post op soreness

[queenkong]

had open gall bladder removal 6 weeks ago, had stones in the common duct, several adhesions to the gall bladder, intraoperative cholangiogram, cystic duct divided, stones were seen, went to open procedure. Thompson retractor to make exposure.  first cholangrigram showed dye going into the duodenum without showing the biliary tree.  further exploration was done right and left braches of the hepatic duct were visualized and seemed correct. Another cholangiogram was done and confirmed viability of the bilary tree.  I am experiencing sorness in the liver upper right quadrant soreness, not pain.  With this much exploration and a 6 hr procedure should i still expect to be sore.  This is my first surgery and I am a little concerned about the continued soreness.  its only been six weeks but i expected to be running and jumping by now. And as I said it is not pain, just discomfort. I seem to tolerate food well, bowels are normal just as before, just scared of the soreness. thanks

[Kevin Pho, MD]

I am not a surgeon, so my insight into this question is limited.

Soreness length can be variable from patient to patient.  However, given the complication, it may be wise to ensure there isn't further complications leading to the symptoms.  

Further evaluation can be done with an ultrasound to evaluate for any bile leak.  

An examination by your surgeon or gastroenterologist is recommended.

Followup with your personal physician is essential.

This answer is not intended as and does not substitute for medical advice - the information presented is for patient education only. Please see your personal physician for further evaluation of your individual case.

Kevin, M.D.
kevinmd_b

[tagblg]

Hi Mongobop
I was just interested in what testing you had done prior to your surgery.  Did they find the stones prior to surgery or was it during.  I am going through alot of testing now with not much showing up, but my doc thinks it is my gallbladder.  What type of symptoms did you have prior to surgery? Did they do a ct scan, ultrasound, or hida scan prior?  Thank you for you time, and most of all a speedy recovery!
tagblg

[queenkong]

i had syptoms (symptoms) of gall bladder attacks a number of years ago and then they went away so i didnt do anything, Of course now I wish i had and maybe the laprascopic would've  worked. The normal syptoms (symptoms) of pain upper right quadrant, radiating to the back and shoulders and a postive Murphys sign.  Ultrasound showed the gall bladder to be full, they were very visible so that the hydascan was not needed.  My surgery was lengthy and the surgeon did a lot of exploration and I guess thats why I am still sore, but i will consider another ultrasound or whatever if it doesnt get better soon. I think I may have over done it over the weekend, I am 50 and I guess everything starts falling apart. My son had kidney surgery several years and he says its pretty normal to be sore a long time.  I guess I will see. If anyone has some experience with being sore so long please post. of course its only been six weeks and i guess I am expecting too much

[tagblg]

did the stones in your common duct show up prior to surgery by ultrasound or were they found during?  I wish i could comment on your post op pain but I have not yet had my gallbladder out.  I did have shoulder surgery in Oct 05, and I still have some post op soreness from all the work they had done.  Sounds like they did an awful lot of work in there, and 6 weeks is not much time at all after open gallbladder removal

[queenkong]

Stones did not show up in the bile duct until surgery, my surgeon said he did not like the looks of duct and that is why they converted to open, he is an older surgeon with a lot of experience, the assisting physician said he was very very thourough and that he was meticulous.  So I guess i am pretty lucky and from reading up on this sort of procedure it looks like I am lucky that they did the dye test and everything else, darn sure wouldnt want to go back and get a lost stone!!!!!

[darabiana]

I had the same procedure done to me last February 11. But my doctor did a Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy - he had to go thru a lot during my 6 hour operation as he elected not to do open surgery. I am 26 YO and working on a very stressfull job before surgery. 3 weeks after the surgery, doc found that we missed a stone - good thing though he hasn't yet closed me up, he left a T-Tube on the Common Duct so we didn't take any chances, and thank God for that! I've gone back to work recntly, after I felt better. Its been over 12 weeks and lately, the soreness seems to come back. I sit behind a computer for over 8 hours, standing and taking walks from time-to-time. I also drive to and from work. I'm yet to seek advice from my doc about this as I thought it could might as well be caused by the increased stress from coming back to work. Anyway, I hope you'll feel better soon. What was the doc's take on it?