Post Gallbladder surgery pain.

[lisa]

I had my gall bladder removed in early December VIA the laproscopy method.  My recovery has been relatively uneventful with the exception to the fact that I cannot lay on my left side. This position causes me to have a burning, crampy  pain in my chest cavity as well and in and around the area of my right shoulder and up  the right side of my neck.   The pain is so intense that it actually causes me to be unable to breathe and I need to change position immediately.

Should I be concerned or is this a common symptom after this type of surgery and if so,  how long until it goes away?    

Thank you very much for any help that you may offer.

Lisa

[HFHSm.D.-Gastro-rf]

Dear Lisa,
It is unusual to have severe pains after laparoscopic cholecystectomy.  The pains that you describe are not typical for  ulcer disease, pancreatitis or common bile duct stones.  If you are having frequent pains or if the pain is interfering with your normal activities, then you should revisit your physician

[Janice S.]

Hi Lisa,  I had my gallbladder removed same way, but was done in August 1999.  I have had intense pain through both sides of my upper back since I woke up from the surgery.  I have tried to tell the doctors about this - I also have the pain in through my shoulders and my neck.  I am having another scope done 1/20 along with biopsies.  I don't understand why I have the pain in through my back either, especially since it has been there since I woke up from the surgery.  Maybe they can tell me something after the scope this Thursday.  Good Luck!!  
Janice S.

[kim]

I had my gallbladder out 3 years ago.  I get severe pain at the early morning hours.  I take tagament which helps with the pain.  I just had a Barriam swallow test done which shows gird. Acid reflux disease.  It is common to have pain especially if you eat fatty or greasy foods such as ice cream, pizza, chinese etc.

[dean]

I had lapriscoic gallbladder removal in early December.  For years I suffered what I thought was heartburn or reflux or maybe a hiatal hernia.  I would get a lot of pain in the middle of my chest around the solar plexus and it would radiate into my upper chest. I am 39 years old and I must of had this pain for about 10-12 years.  The past couple of years I have put on some weight and the pains got worse.  My doctor put me in the hospital last year to rule out my heart.  6 months later I had an endoscopy which showed nothing.  A couple of months later I wound up in the emergency room with the most sever pain of my life. (and I have had several kidney stones) The pain was in the middle and right side of my abdomen.  My liver enzymes went through the roof and they told me it was a gallstone.  Luckily the stone passed but they told me the gallbladder had to come out.  

Since the surgery all the pain that I had been having  over the years is gone. The surgery was painfull for the first few days but the recovery went by quick.  Now I still feel a little week but I am ok and for the first time pain free.

It turns out my gallbladder was filled with stones and not working.  How could the doctors mis diagnose me for that long. Over the years I must have taken a million antacids or thought I was having a heart attack a hundred times. The doctors excuse is that my symptoms were not typical gallbladder sypmtoms. It took winding up in the hospital in what could have been a life threatening situation to figure out what was wrong. So if any of you are experiencing the same type of pain as I did, having my gallbladder removed has taken away the pain.
I hope this is helpfull to someone.

If you have any questions you can Email me at ***@****

[CHARLIE EDWARDS ([email protected])]

My wife had the gallbladder removed thru optiscoptic surgery and has had absolutlly no pain. I don't think that pain is normal after surgury and you should again visit your doctor

[shelley]

I also had my gall bladder removed after suffering with debilitating pain between my shoulder blades.  Once I recognized that the pain usually came after certain meals I offered that info to my Dr. who ordered and ultra sound test.  I had the gall bladder removed back in 1993 but have recently (within the past 6 months) experienced the same awful pain between my shoulder blades.  I was told by a friend (with no medical experience) that I might actually have a gall stone in the ducts that are left behind after surgery.  I had never heard of this before. It certainly was never mentioned by my doctor.  Does anyone out there have any experience with this?  How can I find out for sure if it's a stone causing all this pain?  Another ultra sound? and then surgery?

[Lori LaBossiere ([email protected])]

I am experiencing some problems that might be gall bladder and could use some advice.  I have experienced lately (on 3 occasions) severe pain in my chest area, difficult breathing, pain in my shoulders and neck.   It usually lasts for approx. 1 hour.  With a burning feeling.  The pain usually goes from the front,  straight back.  The first instance I thought it was my heart and had all the usual tests and the doctors found nothing wrong.  They tested my liver, enzymes were elevated, heart enzymes were ok.  The weird thing about this is I only have these attacks while driving.  I need some help.  Any suggestions.

[to Lori]

You state that you have these attacks while
driving, do you drive the same time every
day,(to and from work)?  Do you eat within
2-hours of driving?  Your pain probably is
not triggered by driving at all!!!

