using a shovel or rake, sleeping on my right side or my back, and when the cats come up for cuddles and knead their paws near my right sub-rib area.
I've come on here to see if anyone else had this, and whether others had these clips removed later because of the sharp pain. And I've been dealing with this for about 6 years now, so it's time to do my research.
JB
When a sonographer ran the scanner over that spot I pretty well shot off the table due to the sharp pain. And I'm highly pain tolerant.
It affects me when closing a sliding door, hanging out washing, using a shovel or rake, sleeping on my right side or my back, and when the cats come up for cuddles and knead their paws near my right sub-rib area.
I've come on here to see if anyone else had this, and whether others had these clips removed later because of the sharp pain. And I've been dealing with this for about 6 years now, so it's time to do my research.
JB
1 Comments
Jaybee123, I had a hysterectomy in July 2014. I left the hospital with a sharp, stabbing pain in my rights side. My theory is that my organs shifted a little after surgery thus "jolting" the encased Titanium T clips which had lain dormant since 2001. 1 1/2 years later, 17 doctors, later....I still have the sharp stabbing pain and no answers. I have given up on finding a doctor, now I am trying herbal supplements. I would welcome any solutions as to what I should do. I am not so sure that I can live out the remainder of my life with this pain. I do take Percocet for the pain, but once again, I hate to rely on medication.
I had laproscopic gallbladder surgery and after a week I was back in the hospital near death. The clip was not secured and unfortunately came off causing a bile leak, which caused septic shock, pneumonia, and multiple organ shutdown. i underwent an exploratory surgery and was on life support in a coma. I missed 8 weeks of work but luckily survived. Has anyone else experienced this? I was never made aware of this possible complication.
1 Comments
Yes, my clips came off too. I spent years trying to get my health back. I went down many rabbit holes and eating protocols looking for answers. A number of things helped a little but flushing my liver of 1000s of stones has done wonders. It wasn't an easy path nor did it happen quickly but I stuck with it and feel better now than I did 20 years ago. I started a FB group and now help others from all over the world. It's called 'The Liver and Gallbladder Flush for Optimal Health'
Also I would like to add that my operation did not conclude with a ligature of any kind instead a clip was used. As proven by an x-ray taken 10 years ago after a "mysterious" and extremely painful cramp sent me to emerge.
Just an FYI.
Just an FYI.
Dr. C Watters, regarding problems with metals used in surgery: it is rare but real. I have a very long story regarding different metals. I would like to give the whole winding tale but will not here (I am an otherwise very healthy 60 year old female). You could google the MELISA test and find a whole body of very good research that backs up what that rare patient believes ( or at least I think it is good research....what do I know, I don't have a college degree?!).
I had a myriad of symptoms and a very high CK level and a positive MELISA test to silver. ( which was in ALL 12 crowns (I think it was about that number...any way I became my dentist's favorite patient. Interesting that the banding went away after about half the crowns were changed to zirconium and the funny gait occurred off and on left after the last crown was replaced.
I think what set me up for the sensitivity was many amalgams placed in childhood. And then I had an ORIF ( stainless). Please do not think of those patients as kooks. If only 50 have been diagnosed with a problem, then there Must be a larger body of patients who just deal with it and do not complain.
I had a myriad of symptoms and a very high CK level and a positive MELISA test to silver. ( which was in ALL 12 crowns (I think it was about that number...any way I became my dentist's favorite patient. Interesting that the banding went away after about half the crowns were changed to zirconium and the funny gait occurred off and on left after the last crown was replaced.
I think what set me up for the sensitivity was many amalgams placed in childhood. And then I had an ORIF ( stainless). Please do not think of those patients as kooks. If only 50 have been diagnosed with a problem, then there Must be a larger body of patients who just deal with it and do not complain.
hello doc let me just say you will never under stand what these people are going thru i found out that i have heavy metal toxcity due to the clips the clips are not only made of titanium but cobalt nickel chromium i want you to do this test take one of the clips and send it to a metal analysis test lab and get the results of what metals it consest of u will be amazed
hello doc let me just say you will never under stand what these people are going thru i found out that i have heavy metal toxcity due to the clips the clips are not only made of titanium but cobalt nickel chromium i want you to do this test take one of the clips and send it to a metal analysis test lab and get the results of what metals it consest of u will be amazed
Hi,my surgery was done 18 yrs ago, I notice when I lose weight is when the clip bothers me. Getting up from bed or a recliner, like a half sit-ups or bending putting on shoes make me jump straight from pain. It feels like a cramp. Any suggestions or what kinds of dr should I visit.
I called the company that manufactures the clips and they told me they have thousands of people who have problems with them. 2) They are not just titanium they are an alloy, I had to do a lot of research because they put a plate in my neck, come to find out they have nickle, aluminum, iron, vanadium and such. So all of you doctors who say you can't see what the problem is, is because before you use things in people you do not do your research. Then we the public come back and try to find out why we have rashes and pain and get told it just an allergy, well you got that right. I don't know if you have ever had a splinter or sliver of metal in you, but you might notice that wood will cause you to get a pocket of puss because it is foreign object the body is trying to clear. I have an allergy to metals so I should have received better support because this was told to my doctor.
