Complications following gall bladder surgery

[Jeanne Prine]

My husband had arthroscopic gall bladder surgery the middle of August.  The next day an gastro Dr went in to remove a stone in the liver duct.  ERCP?
At this time we were not given any instructions from the gastro specialist.  We went home and my husband looked like death.  After a week we rushed him back to the hospital to find that he had been hemorraging, so another gastro specialist went in and fixed this.
Since this time he has been in extreme pain. He reports that it is like he has a blockage in the middle of his chest.  (sternum)He has not been able to eat solid food.  He also feel nauseous all of the time.  He has lost about 25 pounds.
While doing an X-Ray to diagnosis the gall baldder, it was found that he had a aortic aneurysmn.
So in the meantime he had a very major surgery to repair the aneurysmn and that is going well.
He has been back to his surgeion twice and tells her about the pain.  She did the gall bladder and aneurysmn surgery. Another gastro did the ERCP. She gave him some medicine for his stomach which helped a little.  He has been on all kinds of stomach medication.
The second time he want back she scheduled him to have endiscopic procedure. The gastro Dr. found a small blockage and took a biopsy.  He also stretched the stomach a little but found nothing wrong.
I was at work today and he called for me to come home immediatly because he was in so much pain and felt like he couldn't breathe.  He was nauseous but does not throw up.
He was feeling a bit better after an hour, so ate a 1/2 bowl of chicken noodle soup and a couple of crackers and is now in excruciating pain.
I tried to call his surgeon tonight but she is not on call and I don't want to have to go to the hospital and have to wait inthe emergency room for s Dr who knows nothing of his history.
Is it possible that he did not have all the gall stones removed?
This pain was there after gall bladder surgery, after he has the hemorraging cautherized and is still there.
He had so much pain medication for the aneurysmn surgery that it did not bother him until he came home and was off medication
We have spent thousands of dollars and are really stymied as what to do now.  He has been this way since the middle of August following Gall Bladder surgery.

[Michelle1968]

A related discussion, Constant Nausea was started.

[bill4t]

As I was looking for information on post gall bladder surgery pain I came across this page. I am looking for anyone with the same experience as me to please email me. I had my gall bladder removed 9/01 and everything went fine. It's been over two years now and I still have constant diarreha. I also have a pain under my rib on the right side and seems to go through to the back. It is not a horrible pain, it is more of a nagging pain. Similiar to being sore from an activity. I have also gained weight as opposed to loosing weight. If anyone can relate please write to me. ***@****

[Ladywolf22]

I had arthroscopic gallbladder removal in June of this year.  The following day, I began to experience extreme pressure under my sternum and across my ribcage that was horrific.  I have MS, and this was the worst pain I'd ever had.  My doctor had said that I could have some gallbladder type pain, but this was not what I expected.  I suffered through it for 18 hours before I collapsed and was rushed to emergency.  They determined that I had CO2 trapped under my ribcage and it made me feel like I was having a heart attack.  My usual 120/70 blood pressure rose to 228/168, even on morphine.  I spent 4 days in the hospital waiting for the CO2 to move, and it finally did on the last day.  I went home and was back in ICU the next day when I couldn't eat and had severe nausea.  They discovered my liver was hemorrhaging blood into my abdominal cavity and I had a bloodclot the size of a grapefruit underneath it.  Over a 12 day hospitalization, I required 9 bags of plasma and 5 units of blood to get my levels back up.  Then, to top it all off, I developed an infection in my intestines from the antibiotics they had given me while in the hospital.  All-in-all, I lost 23 lbs in 2 weeks and my body is still recovering from the whole ordeal.

I partly know the misery your husband is experiencing, and hope that his doctor finds the answer soon...hang in there.  You're both in my prayers.  :-)

[RTFLY]

I agree with all the responses here and hope you don't feel like you wasted money for a response. That's a rather harsh attitude to take with people who are offering you opinions based on what YOU tell them.
I agree with Kristin as well...if I may ask, what part of the country are you located? I believe as well that you may want to find a major referral center, preferably one that specializes in GI disorders, to take your husband to. I wish you well...be well.
        
                                                J.C.I. BS, RRT

[krisg]

I'd try to get him to a university hospital as soon as possible.
Preferably one who has a gastro. dr who specializes in the biliary tree. Good Luck.

[Jeanne Prine]

I did get a better response from the surgeon.  We spent 7 hours in the emergency room yesterday and after several x-Rays, his surgeon came in after consultating with X-Ray people and said that he had some fluid buildup in the liver and a procedure should be done to drain the fluid and a biopsy done.
The Gastro intestinal specialist called today and had him come in and said that he doesn't agree with the surgeon and has ordered more tests.
Meanwhile, my husband is in pain and nauseated all the time.

[Jeanne Prine]

I feel that the reply was one I could have come up with and had no answers.  I am not a Dr. but I could have answered the question in more detail.  For me, it was a waste of $15.00

[surgeon]

It's hard to know what's going on in such a complex situation without being there. It's certainly possible there could still be a stone in the bile duct, or that the bile duct has become narrowed from the manipulations it's had: but that's usually indicated by blood tests of the liver. If they're normal, it's not likely. Having had aneurysm surgery, several things could be going on, including circulatory problems to his intestines, pancreatitis, even (not likely) infection of the graft. It's certainly not normal to have lost so much weight, even after two operations. I'd be insisting that the surgeon see him again, soon, and re-evaluate things. I'd even consider hospitalization to get things done efficiently. It might need to include arteriogram of his intestinal circulation, abdominal CT scan, possibly another endoscopy. What sort of "blockage" was found on the prior one?

[Kevin Pho, MD]

Surgeon has kindly addressed your question in his comments below and I agree with his assessment.

With so much going on and with a complicated past surgical history, it could be one of many things.  The diagnostic tests that was suggested by surgeon are all reasonable tests that you may want to discuss with your personal physician.

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.

Thanks,
Kevin, M.D.