[Jan Smart]

This is my first visit to this site.  This reply is to Shelly.  Your friend is correct.  I had gall bladder surgery May 1997.  I had excruciating pain immediately after surgery on the right side when I tried to stand up and actually screamed.  They said it was gas because I had a broken bed and had laid wrong until I could get up!  It felt worse than labor pains! I complained six months after surgery that I still hurt but was told that it was probably adhesions. In November of 1998, I experienced bad pains on my left side from the back to the front and have had periodic reoccurrences since then.  I have revisited the specialist who removed my gallbladder with laproscopic surgery.  He is considered an expert in his field in this area.  He said there may still be gall stones left behind after the surgery or a clamp may have come loose.  He explained further and said he didn't really want to "go back in" unless the pain got too bad and I asked him to.  The most current episode (mild) was last week. Today I visited a new general physician who is going to run tests to see if I have a kidney stone.  I suggest you visit your physician or the specialist who performed the surgery.  I really believe this is more than a pulled muscle and am hoping to find a solution.  Good luck!

[Jan Smart]

Correction:  Pain in on right side - not left.

[Barbara Hugo]

I had surgery a year ago this April to remove my gall bladder.  I am still not feeling great.  I still have a burning sensation where the gall bladder was removed and the area is still sore.  Is this common or are there some unlying causes. The can find nothing.

[jewels]

Let me tell you about gallbladder pain.

I've had this since elmentary school.  The chronic attacks lasted for days and worsened after meals.  My mother had the same experience and we both had our gallbladders removed at the age of 30.  The problem was genetic, nothing could change our destiny.  

I tried a different diet, and stopped drinking.  It didn't work.  I visited over 20 doctors who all called is gas, and Irritable Bowel Sydrome.  Blood Tests and Sonograms showed nothing wrong.  I was in great physical shape so I didn't appear to be the typical gallbladder patient.  Acupuncture and strong Chinese Herbs kept me going for 2 years before my surgery.  Fasting helped tremendously during the attacks.

I finally got a book of medical conditions from a neighborhood pharmacist and read every gallbladder problem listed.  I finally diagnosed myself.  My skinned had turned yellow and the pains worsened.  I took Opium suppositories to help relieve the pain during attacks.  Finally I marched into my selected surgeon's office and insisted that "I know my body and I know that something is wrong!!"  He immediately sent me for a sonogram.  My experiences with sonogramists aren't wonderful. Most don't take their time to get an accurate test.  The one sonogramist that did took a long time.  30 minutes went by as I turned in various positions until finally (as I watched)  little dots appeared from nowhere.

My gallbladder was removed soon after.  My condition was severe and the surgeon didn't expect it.  The organ hardened and was filled with sand-like sludge.  It also was going bad and connecting itself to other organs and making them go bad as well.  The surgeon told my husband, "That organ should not have been in her body!"  The same surgeon told me a year earlier that it was gas.  Without documented proof, they can't do anything.  You MUST be your own doctor.  

New life was bestowed upon me after my surgery.  Nothing bugged me, and for 4 years I was pain-free until 1998.  I had a chronic attack that started instantly and never went away.  My liver area was bloated, and a slight touch was excrutiating.  I was nautious, dizzy, and fatiqued.  It felt like the gallbladder pains I knew so well, but was more in my liver.  Sonograms and blood tests showed nothing.  Doctors are baffled and call it everything but liver.  Once again I'm finding myself going from one doctor to another to find an answer.  The pain has gotten better from years of different therapies including:  fasting, bodywork, herbal, relaxation and yoga.  

Through my struggles I have found the following to be greatly helpful:

Gentian (Angostura bartenders bitters)
Fasting for 3 days w/ Pear or Apple Juice
Nature's Secret cleansing program (3 part system)
Cascara Sagrada (included in the Nature's Secret)
Have someone pound your right upper back with their fist
Breathe deeply into the painful area
See a Chinese Herbalist.

Good Luck!    ***@****

[Ron B.]

I was recently told my liver functions were elevated. The insurance company told me my SGOT was 396 and my SGPT was 132. If anybody can tell me what this means I sure would be grateful.I did have my gallbladder removed in July '96 and have had pain in that area for about 8 months.

[Wendy I.]

My docotr told me that tests shows my gallbladder is dieased and only working at 15%.  I am having lower back pain. Sometines I get pains under and around my right shoulder blade. Could the pain be coming from the gallbladder?

[Annette]

I find these comments so interesting.  I had gallbladder surgery in Oct 99 and have had pain since.  I had pain in the middle of my chest prior to the surgery.  I was told I had gallstones but after surgery there were only sand particles in the gallbladder.  I now have pain in the area where the gallbladder was, in the front and back, as well as back pain, which I have now been told is a pinched nerve (unrelated to the other pain).  In the past few weeks, I have been experiencing pain every time after I eat in the area where the gallbladder was.  Anyone experience this?  Why do I have more pain now than before the surgery and pain whenever I eat?  Any suggestions?  My dr is now saying its my colon but I am skeptical.  I have pain in the chest, back and side.

