Pain still after gallbladder surgery

[Out of answers]

I had bronchiditis in December real bad.  Coughing hard and continuosly for a good month. After getting an antibotic from doctor I was feeling much better, I woke up with a pain in my right side after a week or two of taking antibotic.  So bad I couldn't sleep on that side.  Coughing or sneezing was very painful.  Went to doctor after a few days and they done an ultasound and found sludge in gallbladder so the following week I had surgery to get gallbladder removed.  The area where gallbladder was is feeling much better, but pain in right side and towards middle of back is still there, which I may add, is the same pain as I had when I went in to have gallbladder surgery.  The only symptoms I had was the pain in right side regarding my gallbladder.  I have went back and had tests after tests taken and they can't seem to figure out where the pain is coming from.  Right now I am taking Motrin--3 pills 3 times a day.  It helps while I am on it, but when it wears off I am back to the pain again.  Also, under my breast bone it is very tender and numb.  I just had a CT Scan of abdomen, pelvis and chest and they found nothing.  I have had urine and blood tests taken with also no results.  Urine test the first two times I had done showed a little blood, but they put me on antibotic, which took two rounds for the blood not to show up in urine.  The last time I was at doctor's he said he thought I had an inflammation or maybe even pleurisy.  I am so tired of fighting this.  I have seen three doctor's regarding this and they all say the same thing or just don't know what to tell me.  I was wondering if you had any suggestions for me. Also I had a CT Scan to see if I had kidney stones, which showed up that I did not.  I spend most of my days laying on heating pad.  Please help!

[leslie48]

I am a 48 y/o female...had a choli via scope end of Feb.'03...at my post op appt. I was still having similar pain, so was refered to GI specialist, who did an ERCP anticipating a stone in the sphincter of Odi.  When he dilated the sphincter, it was so painful I woke in the middle of the procedure!  Freaked all of us out, but they got me back to sleep finally, and did a sphincterotomy.  This recovery was more painful than the first.  Now, 4 weeks post s-otomy, I feel okay as long as I don't eat ANYTHING.  Doesn't seem to matter what or how much I eat, the pain is relentless right-upper-quadrant.  I am on an antispasmotic, which doesn't seem to do much, but I am not willing to see what happens if I stop taking it.  I take it four times a day...30 min. ac plus one before bed.  Nobody wants to talk about what may have happened when that tube was down my throat and I was thrashing and wretching around before they finally got me back to sleep, as it was a "new young doctor" who did the procedure, on a Sat. by himself with two nurses assisting.  My question is, "how long is reasonable to experience this pinching pain after these two surgeries" and "is there anything to take to keep it from hurting so much, that is not addictive."  I keep getting the brush off when I talk about the pain.  Should I get a 2nd opinion?  By the end of the day, I look 7 months pregnant, and it is to the point that I dread eating anything, and that's fine with me.  It is not worth the pain anymore.  I am usually a happy, healthy active woman and this is getting really old.  I appreciate any input.  Reading some of this information is really discouraging.  Thanks.

[lisa27]

I am having similar problems....

I had my gallbladder removed via laposcopic surgery in August of 2001, this being my only health problem ever. I am 23 years old and of normal weight and good health overall, but got stones from the birth control pill!
Anyway, after a slow recovery (not too slow, but seemed forever), I found that after 3-6 mo later I was getting terrible stomach aches again. Gastritis, the doc told me, and I went on Axid which helped a lot. Now, after being off Axid a while, at least 6 mo. I find pain in my gall bladder spot, tender, as it felt when it was first healing post-op, and last weekend I had violent vomiting in the middle of the night and morning for NO REASON! I had eaten only a few crackers! What is going on? I am afraid now I have something else!!!! Anyone know what this could be?? Also, there was a tiny bit of mucousy blood in my vomit.... like the kind you see on the tissue when you blow your nose during a dry winter.

[jenrn]

leslie48, I read your note from April 9,03 and I hope you are still following this.  I have been having pain for 3 months in mid to right upper abdomen.  I feel fine until I eat.  It doesn't matter what or how much I am, I am in agony. My stomach looks like I am 6 months pregnant after I eat.  I have had an endoscopy, CT, Ultrasound,Gallbladder scan, Upper GI.  All were normal.  I have been set up twice for surgery (first for gallbladder, second for bowel obstruction)and they canceled both.  I have lost 17lbs in 3 months and I am at my wits end!!!I am a healthy 33year old woman.  They have decided that my stomach motility is slow and it does not empty fast enough therefore I have so much pain and discomfort.  They gave me Zelnorm (which is for irritable bowel syndrome-which I don't have)and this will speed up my GI tract.  I will be starting it in the morning and I will let you know if it works. I am a nurse and I am extremely frustrated with how this whole thing has progressed. I am glad that I did not have my gallbladder out after reading all of these notes.

[krisg]

personally, I think doctors are much too quick to remove a gallbladder.  Alot of docs don't take the time and patience to run proper tests and to rule out ALL possibilities of other problems before having gallbladder surgery.  Therefore alot of people end up with additional problems after having surgery.  It's a shameful cycle.  I know first hand of pain and misery after having my gallbladder out 5 years ago.  The pain I had before the surgery was nothing like what I suffer with now.  The only advise I can usually give is to go to as many doctocs as it takes until you come across a doc who LISTENS to their patience, and takes time to really want to help you.  Also, it is very important to gather ALL

[krisg]

sorry my cat stepped on the keyboard!
Gather ALL your medical tests and notes from all hospital stays and doctor visits.  This is what I chose to do about 3 years ago and finally pieced together important documentation to lead me to a diagnoses. I also traveled out of state to a dr. and hit the jackpot.(so to speak)  He listened to my "story" and read thru my medical records and spent about an hour with me on the first visit!  Wow, no dr. ever did that before.  Just wanted to say that getting all of my records, I was able to study them and have proof when I went to a dr. and I also learned alot too.
Good Luck

[navy mom]

Hi I to have had my gallbladder removed and that was'nt what was causing my problem. I have severe pain in the upper middle of stomach and I've been to 8 different Drs and no one can seem to have an anwser to where the pain is coming from. I've had every test possible and most of them 3 to 4 times and still no anwser to where the pain is coming from. I've had this for 2 and half years now and lived on pain pills. I've been in the emergency room countless times and they would give me shots of demerol and send me home. Just 5 days ago I had to go to emergency room because the pain was so severe I could not take it and the E.R. Dr. did blood work on me and said I had Pancreatitis. This is the first time in 2 1/2 years I've heard the word Pancreas. They say it's a possiability that this has been my problem all along. I will find out more in a couple of days when I go for my MRI.  6/10/03