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Having alterations in stool consistency after cholecystectomy is not rare and usually managed with bile salt binders and fiber. Up to 15% of patients can continue to have RUQ pain and should be evaluated for such things as sphincter of Oddi dysfunction should they continue to have biliary pain. I'm still not sure how you are relating these to titanium allergies since the incidence has been constant since the days of open cholecystectomies when the cytic duct and artery were ligated with sutures rather than clips.
I'm curious regarding the "less than 50 patients described in literature..." and your not having heard of titanium allergy. I had laparoscopic gallbladder removal little over 20 yrs ago. A few yrs after that I went to my family Dr. with the side pain and unusual (for me, as in never before) stool. I hadn't thought of it being gallbladder related, but I was referred back to my surgeon. He did a ultra sound (I think that's what it was), he referred me to a gynecologist due to seeing cysts on my ovary. The gyn treated me like I was stupid, I guess she thought I was thinking my ovaries hurt and didn't know where they were. (She, by the way, was the worst Dr. I've ever had the misfortune of being subjected to.) I never got any kind of answer as to what caused and continues to cause pain and elimination of masses of chartreuse jello poo. (I do not eat gelatin-ever.) I've found others who have gb removal and similar issues. I'd bet none of us are in the literature. It's not often and not unbearable - so I'm sorry I spent all that time and money on the bad after bad experience. I have other, worse health issues now to take care of. Regarding the titanium allergy: I didn't know what my clips were made of, but I looked up, after reading this discussion, that only 4% of the population are allergic to titanium. How is that determined? I'd bet I'm not in that literature either. Were you tested for titanium, nickle or copper allergies?
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
You have me interested. I have never heard of a titanium allergy. Nickle is the metal that has the highest incidence of reactions. Have you actually been shown to have a titanium allergy? The other metal that can be problematic is the copper in copper clad bullets.
The short answer is yes. I had a case where another surgeon had caught a nerve root in a few clips while doing a colon resection. I had to remove the clips which finally relieved her pain. I also had a patient who had had a laparoscopic cholecystectomy elsewhere and developed an aneurysm of the cystic artery where the clip was placed. I had to remove the clip and ligate the vessel.
The short answer is yes. I had a case where another surgeon had caught a nerve root in a few clips while doing a colon resection. I had to remove the clips which finally relieved her pain. I also had a patient who had had a laparoscopic cholecystectomy elsewhere and developed an aneurysm of the cystic artery where the clip was placed. I had to remove the clip and ligate the vessel.
in the case of a proven titanium allergy...is it possible for these clips to be removed surgically 4 to 5 years after surgery? is this ever done?
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
I have personally removed 3500 gallbladders using titanium clips to secure the cystic duct and artery without any clip related problems. In the US, there have been between 500,000 and 700,000 gallbladders removed annually for the past 22 years laparoscopically using titanium clips. I can find less than 50 patients described in the literature with clip related problems such as migration into a duct. I am confused as to what you are describing when you comment about a "hard area". These clips are located between 3 and 6 inches below the skin surface making it impossible to feel them from the surface. Can you describe what it is that you are blaming on the clips more accurately?
5 Comments
hi Doctor, can you have an MRI done having those clips inside?
How can I find a surgeon willing to remove the clips?
I, personally, had a clip migrate to the common bike duct sphincter, collect particles of stones, turned into a stone with a clip embedded in it. ERCP to remove. 30 years AFTER my gallbladder was removed. This is no joke. These clips migrate!
I think it would be difficult for doctors to determine that there are “no complications” from the clips when every one of us having problems with the clips are told that it’s either in our head, due to another medical condition, or something related to nutrition or lifestyle. And almost all of us are told to just live with it.
I’ve had every test available, I’ve been suffering since the surgery I’ve had years ago, everything else has been eliminated as a possibility, and it all boils down to the clips, which some of my most recent doctors have admitted is the problem. I’ve been told the only solution is having even more dangerous surgery to remove them, which could make things even worse. These are my choices?
I speak to a lot of people that have similar symptoms and none of them were ever informed that clips were used in them, like me. So first, why are you as doctors not informing us that they are going to be clips in our bodies? And second, how can you determine that they are OK with your “statistics” when the medical community consistently ignores our symptoms? How can you say that there are few documented cases of complications when every doctor brushes off our symptoms as “indigestion “ or “IBS” etc?. I was in immediate pain after my surgery and went back to my surgeon repeatedly for weeks begging for help, in chronic pain and telling him that there was something very wrong. Every time they turned me away, and said just go to the emergency room. I would go to the emergency room and they would tell me to go back to my surgeon! It’s completely unethical.
So I think your statistics are faulty, and even though this is one of the most common surgeries in the US, the follow up care is pathetic. How many people in the US are having abdominal issues, and are told repeatedly by the medical community that it’s not from their gallbladder surgery, or others just don’t ever make the connection?