[Joanne Bergstrom]

Well, you can add me to the list of people who have had their gallbladder out and are in chronic pain.
     I had mine out after feeling nausea and some small amount of pain. That was 9 months ago.
     Immediately after getting it out, the nausea was intensified. The pain was so intense, it felt like I had been shot with a bullet. Laying on my right side was impossible. It took me 6 months to have a solid stool. (Never a problem before).
     I have had every test and tried every drug available. I am still in pain. The nausea is better, but not better than before the operation. The pain is in my solar plexus, my right and left upper quadrant.
     I have been told that it is "post cholysyscestomy (sic) syndrome" and that it will clear up in a year. I have my doubts, and of course, hopes.
     Oh yes, I also now have very deep burps that are never ending and independent of eating or not.
     Does this sound familiar to anyone? God, I wish I still had my gallbladder. I wasn't half this sick before. Other than this, I've never had any health problems before.

[Charles]

I had my gallbladder removed about 5 months ago and this past week I started to have this pain right in the same area as my gallbladder used to be.  It is a deep pain that radiates to my back and a bit toward my shoulder blades.  I'm quite concerned by the abruptness of this pain.  I'm just 26 yrs. old and I'm worried sick.  Could my elevated stress be the cause? Or is it because I lifted one two many grocery bags?  Curious.  Please respond!

[Louise]

I had my gallbladder removed in Dec after having pain on my right side, back & side for over a year.  I sometimes would get nauseous like a car sick feeling. Nothing really triggered it, it just came & went. My ultra sound showed no stones, but my hidascan showed my gallbladder was only contracting 6%. What a shock.  Anyway, since my surgery Dec 17, 1999, I still have pain on my right side.  Back & side,and now it radiates some into the front.  I had a IVP to check my kidneys, which showed normal kidney function. My doctor told me it's myalgia.  Which is a fancy word for muscle pain. I doubt this seriously, but I decided to wait and take the muscle relaxers for a while to see what happens.  I can't beleive my pain is worse now, than before the surgery, but I'm glad I'm not the only one who has experienced this. It's very frusterating.  I can't sleep because of the pain, and of course, now, the muscle relaxers should help with that too, but so far, there's no relief. I guess I'll give it a while and see what happens. I feel like I'm at a loss.
I'm glad I found this sight, since there's no one to talk to, who understands my pain, and hopeless feelings.

[huffmama]

I have been having severe abdominal discomfort for aprox. 1 year. April 99 was is hospital for tests all of which reveals a
non functional gall bladder. Put on medication to finish out the
school year. June 99 had gall bladder removed. I was pain free for about 7-10 days. The the pain returned as before surgery.
Returned to surgeon who ordered more tests that revealed
nothing. Have lost 30-35 lbs and am on limited diet non fat,
non dairy, not spicy foods and especially no salads. All of which send me into extreme stomach spasms.  I have a tightness in
my abdomen under my belly button that feels like someone hasa super human grip on me. I also have vomiting and diarreha. Is there help for me out there?

[cynthea]

I am adding my name to the list of those with post cholestectomy pain. I had my gallbladder removed in 1986 and have had recurring "ghost gallbladder" pain off and on ever since. I've had endoscopy done and liver enzymes blood work which from time to time show elevation but no cause found. I wonder about stones being in the duct? Also often after this pain I will notice a change in the color of stool from normal to very light in color. Is this not an indicator of a stone? The pain generally begins in the right midsection and radiates to the right back and up the neck and jaw. It feels like a gripping, grinding pain that travels sometimes from right to left deep within. I generally just remain very still until it passes. There seems to be no one thing which precedes the pain as a causitive. Don't know what good this forum is when the doctors don't seem to know the cause or to even be concerned. I've been told that it was "nothing" and "it is your heart" and was put on a medicine for angina which didn't do a thing. Had stress test done....no problem found. But the pain still recurs and I shudder when the now familiar pressure begins.

[Karen S.]

I have been diagnosed with bilaiary dyskinesia, which is a 5% functioning gallbladder. My worst sympton is fullness in my chest which feels like someone is cutting off my air supply. My breathing gets labored, I drink 3-4-5 cans of 7-up, belch 10-15 times over periods of 2-3 hours, & then feel better. Along with chest pain from left to center to right, pain in my arm, heartburn & just a few major stomach aches.  I also have recently been diagnosed with GERD & Hiatel Hernia. I feel triple wammied!!!!! My gallbladder surgery is coming up, however I don't know how much longer I can live like this. I can't go anywhere without my 7-up. I have restricted my diet severly. No caffeine, alcohol, spicy foods, fatty foods, greasy foods, salads, cheeses. It feels like a heart attack & I have had a complete heart work up. I have even had an EP Study of the heart all they found was a rapid heart for which I take a heart pill called Zebeta daily. I also take prevecid 2 times a day for the GERD & Hiatal Hernia.  My main question & concern is will the gallbladder surgery help all of these symptoms. Are they somehow related. Most have the same symptoms according to my research.  It's to the point where I am truly affraid to eat.  Can anyone shed some light please & wish me luck.  Thanks in Advance

