Gallbladder like pain - a year after surgery

[AFriloux]

Hello,  I found this site and have been reading a bit, but haven't found an answer for my exact problem, so I thought I'd post my own question.  I hope that's okay.

I'm a 27 year old female who had gallbladder removal surgery a year ago.  

My pain began about a month after I had my daughter, this was September, 2006.  It was excruciating pain beginning in my back.  At first it felt like my back really needed to pop, but then it would turn into a burning feeling.  Then my upper-center part of my stomach would start hurting.  This too would begin as a burning feeling, and then it would be like someone had taken all of my upper stomach and twisted and stabbed.  It was unbearable.  This caused vomiting, diarrhea, gas, and me rocking back and forth crying.  Very, very hot showers would make it tolerable at times.  

I went to two doctors and then a specialist, as well as 3 ER visits.  The first doctor said it was probably an ulcer, and that my body had been through a lot due to my pregancy.  His opinion was that I'd carried my daughter too high and this caused the valve in my esophogu to stay open, which caused stomach acid to continually go into my esophogus.  This made sense to me, so I stopped eating acidic foods, etc.

A month later, the pain was back.  It stayed for three years.  I would deal with it every time I had an attack.  On my own, at home, in tears, crying and begging God to help me.

Finally, it was enough.  I went to my family doctor in tears, begging for help.  

He gave me Xanax.

Three hours later my mother was on the phone with him asking what hospital to admit me to because I couldn't get up off the floor anymore because I was in so much pain.

The prescious demerol was given to me once again.  I felt like a drug addict just waiting for the ONE thing that I knew could take the pain away completely.

The next day they told me that I had so many gallstones that I'd gotten them lodged in areas that blocked my pancreas, liver and kidneys.  My urine was the color of strong dark tea and bowel movements were white.  I had to stay on a drip antibiotic for 4 days before I could even think about surgery.  We had to wait for the lodged gallstones to pass.  I turned out that I was allergic to the antibiotic, and had to be switched to another one.  

Finally, I had surgery.  My gallbladder was removed laproscopically.  My doctors promised me that I would never feel this pain again.  I cried because I couldn't believe that it was finally over.  When I asked how many stones there were, they laughed at me.  No one had bothered to try to count them because there were so many.

NOW, a year later, I find out that I was right not to believe them.  Two days ago, I had another "attack."  All I could think was that I must be dreaming.  HOW could this be possible.  I can't  have gallstones blocking anything when I don't HAVE a gallbladder!  I haven't had another attack since the other day, but I have had continual pain in my back, just like an attack is starting.  I'm contantly in fear now that its going to return.  I don't know what to do and I'm praying that it will go away.

PLEASE, HELP.

[AFriloux]

Thanks for your answer.  Another girl emailed me with a similar one.  She said that she ended up being diagnosed with SOD.  

Oddly, this pain started after I'd cut out fast food all together.  My husband had lost his job, and we were pretty broke, so it soon became sandwiches and things from home for lunch.  

I'm working really hard on eating healthier foods, especially since my husband and I are going to start trying for another child soon.  

I'll take the advice and eat low fat foods, and monitor the results.  For now, I'm without health insurance and can't afford to go through the doctor visits again.  Thank you!

[CalGal]

You need to have your biliary system rechecked for the presence of stones/sludge. Call your doc and get rechecked. It's possible some of the stones/sludge escaped and got lodged in the common bile duct, or that you developed new ones - it can happen even without a gallbladder.

Are you following a low fat diet? Are you taking any hormone meds? Both can impact the biliary system.

There's also a condition that some develop after GB surgery called sphincter of Oddi dysfunction (SOD). It can be due to spasms in the common bile duct or the muscular sphincter and it mimics a GB attack.

You need to see a doc and follow-up on this.