It’s a scary thing when someone someone like me will have to go and have a dangerous surgery to hopefully get my life back and to prove that it was what I said it was all along, the clips. Do you know the 50 some cases you mentioned were the ones that were just so bad that it got to that point? What about the ones that are silently suffering?
I challenge you to do proper research and survey all of your patients even years later and see if they have any symptoms that they haven’t related to their gallbladder surgery, because they were taught by the medical community not to relate it to it.
I’ve had every test available, I’ve been suffering since the surgery I’ve had years ago, everything else has been eliminated as a possibility, and it all boils down to the clips, which some of my most recent doctors have admitted is the problem. I’ve been told the only solution is having even more dangerous surgery to remove them, which could make things even worse. These are my choices?
I speak to a lot of people that have similar symptoms and none of them were ever informed that clips were used in them, like me. So first, why are you as doctors not informing us that they are going to be clips in our bodies? And second, how can you determine that they are OK with your “statistics” when the medical community consistently ignores our symptoms? How can you say that there are few documented cases of complications when every doctor brushes off our symptoms as “indigestion “ or “IBS” etc?. I was in immediate pain after my surgery and went back to my surgeon repeatedly for weeks begging for help, in chronic pain and telling him that there was something very wrong. Every time they turned me away, and said just go to the emergency room. I would go to the emergency room and they would tell me to go back to my surgeon! It’s completely unethical.
So I think your statistics are faulty, and even though this is one of the most common surgeries in the US, the follow up care is pathetic. How many people in the US are having abdominal issues, and are told repeatedly by the medical community that it’s not from their gallbladder surgery, or others just don’t ever make the connection?
It’s a scary thing when someone someone like me will have to go and have a dangerous surgery to hopefully get my life back and to prove that it was what I said it was all along, the clips. Do you know the 50 some cases you mentioned were the ones that were just so bad that it got to that point? What about the ones that are silently suffering?
I challenge you to do proper research and survey all of your patients even years later and see if they have any symptoms that they haven’t related to their gallbladder surgery, because they were taught by the medical community not to relate it to it.
Well, this doctor posted enough years ago that we don't know if his opinion has changed. I would personally in your situation look for an alternative to the clips. You 'could' request that the clips be removed and suturing take place instead? The clips can absolutely migrate and even if it is just a little, I'd think you would possibly have discomfort/pain. Living in discomfort/pain should not be the only answer. I would consult with a couple of doctors to see if you can remove the clips and replace with suturing. Might be a big pain to go through the procedure and recovery time but I don't think it is acceptable for them to leave you feeling bad like ths.
Hi. I also am having pain from clips. When ever so slight pressure is placed on hard area aka "clips" or bending or moving certain ways or God forbid sleeping on my right side HURTS!!! I'm also haing upper right side back pain. I was unaware at first what these "hard" spots were and why they were hurting me. About the 3rd week after surgery...I ened up in the emergency room with the worst pain I've ever endured! I've been through labor and other surgeries so it wasn't a case that I'm intolerant of pain. I was not informed that thse clips were going to be used. Too bad for I would have done the research and discovered all these other people in this nightmare! I certainly would have demanded good old stiches....what ever happen to those?? All thses folks, including myself can't be mistaken about the same symptoms regarding pain. Has any doctor under gone this proceedure with clips? I hope soon that the medial world stops using this proceedure and stop inflicting pain. At this time, I want them removed so that I may get back to my life! Wendylk7 @ hotmail
1 Comments
I am having the exact same issue, I want the clips removed, and I can’t find a surgeon willing to do the surgery. I am desperate, I want them out, I live in pain 24/7, and I’ve had very test done to rule out all causes.
Finally a neurologist told me it had to be the clips, the most honest Dr I found. Now I can’t find a surgeon willing to,remove,them.
Finally a neurologist told me it had to be the clips, the most honest Dr I found. Now I can’t find a surgeon willing to,remove,them.
I have experienced swelling, localized fever, pain, intermittent swelling, several hospital stays related to sudden pain in the area of the gall bladder, since the removal about 8 years ago. I have also experienced 1 case of pancreatitis 1 year after the surgery.
I believe these clips may get infected from time to time, limiting my workout. It has begun to cause changes from my water aerobic workout due to sensitivity in the gall bladder area while working out in the water. I also was not informed of there exisitance and although discovered by a physician, never considered as the source of recurrent infections and illness.
How often is it recommended that these clips be removed and what are the general complications. I am diabetic and the constant inflamation has further comprimised my diabetes.
I believe these clips may get infected from time to time, limiting my workout. It has begun to cause changes from my water aerobic workout due to sensitivity in the gall bladder area while working out in the water. I also was not informed of there exisitance and although discovered by a physician, never considered as the source of recurrent infections and illness.
How often is it recommended that these clips be removed and what are the general complications. I am diabetic and the constant inflamation has further comprimised my diabetes.
Having one or two clips left in that area after the surgery is fairly standard. They're there to close off the cystic duct at it's entry to the common bile duct. They typically get covered with connective tissue after the surgery and pose no problems.
1 Comments
can you have MRI done having those clips inside?
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