[Andy]

Hi to all fellow sufferers:

[Andy]

I'm new to this board, but can definitely relate to a number of postings here.  I suffered from gallbladder-related symptoms for at least 10 years, beginning during my first pregnancy.  I had pain in the upper right quadrant/liver area, burning stomach pain just beneath the breastbone & through to the middle of my back, a shaking feeling just beneath the breastbone (as though someone had tapped a tuning fork & placed it there & which sort of radiated throughout my body & into my arms & legs, like a humming sensation), chest pain, pain behind the right shoulder blade which radiated into the right arm & sometimes into the neck & face, nausea, headaches, dizziness, even blurred vision when an attack really got going, alternating constipation/diarrhea, and light colored stools (indicating that enough bile was not getting through). These attacks would last for hours, and at first I did not realize that they were related to eating. I just seemed to be sick all day long. But when you stop to think that you eat three times a day & that attacks can last for hours, you begin to recognize that being sick all day  is very possible. I went from doctor to doctor looking for answers. I had bloodwork, ultrasounds, MRIs, CT scans.  Everything was normal. Eventually, I began to notice some patterns. Certain foods really seemed to have a negative impact, particularly greasy or rich foods. I did some research & concluded that my symptoms sounded very much like gallbladder.  I checked into family history & discovered that my mother & both grandmothers had their gallbladders removed, and that my mom's problems had begun with her pregnancies also. Finally, I went to my internist with my suspicions & he ordered additional testing. Even so, further ultrasounds, more bloodwork, two scopes (colonoscopy & gastroscopy) turned up nothing. Only when I went in for a CCK Hidascan (this test measures actual gallbladder activity, not only whether or not you have stones) did abnormal gallbladder function show up. Surgery was ordered.  Continue>>>

[Andy]

I expected my symptoms to disappear. No luck. They never disappeared completely, although I would have periods where they would be better & other times when I would have flare-ups. The symptoms themselves were nearly identical to those that I'd had before the surgery. It was like having gallbladder attacks all over again. I also noticed that stress would set these attacks off. After more testing; stomach acid ph test, motility test, another 2 scopes, 3 cardiac stress tests, more bloodwork (all tests negative), and trials on Prilosec, Prevacid, Propulsid (what a horror that was!), Levsin, Bentyl, Donnatal, it was finally suggested that I might have a problem with Sphincter of Oddi. Apparently, this sphincter at the base of the common bile duct can malfunction either before or after gallbladder surgery & can create symptoms similar to those that we recognize as being related to gallbladder attacks. I only just recently began to research this conditon, called "biliary dyskinesia" or "Odditis". My gastroenterologist recommended ERCP & sphincter manometry (a procedure in which the bile ducts are examined for stones,obstructions,and abnormal pressure in the ducts or sphincter is evaluated). Stones or obstructions may be removed, or a cut in the sphincter may be performed to help release pressure. Unfortunately, there are often nasty complications from this procedure (pancreatitis, mild or acute, as well as long-term complications that may actually make your conditon worse)& no promises that the procedure will even work to eliminate your symptoms. After reading about the risks & hearing about them from the doctor who was going to perform this procedure on me, as well as reading postings from people who've had it done (mostly negative), I chose NOT to have it. I will try diet (avoiding fats, chocolate, spicy foods, citrus, etc. to ease some of the GI symptoms and try to prevent sphincter/duct spasms) and medication (nitrates, anti-spasmodics, and calcium channel blockers have been shown to have some benefit), relaxtion techniques (stress has been shown to be a provacateur in this sydrome), aloe vera gel (2 oz. three time daily) to soothe the stomach, as well as any other techniques that I may come across that may be of benefit. I can tell you that this condition has exacerbated & relapsed (during which symptoms were fairly mild) for me over the past 5 years without any special treatment from me except for one: the Liver/Gallbladder Flush. If you've never heard of it, it is something that you might want to consider trying. I always found it to be of benefit in the past, especially before I had my gallbladder surgery (it really provided relief). It seems to clean out the liver & gallbladder & I often found stone-like masses (yellowish-green masses that often looked crystalline & had the consistency of candlewax) in the toilet on the morning after having completed it. Invariably, my pain around the liver area would disappear & my symptoms would subside for lengthy periods of time. I'll post the procedure later for anyone who might be interested. For all I know, somebody else may have tried it and posted it already. In the meantime, good luck to all. I will record my own results in future, now that I know what I'm dealing with & have plotted a course of action.